A lot of people who think they are health conscious buy plenty of meal replacement shakes and powders. Just because they are both sold in health food stores or at the gym, does not mean they are actually healthy! They are typically loaded with unwanted calories, trans fats, and sugars, or filled with food chemicals. In addition to what they have added to them, most of them don’t have a ton of the nutrients that we need. But wait! There are some natural products that do fit into the Hauser Diet philosophy. Let’s take a closer look…
What’s the difference between a protein shake and a meal replacement shake?
You will hear these two terms used a lot when talking about on-the-go liquid meals. There is a difference! It’s actually really easy to distinguish between the two. A true “protein shake” is just that, protein! The most common protein sources are whey, eggs, soy, rice, or vegetable. These shakes will have little to no carbs and fat.
A meal replacement shake has this name because a “typical” meal is balanced between carbs, protein, and fat. Because of this, they may also tend to be higher in calories per serving. Recognizing the difference between shakes is your first step to making wise choices.
Lions and Otters
For Lions and Otters, picking out shakes that have very low sugar and high protein is the best choice. Next, be sure that it is a natural product, without a bunch of artificial sweeteners or food chemicals, which are in almost all of the protein powders at the gym and many popular health chains.
Bears
Both protein and meal replacement shakes could fit nicely into your diet. You may want to use both depending on what purpose you are having them serve. If you’re a Bear who doesn’t like to do a lot of meat and eggs then a pure protein shake can help you get in the protein you need. However, if you really do well eating a balanced Bear Diet then a meal replacement shake can help you out as a snack or meal when you’re in a hurry! Again, you must read the labels to avoid artificial sweeteners and chemicals.
Monkeys and Giraffes
As low protein diets, doing a pure protein shake isn’t necessary. There are some meal replacement shakes out there that will have a limited amount of protein and little to no fat, and those would be your best choices. One example would be a Hemp powder shake. These tend to be low in fat, high in fiber, and have a moderate amount of protein.
WHAT ABOUT PROTEIN BARS?
It’s sad to say, but most protein bars are just as unhealthy as candy bars. Most protein bars have vitamins, fiber, and protein, but are loaded with sugar, sugar alcohols, or coated in chocolate to make it taste good. Protein bars are convenient and that is why they are so popular. People can grab one and eat it on the way to work or “on the go” as a snack. This is what makes people think that protein bars are the greatest thing to come on to the food market – but in reality, they can cause your body health problems because of the sugar, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners.
When shopping for protein bars, make sure they do not contain high levels of fructose, corn syrup, juice concentrates, or hydrogenated oils.
Most often the only bars that are worthy of replacing real foods are found at a health food store. These stores sell products with very few ingredients and are minimally processed. The one catch will be that instead of adding sugar, the bars will contain fruit to give them their sweetness. For some people this is okay, but for Lion’s and Otters, they need to choose very carefully in order to not overdo it. Or choose protein bars with real animal protein- such as bison.
