What ingredients a Formulated Meal Replacement should have

By Mark Surdut APD AN

Many of us wonder what a Formulated Meal Replacement actually is. So, what is it? It’s a pre-packaged product, specifically formulated as a replacement for one or two meals per day. The idea basically is that you replace a food meal with a well-designed liquid meal. Meal Replacements need to include a certain minimum level of protein (12 grams) and also a certain minimum level of micronutrients. 

To answer the question: “What should a man meal replacement have in it?”, we need to cover a short crash course in Food Label Reading. You will find two parts to the nutrition information labelling on almost any edible product.

First, you will see the “Nutritional Information” containing energy, carbohydrates, protein, fibre and so on. You will also find the “Ingredients”. What’s really essential to know about the ingredient list, is that ingredients must be listed in descending order by weight, meaning that the first ingredient is the “main” ingredient and is present in greater quantity than any other ingredient, and the second ingredient is the second richest ingredient found, and so on. This is really handy because it means that you can look at the first two ingredients on a product and essentially work out a) what it actually contains, and b) whether, in fact, it’s healthy. 

Let me give you a simple example: If a product has “sugar” listed as a first ingredient, essentially, you’re ingesting a lolly. In fact, if sugar is even listed as a second or perhaps third ingredient, yep you read me: it is kind of like a lolly-product. Compare that with say an ingredient, such as milk, or whey, or soy protein – that latter product is likely to be a more “real” product ie. filled with more goodness or of more nutritional value.
To illustrate the point further, a very popular weight-loss shake on the market has many claims (such as “proven results”) but has the following first ingredients: “wheat protein (gluten), sugar…”. You can make your own mind up about the reliability of those claims!

The Healthy Man Meal Replacement has milk solids (skim milk powder, whey protein concentrate), whey powder, soy protein. ”Sugar” is not in the ingredient list of The Healthy Man Meal Replacement (nowhere), and neither is “wheat”. It does, however, have some very handy ingredients such as whey protein, fibre & probiotics (to remain full and for a healthy gut), multiple vitamins and minerals (Magnesium, Calcium, Iron, Zinc etc), green tea extract and more.
The other (undisclosed) product that I referred to had no fibre, no green tea, and no probiotics. You get the idea.

Another part of the label you want to check out is the Nutritional Information – often presented as a table, so it’s easy to find. This table gives you insight into the real amounts (eg. grams) of various nutrients like protein, carbohydrates, vitamin C etc.

The Nutritional Information is as important as the Ingredient List and tells a trained eye (eg. a dietitian) what’s really cooking. What’s the actual amount of calories, protein, fat, carbs and sugars in the final product.  The Healthy Man Meal Replacement Vanilla has an excellent 23.3 grams of protein in a serving. Consider that a large egg has around 7 grams, a serving of atlantic salmon has 22 grams &  a serving of rump steak has 21 grams of protein!
The amount of protein is important if a product is to be used as a real meal replacement, as a “real” filling meal always has a good dose of protein in it. It also has 26.3 grams of carbohydrates – about the same as half a cup of cooked brown rice. Formulated Meal Replacement products have to contain a comprehensive list of vitamins and minerals.  What is also impressive about The Healthy Man Meal Replacement Shake is that it has really good amounts of micronutrients too, like vitamins and minerals. As a matter of fact, many vitamins and minerals listed in a serving of the shake equate to 40-50 per cent of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDI). 

However, it’s not only about the ingredients and level of nutrition. To actually enjoy using the shakes, they have to score high in flavour and consistency! Not all liquid shakes are nice enough to stick to during a weight loss period, but The Healthy Man Meal Replacement has a great creamy taste and texture across both the vanilla and chocolate flavours.

As always, these shakes are intended as a supplement to a healthy change of diet and lifestyle! Your body will thank you if you trade in the oil-heavy and fried foods for the occasional lean protein and veggies based meal to accompany your meal replacement shakes.

Cheers and stay healthy!
Mark Surdut
Nutritionist & Dietitian @ TheNutritionist

 

The Healthy Man Meal Replacement can BOOST your weight loss!

The Healthy Man Meal Replacement Drink is scientifically formulated especially for men to help support their health, vitality, nutrition and weight loss.

• Scientifically formulated Meal replacement shake designed especially for men
• High-quality whey protein, 22.4g per serve, when made up with skim milk
• An essential blend of nutrients copper, selenium and a good source of zinc for hair colouration, and biotin for hair maintenance, supporting men’s hair health
• Protein and fibre to keep you fuller for longer
• Supports strength, vitality and energy 
• Contributes to weight loss – banish the beer gut!
• 24 vitamins and minerals 
• Probiotics to support gut health
• Tomato (Lycopene) for heart and prostate health
• Contains a specialised blend for men; Green tea extract, Maca root powder, MCT, to kick start your day and workout properly
• No artificial colours, flavours or preservatives
• Quick and easy to make for on-the-go consumption
• No added sugar – sweetened naturally, no sucralose

Find out more and get your tub of The Healthy Man Meal Replacement here