What Are the Best Meal Replacement Shakes Without Artificial Sweeteners?

Are you looking for the best meal replacement shakes without artificial sweeteners? We sweeten our meal replacements with pure monk fruit.

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Meal Replacements Without Artificial Sweeteners

Are Artificial Sweeteners Bad for You? 

Artificial sweeteners, to put it simply, are synthetic chemicals added to foods, beverages, and supplements to make them sweet.

They can be found in most meal replacements, and are so popular because only a pinch can be used to achieve the same amount of sweetness as several tablespoons of sugar.

This allows manufacturers to reduce both calorie and sugar content.

The most common artificial sweeteners are sucralose and acesulfame potassium. 

In case you were wondering, xylitol, erythritol, sorbitol, and mannitol are sugar alcohols, not artificial sweeteners. 

This does not necessarily mean that they are better for you, however.

Read my article on sugar alcohols to learn more.

Despite their benefits, artificial sweeteners are not good for you.

First of all, several studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can increase cravings toward sugary and sweet foods, leading to binging and feelings of withdrawal.

If you are trying to lose weight, you are probably just better off just eating sugar.

Research has also associated artificial sweeteners with a higher risk of glucose intolerance, which is a precursor for pre-diabetes and diabetes. 

And worst of all, regularly eating artificial sweeteners can alter the composition of your microbiome.

This can lead to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut microbiota, which is a leading driver of inflammation and linked to the development of many chronic diseases.

Why Should I Consider Monk Fruit? 

Instead of using artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols, we sweeten our Meal Replacements with monk fruit.

Monk fruit, also known as luo han guo, is a melon-like fruit native to Southeast Asia.

Its intense sweetness, which is about 200 times that of sugar, comes from non-caloric compounds called mogrosides.

Firstly, monk fruit sweetener is the most natural sugar substitute on the market.

It is made by removing the seeds and skin of the fruit, crushing the flesh, and collecting the juice, which is then dried into a powder.

Monk fruit is also sweet like sugar. 

Artificial sweeteners, on the contrary, activate bitter taste receptors in addition to sweet taste receptors, which gives them an unpleasant bitter aftertaste.

It is worth adding that monk fruit has been safely used in Asian cuisine for centuries with no known side effects, even when consumed in large quantities.

Moreover, small randomized trials have shown that monk fruit does not negatively impact blood sugar or insulin levels.

What About Stevia? 

If a company makes meal replacement shakes without artificial sweeteners, chances are high that it uses stevia.

Stevia, although celebrated by many as a natural alternative to artificial sweeteners, might not be as natural as you think.

Stevia is extracted from the stevia rebaudiana plant using chemicals like ethanol and methyl alcohol.

This, some argue, makes it no more natural than the artificial sweeteners that it seeks to replace.

In fact, a recent class action lawsuit filed in California reached a $6.1 million settlement because it was ruled that the company in question falsely labeled and advertised its stevia sweeteners as “natural.”

It is worth adding that stevia, like artificial sweeteners, activates bitter taste receptors, giving it an unpleasant aftertaste. 

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Why Drink Wholesome the Best Meal Replacement Without Artificial Sweeteners?

We make the best meal replacement without artificial sweeteners because we use a short list of simple ingredients, including pure monk fruit.

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

You will not find a more natural, or naturally-sweetened meal replacement.

Order Samples to taste and feel the difference.

It is worth adding that meal replacements made with only natural, whole food ingredients have several benefits, including: 

• More nutrients: Meal replacements made with natural ingredients contain more nutrients than those made with artificial ingredients. These vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that contribute to your overall well-being and support a healthy lifestyle.
• Easier digestion: Meal replacements made with natural ingredients are easier to digest than those made with artificial ingredients. They contain more enzymes and other natural digestive aids that help you break them down.
  Better flavor and texture: Meal replacements made with natural ingredients simply taste better than those made with artificial ingredients. Artificial ingredients taste like chemicals, whereas natural ingredients taste like food.

Finding a truly natural meal replacement can be a challenge, however, as most meal replacements contain a cocktail of unnatural food additives.

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, it is not natural.

You may have noticed that I included “natural flavors” on this list because natural flavors are NOT natural.

Whereas food manufacturers are required to disclose their ingredients, flavor manufacturers are not.

They can add synthetic solvents, preservatives, and carriers to a flavor that qualifies as “natural” under current regulations.

The term “natural flavor” is therefore often a catch-all term for everything that a manufacturer would rather not spell out on the ingredient list.

In summary, it is important that you read the ingredient list so you can be sure that your meal replacement is actually good for you.