What Are the Best Meal Replacement Shakes For PCOS?

Are you looking for the best meal replacement shakes for PCOS? Discover how to safely meet your dietary needs with PCOS.

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Meal Replacement Shakes For PCOS

Are Meal Replacement Shakes Good for PCOS? 

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common health condition resulting from an imbalance in reproductive hormones.

It affects approximately 1 in 10 women of childbearing age.

More and more research underscores the role of diet in managing PCOS symptoms.

Diet is so important because many women with PCOS experience higher-than-normal insulin levels.

And eating the right food at the time can help manage and even prevent insulin resistance.

It can also help with weight loss and reduce the risk of developing diabetes.

It is important to note, however, that there is not a one-size-fits-all diet for PCOS.

There is a consensus on which foods can be beneficial for managing PCOS, however, and which ones should be avoided.

Among the foods that have shown promise in aiding PCOS management are those high in protein.

Protein not only has a minimal effect on blood glucose levels, but also plays a crucial role in hormone synthesis (estrogen, testosterone, and insulin), which can often be imbalanced in women with PCOS.

Studies indicate that a diet with a higher ratio of protein to carbohydrates offers metabolic advantages for women with PCOS, meaning it can help with weight loss.

This is largely because:

• Protein is the most satiating macronutrient, meaning it keeps you feeling full for longer than nutrients like fats and carbs, which can help prevent cravings and overeating.
• Protein increases thermogenesis, or your metabolic rate and energy expenditure, meaning you burn more calories.
• Eating protein can help you build muscle, and women with more muscle have faster metabolisms (burn more calories) because it takes more energy (calories) to maintain muscle than fat.

The advantages of a high protein meal replacement shake include convenience and versatility.

Meal replacements shakes are super easy to make, and can be customized to suit your dietary needs and preferences.

A convenient, nutrient-dense shake can also help you maintain regular eating patterns and reduce skipped meals, which can worsen insulin sensitivity.

Not all meal replacements are created equal, however.

What Are the Best Meal Replacements for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome?

Before adding a meal replacement to your diet, make sure that it contains a balance of healthy fats, complex carb, and protein.

Also check to see that it is free from food additives 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 might be at least partially responsible for the pathogenesis of PCOS.

Although more research is needed, an imbalance of gut bacteria can cause disorders of lipid, glucose, and steroid hormone metabolism, all of which are linked to the occurrence and development of PCOS.

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 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 PCOOS-Friendly Meal Replacement Shakes

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 meal replacement shakes for PCOS 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 Powders than with any other type of meal replacement.

Order Samples to see for yourself.