The Benefits And Convenience Of Meal Replacement Drinks
Claire Quaty
My grandmother is not as healthy as she used to be and she
can’t get around or make dinner for herself like she could in
the past. She lives in a high-rise that provides meals once a
day but she doesn’t always make use of that service. She
complains of being too tired to go downstairs for meals or to
make meals for herself in her apartment. I talked to her doctor
and he’s worried that, unless she eats better, the substantial
weight loss she’s already had is only going to continue. For
that reason, he recommended meal replacement drinks for her
that she can use between meals to boost her overall caloric
intake.
You need to understand, though, that my grandma doesn’t take
advice easily and has ideas of her own. Her husband took meal
replacement drinks just before he died and she thinks they
taste terrible and are only for the dying. I told her that
there are many more kinds and varieties of replacement drinks
nowadays, but she was still reluctant to try them.
Finally, another relative of ours found a way to trick her into
trying these supplemental drinks. He knew she was always a fan
of milkshakes but that she didn’t often get a chance to have
one because her blood sugars aren’t great. So, he borrowed a
cup from a nearby ice cream shop and filled it with her
favorite flavor – strawberry. Only this time, it was the meal
replacement drink. He mixed it up with some real strawberries
and ice and gave it to my grandmother. Well, believe it or not,
she drank the entire cupful and thanked him for his kindness. It
was only after she drank it that he explained to her that she
was drinking a meal replacement drink. She was sure riled up at
first but then decided that drinking one of those drinks every
day wasn’t such a bad idea. She asked where she could get more
of the stuff – in her favorite flavor, of course.
In a short period of time, my grandmother has made great
strides toward having more strength and physical energy. She
had clearly undernourished before she started the supplements
and was not taking her medications on a full stomach like she
was supposed to. She’s getting better nutrition from these
drinks and she feels much better, too. She’s branched out to
different flavors so she doesn’t get sick of taking the same
thing all the time and she’s up to two cans of supplement per
day. Because she’s pre-diabetic, she’s made use of the newer
supplements made specifically for diabetics that don’t allow
for much blood sugar fluctuations. She’s even gained some
weight.
Now, my husband was a bit confused by all of this. He thought
that meal replacement drinks were only for people who want to
lose weight. Nothing could be further from the truth. While
there are special weight-reduction drinks, that’s not the kind
my grandmother uses. I found out that they make supplement bars
as well that taste kind of like an energy bar or candy bar. My
grandmother has tried these as well. The meal replacement bars
are good for those who need supplementation but who want
something solid in their stomach.
About The Author: Read more from Claire Quaty at:
http://www.myfood-magazine.com
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