Days To Fitness
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    • Blog
    • Newsletters
    • About
    • Contact
    Days To Fitness
    • The Best
      • Choosing the Best Blender for Smoothies
      • Best Superfood Powder
      • Best Meal Replacement Shakes for Weight Loss
      • The Best Protein Bar for You
      • The Best Blender for You
    • 21 Day Fix
    • Recipes
    • Workout Plans
      • 21 Day Fix
      • 21 Day Fix Extreme
      • P90X3 Complete
      • Home Workout Routines
    • Eating Healthy
      • No-Sugar Days Diet
      • Meal Replacement Diets
      • Healthy Protein Bars
      • The Easy Low Carb Diet
    • Motivation
    • Resources
    Days To Fitness
    You are at:Home»Meal Replacement Shakes»Are Meal Replacement Shake Ingredients Safe ? 
    are meal replacement shakes ingredients safe

    Are Meal Replacement Shake Ingredients Safe ? 

    3
    By Sarah on August 31, 2016 Meal Replacement Shakes

    After the recent salmonella outbreak in Garden of Life raw organic meal replacement products, like a lot of people, I started wondering whether meal replacement shakes were as healthy and safe I thought they were. Especially when this meal shake is on my recommended meal replacement shakes for weight loss. Sure, they are great for weight loss but, if they could make a person sick, it might be the risks are not worth the benefits.

    So, I did some research and did a lot of reading and came to the conclusion that, yes, meal replacements are safe but it’s worth taking some additional precautions to make them even safer. After all, if you can reduce the already low risks to virtually zero, that’s got to be a good thing, right?!

    These are my tips for choosing a safe and healthy meal replacement shake…

    1) Pick respected brands that have been in existence for a long time

    Big brand names are heavily scrutinized by authorities like the FDA and the CDC. Their products have been around for years and have been tested, tested, and tested again. For a supplement company to survive a long time in a very competitive market, they HAVE to adhere to some very high manufacturing standards. If they didn’t, they’d have closed a long time ago.

    2) Pick products with good user reviews 

    Other users will soon tell you if the product you are thinking if buying is good or not. Amazon.com is a GREAT place to get unbiased and truthful reviews and their star rating system makes it really easy to see whether the meal replacement you are considering is good or bad.

    Look for products with AT LEAST 60% 5-star reviews and also read some of the comments – both good and bad – so you can make an informed decision before purchasing.

    3) Search the FDA for your product

    If a product is in anyway suspect, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will probably know about it. Check that your intended purchase does not appear on the FDA recall list. If it does, contact the seller and let them know – and do not purchase it until you can verify your meal replacement shake is safe i.e. comes from a new, untainted batch.

    4) Store and use your meal replacement shake properly  

    Even a healthy meal replacement shake can become unhealthy under certain circumstances. Keep your meal replacement safe by:

    1. Making sure the lid is replaced tightly between uses
    2. Storing your meal replacement in a cool place
    3. Keeping the serving scoop clean
    4. Washing your hands before making your meal replacement
    5. Keeping your blender clean and washing between uses
    6. Using antibacterial detergent and hand wash
    7. Washing fruits and vegetables before adding them to your smoothies
    8. Using fresh, clean water – preferably filtered
    9. Storing your made up meal replacement in a clean, sealed container
    10. Using your meal replacement powder before its expiry date

    In many cases, the health problems associated with meal replacements are not the fault of the product but how it is used and stored so make sure you do all that can to preserve the healthfulness of the meal replacement products you buy.

    5) Choose a product that I have reviewed for you!

    Whenever I recommend a meal replacement shake, “Best meal replacement shakes for weight loss“, or protein powder,”Choosing the best protein powder“, I do a lot of research and go though most if not all of the steps I’ve outlined above. I check, check, and check again before I am happy to give a product the Sarah-seal-of-approval. I do this so you don’t have to but you are, of course, welcome to do your own checks as well. I wouldn’t recommend a product that was unsafe because I use these products too!

    Many review sites just regurgitate review from other sites – often word for word. They don’t buy and use the products they are reviewing and some sites even just hire writers to write their reviews for them.

    Days to Fitness is different. I review and write everything myself and directly create all the content. You can trust me – I really do believe in these products and have tried and tested them myself so you can choose the best ones for your needs.

    Accidents happen

    Even with all these checks in place, sometimes things go wrong and a batch of tainted products make it out of the factory and into stores. Given the volume of meal replacement shakes that are made and sold, this is all but unavoidable.

    It’s important to remember though that, despite scary terms like “outbreak” being used in the media, the reality is that only a very small number of products are contaminated and unsafe and the risks are the same as for any other food you’d buy in the supermarket.

