meal substitute drink?
 

I'd like to start replacing one meal a day with a drink for the sake of convenience and being able to slurp something at my desk at work so I can walk during my lunch break, or for mornings when I take too long getting ready and can't do breakfast. What would you recommend?

It goes without saying that it has to be healthy, but I'm also hoping for very little sugar, at or below 300 calories (though I'm fine with up to 400), with atleast 3-4 g of fibre and filling. Something I have to mix from powder would probably be fine, but only if you've tried it with something other than milk (i.e., soy milk) since I'm watching my dairy.

Oh yea, and it needs to be available in Canada! (Hopefully in my area)

TIA!

I'd recommend looking at protein powders. You can add your own fiber, add some protein powder, a little soy milk (or almond milk) and then drink. I eat a protein drink every morning before work.

Melon or banana juice, I add a little oat there and mix it in the blender. It has a lot of fibres and somehow it can satisfy my hunger.

I'd recommend looking at protein powders. You can add your own fiber, add some protein powder, a little soy milk (or almond milk) and then drink. I eat a protein drink every morning before work.

Nelie - what protein powder, fiber and soy milk do you use? Just out of curiousity:)

Have you tried Arbonne Figure 8 protein shakes? Arbonne is a company like Avon but they also sell a line of stuff called Figure 8. The chocolate is really yummy, I add some Metamucil (Orange flavor) when I make it in the blender (It is not very good otherwise).

110 Calories per serving (you mix it with water--or I use water and ice)
1.5g Fat
8g Carb
1g Fiber
4g Sugar
18g Protein
You can check out the arbonne website or find a distributor but I usually just order it on Ebay.

curlmama - does Arbonne Figure 8 actually fill you up enough to replace a meal and keep you full for 3-4 hours?

What is their website?

Thanks!

How about Slimfast Optima?

I drink slimfast opitima. Fills me up and only 190 calories. I have to drink it with a straw, and very, very cold! I drink one for breakfast and one for lunch. Easy, conventient. It took me a few years, but now I drink it because I want to, not because I have to. Yum!

Suzanne & doilookfat - I had heard that SlimFast is really sweet (lots of sugar) and doesn't really fill you up.

Suzanne - have you tried SlimFast Optima? Any thoughts on it?

doilookfat - do you have to eat snacks between meals? Do you find it to always be enough for a meal replacement?

I don't have to snack between breakfast and lunch. For lunch, I eat a 100 cal. bag of popcorn (kettle corn! Yum!) with my slimfast. I don't feel hungry until about 3:00, but I'm at school and not around food. When I get home, I eat lots! Trying to work on this. I wish I liked more healthy snacks to bring to school, but I don't. I hate fruit.

But the slimfast optima has less sugar than the original, and it does fill me up quite a bit.

I personally have never found any liquid meal replacement that satisfied me, no matter what was in it or how much it cost. I just like solid food and it's easy to match the calories. But if I were to drink my meal, I'd choose SlimFast Optima over a more expensive product like Arbonne because I don't think there's enough difference to substantiate it. The Optima has half the sugar of regular slimfast. They reformulated it so that it "controls hunger longer". If it's available in your area, it might be worth a try :)

You know, I noticed that on my latest can of Slimfast Optima, but just like with the regular Slimfast, I'm starving an hour after drinking it, so it did nothing for me as far as "controlling" my hunger. However, I love the Slimfast Optima and keep it around for when I'm rushing out the door in the morning and don't have time to eat breakfast. That's really the only time I use it, but I love the chocolate and strawberry.

Thanks for all the information, guys!

Has anyone tried the Carnation breakfast drinks? (The ones that come in liquid form, refridgerated) What are your thoughts on those?

I often make something like that for breakfast, before I hit the gym. Here's what I had this morning, with the nutrition info:

3/4 cup organic yogurt (you could use soy milk, but get the kind with no sugar added, most have added sugar)
1/4 cup pureed dates (I cook them in water to cover & then puree, keep it in the fridge & use as a sweetener since I've given up added sugars)
2 T cocoa powder (organic, and fair trade - much of the world's cocoa is picked by children living in slavery who don't even know what a chocolate bar is - food can be so political!!)
1/2 cup water

Blend until smooth. add three or four ice cubes and blend more, until they're nearly gone.

Nutrition:

fiber: 7 grams (28% of daily)
protein: 13 g (26% of daily)
fat: 6 g
sodium: 92 mg
calcium: 22%
iron: 10%
carbs: 42 g

Myoplex Lite is the one that I used to drink. It's kind of expensive, but it has good ingredients, and if you buy it in bulk it's not too bad.

Next best things to Myoplex are the premade EAS Advantage shakes at Wal-Mart (or the grocery store). Can't remember how much they are, but I'm sure they are around the price of Slimfast.

As far as Carnation goes, my guess is that they would be high in sugar and low(er) in protein. They've been around since before protein shakes got popular, so they weren't formulated to impress anyone nutritionally (unless they changed). I've never actually read the label myself, though.