Before answering this question, we must first understand what "meal replacement" is. It is definitely not something that the advertisement claims can replace a meal. This is called meal replacement! Real meal replacement is strictly supervised by the competent authorities, and those that do not meet the requirements can only be registered as "general food", and if these general foods claim to be meal replacement, the competent authorities will punish them!
What is a qualified meal replacement?
Meal replacement belongs to "weight control rather than meal replacement food" in "formula food for specific diseases", so it is necessary to apply for inspection and registration to the Ministry of Health, Food and Drug Administration to evaluate whether formula food can reduce calorie intake and help lose weight. And the manufacturer must carry out "human trial test" on the product. (Simply put: meal replacement is very similar to medicine, and it must be proved to be effective through human experiments before it can be listed)
Meal replacement must completely provide three nutrients (sugar, protein and lipid), dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Can be used instead of dinner. And in principle, it is limited to changing one meal a day, and it is not recommended to change two or more meals a day.
In addition, according to the regulations, the calorie of meal replacement is less than 400 calories (generally about 200-300 calories), and it is rich in dietary fiber, relatively low in fat, and other specific nutrients or dietary components that can increase satiety and delay digestion and absorption. Again, all the above should be based on empirical evidence, not what you want to add. It can be seen that there are hundreds of so-called meal replacement products on the market, most of which are not qualified "meal replacement". In order to distinguish them easily, Dr. Cai called them "low-calorie packages"!
Is eating meal replacement effective?
This should be everyone's biggest concern, right? From the perspective of qualified meal replacement, the answer is yes! As mentioned above, all qualified meal replacers must go through human trials and be proved to be effective before they can be approved for marketing. As for the "low-calorie package" on the market, does it have weight loss effect? To be honest, as long as the calories are kept at a low level, users can lose weight if they reach a heat loss.
We might as well think directly from the perspective of calorie calculation: some obese patients simply don't know how to choose food, and they may consume 800 calories or even 1000 calories in a meal without knowing it. At this time, if you replace a meal with a meal replacement within 400 calories, you can reduce your intake by at least 500 calories a day, which means you can lose about one catty in two weeks. It seems that the speed is not fast, but as long as it is used continuously for a period of time, it will have a considerable effect.
However, Dr. Cai would like to remind you that although both qualified meal replacement and low-calorie package seem to be losing weight, the difference lies in whether the product takes into account the above-mentioned "nutritional balance" demand. If the low-calorie meal package only focuses on reducing calories without balanced nutrients, then eating it for a long time is similar to the extreme hunger diet. We can't just lose weight quickly, but lose precious muscles, which will make our metabolism worse and worse, and we will gain weight faster in the future.
Meal replacement is only an aid, and correct eating habits are fundamental.
Of course, Dr. Cai still wants to remind you that if you are a "food-blind" and only rely on meal replacement to lose weight, once you stop eating meal replacement, you are expected to gain weight again.
Whether it is meal replacement or low-calorie set meal, it is only recommended as a short-term aid to lose weight. If you eat meal replacement for a long time, the cost will be high (meal replacement is often more expensive than box lunch), and you will lose a lot of fun to enjoy food. In the long run, we should build up our knowledge of food and develop correct eating habits, so that we can enjoy food and keep our weight.
Well, speaking of which, Dr. Cai will help you do a simple key arrangement:
1. The US Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Health has clear regulations on meal replacement, and unapproved products cannot be claimed as meal replacement.
2. Meal replacement must completely provide three nutrients and low calories, and in principle it is limited to changing one meal a day.
3. meal replacement is only a short-term aid, and it is king to establish correct eating habits for a long time.
Let's call it a day. I wish everyone good health and slim down.
"resources:
Department of Health and Welfare, US Food and Drug Administration-Food and Drug Consumption Areas-Comprehensive Enquiry Service-Prescribed Foods for Specific Diseases "