You’ve heard of Shakeology being used as a meal replacement shake, seen the results of people who have used it as such, and wonder if it is a meal replacement shake. However, a meal replacement shake needs to have a certain amount of calories and macronutrients to replace a meal safely. Is Shakeology a meal replacement shake or something else?
Shakeology was not designed to be a meal replacement shake. Instead it’s a health shake that includes: Superfruits & Antioxidants, Prebiotics & Probiotics, Adaptogens, Supergreens & Phytonutrients, and Vitamins & Minerals. Giving you more nutrition than a common meal replacement shake.
While Shakeology is not technically a meal replacement shake, people claim that they use it as such and can lose weight using it like one. If you want to know how to use it in conjunction with a healthy diet to lose weight, stay tuned.
What Is a Meal Replacement Shake?
A meal replacement shake is a nutritional supplement intended to fulfill a healthy meal at a significant caloric reduction.
The acceptable caloric range of meal replacement shakes is between 200 and 400 calories. Too many calories would defeat the purpose of replacing meals, while too few calories would not keep you full and satisfied until the next meal.
Each shake serving is designed to provide protein, fat, and carbohydrates, as well as fiber, vitamins, and minerals to keep you healthy. Protein shakes, however, only provide extra protein in your diet and are taken after a workout to provide muscle repair and growth.
People use meal replacement shakes for several reasons, including:
- To save time on meal prep before work or during work.
- To avoid unhealthy meals and snacks.
- When losing weight, people use them to cut calories and carbohydrates.
- They want to build lean muscle from the protein and fats in the shake.
- Some people might need to gain weight and use them as an additional nutrition source.
Vegan meal replacement shakes typically use pea and brown rice protein, soy protein, or hemp and chia seed protein powders. Traditional shakes usually use whey protein isolate or egg white protein powder.
What Are the Types of Shakes People Use?
People use shakes for several different reasons and need different types of shakes to meet their nutritional needs. Some shakes provide protein only to build lean muscle, while other shakes provide a host of ingredients meant to improve health and longevity.
Several companies create various shakes for these needs, and Shakeology is a premium shake on the market. While Shakeology is used as a meal replacement shake, what is it classified as?
What are the different types of shakes that people use?
Protein Shakes
Protein shakes are just that–shakes that add protein to your diet and little else.
Bodybuilders and other sports-minded people use a protein shake after an intense workout to repair muscles and encourage muscle growth. They also use it to shred fat, which increases performance or to classify in a certain category in a bodybuilding competition.
Yet, protein shakes are not meant to replace a meal, as it doesn’t have the required macro and micronutrients to replace a meal adequately.
However, you can turn a protein shake into a meal replacement shake by adding some fruit, flaxseed, and coconut oil, and some super greens for the added nutrition. It would be best if you did not use them alone to replace a meal.
Meal Replacement Shakes
Meal replacement shakes contain protein, but they also contain carbohydrates, healthy fats, fiber, and other ingredients to provide the nutrition that you need for each meal.
They have less protein than a protein shake but compared with the other macronutrients, and what you would get in a meal, it is the correct amount of protein.
Super greens and other ingredients are usually added, along with probiotics and digestive enzymes. Not all meal replacement shake brands have these additional ingredients, as they are more for either weight loss or weight gain rather than the health and healing of your gut and immune system.
Health Shakes
A relatively new category in the health supplement world is health shakes, meaning that protein shakes are fortified with superfoods and fiber to promote well-being and health.
Health shakes contain protein and fiber and a blend of super greens, superfruits, probiotics, and digestive enzymes.
Super green powders contain a host of ingredients such as berries, leafy greens, a grass blend like wheatgrass and barley grass, a mushroom blend, and a probiotic blend. They also contain fiber such as green pea fiber and flaxseed.
These blends boost your vitamin and mineral intake and promote a greater sense of well-being. When combined with protein and healthy fats, it becomes a health shake.
However, health shakes are typically lower in calories than meal replacement shakes and are not recommended to be used as such without adding other healthy ingredients.
Shakeology Is a Health Shake
While many people use Shakeology as a meal replacement shake because it is lower in calories and contains a superfood blend, it is considered more of a health shake. They add several fruits, vegetables, and other superfoods to promote a healthy lifestyle, but the shakes are under 200 calories, making them a bit too low to replace a meal.
However, you can use them as a snack in place of unhealthy snacks or as an addition to your meal, especially if your meal is less than healthy.
Of course, if you want to lose weight, you could potentially use them as a meal replacement shake as they have all the correct macronutrients you need for a meal.
Shakeology Is a Dietary Supplement
Like your multi-vitamin, Shakeology provides a healthy dose of minerals, probiotics, and vitamins necessary for good health. Digging deeper into the Beachbody website, it supposedly states that Shakeology is a dietary supplement, rather than a protein or meal replacement shake. The manufacturer also recommends not using it as a meal replacement shake because of its few calories.
However, Beachbody has been marketing Shakeology as “Your Daily Dose of Dense Nutrition”. Although not recommended as a meal replacement, many people have been using it as such and losing weight.
Check out what a Shakeology Survey Discovered below…
How To Use Shakeology in a Well-Balanced Diet
You can use Shakeology without gaining weight if you use it with a well-balanced diet. Since it is low in calories, you can use it after a workout to repair your muscles and boost your nutrition. Or you can have it with a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and fresh fruit. However, at around $4 per serving, it makes for an expensive breakfast. (Save Money Here: How to buy Shakeology Cheap)
You could also use Shakeology as a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack if you don’t need to lose weight. Otherwise, the protein in between meals could cause your weight loss to slow or stop completely.
Conclusion
Meal replacement shakes are meant to replace meals as a way to lose weight. However, for some, Shakeology may not have enough calories to fully replace a meal.
For others, adding a few healthy ingredients into Shakeology can really boost the calorie count to fit your needs.
Plus, Shakeology is a great health shake because it offers a good number of Superfruits & Antioxidants, Prebiotics & Probiotics, Adaptogens, Supergreens & Phytonutrients, and Vitamins & Minerals.
These extra ingredients alone make Shakeology a superior health shake that has helped thousands of people to lose weight.
LEARN MORE OR ORDER SHAKEOLOGY HERE
Our Top Recommended Meal Replacement Shakes
NAME | DESCRIPTION |
#1
Shakeology | Shakeology is our most recommended meal replacement shake because it's a nutrient dense shake that includes:
Thus, making it perfect for weight loss, increased energy, digestive health, reduced cravings, and overall better health. Plus, Shakeology has stood the test of time as it has been around since 2009 without compromising its whole food ingredients. Instead, Shakeology has improved their flavors in taste and potency, and has even added vegan and gluten free options. Learn More About The Clinically Tested Shakeology Shake Here |
#2
Ample Meal | Ample Meal is an interesting meal replacement as it focuses more on healthy fats. Ample Meal includes:
With Ample Meal, you can get a nice fulling 400 calorie meal with 2 scoops or do a single scoop of 200 calories if your goal is weight loss. Similar to Shakeology, it’s free of all the artificial junk that most meal replacement shakes have today. |
#3
MacroMeal | MacroMeal is another interesting meal replacement shake as it contains a blend of fast, medium, and slow digesting protein that delivers sustained energy. MacoMeal also includes the following core ingredients:
Although not technically a meal replacement as it’s low in carbohydrates, people have found it to be filling because of the MCT oils and slow digesting proteins. |
