A meal replacement shake and a protein shake are often mistaken for each other and are often even used interchangeably. The confusion is understandable, as protein shakes have been around for a lot longer than meal replacements. However, there is quite a difference between the two. A protein powder is designed to increase your protein intake and is usually found in a fitness or bodybuilding setting. The point here is that building lean muscle mass can be difficult to do if the body does not have enough protein in it. Eating high-protein meals could also increase fat intake, which works against the goal of a lean, muscular physique. Hence, a protein shake would provide your body with a fat-free, high-protein intake.
Meal replacements, on the contrary, are designed for several reasons. Mostly, they are consumed to provide a nutritionally complete meal without extensive preparation and at an affordable price. Meal shakes contain protein as well but also feature other macronutrients with a smattering of micronutrients that help the body to function optimally and stay healthy. Meal replacements are easy meals that can be prepared in minutes and can be used by almost anyone.
As of late, you can find meal replacements that come with specifics like weight loss and better skin health or for certain requirements like easy digestion, gut health, menopause, or senior health issues. Initially, meal replacement shakes were a sign of wealth and posh living, but that is not the case now. As more and more supplement brands join the meal replacement bandwagon, the options are becoming more affordable and available to all.
However, with more brands coming in, a new problem has come in too. The better brands use real food ingredients to make the meal replacement powders. The processes used by them help to preserve all the nutrients and also support the body in multiple ways. Other brands use fillers, artificial nutrients, and a sprinkling of food ingredients and drop these concoctions onto the unsuspecting customer. This is why it becomes imperative that you read through the nutritional information and supplement facts before you commit to a product, especially if you plan on taking on a meal shake supplement to lose weight.
You would need a relatively low-calorie but high-nutrition meal. When brands start claiming that a meal shake can support weight loss, they better know what they are talking about. To help get you started, we compared three meal replacement shakes to see whether they are worth the time and effort. So, let’s get to it now.
Huel, SlimFast & Instant Knockout Complete: A Brief Introduction to Weight Loss with Meal Shakes
Huel
Huel began in 2015 and has become quite the success story. In an attempt to make healthier meals affordable, easy, and convenient, Huel managed to create a meal powder that can be easily reconstituted with milk, milk alternatives, or water. Huel has, now, a range of healthy food options like Daily Greens, Instant hot Meals, Ready-to-Drink options, Nutrition Bars, and even accessories.
For this review, we shall be looking at the Original Huel Powder. This meal replacement claims to be the ultimate nutritional aid by providing your body with its daily dose of macro and micronutrients while keeping a watch on your calorie intake. Technically speaking, Huel Powder is not a weight loss powder, but the inclusion of it could help you keep a closer watch on what you are putting into your body. Huel promises to optimize body function when you replace your breakfast or lunch with it and the formula is simple and natural.
Furthermore, Huel is vegan-friendly, convenient, and consists of slow-release complex carbs which should put a stop to unhealthy cravings. The product is further fortified with 30 grams of plant-based protein, omega 3 and 6, and a number of vitamins and minerals. The Huel product is constantly being revamped based on ongoing studies, customer feedback, and newer ingredient choices, which is why Huel Powder is currently on the 3.0 version itself. The powder is available in 10 flavor profiles.
SlimFast
SlimFast has been around for forty-plus years, and, as the name suggests, it is designed to support weight management efforts. The brand offers a number of products designed to accommodate various diets like keto or intermittent fasting and also features ready-to-drink shakes and snack bars. SlimFast is dedicated to weight loss, and hence, the products are all designed to remedy the issues that stem from weight loss efforts, like cravings, bloating, digestion issues, and low energy.
For now, we would be looking at the SlimFast Original Shake Mixes – Creamy Milk Chocolate (the formula varies slightly from one flavor profile to the next). These shakes are formulated to stave off hunger for up to 4 hours while fortifying your body with 23 essential vitamins and minerals, 10 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fiber. When mixed with fat-free milk, your total calorie count does not cross 190 calories. Along with other healthy but complete food meals that you consume, you should be able to manage your weight loss efforts better. The powder is gluten-free and is available in 4 flavors.
