What Is the Best Meal Replacement For Kids?

Are you looking for the best meal replacement for kids? Discover how to easily and safely supplement a kid’s diet.

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Are Meal Replacement Shakes Safe for Kids? 

Eating healthy at a young age is essential for growth and development.

It also helps to establish habits and nutritional knowledge that will serve your child throughout his or her life.

For most children, eating healthy simply means eating a balance of nutritious foods like eggs, fish, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, meats, vegetables, and whole grains.

Refer to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 to learn more about what a healthy diet looks like for your child at different ages.

Most American kids are able to easily meet their nutritional needs and do not need to add a meal replacement to their diet.

Some children, such as picky eaters or those with dietary restrictions, may need help getting enough calories and nutrients, however.

In this case, meal replacements can be a lifesaver as they are not only convenient, but also versatile.

If you choose to use a meal replacement powder, as opposed to a ready-to drink shake, you can mix it with just water, or add it to smoothies, oatmeal, and other recipes.

Ready-to-drink shakes, although more convenient, tend to be full of added junk.

Keep in mind that a good meal replacement should replace the nutritional value of a meal, meaning it should contain a balance of healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, fiber, and proteins.

Also note that not all meal replacements are created equal.

What Are the Best Meal Replacement Shakes for Kids? 

Many meal replacements contain ingredients known to cause painful side effects and even long-term health problems.

Among these ingredients are food additives and protein concentrates/isolates.

Avoid Food Additives

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, and other additives can not only upset a kid’s stomach, but also alter the composition of his or her gut microbiome.

This can lead to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut microbiota, which contributes to the development of several chronic diseases, including allergies, asthma, and obesity.

The gut microbiome affects various physiological processes, including immune function and inflammation.

For this reason, when the balance of bacteria therein is disrupted, it can have a huge impact on a kid’s overall health.

Here is a list of the most common food additives in meal replacements:

• acacia fiber
• acacia gum
• acesulfame potassium
• artificial flavors
• ascorbic acid
• aspartame
• calcium carbonate
• carrageenan
• cellulose gum
• dextrin
• dicalcium phosphate
• dipotassium phosphate
• erythritol
• gellan gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• inulin
• locust bean gum
• maltitol
• maltodextrin
• mono- and diglycerides
• ‘natural’ flavors
• rice bran extract
• rice dextrin
• rice hulls
• rosemary extract
• silica
• silicon dioxide
• sodium alginate
• soluble corn fiber
• sorbitol
• soy lecithin
• sucralose
• sunflower lecithin
• tocopherols
• tricalcium phosphate
• xanthan gum
• xylitol
• zinc oxide

Basically, if you could not find an ingredient in nature or make it at home, it should not be in your kid’s meal replacement. 

Avoid Protein Concentrates and Isolates

The protein source itself (not the type of protein, but the form) might be a factor worth considering too, especially if your child has a sensitive stomach or preexisting gut issues.

Most meal replacements are made from protein concentrates and isolates, which have been mechanically and/or chemically stripped of everything but the protein.

This includes the enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help your gut break them down.

We therefore do not digest them in the same way that it does whole foods, which can affect everything from satiety to gut health.

In fact, studies show that regularly eating protein concentrates and isolates can disrupt your gut microbiome and cause the formation of toxic byproducts in our guts.

So, pending further research, it is recommended that you stick to meal replacements made from whole food protein sources.

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Drink Wholesome Makes the Best Meal Replacements for Kids

Finding a meal replacement free from food additives and protein concentrates and isolates is hard.

In fact, 99% of meal replacements contain one or more of these problematic ingredients, which is why we created Drink Wholesome.

We make the best kids meal replacement because we use a short list of simple ingredients.

Our Ingredients

collagen

almonds

oats

coconut

monk fruit

vanilla

NOT Our Ingredients

• acacia gum

• acesulfame potassium

• artificial flavors

• carrageenan

• erythritol

• guar gum

• inulin

• maltodextrin

• 'natural' flavors

• silica

• soy lecithin

• sucralose

• xanthan gum

• xylitol

Note that instead of using protein concentrates or isolates, we use whole food protein sources like almonds, which are easier to digest and absorb.

It follows that kids experience fewer digestive issues with our Meal Replacement Powders than with any other type of meal replacement.

Order Samples to see for yourself.