David Heber, MD, PhD, FACP, FASN – President, Herbalife Nutrition Institute
January 23, 2025
Losing weight isn’t always easy. Due to the fast pace of modern life, people tend to turn to diets or weight loss methods without confidence. Meal replacements, consumed in conjunction with diet and exercise, offer a better option and a more effective solution for weight loss and weight management.
Benefits include the ease of replacing meals, the ability to satisfy hunger, and the nutrients the body needs every day. Let’s take a look at why, according to scientific research, food replacements are better than low-calorie foods.
The science behind food replacements
There’s nothing magical about meal replacements, nor is it boring or dull like science fiction. Today, there are hundreds or more ways to make a meal replacement that tastes good and will keep you full for a while.
According to research, meal replacements are great for weight management for three reasons:
Protein and Glycemic Index
Fast food
change behavior
Protein and Glycemic Index
Protein is the most satiating macronutrient, meaning it controls hunger for longer than carbohydrates or fat. Controlling hunger by eating plenty of protein at every meal is the key to gaining and keeping weight off. Plant and animal-based proteins will be the main ingredients in many supplements.
Meal replacements also have a low glycemic index. The glycemic index (GI) is a way of measuring how quickly and how much a food causes your blood sugar to rise. When you eat high GI foods, your blood sugar first rises, then falls, leading to fatigue and hunger.
However, like other foods with a low glycemic index, meal replacements release glucose into your bloodstream more slowly, providing another meal replacement option that can help control hunger pangs. When you eat low glycemic foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and meal replacements), your body digests them more slowly than the simple carbs and sugars in snacks.
This causes your blood sugar to rise more slowly. Protein helps lower the glycemic index and has been shown to control hunger. Getting enough protein is crucial to the effectiveness of meal replacements. While low glycemic foods are lower in calories than regular meals, they can reduce appetite. However, it’s important to remember that a low GI doesn’t necessarily mean a food is nutritious. That’s why the next concept is so important.
Fast food
Nutritional density is the ratio of nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, and minerals) to calories in a food. Low-carb foods provide more calories, fat, and sugar. Cookies, cakes, pasta, and candy all fall into this category. Healthy foods provide more nutrients per calorie and include fruits, vegetables, lean meats and fish, and meal replacements. They can also help you feel fuller for longer.
In other words, nutrient density is a measure of how much nutrition you consume per serving or calorie intake. Most food substitutes provide vitamins and minerals, making them healthy.
Food substitutes are nutritious and have a low glycemic index, which helps promote healthy eating. Dietary changes combined with exercise may also help maintain body weight to preserve or build muscle mass and promote fat loss.
In fact, an attempt was made to examine the effects of a high protein half-life (HPMR) diet on food intake in overweight and obese individuals. According to the results, the HPMR diet led to an overall improvement in nutritional status in this study. There was always a decrease in fat and cholesterol, and an increase in protein and fiber.
Dietary intake of all tested micronutrients, including nutrients of concern to the US public health (vitamin D, calcium, and potassium), was always increased by the palatable content and low sodium intake. Given that overweight or obese people may have trouble eating well, the HPMR diet may be a good idea to improve overall nutritional quality. The HPMR diet can be incorporated into a health plan that includes a healthy diet and exercise for people at risk of macronutrient and micronutrient deficiencies.
change behavior
In addition to the nutrients mentioned above, dietary changes can help you focus on one or two meals a day, making weight management easier. A good attitude towards the HPMR diet is just as important as the nutritional quality of the right or outdated foods.
The Department of Medicine at the University of Ulm in Germany conducted a four-year study on obese patients who did not consume Herbalife products. Researchers have identified six specific reasons why dietary changes are so effective for weight loss.
These reasons include:
- Simple
One of the biggest obstacles to weight loss is not having the time to prepare healthy meals. Meal replacements make meal planning easier.
- Improve compliance
Switching up your meals can help reduce barriers to compliance, such as the tendency to binge eat.
- Eat regular meals
Repetition and routine are key to losing weight or maintaining it. Eating regular meals throughout the day and avoiding long gaps between meals can have a positive impact on your energy levels and hunger.
- Accurate Calorie Estimates
Nutritionists often recommend daily calorie intake based on your health goals. Meal planning — if planned as recommended — is an easy way to track how many calories you’re consuming.
- Good nutrition
When you reduce your calorie intake, it becomes harder to get the nutrients you need. Meal replacements are often rich in vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber, and can help prevent unhealthy eating habits. - Benefits of self-care
Documenting your eating habits can help people understand their current eating habits. It’s easy to track changes in your diet, making it easier to self-diagnose your habits and outcomes. Evidence that dietary changes are effective
In 2018, researchers at the University of Oxford published a review and meta-analysis of dietary changes for weight management. They examined 14 studies comparing the weight loss outcomes associated with dietary changes with other interventions.
They concluded that a modified diet was better than a regular diet and calorie restriction.
New findings from a meta-analysis
According to the study, participants on the modified diet lost an additional 1.44 kilograms (3.17 pounds) per year compared to those on the diet alone.
The researchers also found that participants in the diet group who engaged in weight-loss behaviors improved their weight loss results, reaching 6.13 kilograms (13.51 pounds).
This finding demonstrates the value of social support, as these programs make it easier for people to follow a low-calorie diet. Standards and external controls for these services can encourage compliance.
A person who only buys replacement food from the grocery store may easily become bored with the same taste and give up, wondering what behavior or social support would lead to better behavior.
Dietary changes
Current medical recommendations for obesity treatment in many countries suggest that people who want to lose weight should maintain an energy deficit of 500 to 1000 calories. Unfortunately, few doctors encourage dietary changes as a tool to help their patients overcome this deficit.
This meta-analysis provides new evidence for clinical practice, especially in the field of obesity. The use of alternative foods should be promoted as a healthy weight loss diet as it has been shown to be effective and can be achieved without medication. However, it is important to remember that as with any change in diet and physical activity, individuals should first consult a doctor. Start your weight loss journey.
Food supplements used for weight management purposes are also scrutinized by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Food, Drink and Pharmaceutical companies have been given the authority to provide research-based weight loss advice on dietary changes.
They make the following findings in their article:
The weight loss achieved with meal replacement products is greater than with traditional energy-dense foods of the same calorie content. While weight loss strategies are equally effective, the intervention effort required for a low-energy diet is often three times that of a dietary change.
Case in point: Herbalife Dietary Supplements
Not all food alternatives are created equal. Performance is a key differentiator, especially for retail products.
In 2020, independent researchers investigated the effectiveness and safety of Herbalife® products as a dietary protein replacement for weight management. Although the study was funded by the company, we had no control over the study or preparation of the manuscript, including data analysis, data interpretation, or writing. In a meta-analysis, they examined clinical trials of the company’s high-protein (HP) meal replacement (MR) products, published in peer-reviewed journals in July 2019. The researchers combined data from nine studies involving 934 participants: 463 in the treatment group and 471 in the control group.
Finally, they found that participants who consumed Herbalife® HP products experienced greater reductions in body weight, body mass index, and fat mass than those who consumed the control diet.
Conclusion: High-protein diet is highly effective for weight loss
Taken together, these studies suggest that dietary changes are more effective for weight loss than dieting alone. While a healthy diet may help with weight loss in the short term, long-term adherence may be problematic. If you want to achieve body weight with partial diet and maintain that weight for a long time, it is important to combine it with a healthy and healthy diet and lifestyle. Social support also goes a long way and finding community support to help with your project can be helpful.