Diet shakes have long been marketed as miracle solutions for people trying to lose weight – whether incorporated as meal replacements or as supplements in the gym though, it’s difficult to gauge how healthy they actually are.
Diet shakes and meal replacements all boast various qualities, although the main claimed benefit is normally – as you’d probably imagine – weight loss. So how healthy are they really?
According to the health guys at Meds4All, meal replacements, breakfast cereals and diet shakes should rarely form part of a long-term weight loss strategy. Though they’re unlikely to cause any real harm when used for a short time, replacing meals with calorie-controlled alternatives is potentially going to deprive a person’s body of the nutrients that it needs to function correctly. Although many protein and health shakes are fortified with vitamins and minerals, it is still recommend having a long-term healthy diet over short-term weight loss methods.
The main concern with meal replacements and diet shakes is that, as supplements and consumables, they are not very strictly monitored. For example, most diet drinks do not have to provide research to support the claims made on the packaging. You can find out more about the advantages and disadvantages of diet shakes here.
One of the main reasons a lot of people fail in their diet is because they crave certain foods and are tempted by the unhealthy options available – the same is likely to happen when a persons’ diet is based solely on drinking a health shake over and over again. There is also a chance for this kind of weight loss method to lead to short-term results and for the person to pile on the weight quicker in the future as soon as they stop using the weight loss supplements and shakes.
Some people would say that simple lifestyle changes can help a person to lose weight, although most would also understand that they cannot stop people resorting to shakes and supplements. It is important though that people understand as much as possible that although they won’t necessarily lead to poor health, diet shakes and meal replacements do make for difficult dieting in the long-term. Stocking your fridge full with them is likely to be expensive with no guarantee that they actually work, whereas it might probably be best that you opt for gradual healthy weight loss. You can have a quick look here also to take a quick supplement assessment, which can help in monitoring whether you are actually in need for supplements.