Instant Knockout Complete Shred
Instant Knockout Complete Shred is part of a pro-weight loss system that was initially launched for professional athletes. For sports, one needs to be in peak physical condition without any fat getting in the way. In addition to weight, a significant amount of muscle and energy is also required. Diet and exercise alone cannot always cut in, which is where Instant Knockout comes into play.
The Instant Knockout weight loss system is designed to support weight management while also ensuring that the body keeps the muscle and has energy to spare. Instant Knockout Cut is a fat-burning pill, while Instant Knockout Complete Shred is a meal replacement powder.
This calorie-controlled, nutritionally optimized meal is designed to support weight loss, muscle mass preservation, and energy production. This all-natural, no-side-effect formula can help you cut fat effectively and permanently. The shake features a slow-release system that allows the body to stay energized while leaving you feeling fuller for longer.
Instant Knockout Complete Shred is vegan-friendly but features no flavor choices. Although a part of a system, you can either use the shake with the fat burner pills or without. The choice is entirely yours.
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What Health Benefits Can You Expect from These Meal Replacement Drinks?
Huel, SlimFast, and Instant Knockout Complete are all designed to replace meals, but not all your meals. Yes, these shakes provide you with essential nutrients, but they are not meant to replace all your meals. You still need to eat solid food – whole foods at that. While a meal shake can help you shed weight, it does not make up for complete foods like meat or meat alternatives, fruits and vegetables, dairy or dairy alternatives, and healthy fat sources. Your body still requires these foods to stay healthy and functional. Unless instructed to do so otherwise by a professional, it is vital that you replace only one meal – preferably your heaviest meal, with a meal replacement shake.
With that being said, every brand would offer you a list of benefits that your body would enjoy once you start using the shake, but claims are easily made. To check whether the product can actually deliver on its promises, a thorough look at the supplement facts and ingredients list is vital. Customer reviews are a good gauge, too. We shall be doing that in a bit, but for now, here is a list of what these meal replacement shakes promise to do for you.
| Huel Powder | SlimFast Original | Instant Knockout Complete Shred |
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How Do These Meal Replacement Drinks Work?
What meal replacement products aim to do is provide you with a balanced diet with fewer calories. Taste plays an important role as well, as a shake would at least last you a few weeks, and consuming something you don’t particularly like would be depressing. However, getting this balance right is tricky, and some brands opt to use fillers, sugar, and artificial flavors, which just would not do. Let’s see how Huel, SlimFast, and Instant Knockout Complete Shred manage this balancing act.
The Huel Powder Formula
Huel is a vegan meal replacement shake, which means that there are no animal products to be found in it. The protein is 100% plant-based, and you can continue with the vegan theme by using it with dairy alternatives like soy, almond, or oat milk.
- Per serving, Huel provides you with 400 calories, 47 grams of carbs, 8 grams of dietary fiber, 1 gram of sugar, 12 grams of fat, and 30 grams of protein.
- Along with this, you also receive a healthy serving of vitamins such as Vitamins A, D, E, Thiamine, Niacin, Folate, and Biotin.
- Minerals included are Iron, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Selenium, Manganese, Molybdenum, and Choline.
To supply you with these nutrients, Huel uses a combination of natural food ingredients.
Huel uses Gluten-Free Oats, Tapioca Starch, Peas, Brown Rice, and Faba Bean as a source of carbohydrates, protein, and fiber.
- Pea protein also includes a rich amino acid profile, which supports muscle growth, recovery, and strength.
- The MCTs from Coconuts, Sunflower seed oil powder, and Flaxseed ensure that the body has a steady supply of healthy fats like omega 3s and 6s.
- Other ingredients include Maltodextrin, Kombucha powder, and Bacillus coagulans, which maintain gut integrity and digestive function.
Depending on the flavor you choose, there may also be additions like Acerola Cherry powder or Cocoa powder. The formula here is simple and uncomplicated and is able to support most of the claims that Huel makes of keeping the body and soul together. Huel is animal-free, dairy-free, GMO-free, and vegan-friendly but contains Tree nuts (coconuts).
The SlimFast Formula
SlimFast is designed to be your best friend during your weight loss journey. It provides you with a healthy replacement for takeaways or a cheat meal. In order to do so, the meal powder is designed to fulfill nutritional needs while also staving off hunger.
