Best Meal Replacement Shakes UK

10 of The Best Meal Replacement Shakes

In this section, I will take a look at our 12 best meal replacement shakes, starting with our overall favourite Rootana.  

The best meal replacement shakes at a glance

• Rootana – Best Meal Replacement2024
• Instant Knockout Complete
• Eve Biology – Best Menopause Meal Replacement
• PhenQ Complete Meal Shake
• Abnormal Complete Meal
• Shape Shake 2.0
• Protein Works Diet Extreme
• BeNu Complete Nutrition Shake
• Garden of Life
• Slimfast

Meal Replacement Comparison

I have compared the main meal replacements available in the UK with more to come. There is a mixture of the 400 calorie, high carb, high protein alongside the c.200 calorie weight loss and lighter meal replacements.

Which is the best meal replacement for me?

I have provided the main comparison for you to decide which is or are the best meal replacements for you.

If you find yourself short on meal prep time, do you just give up on your weight loss goals? Of course not! There are plenty of other methods and ways for you to plan your meals, and one of them is by taking the meal replacement shakes available in the UK.

We are living in a world where everything needs to happen fast or right away, with every minute counting towards how we manage our time. The same thing goes for fitness and wellness, with just about every new fitness or diet program claiming to help you with your weight loss goals or “gain muscle” in less than two weeks or in 30 minutes.

The thing is, there is no real fast way to becoming healthy and achieve weight loss goals. Long term weight loss goals require a lifetime of dedication and discipline with regards to what we eat, and most of the time you can solve this through eating real food. Eating real food for your weight loss goals can be done with meal prep.

A good example of meal prep is making a menu centred on a high protein healthy meal every day for muscle gain. But let’s face it: People no longer have the time to prepare their meals.

Blogs on the internet will tell you that it will “just take 15 minutes,” but that’s assuming you have everything ready and someone else will do the dishes for you.

When people don’t have their meal prep game on, their tendency is to just eat anything inside the fridge or whatever looks healthy and hope that they don’t go overboard on calories or macros to lose weight, but this lack of discipline doesn’t result in weight loss at all.

What Are Meal Replacement Shakes?

Meal replacement shakes are exactly what they sound like: Shakes or smoothies formulated to replace a meal, with all the nutrients, minerals, vitamins (especially folic acid for female consumers), and other healthy goodies you would normally find in a typical meal.

Many of them contain herbs, protein powders, and even fibre sources or carb alternatives like brown rice. They are designed to replace a regular meal to help with lean muscle growth, promote normal energy yielding metabolism, and optimal health.

Whilst some people don’t think they’re real food, they are effectively a healthy meal in a shake and keep you feeling fuller for longer. The latter can help with losing weight or if someone is on a low calorie or calorie deficit diet, and they want to reduce their sweet cravings.

Sometimes known as weight loss shakes or diet shakes, meal replacement shakes weren’t really designed for weight loss, but the fact that the calories and macros are quantified can give you a sense of control with how much you eat per meal. This can go a long way for those who are struggling with losing weight or those who want to gain weight.

The control you have over the calories you consume, and all the nutrients per serving, can definitely help your typical Joe or Jane with their weight loss or weight gain goals, especially those looking at wanting a high protein diet.

Some meal also work best for those who want the best vegan meal replacement drinks. People are starting to look more into a plant-based diet, and a vegan meal replacement shake with a complete amino acid profile (not just typical weight loss shakes) creates a huge market.

Regardless of the dietary preference, the meal replacement shakes work in tandem with a healthy diet. Nothing can replace a healthy diet, but the best meal replacement shake can augment it or fill some of the nutritional gaps.

5 Key benefits of taking meal replacements

So, why would you want to substitute something that needs to be blended or stirred over your usual lunch or snack? Well, a number of good reasons:

1. Portable

Some meal replacement shakes can come in the form of powdered mixes similar to protein shakes and powders, while others come in the form of ready to drink beverages, where all you’ll need to do is shake the bottle and you have a meal.

2. Can help you avoid unnecessary eating

Similar to meal prep, meal replacement shakes can be a form of self-control with regards to appetite. Usually, when you don’t plan your meals, it can lead to eating more calories per day.

You don’t have to go outside the office or your house to buy food you’re not sure fits your low calorie intake or macro requirements. Then, it also has this psychological edge where once you’re done with your shake, you’d feel full or at least no longer craving for more. No sweet cravings, no sweet tooth. Out of sight, out of mind and it’s the same with food.