    In the recent Garden of Life Raw meal replacement problem, of the tens of thousands of products made a sold, only 33 people were affected by salmonella. Despite this very small number of suffers, entire batches of products across various ranges were recalled to further minimize the risks. You have more chance of winning the lottery than being ill because of meal replacements!

    Conclusion

    So, do I still use meal replacements? You bet! I’ve even bought Garden for Life products and suffered no ill-effects whatsoever. So long as you choose good quality products and use them properly, meal replacement shakes are safe. While nothing is ever 100% safe, meal replacements are about 99.99999% safe so really, you have nothing to worry about.

    Opt In Image
    Subscribe to my Newsletter
    Get Your Free Copy of The Meal Shakes Book

    My weight loss plan using Meal Replacement Shakes

    15 Meal Replacement Shakes Recipes

    Available in 2 Formats: PDF and iBooks

     

    One email per week, exclusive content, no ads, and, of course, you can unsubscribe anytime you want.

    ingredients meal replacement shakes safe
    Previous ArticleSalmonella outbreak on a meal shake and the solution 
    Next Article Enjoy a Fitness Book this Summer
    Sarah
    • Website

    Hi, my name is Sarah and I’m so happy that you’re here! I've shared my story here

    Related Posts

    Best Meal Replacement Shakes for Weight Loss

    How to lose weight with Meal replacement Shakes

    Why I love meal replacement shakes

    3 Comments

    1. Nate on May 27, 2018 3:47 pm

      I found your site while researching meal replacement shakes and I have found it to be very informative I am a 52 yr. old male I exercise regularly and I’m in pretty good shape except for high blood pressure. Exercising is my escape and I really enjoy it and I am contemplating turning it up a notch with meal replacements to lose weight in hopes to get my blood work / pressure under control or eliminated. Other than consulting my doctor do you have any recommendations for someone like me starting a program like this? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Diogo Palma on June 5, 2018 2:44 pm

        Hi Nate,

        Thanks for your comment. I’m not a doctor nor trying to be one on the internet. High blood pressure can be caused for a many of reasons, the first that comes to my mind is high added-sugar diet. I would suggest you to avoid high added-sugar food/beverages, breakfast cereals, chocolates and all processed food high in sugar. Check the labels and avoid added-sugar. Fruit is not a problem as it contains fiber which makes sugar to be slowly absorbed without raising blood sugar levels. Change white rice for brown rice, whole grains contain more fiber and don’t spike insulin levels. Check my no-sugar diet challenge to learn more about how to ditch sugar from your diet, is that’s the case. You can find the challenge here. I would recommend you to first get rid of added-sugar from your diet and then start the meal replacement shakes, or do both at the time. Hope I’ve helped.

        Reply
    2. Nate on June 9, 2018 8:54 pm

      Thanks I’ll try that.

      Reply

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    ideal shape meal replacement shake
    Guides
    February 2, 2023

    How to lose weight with Meal replacement Shakes

    October 19, 2018

    Nutrition Guide – What, When and How Much to Eat 

    October 11, 2018

    How to Lose Belly Fat – The Complete Guide

    August 10, 2018

    Running Guide for Beginners 

    July 4, 2018

    Walking for Health – Workout Included

    September 21, 2017

    Inversion Therapy

    April 27, 2017

    Slow Cooking – Quick Start

    February 4, 2017

    Days to Yoga Bliss – A Yoga for Beginners Guide

    September 8, 2016

    My Superfoods – My Superfood Guide

    August 1, 2016

    Nutrition Facts – A Practical Guide About Nutrition 

    July 27, 2016

    Welcome to 20 No-Sugar Days Diet

    July 16, 2016

    What Are Carbs ? A Beginner’s Carbs Guide

    December 5, 2015

    Start your Smoothie Experience

    September 4, 2015

    Beginner’s Guide to Protein Powder

    • Popular
    August 18, 2015

    21 Day Fix Eating Plan

    July 27, 2016

    Welcome to 20 No-Sugar Days Diet

    April 4, 2015

    Shakeology alternatives

    August 10, 2015

    Get Your Copy of Days to Fitness Recipe Book

    March 15, 2023

    Best Meal Replacement Shakes for Weight Loss

    April 3, 2015

    3 Approved Breakfast Recipes for 21 Day Fix

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    One Email Every Friday

    1 Article + 2 Healthy Recipes

    Lose Weight and Boost Your Well-being

    Days To Fitness
    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    One Email Every Friday

    1 Article + 2 Healthy Recipes

    Lose Weight and Boost Your Well-being

    Copyright ©2018 Days to Fitness | Affiliate Disclosure | Privacy Policy | Designed by Plus Attitude|Newsletters

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.