- Per serving, SlimFast provides you with 110 calories, 18 grams of carbs, 4 grams of dietary fiber, 10 grams of sugar, 4 grams of fat, and 2 grams of protein.
- You also get vitamins like A, D, C, E, K, and 6 B vitamins with minerals like calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, iodine, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, chromium, and molybdenum.
The grammage for the macro and micronutrients varies depending on the flavor profile you choose and the milk or milk alternative you mix the powder with.
Apart from a lengthy list of the vitamins and minerals blend, the SlimFast formula fails to impress. There are no whole food ingredients in the list, and the supplement label reads more like a space food recipe with inclusions like Sugar, Sunflower Creamer (Sunflower Oil, Buttermilk, Disodium Phosphate, Natural Flavor, Silicon Dioxide), Cellulose Gel, Maltodextrin, Milk Protein Concentrate, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Xanthan Gum, Salt, Lecithin, Acesulfame Potassium, and Aspartame. This powder does not seem to be very promising.
With low fiber and even low protein, how SlimFast claims to hold off hunger pangs is a mystery, as there is nothing in the inclusions that can do so. In addition to that, 10 grams of added sugar is just a bad business decision when it comes to manufacturing a weight-loss meal shake. SlimFast has impressed us the least. SlimFast is gluten-free, though.
The Instant Knockout Complete Shred Formula
Of the three shakes being discussed here, Instant Knockout is the only one that lives up to the claim of effective weight loss without an energy shortage. You shall see how in a bit. Unlike most protein powders, that focus only on increasing your protein intake, Instant Knockout Complete Shred is designed to also keep you topped up on carbs and calories so that you have the energy to exercise and recover.
- A single serving of the shake provides you with 400 calories, 35 grams of carbohydrates, 13 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, 13 grams of fat, and 35 grams of protein.
- You also get vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and the whole range of B vitamins, plus minerals like calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, iodine, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, chloride, and choline. All the nutrition comes from food ingredients.
Instant Knockout Complete Shred includes plant-based protein in the form of Peas and Soy. These protein sources have impressive amino acid profiles that promote lean muscle growth, repair, and recovery. The 35 grams also ensure that you feel fuller for longer.
Medium Chain Triglycerides help to boost the metabolic rate, thereby burning fat quicker, and they also allow the body to burn fatty acids and help them out of your system.
Golden Flaxseeds and Chia seeds are rich in fiber, which promote digestive and gut health and also move through the digestive system slower, keeping you feeling fuller for longer. They are also loaded with healthy fats.
Oats Flour has a low glycemic index that sustains energy production and also absorbs nutrients better.
Organic Brown Rice is a natural source of the amino acids valine, leucine, and isoleucine which support muscle mass growth and recovery and act as a vital energy source. Instant Knockout Complete Shred is vegan-friendly.
Although these meal replacement products are designed to be healthy and nutritious sources of energy, there is always a chance of allergic reactions or drug interactions. It is best that you consult your dietician or physician before you start the use of them. This is especially important if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or suffer from a pre-existing medical condition for which you are being medicated.
Where Can You Buy These Products?
The best way to get these meal replacement shakes is to order them directly from the official websites. The sites guarantee product integrity and also offer discounts and subscriptions, which could help you save.
Buy Huel Powder (Original)
Huel Powder is available to you at $37.50, which is the cost of 17 meals. So, technically, a month’s supply would cost you $75. The purchase of 2 bags at once would also warrant free shipping. Add another 2 bags, and you get a 10% discount at checkout.
Also, if this is your first purchase from the brand, you will be treated to a free Huel T-Shirt and shaker. You have 10 flavor choices and you can make an order of any combination you wish. If you are not satisfied with the order, Huel offers you a 30-day return window.
Buy SlimFast Original
SlimFast Original can be bought from the official website in 14-serving or 22-serving canisters. Purchase of the former would cost $11.99, while the latter would cost $14.99. You can also buy 3 packs of each in one go.
Subscription would help you save 12% on your purchase as well. If you have made the purchase directly from the website, you can place a request for replacements or a refund within a 90-day window.
