Meal Replacement Drink Suggestions?

Any meal replacement drinks y'all would recommend? New meds make food less appealing and harder to eat. I want something quick and easy with decent nutrition to chug for breakfast or lunch.

Side note, do y'all hate researching stuff on the slopnet as much as I do? I used to enjoy researching stuff on the internet but now idk what I can trust. My answer is you kind nerdy internet strangers 🙏

43 points · 47 comments · view on lemmy.world

47 Comments

Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 30d (5 replies)

Boost shakes are pretty good, we give them frequently in the hospital

Suck_on_my_Presence@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 29d (1 reply)

Second this. The chocolate ones aren't too different from chocolate milk in taste.

volore@scribe.disroot.org · 1 pts · 29d

Yeah, I remember being given these when I was in the hospital. Avoid the vanilla/strawberry like the plague, I can't remember which I hated more but I know the chocolate one tasted palatable and the others were liquid ass.

gothic_lemons@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 29d (2 replies)

Thank you. Nothing screams great food like they serve it in the hospital lol

Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 29d (1 reply)

You're looking for evidence based high calorie liquid nutrition, right? Fuck me for answering your question I guess lmao

gothic_lemons@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 29d

Sorry I meant that in a fun jokey way. Wasn't trying to be rude. Appreciate you recommending Boost shakes

LuigiMaoFrance@lemmy.ml · 9 pts · 29d (4 replies)

250g oats + 20g walnuts/almonds + 20g unsweetened cocoa powder + 20g molasses/date syrup + 1 or 2 bananas + a few ice cubes

add water, blend.
I keep the dry ingredients stored in glass jars right next to my kitchen scale, so it only takes like a minute or two to prepare. Been drinking variations of this for breakfast every morning for years.
Cheaper and more nutritious than any expensive prepackaged meal replacement drinks you can buy. Eat real food.

bravesirrbn@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 29d (2 replies)

I'd maybe add a scoop of protein powder to that

LuigiMaoFrance@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 29d (1 reply)

how dare you

bravesirrbn@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 29d

Protein is important

slemptastrophe@piefed.social · 2 pts · 29d

Definitely going to try this. I'll have to adjust the amount of bananas and use a different sweetener because diabetes, but this sounds like an amazing alternative to the powdered bullshit. Thanks!

kayzeekayzee@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 9 pts · 30d (1 reply)

Ensure Plus Strawberry Smoothies.

Make sure you get the "plus" version as it has way more calories than the normal kind.

gothic_lemons@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 29d

Ok I'll look into them

wakko@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 30d (5 replies)

I've been eating Soylent for several years now.

kn33@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 29d (1 reply)

The supply issues on their website are irritating me, though

wakko@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 29d

Me too. It seems like they're down to doing only Chocolate flavor in reliable quantities.

sit@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 27d (2 replies)

You are the first person I’ve contact with who drinks Soylent.

Is there truth in the memes?

wakko@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 27d (1 reply)

Which memes? I'm not familiar. But, the attempts at joking about this product and the Charleton Heston movie are soooooooooo oooooooollllllld.

I've been eating Soylent for several years. I started with the powdered formulation v1.4; I did an experiment where I lived on only Soylent for about 5 months straight - I had no issues, I just got bored of not chewing things. I jumped to the premixed drinks when they arrived. I currently do Soylent for 1-2 meals and regular meals the rest of the day.

Most recently, I've been doing subscription shuffling because the current ownership is allowing the business to wither away because not enough people are doing monthly subscriptions. Right now, if you want pre-mixed drinks, chocolate is your best and maybe only option.

sit@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 27d

Something in soy can reduce iodine uptake into the thyroid (or utilisation of iodine in thyroid), thus reducing testosterone levels.

I learned this outside of the soyboy-memes, which joke about men who consume soy have low t.

Olgratin_Magmatoe@slrpnk.net · 8 pts · 29d (2 replies)

My wife has trouble tolerating solid food for medical reasons, and so she has a prescription for Kate Farm's nutritional drinks.

They're pretty much the best I've seen in terms of actual nutritional value, they've got little filler.

They are expensive as fuck though. It's like $72 for a pack of 12. With that said they are really good quality.

And out of curiosity I've tried a little. The plain vanilla ones taste like froot loops milk IMO. I find it tolerable, my wife not so much. So we use them as a base for smoothies for her.

The smoothie recipe in case anyone is curious:

  • Half a bottle of Kate Farms
  • Ice to taste
  • 3 tbls of brown sugar
  • 1 tbls of chocolate ovaltine

It's a fuck load of sugar. I've been trying to get her to accept less sugar in it with mixed success.

palordrolap@fedia.io · 2 pts · 29d (1 reply)

It's not clear whether you're replacing some or all of the sugar with an artificial sweetener or not. Some don't work for some people and some may be unsuitable for medical reasons, but there might be one or two that work.

FWIW, I've been putting saccharin in my tea for years now. Not dead yet.

Olgratin_Magmatoe@slrpnk.net · 2 pts · 29d

It's less replacing, more adding. Kate farms does have some sugar, but it isn't the bulk of the drink like some of the lower quality ones I've seen around.

