It might be very difficult to prepare homemade, healthy meals every day. It is very difficult to take out time to select a recipe and shop, cook and eat according to your plan because of the daily hectic lifestyle. Many individuals have started to consider meal replacement drinks just to make it easier for making healthy meal alternatives. Hence, these meals are getting very famous nowadays.
However, these choices are not very healthy as you want to think it to be. The below guide would explain the problems which might arise if you start taking meal replacement drinks in place of a regular food. Some other reason why many people look for meal replacement drinks is that they do not have time to make their own healthy food or even are unaware of cooking. There are many other reasons why the replacement drinks are not good. Some reasons are that they cause digestive problems because of unhealthy ingredients in them.
Some individuals might have digestive problems like Crohn’s disease, gastritis and ulcers. This would be a good option for them. However, they would still have some disadvantages. These foods are never very healthy. They may be very convenient but never healthy. So, you always be very careful while opting for them. Not all the drinks are healthy and cannot be used as an alternative to regular meals. The below guide will help you consider something healthy which you can make easily for your meals.
What Are Meal Replacement Drinks?
These are nutritional shakes which provide quick and very easy nutrition for people with different needs. These drinks are generally bottled and should only be consumed once in a day. Some shakes increase your body weight while some are used to help you decrease the weight.
People drink meal replacement drinks for many reasons:
- Unable to cook because of a hectic work schedule.
- Lack of appetite.
- Lessen the calorie intake as they want to lose weight.
These meal replacement drinks contain some harmful ingredients which may harm the individuals who are in taking them.
Side Effects
Many meal replacement drinks have vitamins, minerals and nutrients you would get any all the whole foods. These are generally very safe for people to eat. There are a wide variety of ingredients which are added to the drinks. However, they should be added to your diet on a permanent basis as it may lead to risks which are involved when you ingest them.
- Weight Gain: Some of the meal replacement drinks help you to lose weight, there are other drinks which helps you to gain muscles and also increase weight. These drinks have very high calories. If you are intaking meal replacements instead of your regular diet then you are adding calories which would result in you gaining more weight, if you don’t burn them off. If you are aiming for getting a lean body, drinks won’t help you much. You would need extra vitamins and proteins as well for growth of your muscles. It will also result in fat gain unless you start exercising regularly.
- Digestive Discomfort: The main ingredient which is available in all replacement drinks is the whey protein. This comes in a form of a powder. Whey is known to have less lactose than milk, it is not free of lactose. If you are allergic to lactose you should not drink the meal replacement drink as it can cause stomach discomfort as WashingtonsBlog reports. If you take the meal replacement drink in high amounts you may even feel puckish or even feel bloated or have cramps.
- Nutrient Deficiencies: Meal replacement drinks are bombarded with a variety of minerals and nutrients which are suitable substitutes when it comes to replacing them in place of real food. However, not all replacement drinks will provide you balanced nutrients. Hence, it can’t be replaced for a regular meal, as it may lack many nutrients which your body might need. It is very important that you get yourself a healthy meal plan. You need fibers in your regular diet, if not taken regularly it may lead to many other side effects such as hemorrhoids, constipation or diverticulitis.
- Harmful Additions: The meal replacement drinks are also known as dietary supplements. Thus, the Food and Drug Administration does not control it. In the year 2010 many testers found that some of the protein drinks may contain arsenic while some contained lead or mercury and the others contained heavy metals such cadmium. This leads to various health problems such as muscle pain, weakness and headaches along with constipation.