What are the best meal replacement shakes for ulcerative colitis?

drink wholesome makes the best meal replacement shakes for ulcerative colitis.

Written by Jack Schrupp & endorsed by Baylee Reller, RDN

What is ulcerative colitis? 

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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an umbrella term used to describe two conditions characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Both cause symptoms like diarrhea and stomach pain, and can lead to severe weight loss. Ulcerative colitis develops when your immune system attacks the cells that line your large intestine (colon). This causes inflammation and tiny open sores, or ulcers.

Although ulcerative colitis is not caused by what you eat, doctors and dietitians agree that food plays an important role in managing symptoms. Certain foods can aggravate symptoms, while others can mitigate them and promote healing. Paying attention to what you eat and how your body responds to different foods is therefore an essential part of living with ulcerative colitis. 

Are meal replacement shakes good for ulcerative colitis?

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During a flare up, you may only be able to stomach 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 causing symptoms.

Meal replacement shakes also allow for portion control. It can be difficult for individuals with ulcerative colitis to know how much food their stomach can tolerate at one time. With a meal replacement, you can control exactly how much you eat, reducing the risk of symptoms. That said, not all meal replacement shakes are created equal. 

What are the best meal replacement shakes for ulcerative colitis?

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The best meal replacement shakes for ulcerative colitis are made with a short list of simple ingredients. The fewer the ingredients, and the more they look like real food, the less likely they will be to cause side effects. Basically, if you cannot find it in nature, it should not be in your meal replacement. Continue reading to learn more.

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 ulcerative colitis is that we do not use food additives. Most meal replacements, on the other hand, are filled with additives. Even if they are only present in small amounts, added ingredients like these can cause painful side effects, especially for people with colitis. Common side effects include bloating, flatulence, and stomach pain.

To put it simply, food additives do not look like real food and are hard for your body to break down. As a result, they linger in your gut. In some cases, this can cause your colon to absorb extra water, which can trigger diarrhea. Poorly digested food additives can also feed the bacteria in your gut, which release gas as they eat. Extra gas can make you feel bloated and gassy, cause stomach pain, and lead to constipation.

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

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

The real reason to avoid food additives stems from their potential long-term impacts. The regular consumption of additives has been shown to disrupt regulatory pathways in your intestines, heightening your risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and various other systemic inflammatory disorders.

Food additives, particularly artificial sweeteners, can also disrupt your gut microbiome – the collection of microorganisms that help you digest good. In recent years, gut dysbiosis has emerged as an important driver of inflammation.

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 meal replacement shake for ulcerative colitis is that we do not use dairy-based proteins. In contrast, many other meal replacements use whey and/or casein protein, which are byproducts of cheese and yogurt production.

These dairy-based proteins can cause digestive discomfort, especially for the millions of people with lactose intolerance. Individuals with lactose intolerance, which is common among people with ulcerative colitis, lack the enzymes needed to break down lactose – the sugar in dairy. As you are now aware, partially digested food can cause painful side effects.

 

drink wholesome is made with real foods.

A final reason why we make the best meal replacement for ulcerative colitis is that we do not use protein concentrates or isolates. The majority of other meal replacements rely on one or both of these protein sources, which are essentially food stripped down to just their protein content.

The production of protein concentrates and isolates involves extensive mechanical and chemical processing. In some instances, chemical solvents, such as hexane, are used to extract the protein. Consequently, the meal replacement shake you consume bears little resemblance to real, whole foods.

Your digestive system is meant to handle whole, or minimally processed foods, not protein concentrates and isolates. This may explain why recent research shows refined ingredients like these can adversely affect your gut microbiome. An imbalanced gut microbiome can impair your ability to efficiently digest and absorb nutrients, a particularly undesirable outcome for someone managing ulcerative colitis.

Instead of using protein concentrates or isolates, we make the best ulcerative colitis meal replacement drink with whole foods like egg whites and almonds. These simple ingredients serve as gut-friendly alternatives to protein concentrates and isolates.

Unlike protein isolates and concentrates, whole foods come equipped with enzymes and digestive aids that facilitate the digestion process. Furthermore, egg whites, in addition to being low in fiber and FODMAPs, maintain healthy pH levels in your gut and promote the growth of good gut bacteria.

On the other hand, almonds contribute prebiotic qualities, fostering the diversity of your gut microbiome. They also support regular and healthy bowel movements. In summary, we make meal replacements easy to digest by using simple, real food ingredients.

★★★★★

no stomach issues

“I was recently diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and have been looking high and low for a safe and easy way to get nutrients into my body. This does the trick and I love the taste.” – Danika

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