Contramuffin@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 29d (1 reply)

I've tried Soylent and Huel. I definitely prefer Soylent. Huel has a strong flaxseed flavor, which makes it taste strongly like a protein shake. In my experience, though, Soylent isn't that good for chugging. It's pretty thick and is better drank in sips over a long period of time

undefined@lemmy.hogru.ch · 2 pts · 29d

I came here to suggest Huel though I’ve never tried Soylent.

ndru@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 29d (2 replies)

Just to throw in another option: A blender, nuts, barista oat milk (it’s sweeter and less oaty), some fresh fruit or frozen berries, and some kale.

Takes about 3 minutes, you can experiment with different fruit and nut combinations, and some fresh kale means you’re getting some greens.

My go to is a big handful of peanuts, half a handful each of walnuts and hazelnuts, a cup or two of frozen raspberries, 2 or 3 leaves of green curly kale, a scoop of creatine, and enough oat milk for it to give it a good consistency - usually makes about a litre.

trashcroissant@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 28d

My only issue with this is that at least where I live, nuts are absurdly expensive. Like, paid $27 for a bag of walnuts recently expensive 😭

sit@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 27d

What type of blender do you use? A powerful one or a less powerful? 1500W?

Edit: be careful with raw nuts and associates, they contain „phytines“ which absorb metals (like iron and other essentials) and make them unabsorbable for the digestive system.

theedqueen@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 29d (1 reply)

When I was a kid I had oral surgery which made chewing food right after difficult while I recovered. My mom made a chicken veggie soup that she blended so that it was smooth and it was actually amazing. Like a savory shake.

flambonkscious@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 29d

Yes!! Soups are a great angle here

Robin@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 29d (1 reply)

Are you in the US? Cus the one I like is only sold in Belgium and the Netherlands

gothic_lemons@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 29d

Sadly yes I'm in the US

kurcatovium@piefed.social · 3 pts · 28d (1 reply)

Pale Lager, Pilsner style... I'll see myself out.

sit@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 27d

This will keep you alive 🫡

RacerX@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 29d

I like Vega One. They were wrapped up in the whole lead contamination thing, but that last ne in particular wasn't listed so I just keep going. 46g mixed with 380 mL of almond milk.

the_swagmaster@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 29d (2 replies)

I have tried a few and I settled on yFood. Its tastes better than Huel but they achieve that by putting in more sugar. Its not as healthy as Huel but still better than most cereal and I actually like drinking it

Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.org · 6 pts · 29d (1 reply)

yFood has recently been aquired by Nestle if that's something that is a factor for you. I loved them before as well =/

the_swagmaster@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 29d

Damn it 💀

RBWells@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 29d

Oh that's hard. I hate, hate, hate those mixes. Would do bone broth for some meals, fruit and yogurt smoothies for others, and definitely throw some nut butter (cashew, almond, whatever) into the smoothie.

Date shakes are good, lots of sugar but fiber and nutrition.

And if you can tolerate soup - a can of cannelini beans, a can of butternut squash puree, and some chicken or vegetable broth, with salt and whatever else you want, is so easy, delicious and again does have fiber. Just heat them together then blend with a stick blender.

mangobanana@discuss.online · 2 pts · 29d

My mom has almost entirely stopped eating food, but she drinks slim fast chocolate drink about 3 times a day, yes it's supposed to be a diet aide but it's really just a nutrition drink. She uses milk to mix it, and I think now she's adding protein powder to it. I didn't really know what it tastes like but she likes it she uses the powder version though

petrichornetrainfall@piefed.social · 2 pts · 29d

I tried soylent (powder and premade) years ago and I didn't mind the taste or feel (some people dislike it). But I always felt "off" after drinking it, and overall didn't enjoy it, but it might have gotten better since.

I started drinking huel a year or 2 ago, for exactly the same reason as you. It was perfect for a while, but the changed the receipt not too long before they got acquired and the lead report came out, and since then its not as "satisfying" as it was before.

If you do go with huel, I recommend the black edition, the higher protein helped me not feel hungry for longer.

DebatableRaccoon@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 29d

I've found Huel to be pretty decent. You mileage may vary for taste and availability though.

Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.org · 2 pts · 29d

After trying a couple I settled on huel. I got the powder just so I can vary them in taste a bit. Mix in a banana/replace some of the water with oat milk, stuff like that. Pretty satisfied.

sit@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 27d

As much as I wished it was healthy, I don’t think it would be healthy to replace all meals with sugary hyper refined nutrition fluids. Do they have good fibre, protein, omega-3 and 6?

lazycouchpotato@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 29d

Tried various varieties of Soylent for when I couldn't eat hard foods for a bit but never found them satisfying to drink. I wish there were savory versions because drinking them gets boring really fast.

howrar@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 29d

My preference is Holfood (Chocolate). Canadian company, produced in Toronto. It has a nice flavour and isn't too filling.

Compared to other nutrition shakes I've tried in the past:

  • Soylent powder and Holfood Vanilla are both very similar and taste very artificial. It's not what I would call "bland".
  • Boost and Ensure: They're always way too sweet (I would not be able to consume more than maybe 300 Calories worth in a day), and much more expensive than the alternatives when you consider the nutritional value.
eurodyne@piefed.world · 1 pts · 29d

I’ve been enjoying Soylent for years. Either the ready to drink kind or the powder.

feannag@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 29d

Differing from some of the other opinions, but I've been using Huel for several years now and like it! Simple and easy, and thin enough to chug.