Protein/Meal replacement shakes! Which do you recommend?

Hi, my name is Derek. Iv'e been working in the fitness industry for the past 6 years and most recently with a sports performance lab in CT dedicated to helping athletes and non athletes improve their metabolism to help them burn more fat and increase lean muscle.

While working with the lab we found that most of our clients where able to maintain a healthy diet / nutrition plan by supplementing one to two meals a day. Otherwise, they would have a hard time getting their body the nutrition it needed. Diet shakes and other meal replacements are a lifesaver when you lack the time or motivation to shop for and prepare balanced meals. We looked at many different companies when looking for a quality meal replacement to offer our clients. Eventually we settled on the Isagenix Isalean and Isalean Pro shakes for our clients. Their ingredient quality and quantity was the best we could find.

Hi, my name is Derek. Iv'e been working in the fitness industry for the past 6 years and most recently with a sports performance lab in CT dedicated to helping athletes and non athletes improve their metabolism to help them burn more fat and increase lean muscle.

While working with the lab we found that most of our clients where able to maintain a healthy diet / nutrition plan by supplementing one to two meals a day. Otherwise, they would have a hard time getting their body the nutrition it needed. Diet shakes and other meal replacements are a lifesaver when you lack the time or motivation to shop for and prepare balanced meals. We looked at many different companies when looking for a quality meal replacement to offer our clients. Eventually we settled on the Isagenix Isalean and Isalean Pro shakes for our clients. Their ingredient quality and quantity was the best we could find.

Here's what you need to know before choosing a meal replacement shake/bar:

1) Where was the protein sourced & how was it processed?

Not all protein is equal.

Any whey protein sourced in America has to adhere to FDA regulations. The FDA mandates that all milk products be pasteurized.
The problem is that when you pasteurize whey protein you use heat to do it. This denatures the protein causing it to loose it's effectiveness and diminish it's nutritional benefits. You want to be sure that whatever protein you use has been cold filtered NOT heat processed.

Also, cows are milked year round in America. This is a problem because cows are only meant to produce milk once per year when they are pregnant and nursing. As a result they become ill more frequently and so they are kept on antibiotics. Those same antibiotics then show up in our milk and protein supplements.

And what is one of the biggest problems with the American dairy industry is what it is feeding their cows. Rather than grazing in pastures, American dairy cows are fed tons of corn in troths. This corn is far cheeper than letting their cattle graze but it is nutritionally deficient. As a result, the whey and casein protein we source from these cows is also nutritionally lacking.

For these reasons Isagenix sources it's protein from grass fed NewZealand cows. It then "cold filters" rather than heat processes the milk products so that you are getting optimal protein that has been properly processed.

CONCLUSION: Use a supplement that sources its protein from New Zealand.

2) What type of protein is it?

There are several types of protein available in meal replacement shakes.

Whey, Casein, Soy, & Hemp are the most common.

Many studies have show that whey is the best choice as the main ingredient in a meal replacement. Adversely, many studies have also shown that Soy is NOT recommended. This is due to it's being liked to causing thyroid issues for women and hormone problems for men. Casein complements whey nicely however it should not the the primary ingredient. And Hemp protein is a great option if you are looking to avoid dairy all together tho it is not considered to be as effective as whey overall.

CONCLUSION: Go to a supplement that uses Whey as its primary ingredient. Stay away form Soy.

3) Does the shake/bar have enough nutritional value to even be considered a meal replacement?

This is a big one. I have seen so many shakes claiming to be a 'meal replacement' but that either lack enough calories to constitute a whole meal or don't have complete nutritional profiles.

To be considered a true meal replacement a shake MUST contain carbs, fats, and protein. With out all three your brain will tell your body that it's missing something and increase your cravings and defeat the propose of a meal replacement. Not good. You want to be taking a shake that will tell your brain to relax; that you have all the nutrients you need and therefor don't need tot be eating any more right now. A good ratio of carbs to fat to protein is 40:30:30. (if you're using MyFitnessPal it shows you this "fuel ratio" under the tab labeled "NUTRITION")

In addition to not having a full nutritional profile, many 'meal replacement' shakes don't have enough calories to replace a meal. Ive seen some as low as 90 calories. This is a great way to put your body into starvation mode and kill your progress. Most nutritionalists will recommend you have between 300 and 400 calories a meal.

CONCLUSION: Be sure your shake includes a full nutritional profile of carbs,fats and protein otherwise it isn't a meal replacement and you will be depriving you body. Also, be sure your meal replacement shake has enough calories to, you know, replace a meal!

Our clients have really enjoyed using the Isagenix shakes and have seen fantastic results with their products. (I love that they come in so many flavors and that they actually taste awesome) Personally, I have been using their vanilla meal replacement shake every morning for the last six months now and I could not be happier that I found their products.

Hope that helps. If you have more questions about shakes, or specifically Isagenix shakes, please let me know ; )