What are nutrition drinks and shakes and why are more and more people replacing their meals with these than ever before?

To answer this, I would like to share the findings I got from research I conducted recently where I found that there are quite a number of reasons why people like you and me might skip a regular meal in favor of a nutrition drink or shake.

Some of these reasons are because nutrition drinks and shakes are convenient, portable, quick and usually low in calories. This implies they can be of great help to you in working toward weight loss or weight maintenance if you include them in your diet and in your busy routine.

Despite what the research may say about meal replacement shakes, I have my own personal experience which to be is much more powerful and motivating.  

When I started replacing my meals with healthy homemade shakes, I dropped 5 dress sizes within just a few months. I also had a complete health turnaround as a result. I was very sick and then I recovered very quickly and got my health and my life back again.

So that’s the main reason I keep sharing these types of articles to help you to get the same results that I’ve got.

What Are Nutrition Drinks And Shakes?

Before we get to the good stuff, I just want to clarify what I mean by nutrition drinks and shakes.

If a drink or shake is nutritious, that means it should contain all of your required nutrients for the day.

Traditionally this might mean people would consume a powder that had all their synthetic vitamins and minerals contained in it.

But for me personally, this is nowhere near nutritious enough.

Studies have shown that vitamins are much better off having come from whole foods, rather than factories, because our bodies absorb them much more easily.

There are also a massive amount of nutrients contained in whole foods that are yet to be discovered.

So when I talk about nutrition drinks, I am talking about homemade shakes made using whole foods – not powders.

Some of the ingredients that might go into these shakes would be things like sweet fruit, leafy greens or other mild vegetables, nuts or seeds or even protein sources such as beans.  They may also contain nutrious filling ingredients such as oats, avocado or sweet potato.

I know this might sound a bit strange, but as long as your shake tastes delcious, then who cares what ingredients you threw in it?  

That’s my motto and it’s served me well the past 10 years as I have got most of my nutrients from my homemade shakes which I call Green Thickies, which also happens to be the name of my blog.

At the end of this article, I’ll share some resources with you to help you get started making your own healthy meal replacement shakes (Green Thickies).

So if you need even more motivation to get started drinking homemade meal replacement shakes, I’m sharing 13 great reasons why you need nutrition drinks and shakes in your life.

13 Reasons Why You Need Nutrition Drinks And Shakes In Your Life

1. They Help You Lose Weight Quickly

This may appear to you as a surprise, but did you know that nutrition drinks and shakes are a very healthy way to lose weight? Nutrition drinks and shakes serve as an ideal meal replacement.

So, for you to get the fastest fat burning potential from your nutrition drink or shake, try to make sure you include lots of natural protein-rich foods that will fill you up so that you won’t end up snacking much later.

This definitely works for me.  You can watch my story below if you want to see how well it worked for me.

2. They Provide Extra Hydration

As you might have heard, being hydrated is super crucial for fat loss.

Drinking the recommended 6-8 glasses of water can seem a bit daunting, but trust me, with nutrition drinks and shakes, you are already part of the way there.

It is so true that we can actually get some of our water intake from our food, and this is also true for shakes.  Shakes have to be drunk which means they must have enough water, either from water, or from added fruits and vegetables, which are quite abundant in water

Bonus health tip: It’s so much better to start your day with a meal replacement shake rather than a cup of coffee.  Your body will thank you for all of the nutrients and less of the stimulants.

3. They Keep You Fuller For Longer

There is no doubt that nutrition drinks and shakes are not only common these days, they indeed help keep you full for much longer. The knock-on effect of this is that you will have fewer cravings for snacks or junk foods.

Take, for example, drinking a protein-rich nutrition drink first thing in the morning is such a perfect way to limit the cravings and keep one’s appetite in check until the very next meal. This will help you lose weight because you’ll eliminate a lot of calories from your diet.

4. They Help You Sleep Better

Did you know that with the right ingredients, (I’ll share that a bit later) nutrition drinks could help you get a refreshing night’s rest?

That’s because your body needs all of the essential nutrients from your diet every day to allow the body to relax and switch off.

So making sure you get all your required nutrients from your shakes can really help you to sleep better.

I’ve noticed this myself.  When I improved my diet, my lifelong insomnia reduced from awful sleep patterns every night, to just a couple of days per month of slight insomnia.

Other good sleep aids may include kiwis and bananas.

So do you want to step up your sleep potential a little more? Then you may add oats as one of the ingredients in your homemade shakes. They contain calcium and magnesium, which studies have shown to be beneficial for superior sleep.

5. They Improve Your Complexion

Recent studies have shown that drinking nutrition drinks made from ingredients containing carotenoids can give you an attractive glow.

Carotenoids are often found in orange fleshed fruit and veggies such as pumpkin and mango.

You can make your shakes out of a variety of different healthy ingredients which will all benefit your health in different ways.

Since I started drinking nutrition drinks, I have easily knocked 10 years off my age and my adult acne totally went away.

6. They Digest More Easily

Blended foods have been shown to digest much more easily in the body because the blender does the hard work of ‘chewing’ so there is less work for your body to do.  When the body does less work, digestion improves as a result.

And that’s not the only reason…

Consuming foods like fruits and vegetables in liquid form makes the process easier for one’s body to break down nutrients and also to digest them.

This is because certain ingredients in nutrition drinks and shakes can be great if you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome or other digestive issues.

Bonus health tip: I will suggest that you do not try to gulp the entire nutrition drink at a go no matter how appealing it may be. The truth is digestion starts from the mouth and not in the stomach as we might have been made to believe.

