First of all, what exactly is meal replacement? Meal replacement is consuming a nutritional supplement in place of a normal meal.
Why would anyone chose a supplement over a meal? There are a few different reasons people turn to shakes and mixes for meal replacement.
One reason for using meal replacement nutrition supplements, no matter what your end goal, is that it allows you to consume more protein, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients than you would typically be able to consume during a regular meal.
This means that your body is getting more of the good stuff without the hassle of eating a million different foods to get the right balance of nutrients. Also, it makes a nice way to get all of your nutrients if you are one of those people that are on the go and don’t have time to sit down to eat a full meal.
In line with not having to eat a million different foods, meal replacement is also used as an avenue for weight loss. It allows you to consume all of the nutrients your body needs with fewer calories than you would consume by eating the whole food pyramid.
Even though you are consuming less, these meal replacement options all work to ensure your body gets the energy is needs and that you will feel full and satisfied until your next meal.
Last but not least, shakes and mixes that are high in protein are used for meal replacement by those looking to build/maintain muscle.
Whether you are looking to lose weight, build muscle, or just boost your nutrient intake for a healthier you, there are hundreds of shakes and mixes out there for meal replacement.
While it may be easy to find different protein products as meal substitutes, most of the options out there contain Whey Protein, which is a by-product of cheese production.
What does that mean for all of the vegans who choose not to consume animal products, the lactose intolerant, or the people out there who would prefer plant based options? We did some research for you and came up with these 5 options for plant based proteins you can use for meal replacement.
5 Plant Based Proteins for Making A Healthy Meal Replacement Shake
1. Vega
Vega has a purely plant based protein shake that works for meal replacement. In addition to the normal things found in a meal replacement shake like protein, vitamins, and minerals, Vega’s options also provide probiotics, antioxidants, fiber, and even help meet your daily serving of greens.
Some of the vitamins found in Vega products include vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and B6.
While Vega only offers powder based supplements, they have many options to choose from that can help you to meet your specific goals. The Vega Essentials option offers 3 servings of greens in just one serving of the supplement, where as their other options offer fiber and higher levels of protein.
Their Vega One Nutritional Shake provides a high level of protein, as well as all of the other nutrients needed for a healthy lifestyle.
Vega offers a variety of flavor options such as berry, vanilla chai, mocha, and coconut almond.
2. Herbalife
Herbalife not only offers soy based meal replacement shakes, but they offer snacks, vitamins, and other products to support your goals. Herbalife provides a system that works together to help you meet your goals and create a lifestyle that helps you maintain your achievements.
While their meal replacement shake mix offers protein, fiber, and 21 other vitamins and minerals, Herbalife promotes the use of their full system and living an active and healthy lifestyle. This means that if you are just looking for meal replacement shakes, you may not get the results you are looking for from the shake alone.
Herbalife is not just an offering of products, it is a complete lifestyle. This may not be the right option for everybody, but for the people who have committed to the lifestyle Herbalife has provided good results.Herbalife’s Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix comes in a variety of flavors from banana caramel to pina colada.
3. Orgain
Orgain takes meal replacement to the next level of “good for you”. Their protein powder is soy-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, and contains no artificial ingredients. Be careful when looking into Orgain’s multitude of options as not all of their options are only plant-based.
Some of their pre-mixed shakes do contain dairy, but they do offer Vegan options that fit the bill. Orgain sells their product in both pre-made shake options as well as powder form. Not only do you have the choice of pre-made versus a powder, but Orgain offers multiple different mixes to meet your goals.
They have high protein based mixes for those looking to bulk up, or even just high nutritional value options that gets your body the nutrients it needs. Their Vegan options get their protein from brown rice, hemp, chia, and flax.
Orgain uses organic evaporated cane juice and organic cocoa powder to flavor their pre-made options. Sadly, the choices on powder flavors are limited to either chocolate or vanilla.
4. Shakeology
Shakeology has become a well-known brand in the world of meal replacement, and for good reason. Shakeology’s main claim to fame is its use in weight loss plans.
Their product includes over 70 ingredients that help your body’s digestion and fat burning capabilities. Over 30 vitamins and minerals, as well as digestive enzymes and antioxidants, are added to the mix from natural sources like pineapples and papayas.
While Shakeology’s main line does contain whey protein, they have also created a vegan formula made with just plant based proteins. Their products are sold in powder form and can be purchased in a bag of 30 servings. If you want to test things out first, they also offer a set of 6 single serving packs.
To make your meal replacements efforts even more effective, Shakeology has also developed other formulas called “Shakeology Boosts”.
These boost formulas allow you to target your goals even better, whether the goal is to get healthy and get your greens, have more energy to work on building muscle, or improve your digestion for better weight loss results.
Shakeology’s normal formula comes in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, or greenberry. If you are looking for the vegan option though, your flavor choices are limited to tropical strawberry or chocolate.
5. CalNaturale Svelte
CalNaturale Svelte is an organic, non-GMO soy-based product. It is gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and 100% organic. The true nature of CalNaturale Svelte protein shakes is to improve overall health by providing much needed nutrients organically.
Their shakes are packed with protein and fiber and contain no sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Unlike most of the other meal replacement brands, CalNaturale Svelte does not offer their formula in a powder supplement.
They sell their protein shakes in 11 ounce of 16 ounce single serving bottles. While that may seem like an inefficient way to distribute product, their shakes can be found in most grocery or health food stores, and actually cost less per serving than some of the powdered formulas.
So if you are looking for a pre-made option this may be the right choice for you. CalNaturale Svelte is also limited to just one formula.
They do not have any special formulas to help you achieve specific goals. Their end game here is to provide a delicious nutritious meal replacement shake. Though CalNaturale Svelte is limited in their formula choice and delivery means, they certainly are not lacking in the flavor department.
Flavor options for these pre-made shakes include spiced chai, French vanilla, chocolate, cappuccino, and banana crème! Remember, this wide variety of flavors is all created organically and without using real sugar or high fructose corn syrup. That’s a pretty amazing list of flavors considering everything is 100% organic.
Plant Based Proteins Meal Replacement Drinks Summary
There you have it! 5 Meal Replacement options that are plant based. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of meal replacement options out there right now.
Some are designed to aid in weight loss while others are for the body builders who want to build their muscle mass. Keep in mind that most of these products get their protein from whey protein.
If sticking to strictly plant based meal replacement options, you are going to have a harder time finding options. The five companies listed above are a great starting point.
Just keep in mind, when looking around at protein shakes and powders, that you should always read the list of ingredients. It is important to note that protein supplements are not currently regulated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).
If a product contains ingredients you aren’t sure about, do your research. There are plenty of safe and healthy options out there like CalNaturale Svelte that only use organic ingredients.
Meal replacement is a great way to lose weight, build muscle mass, and increase your nutrient intake for better overall health. No matter what your goals, there is a meal replacement product out there for you.
