Healthy meals: Balancing nutrition and convenience

If your daily obligations include any combination of kids, work, pets, spouse, extended family, friends or your community, chances are you are regularly pulled in several directions at once – and none of them are for taking care of yourself.

When you’re surrounded by chaos, it can be difficult to make the smart choices you want to make for you and your family, like eating healthy meals, prioritizing a plant-forward diet or buying organic products.

How many times have you skipped breakfast to help the family get out the door in the morning? Or opted for a vending machine lunch so you can get out of work on time? Or ran from one kid pickup to another’s sporting event hitting a fast food drive-thru along the way?

Balancing healthy meals with convenience food is a never-ending struggle when your calendar rarely has any blank slots. As a result, many people are turning to meal replacement powders or protein-packed snacks that give your body much needed nutrients.

Meal replacement powders or high-protein, nutrient-dense food products can be the ideal convenience food. Their goal is to replace your regular meal or tide you over until your next meal. And they are typically easy to prepare or ready to eat out of hand.

“A meal replacement product offers a balanced nutrient profile that would include an appropriate ratio of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins with vitamins and minerals,” said Gigi Kwok-Hinsley, a Nutrilite™ senior research scientist and registered dietitian with a doctorate in public health. “These products are generally formulated to offer a comprehensive nutrient profile.”

Are meal replacement shakes and bars healthy?

Because the goal of meal replacements is to actually replace a meal, chances are the protein, carbohydrates, fat, fiber, vitamins and other nutrients outshine anything you could have gotten in the vending machine or a drive thru. But if you’re looking for a healthy meal replacement, it’s important to choose wisely.

While some countries, including Canada, have official definitions for meal replacements, the U.S. does not. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has global standards, but manufacturers are not required to follow them. All the more reason to read labels carefully.

For a healthy meal replacement, choose one that is made from whole foods, has other characteristics you’re looking for like being plant-based or organic, and doesn’t contain ingredients you don’t want.

Some meal replacement products are loaded with artificial or highly processed ingredients and sugar while at the same time fall short of the helpful, desirable ingredients like enough fiber, protein, vitamins or minerals. You also want to ensure it has enough calories to fuel your body.

At 200 calories, the Nutrilite Organics All-in-One Meal Powder, for example, is nutritionally balanced to replace a complete meal according to FAO standards. It contains a blend of USDA Organic fruits and vegetables with a focus on complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, high-quality protein and minimizing added sugars.

“At Nutrilite, our approach to meal replacements is holistic. We carefully consider why each macronutrient – like protein, carbohydrates, fats and fiber – is important in the context of a meal,” Kwok-Hinsley said. “We want to offer adequate calories to keep you moving through the day while offering macronutrients that support every day needs. In addition, we carefully evaluate the amount vitamins and minerals in our formulas.”

Here are some things to consider when looking for meal replacements or nutrient-dense snacks to sate your hunger.

Recommended daily protein intake

How much protein is in the meal replacement or high-protein snack you’re considering? Protein is a key ingredient in meal replacement products or snacks designed to tide you over because protein makes you feel fuller longer.

The recommended daily protein intake is .36 grams of protein per pound of body weight (or .83 grams per kilogram). That equates to about 7 ½ grams of protein per day for every 20 pounds of weight. Don’t feel like doing math? Don’t feel like doing math? Experts generally recommend 56 grams of protein a day for adult men and 46 grams a day for adult women.

If you consume a meal replacement shake or high-protein bar as part of your daily diet, calculate the protein in relation to the rest of your diet to ensure you’re getting enough daily protein intake. You should also consider whether it’s a complete protein with all nine essential amino acids.

The Nutrilite Organics All-in-One Meal Powder as well as the All-in-One Shakes deliver a balance of nutrients that includes 20 grams of organic, plant-based protein with all nine essential amino acids. The Nutrilite Organics All-in-One Bars feature 12 grams of protein with all nine essential amino acids per serving.

Plant-based, vegan meal replacement

There are a variety of protein sources for meal replacements or high-protein snacks, including plant-based and milk-based. If you have allergies, are lactose intolerant, are vegan or trying to follow a plant-based diet, it’s important to know where the protein in your meal replacement comes from.

“Protein sources can significantly vary in composition, digestibility, amino acid profile and suitability for different dietary preferences,” Kwok-Hinsley said.

The Nutrilite Organics All-in-One products feature protein from organic split yellow peas and whole grain brown rice. The combination is hypoallergenic and a good option for vegans, people who follow a plant-forward diet or those with sensitivities or allergies to dairy or soy. That makes the All-in-One Meal Powder a plant-based meal replacement as well as a vegan meal replacement.

“The Nutrilite philosophy embraces a plant-forward mindset and a holistic approach to wellness, which we believe helps everyone maintain good health and thrive,” Kwok-Hinsley said. “Our All-in-One products emphasize the use of organic, plant-based ingredients, free from artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.”

Organic meal replacement

People prioritize buying organic products for a variety of reasons: Organic farming is better for the environment, organic foods contain fewer pesticides, organic products are non-GMO. If you fall into one of those categories or simply want to support your nutrition and wellbeing with safe, clean products filled with wholesome natural ingredients, you’ll be happy to know that organic meal replacement options exist, including the Nutrilite Organics All-in-One Meal Powder.

It’s made with real fruit and vegetable powders, including apples, blueberries, cranberries, spinach, broccoli and kale. It also features acerola cherries and more from plants grown on USDA-certified organic Nutrilite farms and partner farms.

In fact, Nutrilite is the first and only global vitamin and dietary supplement brand with a USDA Organic product line to grow, harvest and process plants on its own certified organic farms.* And the Nutrilite traceability standard means those plant-based ingredients can be traced from the package right back to the plot of land on the farm where they were grown, ensuring the finished product is pure, safe and effective.

How often can I use a meal replacement?

While healthy meal replacements are designed to replace a meal, they are not designed to replace every meal. Whole foods play a crucial role in a balanced diet, offering a range of plant nutrients, fiber and other beneficial nutrients that are best obtained through a varied diet.

“Quality shakes and powders can supplement your diet, especially when you're short on time or need a convenient meal option,” Kwok-Hinsley said. “But they should not be used as a substitute for what whole foods provide. They can be a part of your daily nutrition plan, but they should complement a diet rich in whole foods, not replace it entirely.”

SOURCE: GlobalData, http://gdretail.net/amway-claims/