ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF CHOOSING MEAL REPLACEMENT SUPPLEMENTS IN 2023
What are the advantages of choosing meal replacement supplements?
1. Meal replacement supplements are fortified with all essential nutrients and so they help you cut down calories along with providing nutrients all in one meal.
2. They save time involved in cooking and are extremely portable and can be carried easily in small containers.
3. They can be ready to consume or mixed in milk/water as per convenience or consumed in the form of a bar and can be a quick fix to your mid meals or snack times where most people tend to cheat.
4. They may help in faster weight loss due to absolute controlled caloric control.
What are the long-term disadvantages of meal replacement supplements?
1. Some MRPs may contain unhealthy ingredients like added sugars, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, artificial flavours, emulsifiers, and chemical preservatives.
2. Some may also contain more grams of sugar than the grams of protein & hence must be carefully chosen.
3. MRPs can’t be used on a long term basis and completely substitute food/ Also after attaining required weight loss when you switch back to a normal diet, the chances of you returning to your original weight or becoming heavier are high, because of a sudden to increase in caloric intake.
4. MRPs do contain fiber but the amount is lesser than what you could get through a healthy diet that has fruits and veggies. And this may lead to constipation.
5. A healthy meal contains antioxidants from plant compounds and enzymes that are difficult to package in a can or powder, especially vitamin C which is volatile in nature.
6. Long-term use of high protein supplements without consulting a qualified nutritionist may further load the kidney to excrete out the excess proteins and may be toxic.
