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Meal replacement drinks - a good idea?
Featured in: Nutrition & Life
Meal replacements claim to be high in easily assimilated nutrition, but are the claims true? Are these drinks healthy?On occasion over the last few years, I’ve known people, usually elderly, that were told by their physicians to take “Ensure” or “Boost”, or some other meal replacement beverage, in order to be certain they are getting all the nutrients they need. And even when a plate of healthy, real food is offered, the dutiful patient follows the doctor’s advice and chooses the artificial drink instead, believing they will get better nutrition from the drink than from the food. Doctors are doing their very best, but please remember that most have had very little if any nutrition training at all. The weight-loss industry also frequently markets meal-replacement beverages as part of their weight-loss plans. Having looked at the ingredient list on these beverages, I don’t think they should be recommended to anyone!
Here is the ingredient list for “Ensure”: water, sugar (sucrose), corn syrup, maltodextrin (corn), calcium caseinate, high-oleic safflower oil, canola oil, soy protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, corn oil, calcium phosphate tribasic, potassium citrate, magnesium phosphate dibasic, natural and artificial flavor, soy lecithin, sodium citrate, magnesium chloride, salt (sodium chloride), carrageenan, choline chloride, potassium chloride, ascorbic acid, ferrous sulfate, alpha-tocopheryl acetate, zinc sulfate, niacinamide, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, cupric sulfate, vitamin A palmitate, thiamine chloride hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid, chromium chloride, biotin, sodium molybdate,
sodium selenate, potassium iodide, phylloquinone, vitamin D3 and cyanocobalamin.
After water, the first three ingredients are all sugar, two made almost certainly from genetically modified corn, as the product is not organic. Sugar devastates the body, accelerating heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, cancer and most other diseases of civilization. Soon after on the list are three vegetable oils, which increase inflammation due to their high omega 6 content (canola and corn oil being worse than the high-oleic safflower) and the fact that the oils are almost certainly refined, meaning they are rancid and will cause free radical damage in the body. Then we have soy isolate on the list, an endocrine disruptor, and whey protein, which is also a highly processed product. After that for the most part is a list of synthetic vitamins, mixed in with flavourings, which entails another long list of chemicals that they do not have to put on the label. Do the synthetic vitamins redeem the product? I don’t think the isolated synthetic vitamins can overcome the fact that one has consumed a bottle/can of sugar and rancid vegetable oils, two of the most harmful ingredients one can have if one values one’s health. And of course, the poor liver has to detoxify all the chemical ingredients, of which there are many! Not a burden one wants to put on the liver if unhealthy!
The bottom line is to be healthy one needs to consume real food. What comes from a factory simply will never be as healthy as fresh foods that are picked, pulled out of the ground or chased after to obtain, or come from the ocean. The food needs to come from live sources, not made out of chemicals. Real food does not need to advertise that it is healthy. If a label is telling you it is healthy, it probably isn't.
I realize that these meal replacement beverages are a convenience, and sometimes when people are sick they need something liquid. There are so many healthier options than artificial meal-replacement beverages, if it is possible to take the time to make them. Soups made of bone broths, containing a variety of pureed vegetables, and possibly some pureed meat too. Smoothies with natural yogurt as a base, and filled with all kinds of wholesome, real food, including nuts, berries, coconut oil, an egg etc. Freshly made mixed vegetable juices with flax
oil added. It takes some planning, but one would get all the nutrition needed without the problems, and it would taste better too!
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Oils and fats - the good, the bad, and the ugly
The soy controversy
Artificial and natural flavours
Online Dietary Supplements Labels Database Ensure Plus Nutrition Drink
Copyright 2008 Vreni Gurd
To view post titles by topic, go to www.wellnesstips.ca
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I have always been interested in what we can do to make ourselves as healthy as possible. We cannot change our genetics, but there is much that is within our control that can have an impact on whether we are healthy or whether we suffer with pain and disease.
I was the top graduating student at the University of Toronto in Physical and Health Education in 1992, where I studied anatomy, physiology, exercise physiology, nutrition and how exercise can improve health. In 1997 moved to Vancouver and started a personal-training business.
