Protein Shakes/Meal Replacement

[ShopGirl71]

Hey guys, I'm looking for a suggestion for a meal replacement, preferably high protein that does not have artificial sweeteners. (including stevia, yes I know stevia is natural, but it makes it too sweet to be palatable for me) I generally add a banana or some other fruit for the sweetness level I can handle.

Flavor doesn't matter, vanilla or chocolate or even unflavored is fine.  

I can't really do anything plant based (unfortunately) because most seem to be high in vitamin K and that is not recommended for me because of a medication I take for an auto-immune disorder. 

Is this wishful thinking?  Does anything exist within these parameters? 

For now, I am not using any kind of protein, I just blend a cup of unsweetened Almond or Coconut milk with a frozen banana or a handful of berries, and a couple of tbls of raw oats... sometimes I add a tbls of peanut butter.  I'd like to increase the protein content of my breakfast shakes a bit.  Any Ideas??

Thanks!

-Shopgirl  (Paula)

[Dominique]

Though this may not relate to your specific condition, it appears patients taking blood thinners must restrict their intake of vitamin K. This link includes a list of vegetables that are low in vitamin K:

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/vitamin-k-can-dangerous-take-warfarin/

Did your doctor specifically instructed you to eliminate all plants from your diet?

Meal replacements that are high on protein usually rely on protein powder. Some protein powders are plant-based (e.g. pea, soy), but most are animal-based (e.g. whey, egg). If you want to stay away from artificial sweeteners, just pick an unflavoured powder and sweeten it yourself, for instance with berries or fruits low in vitamin K.

However, why do you need/want to have meal replacements, as opposed to eating "real" meals (which should be the preferred option IMO)? And why do they need to be high in protein? You can get a sufficient amount of protein from real food, and most foods naturally high in protein are not plant-based anyway.

Didn’t your doctor provide you with suggestions of what to eat?

[ShopGirl71]

Thanks for your reply.   Yes, Warfarin/Blood Thinner is the medication I have to take, and the reason to limit vit K consumption.  No, I do not have to eliminate any plants at all from my diet....I have been instructed to limit my intake to no more than 3 servings of vit K rich items per week.  I have blood tests weekly to monitor these levels.  

I want/need a meal replacement because I've been told I don't eat enough.  Due to health issues, I battle nausea pretty often, and just cannot handle consuming a meal, the shakes/smoothies are not as difficult to consume/keep down.  This will improve, with time and proper nutrition, but it is going to take some time to get there.    Nutritionist recommended, at least for the short term, to add a protein powder to my smoothies/shakes to boost the nutrition and to help maintain muscle mass. 

Thanks again for your reply. 🙂 

-Shopgirl (Paula) 

[moriahcat]

You could try, if you aren't allergic to milk or it doesn't make your autoimmune issues worse, adding whey protein isolate powder to the smoothie you're making now.

I have issues with caesins in dairy, not severe but sodium caseinate as a food byproduct does a number on my digestion.  Whey protein isolates do not give me that problem, whereas concentrates sometimes do.   I don't honestly think soy protein isolate would have significant Vitamin K -- guess I should check the nutrition info on my TVP? it's essentially soy protein extruded into a ground-beef consistency? -- but if you need an animal based protein just to be safe, whey isolate will probably be your best bet. 

[MsInsane]

Hi there,

I have been using huel (www.huel.com) for a year now. 
I usually have it either as breakfast if I go to the gym in the morning or dinner when I am too busy or too tired.

they have just launched their black edition, which has more protein than the regular version. 
I know they have an unsweetened version of the regular meal replacement, however haven’t tried myself (I like the Vanilla one!). 

[NorahC]

Little late to the game but....I use Syntrax Matrix 2.0 Simply Vanilla with some almond milk a banana and ice. I mix it in the blender and its really yummy. Sometimes I put a little peanut butter in there. I just looked on the back of the packaging and it doesn't list vitamin K on there at all.  However you could look into it just to be certain. It can be purchased on Amazon.  

[Chernyxa]

I asked the same question a couple of years ago, I needed a large amount of protein. I tried a lot of different proteins, but I never found anything better than selected inexpensive meat. The one that is not suitable in the market, they put hormones in them and you need to be careful with this meat. I just found a blog where there was a lot of information about meat stores and I forgot my problems. do not waste time and extra money on powders that will not help you. As an athlete, I know what I'm talking about, and I hope I helped you. I will be glad to communicate!

[TPayne1983]

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@Chernyxa wrote:

I asked the same question a couple of years ago, I needed a large amount of protein. I tried a lot of different proteins, but I never found anything better than selected inexpensive meat. The one that is not suitable in the market, they put hormones in them and you need to be careful with this meat. I just found a blog where there was a lot of information about meat stores and I forgot my problems for example, https://www.mealprep.com.au/p/macro-comparison-popular-meal-providers/ do not waste time and extra money on powders that will not help you. As an athlete, I know what I'm talking about, and I hope I helped you. I will be glad to communicate!

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It is very important to always know what we eat, and I agree that you do not need to replace natural food with chemistry to be healthy. Thank you for the information!

Thx from Jeb

[AnaFitbit]

Hi everyone!

I totally agree with @Chernyxa @TPayne1983, I think it's better for our health to try to find what we need in natural food instead of using processed powders.  

[AnaFitbit]

@bbbonbon thanks for sharing this with us. 

I personally haven't used protein shakes so I'm curious to know if they are as good as some people say. How has your experience with Syntrax Matrix 2.0 Simply Vanilla been?

[clarkethomson]

https://ezcareclinic.com/expert-view-about-depression-and-nutritional-deficiencies-relation/