The diet shakes that line supermarket and nutrition store shelves are typically marketed to women, but the truth is that they can be just as useful for men. As part of a low-calorie diet, healthy meal replacement shakes can help men lose weight and keep it off over time without sacrificing essential nutrients, vitamins or minerals.
Options
Commercial shakes typically come in cans or bottles and generally contain about 150 to 500 calories. Popular flavors for meal replacement shakes are chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. To replace the nutrients you'd get at traditional meals, the majority of shakes are fortified with a wide variety of vitamins and minerals. You also have the option of preparing your own shakes at home, which may be the best choice if you're concerned about your overall sugar intake or you want to make sure that your meal replacements feature fresh, whole ingredients.
Uses and Benefits
You're likely to see the most profound weight-loss results if you consistently use shakes to replace one or two meals per day. In fact, in a 2003 study published in "Nutrition Journal," weight-loss researchers discovered that overweight subjects who used meal replacement shakes on a daily basis lost more weight over 40 weeks than subjects who followed a low-calorie diet. Since men typically require more daily calories than women, however, you may need to supplement very-low-calorie shakes with a cup of yogurt, piece of fruit or other nutritious snack. The National Institutes of Health does not recommend that men eat any fewer than 1,500 calories daily unless they are following a medically supervised weight-loss diet.
Recipe
The main ingredient of most commercial meal-replacement shakes is sugar, according to a 2008 "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" article. That isn't to say the shakes aren't effective, however. "Numerous clinical studies have shown that sugar-containing liquids, when consumed in place of usual meals, can lead to a significant and sustained weight loss," state the article's authors. However, if you want to cut down on sugar and prepare a more nutritious meal replacement, blend crushed ice with 1/2 cup of nonfat yogurt, 1 cup of skim milk, a medium banana, 1 cup of sliced strawberries and one, 30-g scoop of whey protein powder. The shake has 420 calories, 40.5 g protein, 3.5 g fat, 62 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber and about 45 g natural sugar.
Considerations
Keep in mind that replacing too many meals with shakes could result in nutrient deficiencies, since you'll get better nutrition from real foods. Along with occasional shakes, eat regular servings of whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean proteins, fruits and vegetables. It's also important to consult your doctor before using meal-replacement shakes or starting any type of weight-loss plan.
References
- "Nutrition Journal"; Results of soy-based meal replacement formula on weight, anthropometry, serum lipids & blood pressure ...; November 2003
- MedlinePlus; Tips for Losing Weight; February 2011
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Liquid Calories, Sugar and Body Weight; Adam Drewnowski; March 2007
- USDA: Nutrient Data Laboratory
- LIVESTRONG.COM MyPlate: Calories in Whey Protein Powder
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