When you start to take nutrition drinks or shakes, the enzymes released into the mouth start its process of digestion. It is therefore advised that one drinks slowly to allow them to do their thing.

You can actually go one step further and ‘chew’ your shakes, even though they don’t need chewing, because the act of chewing sends a message to the stomach to let it know that food is on the way and to prepare for it.

You can watch my video below where I share more information about this.

7. They Help You To Detox Effectively

Nutrition drinks contain many nutritious ingredients (hence the name).  They can, therefore, be a great way to detox your system and also get rid of many toxins.

And probably because you won’t be snacking too, you won’t be putting lots of extra toxins into your body either.

Fruits and vegetables are particularly detoxifying such as grapes, papaya, and leafy greens. They can help to cleanse the blood and help the liver get rid of toxins more efficiently. You can be sure to include these goodies in some of your nutrition drinks for the ultimate detox drink.

8. They Boost Your Brainpower

Certain nutrients in fruits and veggies contained in nutrition drinks can help to boost your brain function.

Leafy greens in particular have been shown to increase brain age by 11 years!   Click the link below to read my article on this.

How You Can Reduce Your Brain Age By 11 Years With Green Smoothies

9. They Improve Your Mood

Most people feel much more confident and energetic while drinking nutrition drinks and this can be the same for you too if you give it a try.

When you get lots of portions of fruits and veg into your day, it enables you to feel good and makes you feel much more positively about your life, which has been proven scientifically.

This certainly happens for me too.  

When I eat natural, healthy foods all day, I feel just right, normal, good and healthy – just like I’m supposed to feel.

But as soon as I eat junk food, either that day or the next day I feel very low, my mood hits rock bottom. Have you ever noticed this too? Pay attention to your mood after a weekend indulgence.

10. They Boost Calcium Intake

You can make use of water (filtered or spring water) as a base for your nutrition drink but why do that when you can derive more nutrients by using something else?

Using a plant based nutrition drink is an easy way to boost your calcium intake.  As well as getting vital vitamins and minerals that you need. Calcium is essential for good health.

The leafy greens that you put in your homemade shakes also contain a high amount of calcium.  So there is no need for dairy, which is not good for us – we can get all of our nutrients from plants.

11. They Prevent Cancer

The nutrients in fruits and vegetables contained in nutrition drinks can prevent you from getting cancer and other diseases.

Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, and kale have been shown to have the biggest potential to protect you against cancer.

Check out my broccoli blueberry smoothie by clicking here.

12. Balances Your Hormones

When you subject your body to a battery of toxic chemicals from junk foods, personal care products, air fresheners and contraception, your hormones can go crazy.

This happened to me and when I replaced my junk food diet with nutritious shakes and replaced all my toxic home products, my hormones finally balanced out.

13. They Are Very High In Antioxidants

Antioxidants help to prevent heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.

Fruits and veggies are very high in antioxidants, so including these in your shakes is a wise move.  

How To Get Started Making Your Own Healthy Homemade Nutrition Drinks And Shakes

I have several great resources to share with you to help you make your own shakes.

• 1 Minute Meal Replacement Shake Recipe: Natural & Nutritionally Complete
• How To Make A Green Thickie
• Complete Guide To Meal Replacement Shakes

Why You Should Drink Your Smoothies Slowly

Please feel free to share this infographic on social media or your website with a link back to this post.

5 Best Meal Replacement Shakes Resources

1

The Essential Guide To Meal Replacement Shakes

This guide shows you how to easily use meal replacement shakes for weight loss, detox, and 50+ meal replacement shake recipes. I share my secret...

Read More

2

20 Ways to Make Homemade Meal Replacement Shakes for Weight Loss

20 ingredients to add to your smoothies to turn them into meal replacement shakes. I lost 56 pounds with homemade weight loss shakes. This works because...

Read More

3

High Protein Shake Recipe Without Protein Powder

Today I’m sharing my High Protein Shake Recipe Without Protein Powder. This shake will help you put on muscle, while still losing weight and meeting all of your nutritional needs, giving you a crazy amount of energy that will propel you through your workouts. Today I’m going deep into the science behind my choice of ingredients so you can understand why each item in this smoothie is so powerful for your health.

Read More

4

6 Steps To Making Your Own Healthy Meal Replacement Shakes

I have been drinking my own healthy meal replacement shakes for years now.

And it’s still working. So what is it about meal replacement shakes that works so well for weight loss?

Read More

5

The Sickening Truth About Diet Shakes

Have you ever been on a diet shake weight loss plan? If you have, or if you are currently following one, and if you care about your health - you might find this interesting….

Read More

Click here to pin this for later

Conclusion

I genuinely hope you enjoyed this list that explores the benefits of nutrition drinks and shakes. No doubt you can see why so many people like nutritional drinks so much and always make sure to fit them into their busy schedule!

Your thoughts will be appreciated – kindly do well to drop a line in the comments and let me know what you feel and how we can improve.

If you found this article helpful, please do well to share, and help more people to find out the amazing health benefits of nutritional drinks and shakes!

If you enjoyed this article, 13 Reasons Why You Need Nutrition Drinks And Shakes In Your Life, please let  me know your thoughts in the comments.

Sources

• https://easyhealthysmoothie.com/benefits-drinking-healthy-smoothies/
• https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/supplemental-nutrition-drinks-help-or-hype

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Katherine Kyle @ Green Thickies

Founder at Green Thickies

Katherine lost 56 pounds and recovered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with Green Thickies.
Read Katherine's inspiring comeback story, From Fat and Fatigued To Lean and Loving Life In 4 Months.
Send Katherine a message on Instagram, Facebook, or email here.

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