I am a 25-year-old woman and want to shed a few kilos. I came across meal replacement shakes which promise to help reduce weight. But are they good for health? Please suggest if I should opt for them.
Meal replacement shakes are essentially drinks which you consume instead of food for 1-2 meals of the day. They usually come in powdered form which are then mixed with water, milk, etc and had for lunch, dinner, et al. Many people opt for them as a solution to help them lose weight. But are they good? Let's find out.
If you are trying to lose weight simply by drinking these shakes, you can do more harm than good. These meal replacement shakes work for specific purposes such as building muscle mass or losing weight but they need to be complemented with regular exercise. Nutritionist Akansha Jhalani points out some facts about such shakes.
'These shakes can act as beneficial supplements or replacement to provide specific diets like low-calorie or high-protein as they have a pre-determined composition which helps us target our requirements. But if taken or substituted for an extended period of time, they can cause digestive problems, certain nutritional deficiencies, hinder normal digestive processes like salivation and do not provided satiety,' she says.
Even though these are helpful in some cases, it is important to keep in mind that they cannot really replace a balanced meal. 'A balanced meal cannot be replaced by an artificial isomeric formula. The variety in our daily meals helps us gain all the nutrients unlike these substitutes. Over or prolonged consumption can cause excessive availability of certain nutrients that can be harmful and have adverse side-effects,' says Akansha.
If you are planning to use them for a short while along with some exercise, you may be able to opt for them but it is wise to consult your physician so that you can decide the quantity and frequency you need to follow. Remember, excessive usage could lead to kidney and intestinal problems to do not use them blindly for a very long time.
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