How to Find the Best Meal Replacement Shakes for Picky Eaters

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

This is a Dietitian’s guide on how to find the best meal replacement shakes for picky eaters.

Discover how to safely supplement your diet as a picky eater.

Last Updated
Feb 6, 2026

Author and Medical Reviewer

Written by Kayla Kamen, MS, RD

Kayla Kamen is a Registered Dietitian with a MS in Nutrition.

Medically reviewed by Jennifer Fossett, PA-C

Jennifer Fossett is a Physician Assistant with a BA in Nutritional Sciences.

Meal Replacements for Picky Eaters

Are Meal Replacement Shakes Good for Picky Eaters?

A picky eater is someone who refuses to eat certain foods or groups of foods.

Children are often picky eaters due to a mix of developmental, biological, and environmental factors including:

• Neophobia (fear of new foods) is common in early childhood.
• Heightened taste sensitivity, especially to bitter or strong flavors, makes some foods less appealing.
• Desire for control and independence leads kids to assert preferences and reject certain foods.
• Slow-changing food preferences mean repeated exposure is often needed before accepting new foods.
• Parental pressure or mealtime stress can backfire, reinforcing picky eating.

Parents of picky eaters sometimes worry their children are not getting the calories and nutrients they need to grow and develop, but this is usually not the case (BMC Pediatr, 2017).

Picky eating can lead to malnutrition in some cases, however (Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev, 2018).

So, if you are concerned that your child is suffering from malnutrition, consult a pediatrician.

It is important to note that although picky eating is most common in young children, it also affects adults.

The elderly are partially susceptible to increased picky eating or food selectivity, which is linked with an increased risk for malnutrition (Ann Nutr Metab, 2015).

Common reasons for picky eating among the elderly include:

• Diminished taste, smell, and appetite due to aging and medications reduce food enjoyment.
• Oral health problems like tooth loss or dry mouth make certain foods hard to chew or swallow.
• Chronic digestive conditions (GERD, constipation, etc.) cause discomfort and food avoidance.
• Mental health and cognitive decline (depression, dementia, etc.) affect interest in and ability to eat a varied diet.
• Dietary restrictions and fear of symptoms lead to limited food choices and increased selectivity.

Fortunately, picky eating can be improved at any age by using repeated, low-pressure exposure.

Making meals enjoyable and visually appealing, as well as addressing sensory, emotional, or medical barriers to food acceptance can also help.

There are several nutritional strategies that can be used to support picky eaters, one of which is adding meal replacements to their diets.

Research shows that nutritional supplements like meal replacements can promote catch-up growth in young picky eaters (Nutrients, 2021).

They can also improve health outcomes for older adults (N Engl J Med, 2024).

Meal replacements should not replace other nutrition sources, however.

Whenever possible, picky eaters should try to get 100% of their nutritional needs from foods like fruits, veggies, grains, eggs, fish, etc.

The appealing taste and texture, convenience, and versatility of a meal replacement can be hard to beat though.

Note that although ready-to-drink shakes are certainly the most convenient form of meal replacement, they are almost always ultra-processed and full of added junk.

For this reason, it is recommended that you make your own shakes using meal replacement powder.

Powder can be mixed with just milk or water to make a shake, or added to smoothies, oatmeal, and other recipes.

Homemade meal replacement shakes require some prep and clean-up, but are highly customizable, meaning you can easily adjust the flavor and consistency.

That said, not all meal replacements are created equal, and some are better for picky eaters than others:

• Many meal replacements are made with protein concentrates and isolates, which have a chalky aftertaste.
• Many meal replacements are made with sugar substitutes like sucralose and stevia, which activate bitter taste receptors (Sci Rep, 2014).
• Many meal replacements are flavored with artificial or natural flavorings, which tend to have a chemical aftertaste.

Avoiding ingredients like these is key to finding a meal replacement for picky eaters.

It is also important for a number of health-related reasons.

What Is the Best Meal Replacement for Picky Eaters?

Ingredients matter, and not just when it comes to taste and texture.

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

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

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, and other additives can not only upset your stomach, but also alter the composition of your microbiome (North Clin Istanb, 2019).

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 (Foods, 2022; Nutr J, 2015).

Keep in mind that your 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 your 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 meal replacement.

🚫 Avoid Dairy-Based Proteins

Dairy-based proteins like whey and casein, although not an issue for everyone, can cause digestive issues too.

This is usually because they contain lactose, a sugar many people cannot fully digest.

But you might 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

You should also consider avoiding protein concentrates and isolates.

Most meal replacements are made from one or both of these protein sources, 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 you break them down.

You therefore do not digest them in the same way that you do whole foods, which can affect your 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 (Nutrients, 2018; Mol Nutr Food Res, 2024).

So instead of ultra-processed protein concentrates or isolates, look for whole food protein sources like egg whites and almonds.

They are easier to digest and absorb.

Order Samples to see for yourself.

Sources

1. BMC Pediatrics (BMC Pediatr). Mealtime practices and feeding behaviors of mothers of children with feeding disorders. 2017.
2. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review (Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev). Food Selectivity and Sensory Sensitivity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review. 2018.
3. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism (Ann Nutr Metab). Screening for Malnutrition in Older People. 2015.
4. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effects of a Nutritional Supplement on Growth and Body Composition in Children with Picky Eating Behaviors. 2021.
5. New England Journal of Medicine (N Engl J Med). Malnutrition in Older Adults. 2024.
6. Scientific Reports (Sci Rep). Non-caloric artificial sweeteners and the microbiome: findings and challenges. 2014.
7. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2019.
8. Foods (Foods). The Impact of Artificial Sweeteners on Body Weight Control and Glucose Homeostasis. 2022.
9. Nutrition Journal (Nutr J). The impact of the gut microbiota on human health: an integrative view. 2015.
10. Nutrients (Nutrients). A Review of the Impact of Processing on Nutrient Bioaccessibility and Digestion of Almonds. 2018.
11. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (Mol Nutr Food Res). Protein Processing and Gut Microbiome Responses. 2024.

Editorial Guidelines

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This article was written by a Registered Dietitian and reviewed by a Physician Assistant. We rely on peer-reviewed research and trusted medical sources, and regularly update our content to ensure accuracy and clarity.