"These tend to have minimum added sugars and are less processed, and they should not contain excessive amounts of vitamins and minerals, herbs, or other unnecessary supplemental ingredients," Nelson explains. "Even if they're fortified, they still won't contain all of the nutrients a whole food source would," says Nelson.Ī potentially healthier option is a shake or fruit smoothie that is food-based and found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. That can lead to weight gain and a list of complications associated with obesity, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.Įqually concerning is that nutrition in a can isn't the same as nutrition from food. "In that case, substituting one meal a day with a drink won't hurt." Both experts warn that people who can still eat may be risking too many extra calories by consuming the nutrition drinks.
"But if you can't eat and that's the only food that's palatable, it's better to get the calories." Dr. "You may be getting more sugar than any of the other ingredients," says Stacey Nelson, a dietitian from Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. Supplemental nutrition shakes contain more than just healthy ingredients.
#ENSURE DRINK PLUS#
These examples offer the ratio of calories, protein, carbohydrate, and fat per serving recommended by dietitian Stacey Nelson of Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.īolthouse Farms Protein Plus (mango flavor) For example, some drinks contain vitamin K, and sudden changes in vitamin K intake may interfere with the effect of the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin).
You don't need a doctor's okay to try a nutrition shake, but it's a good idea to ask your doctor if any of the ingredients will interfere with your medications. Your doctor will have to supervise use of these. These drinks (Jevity, Osmolite) can be consumed orally but aren't designed to taste good and are often used in feeding tubes. Nutrition shakes are usually fortified with vitamins and blended with sugar to improve taste.įormulas are designed for more specific disease states such as cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and later-stage kidney disease. Some nutrition shakes are designed to be compatible with health conditions such as diabetes (Glucerna). These are formulated to help you meet general nutrition goals such as increased calories and protein. You can find them on a grocery store shelf. Shakes, such as Boost or Ensure, are intended for oral consumption. There are hundreds of varieties that fall into two general categories. Supplemental nutrition drinks provide a healthy balance of protein, carbohydrate, and fat. It's too many calories." The nutrition drinks
#ENSURE DRINK FULL#
It's not okay to eat a full meal and then drink a supplement, unless the goal is to gain weight or stop weight loss. "If you use the drinks as meal substitutes that might be okay. Suzanne Salamon, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. "The danger is that people see a lot of minerals and vitamins and think more is better," says geriatrician Dr.
But these nutrition shakes aren't magic bullets for nutrition. Supplemental nutrition shakes and drinks can be helpful for people who struggle with a loss of appetite, have difficulty chewing, have trouble preparing balanced meals, or are recovering from surgery or an illness. These heavily marketed liquid meals and nutrition shakes aren't always the best option for your health.
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