Why “Meal Replacement Drinks” are no Better Than Chocolate Bars
By Dr. Pamela Frank, BSc(Hons), ND
My mom is elderly and lives on her own and doesn’t always remember to prepare herself a nutritious meal. Her doctor recommended one of these “meal replacements”, here’s why that’s a horrible idea.
These “meal replacement” drinks are mostly composed of unhealthy fats and sugar. If all I was concerned with was giving my mom empty calories like that, I would just give her a chocolate bar. At least it contains real food ingredients (peanuts). The main ingredients in these drinks are: water, sugar, corn syrup, milk protein concentrate, canola/sunflower/corn oil and soy protein isolate.
What about the vitamins and minerals in meal replacement drinks?
The quality of these vitamins and minerals is the lowest of the low, the cheapest forms for the manufacturer to put in. Not well absorbed, not the form that the body needs. The casein is potentially detrimental to the digestive tract and absorption of nutrients. Caseinate forms of calcium (in these drinks), contain the protein casein which is a common food allergen and may aggravate anyone with a dairy sensitivity.
How do the nutritional facts compare?
Meal Replacement Drink:
Calories: 240/8 oz bottle
Cholesterol: 10 mg
Sodium: 150 mg
Carbohydrate: 41 g
Sugar: 20 g
Snickers:
Calories: 250/bar
Cholesterol: 5 mg
Sodium: 120 mg
Carbohydrate: 33 g
Sugar: 27 g
NesQuick:
Calories: 150/8 oz
Cholesterol: 15 mg
Sodium: 180 mg
Carbohydrate: 24 g
Sugar: 22 g
If you’re noticing some similarities between the Meal Replacement drink and NesQuik, that’s because they share the same manufacturer.
What are better alternatives to meal replacement drinks?
There are many better ways to help an aging parent or someone who is very ill meet their nutritional needs. If they would prefer something in liquid form, purchase a high quality protein shake like Vega One or Ultra Protein Plus by Douglas Labs. They’ll supply protein, much better quality vitamins and minerals without the sugar and canola oil. To bump up the calories, blend these with full fat coconut milk, a banana, an avocado, some coconut oil and/or almond butter.
For mineral and protein nourishment, cook up some bone broth. It’s easy, you just throw something with a bone in it in the slow cooker with a splash of apple cider vinegar and some chopped up veggies and leave it overnight. A cup per day of bone broth will provide lots of readily absorbed minerals, and protein in the form of gelatin which can be used by the body to make collagen for building healthy bones, hair, skin and nails.