Eat healthier. Stay hydrated. Move more. It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? However, getting to a healthy weight is often harder than most of us realise, especially when it comes to the demands of a busy modern lifestyle. If you’re struggling to prepare regular healthy meals, have a job that means you sit down for most of the day, are exposed to ready meals/fast food or are not getting enough sleep, the last thing on your mind is weight management.   

But what if you could manage your weight in a way that was healthy and fitted in with your lifestyle? 

What are Meal Replacements?

Meal Replacements for weight control are ready-to-use or easy-to-prepare food products (usually in the form of shakes and bars) that are low-calorie but packed with high-quality protein and essential micronutrients. 

In the EU, there are strict regulations on the nutritional composition (such as calories, quantity and quality of protein and fat, vitamin and mineral content) that must be satisfied in order to be classified as a Meal Replacement for weight control (1).

How do Meal Replacements Work?

Meal Replacements can help you stick to your plan. How? They take away some of the stress of meal planning, so that you don’t have to worry about portion size. They may also limit your intake of other foods and are very easy to prepare and consume. In other words, Meal Replacements make it much easier to follow and sustain a weight management diet (2-6). The higher protein content of Meal Replacements also helps to support weight loss and prevent weight regain, while helping to preserve muscle mass (6-9).

The use of Meal Replacements for weight control is one that’s strongly supported by science. Many studies have shown that Meal Replacements lead to greater weight loss, when compared to diets based on normal foods. More importantly, they also perform better in the short and long term, making Meal Replacements a superior tool for effective and sustainable weight loss (6, 10-12). 

How Should Meal Replacements Be Used?

As part of a low-calorie diet, Meal Replacements can be used to substitute one or two main daily meals. For weight loss, you should swap two of your main meals for a Meal Replacement. To prevent weight-regain, take one Meal Replacement instead of one main meal (5, 13).

When making healthy food choices represents a real challenge to you, Meal Replacements can be a convenient and effective tool for weight control (2, 5, 11). 

References

1. Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/1413 of 24 August 2016 amending Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods other than those referring to the reduction of disease risk and to children's development and health, (25.08.2016).
2. Raynor HA, Champagne CM. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Interventions for the Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2016;116(1):129-47.
3. Rolls BJ. What is the role of portion control in weight management? Int J Obes (Lond). 2014;38 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S1-8.
4. Heymsfield SB. Meal replacements and energy balance. Physiol Behav. 2010;100(1):90-4.
5. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products N, Allergies. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to meal replacements for weight control (as defined in Directive 96/8/EC on energy restricted diets for weight loss) and reduction in body weight (ID 1417), and maintenance of body weight after weight loss (ID 1418) pursuant to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/20061. EFSA Journal. 2010;8(2):1466.
6. Johansson K, Neovius M, Hemmingsson E. Effects of anti-obesity drugs, diet, and exercise on weight-loss maintenance after a very-low-calorie diet or low-calorie diet: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;99(1):14-23.
7. Leidy HJ, Clifton PM, Astrup A, Wycherley TP, Westerterp-Plantenga MS, Luscombe-Marsh ND, et al. The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2015;101(6):1320S-9S.
8. Cava E, Yeat NC, Mittendorfer B. Preserving Healthy Muscle during Weight Loss. Adv Nutr. 2017;8(3):511-9.
9. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products N, Allergies. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to protein and increase in satiety leading to a reduction in energy intake (ID 414, 616, 730), contribution to the maintenance or achievement of a normal body weight (ID 414, 616, 730), maintenance of normal bone (ID 416) and growth or maintenance of muscle mass (ID 415, 417, 593, 594, 595, 715) pursuant to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. EFSA Journal. 2010;8(10):1811.
10. Heymsfield SB, van Mierlo CA, van der Knaap HC, Heo M, Frier HI. Weight management using a meal replacement strategy: meta and pooling analysis from six studies. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003;27(5):537-49.
11. Astbury NM, Piernas C, Hartmann-Boyce J, Lapworth S, Aveyard P, Jebb SA. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of meal replacements for weight loss. Obes Rev. 2019;20(4):569-87.
12. Wadden TA, West DS, Neiberg RH, Wing RR, Ryan DH, Johnson KC, et al. One-year weight losses in the Look AHEAD study: factors associated with success. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009;17(4):713-22.
13. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products N, Allergies. Statement on the conditions of use for health claims related to meal replacements for weight control. EFSA Journal. 2015;13(11):4287.