The best meal replacement shakes can offer many benefits, but it’s worth remembering that using them may come with certain limitations and safety concerns.
Many people wonder whether it’s actually safe to ditch a regular diet and focus exclusively on meal replacement shakes instead. As enticing as it may sound, the answer is most likely ‘no’. Inevitably, all meal replacement shakes will lack or be short of certain nutrients or biologically active compounds.
“It is not recommended to live purely on meal replacement shakes as liquid diets can negatively affect our digestive systems and we miss out on some things like antioxidants and phytochemicals,” says Glover. That’s why most products will clearly state on the label that they’re not intended to entirely substitute a healthy diet, and instead, are designed to substitute one to two meals a day. The rest of the time, you should be eating solid meals, including a wide variety of food groups.
Some evidence also indicates that meal replacement shakes may not be suitable for older adults. According to a study published in the Hormone and Metabolic Research journal, liquid meal replacements may have a negative effect on appetite responses and insulin metabolism in the elderly. Similar findings were described in another study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.