I became frustrated by my inability to help my clients through their various aches and pains, and pursued further education through the CHEK Institute in San Diego. I learned an incredible amount, and became far more effective with my clients suffering from low-back pain, but still found some clients did not respond as I felt they should and I didn't understand why.
I began to read and read. I began to appreciate how nutrition and other lifestyle factors can have a huge impact on healing or the lack of healing. It became obvious to me that there is a lot more to orthopeadic problems than simply looking at the physical. I took the CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Consultation course which solidified what I had been learning. Disease is a function of bodily systems being out of balance, and when we do what is necessary to bring the individual back into balance our health is restored.
My hope is that through this site you can travel the wellness journey with me and prevent illness, or if you are ill, you can learn some ways to become well again.
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Comments (16)
Since I have problems with my weight I’ve been seeing a nutritionist for the last 2 months. A part of my treatment is consuming meal replacement drinks. Of course I still have to consume real food --- especially fruits and fibre cereal, but I really feel those drinks are doing a good job for me. Luckily I’ve found a discount vitamins site that sells them very cheap. The main idea that everyone should understand about these drinks is that they are working as nutritional supplements, that’s all.
Hi Timada,
Glad things are working out for you.
That said, I think that for most, the poor ingredients including the sugar and refined vegetable oils make most meal replacements a poor choice, even if they are only used to supplement real food.
If you find that you come to a point where your weight loss plateaus, you may wish to consider dropping the sugary drinks, as sugar is the fastest way to spoil any weight -loss plan. Sugar is far more fattening than quality fats.
Best of luck to you! :)
Vreni Gurd
Health and Vitality Coach
Corrective Exercise Specialist
BPHE, CHEK 3, HLC 2
www.wellnesstips.ca
what if you are trying to put on weight but have appetite problems? Is Ensure just always going to be bad news since the sugar and veg oil content is so high. I know real meals are the best, but I find it much easier to consume liquids than food for some reason. I find it hard to finish a full meal. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi there,
Although there are lots of very nutritious options for liquid food, do you know why you have trouble with solid food? Do you have trouble digesting meat and it sits in your stomach like a lump? Or is it any solid food, like vegetables too? It could be your body is not making enough digestive enzymes or HCL which is why you are having trouble. Or you don't have adequate good bacteria in your gut.
As for liquid meals, can you make soups using real bone broths, adding veggies, cooked legumes and possibly meat and then pureeing the whole thing? Real natural full-fat yogurt can be a great base for smoothies - you can add fruit, nuts, a green powder, even some fish oil if you want, and that would be quite liquid, delicious and nutritious.
I would suggest you get Sally Fallon's recipe book Nourishing Traditions, and check out the beverage section - lots of excellent, nutritious beverages. Also she has got a recipe for formula, which I'm sure would be fine for an adult too.
All of these options are far better than Ensure, as they are real food. Ensure is a dead, unhealthy option that offers nothing of real value except for convenience. So yes, the other options require some time to prepare, but in the end they will taste better and be better for you. IF you are unwell or have digestive trouble, I can't see Ensure improving your situation.
Grains and fruit are your best options for putting on weight, if your body can tolerate them okay. Make sure you soak your grains for a few hours before cooking to eliminate the nutrient inhibitors. If you are having digestive problems though,you may not be able to tolerate many grains except for millet, brown rice, buckwheat and corn. Make sure that you by organic corn, as otherwise it is GMO.
Best of luck to you! I hope that helps a bit.
Vreni Gurd
Health and Vitality Coach
Corrective Exercise Specialist
BPHE, CHEK 3, HLC 2
www.wellnesstips.ca
Meal replacements can be a good idea for people on the go or for those who don't have the patience to calorie count etc. But of course not all are created equal. The person a few comments up hit the nail on the head with mentioning the amount of sugar some of these can contain which is a real shame for the inexperienced dieter who has not yet learned to assess the various MRP diets and make an informed decision. Good post!
If you're concerned about the ingredients in ready to drink meal replacements, there's a new one on the market that is organic and has excellent ingredients and tastes really good - check it out here: http://www.shoporganic.com/prod_detail_list/orgain-meal-replacement-rtd-...
There are a lot of unatural ingredients in ready to drink meals and people don't read labels anymore. And even if they do read they just don't care. I myself don't read labels just to see if it is not expired. Leaving all these things aside what do you people think the Beer of the month is ?
