What Are the Best Meal Replacement Shakes For Gastroparesis?

Are you looking for the best meal replacement shakes for gastroparesis? Discover how to safely supplement your protein intake with gastroparesis.

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Meal Replacement Shakes For Gastroparesis

Are Meal Replacements Good for Gastroparesis?

Gastroparesis is often referred to as delayed stomach emptying.

It can cause symptoms such as heartburn, nausea, vomiting, and early onset satiety (you feel full after only a few bites).

In the long term, gastroparesis can lead to malnutrition, weight loss, and bacterial overgrowth.

Diabetes, which can damage nerves in your stomach, is the most common known cause of gastroparesis.

Other possible causes include viral infections, abdominal surgery, eating disorders, and certain medications.

Although many people with gastroparesis look to diet for answers, there is no such thing as a “gastroparesis diet.”

This is because the severity of gastroparesis varies from person to person.

Moreover, gastroparesis is not a static condition, meaning symptoms vary week-to-week or even day-to-day.

It is therefore important to find a flexible diet that works for you.

Again, multiple studies have documented that patients with gastroparesis frequently consume insufficient calories, leading to deficiencies in macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

A significant proportion also experience unintentional weight loss and protein malnutrition.

It follows that a stomach-friendly, nutrient-rich meal replacement can be a literal lifesaver.

Moreover, during a gastroparesis flare, you may be able to stomach only liquids, which is where meal replacement shakes come in handy.

A good meal replacement shake can help you get the calories and protein you need without aggravating your symptoms.

Meal replacement shakes also allow for portion control, which is helpful because individuals with gastroparesis may not know how much food their stomach can tolerate at one time.

By controlling your portions, you can reduce the risk of symptoms.

In short, if a flare is preventing you from eating solid foods a meal replacement shake can provide the nutrition you need in a convenient and easily digestible form.

This, in turn, supports energy levels, immune health, and overall well-being.

That said, not all meal replacement shakes are created equal.

What Are the Best Meal Replacement Shakes For Gastroparesis?

Many meal replacements are made with ingredients that can cause painful side effects and long-term health problems for someone with gastroparesis.

Among these ingredients are food additives, dairy-based proteins, and protein concentrates and isolates. 

Avoid Food Additives

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, and other additives can not only upset your stomach, but also alter the composition of your gut microbiome.

This can lead to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut bacteria, which is associated with the development of gastroparesis.

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

Note that this list includes several artificial sweeteners.

Artificial sweeteners like sucralose and acesulfame potassium are among the worst ingredients for your gut microbiome.

They both reduce microbial diversity and promote the growth of potentially pathogenic bacteria.

In short, if you could not find an ingredient in nature or make it at home, it should not be in your meal replacement.

Avoid Dairy-Based Proteins

You should also avoid dairy-based proteins like whey and casein, which contain lactose, a sugar most people cannot fully digest.

Keep in mind that you may be sensitive to dairy-based proteins, even if you are not lactose intolerant.

This is particularly true for casein protein, which forms a gel-like substance in your stomach that slows down digestion.

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 you have 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.

You 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 your gut.

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 Replacement Shakes For Gastroparesis

Finding a meal replacement free from food additives, dairy-based proteins, 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 gastroparesis meal replacement shakes 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 our customers experience fewer digestive issues with our Meal Replacement Shakes than with any other type of protein supplement.

Order Samples to see for yourself.