Meal Replacement Shakes: A Quick Guide

Finding a shake that actually works.

If you're looking to lose weight, chances are you've come across the “meal replacement” technique: a low-calorie shake that takes the place of a meal, allowing you to get through the day with fewer calories, leading you to losing weight. The only problem? There are hundreds of shakes out there, and they all promise to work better than the others.

Figuring out which one is right for you – the reading, the research, the comparisons – can quickly become a full-time job.

That's why we decided to write this guide to meal replacement shakes, so that you can have a quick and easy way to learn what to avoid, as well as what to look for. We've been writing about and reviewing shakes for a long time, so it was easy for us to come up with a guide featuring the things that consumers should be looking out for.

Shake Reviews team has spent months compiling extensive research of meal replacement shake products to help you choose the right one for your needs.

What Makes a Shake Worth Trying?

The first thing you should look at when considering a meal replacement shake is what kind of ingredients it uses. We suggest only choosing products that use quality ingredients. There's no reason to settle when it comes to what you put into your body. After all, this is your health we're talking about. When you've got that checked off, look for some of the following qualities that the shake should have:

Lots of Protein

One of the most important nutrients in the human diet is protein. Without it, the body can't form new blood cells, repair tissues, build muscle, or fight off sickness. Protein is also an important part of maintaining your energy levels, and without enough of it in your diet you can end up tiring out more quickly. Skipping meals means missing out on this crucial nutrient, which is why people who try to lose weight by simply “not eating” often end up exhausted, moody, and depressed. A good weight replacement shake should have a decent amount of protein in it to help give your body what it needs.

Chock Full of Vitamins and Minerals

Dieting shouldn't mean starving, which is why any diet should be supplemented with a good amount of the necessary vitamins and minerals that your body needs to function right. When you replace a meal with a low-calorie shake, you still need to take in the nutrients you would have had you had a full meal, so any shake you use should come stocked with as much as 30% of your daily nutritional requirements for it to be worth its price.

No Artificial Ingredients

Your body is a temple, so make sure you treat it that way. Synthetic ingredients, artificial flavorings, and preservatives may help with the taste or the shelf-life of a shake, but they can be harder for the body to process and can give people side effects like nausea, gastrointestinal problems, or allergic reactions.

	18shake	Shakeology	GNC Lean	Herbalife	Isagenix
Soy free protein
Helps with hunger
Low sugar
No artificial flavors or colors
Good taste
Money back guarantee

Warning!
78% of Meal Replacement Shakes Selected For Testing Did NOT Pass The Quality Test! When You Buy Meal Replacement Shake Make Sure It Contains These Essential Ingredients: Quality Protein, Fibersol-2, Natural Sweeteners, Chromium.

Essential Ingredients for Weight Loss Shakes

B-Vitamins: These vitamins are a crucial part of your body's metabolic processes. They help your body convert food into energy, and help the creation of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to your tissues and help your body function at its best.

Protein: As mentioned before, this ingredient is incredibly important. Energy, tissue health, cellular health, metabolism – protein is essential to a good diet regimen.

Fiber: This ingredient is low in calories and takes longer to digest, stimulating the “I'm full” signals in your brain without you having to eat as much of it. Clinical trials show that more fiber means less hunger, which means you won't be tempted to “fall off the wagon” and give up on your diet.

Chromium: This element is another important part of a diet. It helps you process carbohydrates, and can stop you from feeling hungry as often.

What If It's A Scam?

With so many shakes on the market, not all of them are going to be guaranteed to work. Some companies out there are looking to get your money and turn a profit by any means necessary, and they've got lots of marketing tactics to accomplish this aim. Here are some things to look out for:

“Free Trial Offer” - Always be careful when anyone says something is “free” – most of the time, it isn't. Lots of companies try and get people to sign up for free trials for products that are actually connected to an auto-shipping scheme: try it for a month, and if you don't cancel, your card will be charged automatically for the full price of the product. They claim this is for the customer's convenience, but lots of people end up getting charged without knowing what they signed up for.

“U.S.-Based Company” - This sort of statement can mislead people. While a company may be technically based in the United States, their product could be made anywhere, and that's what you should be wary of. Products from some countries, like China, are made with no regulations on product or manufacturing quality, meaning products from there could be tainted, and you wouldn't know until it was already too late. Make sure the product is made in an American facility that has been given a certification for Good Manufacturing Practices, a sign of quality.

What Should I Look For In A Meal Replacement Shake?

We've come across several high-quality products, and were able to come up with this list of the things they all had in common:

• 1. Non-soy protein.
• 2. Made in GMP-certified facilities.
• 3. A strong assortment of nutrients that support all aspects of metabolism, for healthy weight-loss.
• 4. No artificial ingredients.
• 5. A money-back guarantee.
• 6. Solid, positive reviews from consumers.

How We Rate Supplements

We are extremely thorough in our reviews of different supplements. Not only do we look at the quality of the ingredients and information on where the product was made, but we also look at the history of company that makes it, making sure they don't have any outstanding lawsuits or customer service complaints against them. We also look at the reviews customers have made about the products.

We spend lots of time going through numerous brands, and this experience has given us the knowledge that we can pass on to you through guides like this, as well as the reviews themselves, arming you with the knowledge you need to make an informed decision before buying a product.

What Shake Should I Use for Losing Weight?

Using our years of experience reviewing and researching weight loss supplements and shakes, we were able to come up with a Top 10 list that contains the highest-quality products currently available, and the #1 brand at the is called 18 Shake.

18 Shake is made with a non-soy, duo-protein whey formula, meaning you don't get any of the potential side effects that can come with products made with soy protein. It also comes loaded with 18 different vitamins and minerals so that your body can function the way its supposed to. One thing we're impressed with is that it also comes with Fibersol, a patented form of fiber that has been shown to help people stay full longer, making the shake an effective, satisfying replacement for a meal, and the number one choice in our book.

Best Meal Replacement Shakes of 2024