Hi. This is great infomation. I am a nurse who has to approve or deny nutritional supplements like Ensure. This is a great reference and education to guide agency nurses and clients requesting for these sugar induced formula. Iam a firm believer in whole foods, veggies and soups, homemade shakes....better...and i will share this info...with my supervisor. Thanks...
RN
I've been taking Ensure Supplements for years on the advice of a close relative. Obviously, she meant well. The fact is that I was fine before taking the Ensure and I've been having stomach/intestinal problems and other side effects ever since I've been taking these Ensure Supplements. I will not take this product no more.
The milk in it may very well come from China and, if not, nobody knows how long has been around before being compounded with all the other "vitamins" and unnecessary fillers used in the drink. The water in the Ensure is of uncknown sources too.
One has to consider also the possible contamination during the manufacturing of this product and other similar products.
Concerned people should follow your advice for better, safe nutrition.
#11: feel
Meal replacement is a good idea to be better and to prevent some decease. my mother takes ensure and she always tells me that this ensure really helps her. this article is great. Thanks a lot for sharing it your article to us.
#12: AngeWayne
I believe that this drinks was healthy! not because it is posted but because of its benefits and i agree that we need to eat real foods and fresh foods to be healthy.
Meal replacement drinks can be a good idea in order to get the nutrients we need for our body. These meal replacement beverages are convenience, but there are more healthier options like soup, fruit and vegetable juices, etc. But for me I still prefer real food.
I think meal replacement is not a good idea. I know that a man can live even without food. But the nutrition on the food is very important. We have to eat our meals.
Hi I would like to know if Pediasure is safe to be used a meal replacement drink for kids if they are picky eaters and also if Complan can be used as a meal replacement for elderly people and weight watchers
Thanks in Advance
I have to agree with this article. There have been many reports in the past, on dietary supplements containing all kinds of horrible substances, including mercury and lead. There is no substitute for REAL food, and if you have to be on a liquid diet, then the broths and pureed veggies and meats are the way to go.
That being said, my grandmother is on a nearly all Ensure diet, (which is how I stumbled on this article) and as her caregiver I keep a cup with a lid & built in straw next to her bed at all times, full of Ensure, (at her request). There have been numerous occasions, when I have gone to check on the cup, to make sure it was full, only to find it had morphed into something that resembles the consistency of paint that has had the lid left off of it, and it's like a chemical reaction of some sort has happened, because the cup is translucent, and you can see odd trails and bubbles all the way around the outside, looking in. It almost completely solidifies in the cup, and it's not easy to clean it out either. I really do worry about this stuff clogging the drains in the house. It's that thick and chunky. Unfortunately, none of us has been able to convince her that she needs to eat real food. She insists on staying on this garbage.
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Author: Details
First Name
Vreni
Last Name
Gurd
Degrees
BPHE, HLC 2, CHEK 3, CSEP-CEP, NSCA, ACSM
Short Bio
I have always been interested in what we can do to make ourselves as healthy as possible. We cannot change our genetics, but there is much that is within our control that can have an impact on whether we are healthy or whether we suffer with pain and disease.
I was the top graduating student at the University of Toronto in Physical and Health Education in 1992, where I studied anatomy, physiology, exercise physiology, nutrition and how exercise can improve health. In 1997 moved to Vancouver and started a personal-training business.
I became frustrated by my inability to help my clients through their various aches and pains, and pursued further education through the CHEK Institute in San Diego. I learned an incredible amount, and became far more effective with my clients suffering from low-back pain, but still found some clients did not respond as I felt they should and I didn't understand why.
I began to read and read. I began to appreciate how nutrition and other lifestyle factors can have a huge impact on healing or the lack of healing. It became obvious to me that there is a lot more to orthopeadic problems than simply looking at the physical. I took the CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Consultation course which solidified what I had been learning. Disease is a function of bodily systems being out of balance, and when we do what is necessary to bring the individual back into balance our health is restored.
My hope is that through this site you can travel the wellness journey with me and prevent illness, or if you are ill, you can learn some ways to become well again.
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You are right on! By teaching people how to read labels, they can make better decisions. It wasn't till I read the report by Dr. H. Dulay that I learned how to read labels and what to look for.