Meal replacement shakes can be used for many reasons. Whether you want to lose weight, maintain your weight in a healthy way, or gain weight, ENU Nutritional Shakes can be the answer. However, totally cutting solid foods out of your diet is not recommended. While ENU Nutritional Shakes are a healthy option for those seeking to change their diet for various reasons, meal replacement shakes should not take center stage in your diet.

Bottom line, it is generally not healthy to swap all of your meals with meal replacement shakes unless instructed by a doctor. If you are looking to incorporate meal replacement shakes into your diet, it is important to understand how to do so healthily. Most meal replacement shakes are low in calories, high in sugar, and without the necessary nutrients needed for a well-rounded meal. Though ENU Nutritional Shakes are healthy, it is still not recommended to eat only protein shakes. Just eating meal replacement shakes will likely leave you in a calorie deficit without the nutrients needed in a well-balanced diet.

ENU offers vanilla and chocolate flavored meal replacement shakes that are gluten-free, lactose-free, and full of healthy vitamins and minerals. ENU Nutritional Shakes should be added into your diet without replacing all solid foods. Visit our website to check out the variety of ENU Nutritional Shakes and other ENU products like Pro3+ Nutritional Powder.

Is it Healthy to Replace All of Your Meals with Protein Shakes?

How you schedule your ENU Nutritional Shakes – or any meal replacement shake – is between you and a dietitian. Intake depends on why you’re turning to meal replacement shakes – whether to lose a bit of weight, to gain some, or to aim for something in between. Regardless of your reasoning for using meal replacement shakes, it is still not recommended to completely alter your diet to be meal replacement shakes only.

If you’re aiming to be in a safe calorie deficit, replacing a meal or snack with an ENU Nutritional Shake may help you reach your goal. Alternatively, if you need a much higher caloric intake, adding a daily ENU Nutritional Shake to your diet without replacing an existing meal may be an easier and healthier way to intake extra calories. Or, if you want to maintain your weight, try replacing an unhealthy meal with an ENU Nutritional Shake as a more nutritious alternative. In each scenario, the focus must be on incorporating ENU Nutritional Shakes into your diet in a healthy way that serves you and your body. Doing away with solid foods altogether is largely unsafe and discouraged.

Why it Isn’t Healthy to Only Eat Meal Replacement Shakes

Your doctor or dietician may discourage you from only consuming meal replacement shakes for a variety of reasons. All are valid and should be fully considered when bringing meal replacement shakes into your diet.

Meal Replacement Shakes May Not Provide Enough Calories

Even if your goal is to enter a minor calorie deficit, replacing all three meals with a shake is going way too far. To estimate your necessary caloric intake to maintain your current weight, multiply your weight by 15. For example, a 150-pound person would need to take in around 2,250 calories in a day to maintain their weight.

Most meal replacement shakes contain 300-400 calories (ENU Nutritional Shakes have 400 per shake). Even that amount three times a day will only bring you to 900-1,200 daily calories, which is low for most adults. For those using meal replacement shakes to enter a calorie deficit, only consuming three shakes per day might not provide you with the nutrition you need.

Many Meal Replacement Shake Brands Aren’t Healthy

Although ENU is transparent and proud of its nutritious shakes, other producers of meal replacement shakes may not be. Unsafe or unhealthy ingredients can lurk within meal replacement shakes that market themselves as a healthy alternative. It is important to be aware of the ingredients you’re consuming and whether or not the meal replacement shake you chose benefits you and your body.

Unlike ENU Nutritional Shakes, many meal replacement shakes are low-calorie and high in sugar. They often lack the vitamins and minerals necessary to make the shake nutritious in the way that a full meal would be. Switching all of your meals with those types of meal replacement shakes would likely offer no health benefit whatsoever.

Meal Replacement Shakes Offer Little Variety

If you consume the same thing all day, every day, you’re probably going to miss out on some nutrients. Although ENU Nutritional Shakes are full of macro-nutrients like healthy proteins, fats, and carbs, there may be certain vitamins you’re missing that you should try to get from solid foods.

Keeping solid foods in your diet as much as possible is important even when drinking meal replacement shakes. While ENU Nutritional Shakes have 24 vital vitamins and minerals, 20 grams of protein, and no artificial ingredients, you may still miss some nutrients often found in solid foods. Figuring out a healthy balance for yourself is the most important thing when changing your diet – everything in moderation, even meal replacement shakes.

Meal Replacement Shakes Aren’t Fast-Acting

Introducing ENU Nutritional Shakes into your diet may not be an instant fix for dietary issues. It is important to understand that changing your diet doesn’t mean your body will immediately transform. The body takes time to adjust and alter itself when placed on a new diet. Be patient and understand that meal replacement shakes should not be seen as a quick fix.

Substituting all of your meals with meal replacement shakes may look like a fast-acting diet. To intentionally replace all of your meals with shakes without a doctor or nutritionist’s oversight can be very dangerous. Remember, your caloric intake shouldn’t be too far below your weight multiplied by 15 – even if you are in a calorie deficit.

When introducing meal replacement shakes into your diet, you must do so intentionally. Know what’s in your shake, talk to a doctor or nutritionist about your new diet, and be responsible. Listening to your body will help indicate what the appropriate amount of ENU Nutritional Shakes per day is right for you.

If You Want to Try Meal Replacement Shakes, Go With ENU

ENU Nutritional Shakes are the optimal meal replacement shake to introduce into your diet healthily.  Visit our website to try ENU Nutritional Shakes and Pro3+ Nutritional Powder, and have your fill.