3. They state the ingredients, the protein, carb, fat content, and the calories per serving or per bottle

This ties with #2 on how the consumer is fully aware of what they’re taking, unlike typical foods that don’t even list the calorie per serving. If your diet program says you only need X amount of anything per meal or per day, these diet shakes can help give you better control over those numbers. This can result in improved weight maintenance.

4. Nutritious by default

The usual office microwaveable foods aren’t exactly the prime definition of health foods or real food, and nutrient density matters highly when you’re after optimal health. What you want to do is make every calorie as healthy and nutritious as possible, and this is what meal replacement shakes do. The calorie content is kept to a minimum while the nutrient content is maxed out as much as possible.

5. Save time

Finally, the best perk of taking supplements like these is how they save us time. Imagine having a nutritionally complete meal in just 5 minutes. No more cooking, re-heating, or unnecessary dishwashing. Just mix your meal replacement drinks and you’re done.

Why Meal Replacement Shakes aren’t all good

I have highlighted some pretty solid reasons why meal replacement shakes are great for you, so now I will also have to look at the other side of the coin and see what makes them not as good as they sound.

1. May contain unhealthy ingredients. Depending on what brand you buy, the formula used may contain some rather unhealthy ingredients or fillers. Normally, fillers are used to help “thicken” the shake, add flavour, or prevent powders from caking or lumping. These ingredients may not be immediately bad for our health, but due to how the shakes are taken daily, this may eventually lead to a health problem.
2. They aren’t a long-term solution. Meal replacement shakes are pretty handy and can be habit-forming. The convenience, the time saved, and the way it does all the macro and calorie counting for you are huge perks for consumers. However, the idea is to eventually move towards whole foods and not be permanently reliant on what is basically a bunch of nutrients in a bottle.
3. They don’t really change eating habits. If you’re fond of snacking, taking meal replacements won’t fix that. Even if you were to lose weight within the next 30 days of taking them, resuming bad habits even while you’re still ingesting this type of product will only bring the weight back and possibly even more.

What to look for in a Meal Replacement Shake

Meal replacement shakes are great when it comes to weight loss, but what exactly should you be looking for when buying a quality meal replacement shake?

Ingredients

The first thing you have to look for in any supplement is the ingredient list section. If a supplement doesn’t have that, then it’s an easy skip. You may think that this doesn’t happen, but there are products out there who only print ingredients lists by themselves and are not checked by any third-party system with regards to its authenticity.

Assuming the product has the ingredients list, the next part is to read the exact ingredients included per serving.

In a typical meal replacement shake, you should expect to find a long list of ingredients. After all, you are essentially replacing an entire meal’s worth of nutrients, so the list better be long!

Usually, these ingredients are separated by blends and the blends are determined based on function. The common blends include:

• Digestive aides/enzymes: These are ingredients meant to help absorb nutrients better or stimulate proper digestion to prevent digestion problems. [6,7]
• Macros: These are your carbs, protein, and sometimes even fat sources. These have to be correctly stated in both dosage and what form, as some people have food  sensitivities especially with gluten and lactose and may wish to source gluten free meal replacement shakes instead.
• Vitamins and Minerals: This blend is usually the longest on the label, complete with dosage and their corresponding daily values or %DV.
• Omega-3 and Omega-6 blend: This is often a separate blend from fats as the source of omega-3 and omega-6 can be either fish oil or sunflower oil, and only one of them is for vegans.
• Fibre and prebiotics: On top of being a great digestion aide, fibre can also help with weight loss as this gives your belly that “full” feeling which is important if you’re only taking a meal replacer for lunch or maybe even dinner. Some types of fibre also double as prebiotics, compounds that promote gut bacterial health which is important for immunity on top of other bodily functions. [1,2,8]

Next to zero fillers

The ingredients section will tell a lot about the quality of a meal replacement shake, especially when it comes to the things they add that aren’t supposed to be there called fillers.

Given that some fillers are necessary during the manufacturing process (i.e. anti-caking agents or powders that increase flowability), they should not be in high number or part of the key ingredients.

The fillers should be declared at the very least, especially when we’re talking about colorants, sweeteners, and other ingredients that give the shake texture.

Macro ratio

When it comes to weight loss, you’re always aiming for the most nutrients with the least calories per serving. More than the calories, you should also be on the lookout for a macro ratio, or how much carbs, protein, and fats it has per serving.

