Do Keto Meal Replacement Shakes Work? Learn How to Prepare Keto Meal Replacement Shakes
Keto diets are great, but surely for me, keto shakes hit the bull’s eye. I have been crazy about keto meal replacement shakes during my journey to stay healthy and keep fit. They have been very convenient in taking away the hard part of having to whip up a keto meal.
If you constantly ask yourself, do keto meal replacement shakes work? From my experience, they do. They give you a balanced nutritional mix.
Trust me, I have seen my fair share of meal replacement shakes over the years, from huel to shakeology, Lyfe Fuel Essentials, to kachava. Kachava is a particularly good one, I tried it and shared my experience in this detailed kachava review.
So, do keto meal replacements take the cake or are they anything but a better option to all these other meal rep shakes? Personally, I feel keto ones do stand out in their own unique way.
Regarding how to use keto meal replacement shakes, you need to aim at getting about a 70:20:5 ratio of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.
Let’s dive more into what keto meal replacement shakes can do for you.
Do Keto Shakes Make you Lose Weight?
Yes.
Keto shakes help your body with ketosis. This is a metabolic state in which your body lacks enough carbohydrates usable as energy. Instead, your body burns stored fat to make ketones, which it then uses as fuel and energy sources.
This process stimulates fat burning to help you with getting rid of belly fat and overall weight loss.
When the ketones are made, they also bring about a chemical chain reaction that boosts the production of hormones responsible for enhancing metabolism and killing appetite, which is also effective for helping you lose weight.
Anything ketogenic simply converts your body into a fat-burning machine.
If you are particularly keen on getting abs fast, then throw in a bit of essential core exercises and overall bodyweight exercises.
Why does this help speed things along?
Well, besides putting your muscles through their paces, exercise increases metabolism, so you not only tone your core, you'll also shake off a few pounds.
Can you Drink Meal Replacement Shakes on a Keto Diet?
You can, but you still need to take precautions. Most of these replacement shakes have sneaky carbohydrates.
The crucial thing to do is to consume more fat than proteins regarding net calories in every serving. I also take my keto shakes alongside my keto meals to satisfy my sweet tooth.
I haven’t seen any harm so far.
You should drink keto shakes in moderation. If you take very high doses, you can develop other side effects like a significantly reduced appetite and increased bowel movements. Before I figured out the right amounts and compositions for myself, I would also experience nausea.
How to Customize your Keto Meal Replacement Shake?
I always optimize my shakes to suit my preference, and you can do the same if you feel like it.
Customizing is about making a few tweaks on the ingredients, flavors, and macronutrients.
Say, for instance, the ingredients you'll want in a meal replacement shake for travel will definitely vary from the ones you would want in an average meal replacement alternative, or one you'd gulp down before hitting the gym, right?
Same goes for keto meal shakes, too.
To increase the fat content without increasing the protein or carbs, you can add in a tablespoon of the keto oil of your choice.
To achieve the same but with a slight addition of carbs and protein, you can add in avocado, a heavier cream, or nut butter. However, watch the carbs you are adding.
You can thicken the shake by adding avocado or xanthan gum if you want a zero-carb shake. You can blend in a keto-friendly liquid or just go with water to make the consistency thinner. Since I usually don’t mind extra fat, I use heavy cream.
To increase the protein content, you can blend in a protein powder of your choice but still, make sure that you are not adding a lot of carbs. You can also try taking about 2 protein powder shakes a day and one keto meal, provided you have everything you need balanced out evenly.
If you feel that you need to enhance your shake’s flavor, you can add keto Nutella, vanilla extract, or sugar-free peanut butter. Do note, you particularly need to avoid eating sugar to keep your weight loss progresson track.
If you want a vegan or a fully dairy-free shake, go for full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream and not dairy-based cream.
Related Reading; Have Your Been Struggling to Lose Weight? Find Out How To Without Exercise and Diet
DIY Keto Shake Recipe
Now that we have established the basics, it’s time for real fun. Here is an excellent keto shake you can whip up yourself;
To make one serving;
Ingredients
- ¼ avocado
- ½ cup heavy cream or coconut cream – to work as the base
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp keto-friendly almond butter or cashew butter
- 1½ tbsp zero-carb sweetener
- 1 tbsp protein powder- you can use a plant-based powder, egg protein powder, or collagen powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon or vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp MCT oil
- Crushed ice
Preparation method
Pour your chosen base into a blender. Proceed to add all the other ingredients, then blend everything until you get a smooth consistency. Adjust the consistency to your liking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have some more questions about keto meal replacement shakes? Here are several more handy tidbits that might help you.
What are the benefits of keto shakes?
Keto shakes keep you satiated for a long time, so you don’t crave much. They are good nutrient sources (daily macro requirements), especially for people who work out.
Since our brains love ketones, you can also significantly improve your mood and memory with keto shakes.
What is the best keto shake?
As per the ketogenic principles, the best keto shake is one that has a high-fat content, relatively low proteins but extremely low carbs or sugar content.
You need to follow the specific ratios given above.
Additionally, the best shake is also one approved by your nutritionist or doctor.
When should you drink a keto shake?
It is best to enjoy your keto shake once or twice in a day. I don’t recommend more than twice a day.
You can drink the shake in the morning as breakfast or as an in-between meal snack, or use your keto shake instead of your ketogenic meal.
Final Thoughts
The bottom line is that keto meal replacement shakes work, they will help you with weight loss, and they are a convenient way to consume a keto meal.
However, to use them to achieve your goals, you also need to pay attention to the nutritional content.
You can always keep trying different recipes for variety and more interest, or make your keto shakes ahead of time, refrigerate, or freeze them.
Related readings;
- Natural Pre Workout
- 4 Gauge Pre-Workout Review: MY Customer Opinion 2022
- Pre-Workout Without Beta Alanine – My #1 Itch Free Pick
- OMAD Vs Alternate Day Fasting
- Lose It! Weight Loss App: Is Premium Really Worth It?
- Kachava Vs. Huel
