Can nutrition and protein shakes replace meals?

[Winston]

At a natural health food store in Flagstaff, AZ, I bought a big container of nutrition shake. It said it was made up of all organic vegan ingredients and contained all the nutrition your body needs, and can be used as a meal replacement.

Is this a good idea? Are you supposed to use that to replace one meal or both?

It also said that it is filling and will satisfy your hunger. Is that true?

I also got a high protein shake that claims to help in weight loss. It contains all vegan ingredients. Is that a good idea too?

[gsjackson]

What about that stuff you were flogging a year or so ago? Did you grow disenchanted with it? It was supposed to be pealing the pounds away.

I'd expect protein shakes would be sufficiently filling. Maybe they provide adequate nutrition. Personally, I stay away from stuff made in chemistry labs, and go for real and whole foods.

[Winston]

You mean the Natures Way Alive vitamins? I stopped taking them to try something else and also ate too much pizza and popcorn. lol

The protein shake claims to be all natural and vegan and raw. Not made of any chemicals.

[MrPeabody]

I made my own protein shakes. I bought a big jar of Whey protein powder, would mix it with milk and fruit in a blender. I would drink it in the morning and have a small meal at night. I lost 60 pounds in a little more than about 2 months. The milk also has protein and is a good source of calcium. It worked for me as a diet, but I wouldn't recommend it for the long term.

[Winston]

What is whey protein powder made of? Why didn't you just eat meat and fish? Can you mix whey protein powder with just hot water?

Were you able to keep the weight off? Was the protein shake filling? They are expensive.

[jtest28]

Whey protein is the best protein there is for muscle maintenance on a restricted calorie diet. A little high quality whey on a diet works well. Note: its important to keep muscle on a diet, even for a woman, as muscles are fat burners.

[jtest28]

I would never try to use any man made shake as a total meal replacement. Look at all the other food man has made and it all turned out to be junk food. I would just use a meal replacement if i was in a hurry once every so often.

[MrPeabody]

What is whey protein powder made of? Why didn't you just eat meat and fish? Can you mix whey protein powder with just hot water?

Were you able to keep the weight off? Was the protein shake filling? They are expensive.

The whey powder isn't expensive because you buy one big container that lasts a long time. The advantage is that you get a lot of protein for minimum calories. You can mix it with anything. I like it with milk and fruit in a blender. Remember that getting calcium everyday is important and milk gives you that. I also took a multi vitamin and ate vegetables. I also kept a diary of the calories I ate every day and for two months ate less than about 700 calories a day. This is very low. I also drank alot of cold water during the day because this keeps the hunger away. Most people choose a diet to loose weight much slower than this, but I just wanted to get the weight off fast. You probably are paying alot more money to get it pre packaged. Yes, I have been able to keep the weight off for about 2 years now. But I also learned a lot about nutrition and the proper foods to eat. Like I avoid potatoes and don't eat much bread.
Here is the one I bought.

[Bitch_Slapper]

I <snip> ate too much pizza and popcorn.

Now Winston, don't you think it's a bit unrealistic to lose your big pot belly when you're doing that?

Eat right, cut out the junk food, and get some exercise. Do that, then you'll lose weight.

[Winston]

What is whey protein made of though? It has meat in it right?

I saw it at Walgreen. How many scoops do you put into a glass? The protein shake I bought requires you to put a huge scoop into 16oz of water or milk. With the size of those scoops, I don't think it can make many shakes, since the scoop size is huge and half of the container is empty. I hate when a container is half full. That's deceptive packaging.

[MrPeabody]

What is whey protein made of though? It has meat in it right?

I saw it at Walgreen. How many scoops do you put into a glass? The protein shake I bought requires you to put a huge scoop into 16oz of water or milk. With the size of those scoops, I don't think it can make many shakes, since the scoop size is huge and half of the container is empty. I hate when a container is half full. That's deceptive packaging.

It's not meat. It's a by product of cheese production. You put in as many scoops as you want protein. You need to calculate your protein requirement for the day. The jug lasts a long time. I still have mine and its only half empty.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whey_protein

[Winston]

What is whey protein made of though? It has meat in it right?

I saw it at Walgreen. How many scoops do you put into a glass? The protein shake I bought requires you to put a huge scoop into 16oz of water or milk. With the size of those scoops, I don't think it can make many shakes, since the scoop size is huge and half of the container is empty. I hate when a container is half full. That's deceptive packaging.

It's not meat. It's a by product of cheese production. You put in as many scoops as you want protein. You need to calculate your protein requirement for the day. The jug lasts a long time. I still have mine and its only half empty.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whey_protein

Oh. Someone here said whey protein wasn't vegetarian. But cheese is ok. So how many teaspoons of whey protein do you mix with a glass of water?

How were you able to keep the weight off? Usually diets have a yo you effect. How were you able to avoid that?

[HouseMD]

The only products I know of that can completely replace eating food entirely are Jevity-type meal replacements and Soylent. If you completely forego eating for the shakes you have purchased, you'll eventually start to develop some severe deficiencies, most likely in regard to sulfur (required for cysteine production) and a few other things that shakes tend to be deficient in. I was looking to replace meals two times a day with shakes to make med school easier, so I followed the Soylent project quite closely and learned quite a bit about the many problems encountered in the manufacture of true meal replacements. It's a hard thing to get right- too much of one thing, and you end up with farts that could choke a room to death, too little of another and you start suffering from muscle weakness or your gums start swelling and bleeding.

[momopi]

Oh. Someone here said whey protein wasn't vegetarian. But cheese is ok. So how many teaspoons of whey protein do you mix with a glass of water?
How were you able to keep the weight off? Usually diets have a yo you effect. How were you able to avoid that?

Cheese made with animal rennet is not vegetarian friendly:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rennet

[Winston]

Oh. Someone here said whey protein wasn't vegetarian. But cheese is ok. So how many teaspoons of whey protein do you mix with a glass of water?
How were you able to keep the weight off? Usually diets have a yo you effect. How were you able to avoid that?

Cheese made with animal rennet is not vegetarian friendly:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rennet

It doesn't matter. I take fish oil omega 3 supplements too, and they are not vegetarian. I'm not trying to be 100 percent clean on that. What's important is if it's good for you.