In closing Part Eight, we discovered that veggie drinks are an excellent meal replacement choice, providing you choose appropriately or build your own. However, veggie drinks are not the only way to get health-on-the-go; we are saturated with hundreds of diet and protein shake options. Unfortunately, the billion-dollar fitness industry makes its money off quick-fix scams and false promises. Beware: just like meal replacement bars, meal replacement drinks are used to entice the consumer, using the aforementioned techniques.
Next time you pick up a so-called “diet or protein shake" or vegetable drink, make sure you carefully examine the ingredients. This is because, like most commercial beverages, many of these pre-made drinks contain a lot of sugar and other sweeteners, fat, and an array of preservatives and additives. In many diet and protein shakes, the "protein blend" used is questionable, as are the claims touted in their advertising and on their labels.
For example, let's take a peek at Slim-Fast diet shakes, with over 50 ingredients—the third of which happens to be sugar. While one can of this drink is low in calories (180), it still contains 23 grams of carbs, of which 18 grams comes from sugar. The number one ingredient is fat-free milk (a liquid choice covered in Part Five)—not necessarily bad, except for those who are lactose intolerant. But considering that it is not organic milk, it's a red flag for those of us who care about cows. Even though they have thrown in some vitamins and minerals, enhancing its nutritional value, you only get 10 grams of protein out of the Slim-Fast can, yet you'll consume 6 grams of fat (1.5 grams saturated), which, at the end of the day, may not be worth it.
Article comments
1 - El Bicho
I'll definitely be waiting for the alcohol chapter.
2 - Christine
Me too, El.
3 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
"(not processed, man-made foods)"
Great article overall,but, I don't understand what's the problem with "man-made" foods? I mean, seriously, you recommend one not even a whole paragraph after that statement. Yes, ANY powdered protein shake is man-made (made by man's hands) & processed (unless you farm yourself,everything you eat goes through some sort of process before it gets to your plate). Plus, there is no research supporting the claims that "all natural" Therasweet is better for you than Splenda or any other artificial sweetener.
Just a tip: If anyone is going to start in on a high-protein diet, their intake of water should be high as well because there have been some concerns about negative effects on the liver. Especially for people who are cutting back, aggressively, on carbohydrates.
4 - Christine
Thanks for your input, as usual, Brian. Merry Christmas.
5 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Anytime,Christine. Happy Festivus!