What is the meal replacement for kids?

drink wholesome makes the best meal replacement for kids.

Are meal replacement shakes safe for kids? 

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Eating healthy food 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 her life. Moreover, eating healthy food can help kids achieve and maintain a healthy weight, which in turn can reduce the risk of developing health conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. 

Nutrition for kids is essentially the same as nutrition for adults. Everyone needs the same types of nutrients — fats, carbs, protein, etc. – children just need different amounts of specific nutrients at different ages. Please refer to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 to learn more about your child’s nutritional needs. I

Most kids should be able to get enough calories and nutrients from fruits, veggies, grains, and lean proteins. Some kids, however, may need a little help. This is where meal replacement shakes come in handy.

Picky eaters and kids with allergies or dietary restrictions can use meal replacement shakes to help fuel their growth in development. That said, meal replacements should not replace normal food. Whenever possible, you should feed your kid balanced, nutritious meals.

Meal replacement shakes can help your child get the calories and nutrients that he or she needs. They are also easy to make, easy to drink, and easy to clean up, making them a convenient option for busy parents. That said, not all meal replacements are created equal, and many are not safe for kids.

What are the best meal replacement shakes for kids? 

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Have you ever looked at the ingredients in the average meal replacement? It is a cocktail of emulsifiers, thickeners, artificial sweeteners, and flavorings. Ingredients like these can cause painful side effects and even long term health problems.

As I see it, the best meal replacement shakes for kids are made with a short list of simple ingredients – the shorter and the simpler the better. No one needs the heavily-processed and artificial junk in most meal replacements. That said, finding a meal replacement made with only whole foods is easier said than done. This is where drink wholesome can help.

Why drink wholesome?

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drink wholesome is additive-free.

One of the reasons why we make the best meal replacement shakes for kids is that we do not use any food additives, period. The addition of such ingredients, even in small quantities, can trigger uncomfortable gastrointestinal (GI) side effects.

Food additives undergo so much processing that they look nothing like real food. This can make them challenging for the digestive system to break down, and gives the gut bacteria more time to eat. Gut bacteria produce gas as they munch, which can lead to bloating, flatulence, and stomach pain. Furthermore, excess intestinal gas can also slow down colonic transit – the time it takes for food to pass through the colon – resulting in constipation.

In certain instances, partially digested food additives can cause the colon to absorb excess water or hinder water absorption altogether. This can lead to osmotic diarrhea, and explains why so many people rush to the bathroom after drinking meal replacement shakes.

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

acacia gum, acesulfame potassium, artificial flavors, aspartame, carrageenan, cellulose gum, dextrin, dextrose, erythritol, gellan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, inulin, locust bean gum, “natural” flavors, maltodextrin, rice syrup solids, soy lecithin, silica, sucralose, sunflower lecithin, xanthan gum, xylitol

Eating a substantial amount of food additives can disrupt regulatory pathways within your intestines, contributing to the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and various other inflammatory disorders. Certain additives, particularly artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols, also have the capacity to disturb the delicate balance of the gut microbiome. This is a significant driver of inflammation, and has been linked to the onset and progression of many chronic diseases.

our ingredients: 

egg whites, almonds, oats, coconut, cocoa, monk fruit

the alternative:

SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CANOLA OIL, MALTODEXTRIN, ISOMALTULOSE, SOLUBLE CORN FIBER, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, VITAMIN AND MINERAL PREMIX, CELLULOSE, NATURAL & ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, MONO & DIGLYCERIDE, XANTHAN GUM, SUCRALOSE

drink wholesome is dairy-free.

Another reason why we make the best kids meal replacement is that we do not use dairy-based proteins. Many other meal replacements use whey and casein, which are byproducts of cheese and yogurt manufacturing. These ingredients are notorious for causing digestive problems.

Lactose, the sugar found in whey, casein, and other dairy products, can be challenging for some kids to digest. As we just discussed, foods that are tough to digest often result in uncomfortable side effects. It is thus advisable to avoid whey and casein if at all possible.

drink wholesome is made with real foods.

A final reason why we make the best meal replacement for kids is that we do not use protein concentrates or isolates. Nearly all other meal replacement powders are made from one or both of these protein sources.

Protein concentrates and isolates undergo rigorous mechanical and chemical processing, occasionally involving solvents such as hexane. As a result, what you ultimately feed your kids looks little to nothing like real food.

The digestive system is naturally equipped to handle minimally or unprocessed foods, not protein concentrates or isolates. Research has shown that consistently consuming refined ingredients like these can disturb the gut microbiome. Once again, this is absolutely not something you want your kids to have to deal with.

Instead of using protein concentrates or isolates, we make the best meal replacement shakes for kids with egg whites and almonds. These are gut-friendly protein sources packed with health benefits.

In contrast to protein isolates and concentrates, whole foods like egg whites and almonds contain enzymes and digestive aids making them easy to digest. Egg whites offer an additional advantage of being low in fiber, low in FODMAPs, alkaline (contributing to a healthy gut pH), and bioactive (supporting the growth of good gut bacteria).

★★★★★

simple and delicious

“I spent so many hours looking shake for my picky kids. This is hands down the best one I’ve come across – simple ingredients and they love how it tastes. My husband likes it too!” – Julie

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