Ideally, a meal replacement shake should be composed of:

• 50% Carbs (of which you also include fibre and sugars if any)
• 30% Proteins
• 20% Fats

The numbers can change depending on the product and your goals.

Which is the best weight loss shake?

Shape Shake 2.0 from Foodspring is the best meal replacement shake for weight loss due to its high protein content and robust formulation that promotes appetite control.

A close second would be The Protein Works Diet Meal Replacement Extreme because of how they include actual fat burners in the mix, and how the formula has fast and slow-release proteins to help curb your appetite the rest of the day or until your next meal. This can avoid snacking and intake of excess calories.

Which is the best meal replacement shake for energy?

The Protein Works Diet Meal Replacement Extreme is the best for energy due to its formula that consists of both fast and slow-release proteins. These proteins help maximise the meal replacement shake’s energy boosting effect, extending the energizing feeling throughout the whole day.

The next one would be MET-RX Original Meal Replacement because of its 35 grams of protein per serving. This protein shake makes it more filling than carbs or fat, and when you’re replacing actual meals, you want to make sure your stomach feels as full as possible.

Which is the best meal replacement shake for breakfast?

XLS Nutrition Weight Loss Meal Replacement Shake is the best not just because of the formulation, but because of how it also has an easy weight loss plan that definitely wants you to integrate exercise.

The next one would be SlimFast Meal Shake with almost the same weight loss program knitted closely with their meal shake recipes.

Which is the best meal replacement shake for overall health?

Garden of Life Meal Replacement is the best overall meal replacement shake due to how robust the formulation is, the quality of the ingredients used, the synergy of each ingredient, and they also top it all off with a good serving of probiotics.

I also think Garden of Life Meal Replacement’s reputation as a quality company further exemplifies why they’re the best meal replacement shake for overall health. Anything you will put inside your body has to be safe first and foremost, and Garden of Life is one of those companies that take the extra step for quality and safety.

References

1. Clark MJ, Slavin JL. The effect of fiber on satiety and food intake: a systematic review. J Am Coll Nutr. 2013;32(3):200-11. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2013.791194. PMID: 23885994.
2. Leidy HJ, Tang M, Armstrong CL, Martin CB, Campbell WW. The effects of consuming frequent, higher protein meals on appetite and satiety during weight loss in overweight/obese men. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011 Apr;19(4):818-24. doi: 10.1038/oby.2010.203. Epub 2010 Sep 16. PMID: 20847729; PMCID: PMC4564867.
3. Guo X, Xu Y, He H, Cai H, Zhang J, Li Y, Yan X, Zhang M, Zhang N, Maddela RL, Nicodemus-Johnson J, Ma G. Effects of a Meal Replacement on Body Composition and Metabolic Parameters among Subjects with Overweight or Obesity. J Obes. 2018 Dec 26;2018:2837367. doi: 10.1155/2018/2837367. PMID: 30687550; PMCID: PMC6327254.
4. Davis LM, Coleman C, Kiel J, Rampolla J, Hutchisen T, Ford L, Andersen WS, Hanlon-Mitola A. Efficacy of a meal replacement diet plan compared to a food-based diet plan after a period of weight loss and weight maintenance: a randomised controlled trial. Nutr J. 2010 Mar 11;9:11. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-9-11. PMID: 20222968; PMCID: PMC2851659.
5. Kruschitz R, Wallner-Liebmann S, Lothaller H, Luger M, Ludvik B. Long-Term Weight-Loss Maintenance by a Meal Replacement Based Weight Management Program in Primary Care. Obes Facts. 2017;10(2):76-84. doi: 10.1159/000454836. Epub 2017 Apr 5. PMID: 28376497; PMCID: PMC5644929.
6. Ianiro G, Pecere S, Giorgio V, Gasbarrini A, Cammarota G. Digestive Enzyme Supplementation in Gastrointestinal Diseases. Curr Drug Metab. 2016;17(2):187-93. doi: 10.2174/138920021702160114150137. PMID: 26806042; PMCID: PMC4923703.
7. Roxas M. The role of enzyme supplementation in digestive disorders. Altern Med Rev. 2008 Dec;13(4):307-14. PMID: 19152478.
8. Slavin J. Fiber and prebiotics: mechanisms and health benefits. Nutrients. 2013 Apr 22;5(4):1417-35. doi: 10.3390/nu5041417. PMID: 23609775; PMCID: PMC3705355.

Meal Replacement FAQs