Buy Instant Knockout Complete Shred
For Instant Knockout Complete Shred, Click here to visit the Official Instant Knockout Website where a 14-serving pack would cost $59.00. A monthly supply would cost $118 and would also include free shipping and access to video programs and E-books and free BOSS Shred worth $149.
For $183 you could opt for a full body overhaul, which includes a month’s supply of the meal replacement shake along with Instant Knockout Cut. If you are not happy with the results, you have a 30-day return window to claim refunds.
So, Which One Can Help You Lose Weight?
If you opt to add a meal replacement shake to your everyday diet, you should be able to get a better handle on any weight loss efforts you are making, as this does make calorie counting easier. However, if you are making an effort and inverting valuable time and money, you might as well invest in a product designed to save time and support your diet plan. So, let’s look at what Huel, SlimFast, and Instant Knockout Complete can do to get you into shape.
Verdict on Huel Powder
Huel is a great nutrition source; vegan-friendly, planet-friendly, and includes just the right balance of calories. It provides a number of different flavors to appeal to most taste profiles and includes more protein than most meal replacement shakes. On the whole, it is a great addition to your everyday diet. However, you must keep in mind that Huel Powder was not formulated with weight management in mind. In fact, it was made to replace unhealthy eating habits.
The final goal here is to fill in nutritional gaps rather than promote fat-burning and muscle-building. Although the brand is overall healthy, the addition of artificial flavors and sugar acts counterproductive. Huel Powder is otherwise a decent enough meal shake.
Verdict on Slimfast Shake
SlimFast disheartens. Although designed to act as a weight management strategy, a closer look at the supplement label reveals the shake to be anything but. The expectation from the shake was to be able to provide enough energy for exercise while also supplying the body with optimal levels of nutrition. SlimFast disappoints on both counts. The claim of staving off cravings and hunger for 4 hours falls flat when there is neither enough protein nor fiber to keep you feeling full.
Yes, there is a healthy dose of essential vitamins and minerals but that does not support fat burning or weight management. The added sugar, artificial flavors, and absence of real food ingredients make SlimFast our biggest loser here. Weight loss with SlimFast would not be possible as there is nothing in the shake that could either support energy production for exercise or trigger metabolic rate for fat loss.
Verdict on Instant Knockout Complete Shake
Instant Knockout Complete Shred takes home more than a few prizes. Although originally meant for MMA athletes, the success of the fat burner almost forced the brand to market to the general population and it has been marking successes since. After the success of the pills, it was only fitting that Instant Knockout develop a meal replacement shake that would fit in perfectly with muscle-building and weight-management goals. And they did a stellar job at that; with whole food inclusions, high calories to fuel exercise, fiber for digestive comfort, and enough protein to build muscle, Instant Knockout Complete Shred is checking many boxes indeed.
It isn’t just the marketing and formulation that have paid off, the very design of the shake where it curbs cravings, supports nutrition, and promotes lean muscle growth makes it a hit with athletes and regular gym-goers.
Of the three shakes in question, Instant Knockout Complete Shred is the best meal replacement for weight loss.
To drive the differences between these shakes home, here is a quick comparison of what we know.
| Huel Powder | SlimFast Original | Instant Knockout Complete Shred | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Designed to fill in all the nutritional gaps caused by incomplete and unbalanced diets. | Formulated to support weight loss and curb hunger for as long as 4 hours. | Designed to support weight loss efforts, promote muscle growth, and rev metabolic rate. |
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| Cons |
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| Reviews | Mixed but mostly positive. | Negative. | Positive |
| Price | $37.50 for 17 meals. | $11.99 for 14 meals. | $59.00 for 14 meals. |
| Refund Policy | 30-day return window. | 90-day money-back guarantee. | 30-day return window. |
Summary & Verdict
Meal replacement shakes are an easy, convenient, and nutritionally efficient way to consume a meal. They can also support weight management measures you may be making. We compared Huel, SlimFast, and Instant Knockout Complete to see which of them could help you shed more pounds.
Instant Knockout Complete Shred was clearly the better option. In addition to providing, you with ample calories for exercise, the shake supports healthy metabolism, fat burning, appetite control, and weight management. Though the shake works better with CUT – the fat burner pills, nevertheless you can use the meal replacement shake on its own as well. This is the meal replacement shake we recommend.
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