SubscribeDiet Foods Not So Popular Anymore
Sales of diet foods in the UK have been steadily declining. It seems that Meal Replacement shakes and bars a becoming less appealing. The UK market has fallen 64% since 2001. That's a significant change.
Researchers Mintel predict that the market will halve over the next 5 years (via Daily Mail)
It seems to me there is a shift toward more "natural" foods. This is a good thing. The marketers have realized this and we are seeing considerable promotion of foods with "natural" ingredients.
Shakes and bars are useful as a temporary convenience food - but they are never a replacement for whole foods.
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ReplyI can make smoothies for a lot cheaper that taste better than meal replacement shakes.
I remember getting this soup as meal replacement as a teen. It was un filling.
Once in a while I will have slim fast bar as a candy bar but not as a meal replacement.
I tried a slim fast bar once when I was on a road trip as it appeared to be the best "meal" choice at the tiny gas station in the middle of nowhere. Let me tell you, it tasted vile! It was indescribably nasty-not surprisingly, it tasted fake and the texture was odd. I just don't get why people would eat these things as meals on a regular basis, when there are real foods that are just as convenient (and a helluva lot cheaper). Thank goodness that this trend is dying!
ReplyI tried to eat protein bars a few times and they all made me gag. Same with the meal replacement shakes. Like Val said, you can toss some fruit with milk or yogurt, scoop up some protein, and there is your meal replacement.
The convenience foods I like are: dried fruit, nuts, dried fruit bars (here I can get dried banana or prune with fiber covered in sugar-free chocolate, and one that just looks like a bunch of pieces of dried fruit pressed together), apple "chips", and sugar-free candy corn. But if I have to eat on the run, I usually just buy a drinkable sugar-free yogurt in a convenience store, I hardly ever have to pack food to take to places.
ReplyI've tried meal replacements and protein bars. Most of them taste artificial. I always end up throwing them away.
ReplyI went through a season of chowing down on copious numbers of protein bars. I actually enjoyed the chewy consistency of them. I think all I did was end up a bit fatter and a lot poorer.
Jan has it: dried fruit, nuts, etc
While researching the above post I also noticed that the market for dried fruit, seeds, and nuts had grown by 56% since 2001 (in the UK - link).
ReplyThere are some pretty good protein bars out there and I have been using one particular brand for some time now. I think it’s useful for those situations when you are on the go and don’t have enough time to sit down for a real meal.
Protein shakes are great, too. I can’t live without protein-berry smoothie that I make at home. Of course, these products are just a “nice to have” treats that ideally would be an addition to a balanced diet, rather than the foods that one uses on a daily basis.
ReplyI make my own meal replacement:
1 pint whole milk
12 whole eggs
1/3 cup milk-and-egg protein powder
This can be divided to create some number of meals, depending on your calorie requirements. Whey protein should not be used.
ReplyOh, yeah - how could I forget a meal replacement?
-Ice
-Low Carb Protein Powder formula (whey-protein, micellar casein, milk-protein isolate, calcium-caseinate)
-Organic Peanut Butter
-Golden Flax Seeds
Yum!
ReplyCheck out the ingredients of meal replacements, and you will find that the main ingredients are usually still sugar, dairy and fat. And Weight Watchers chocolate bars contain sweetened condensed milk!
Often the only difference is the price markup, and the fact that the portions are smaller. But these 'replacements' are still junk food.
From memory, the main ingredient (by calorie) in Slim Fast meal replacement shakes is sugar.
In other words, high priced junk food.
ReplyDaharja, you are right. My sister-in-law drinks Slim Fast regularly and the #1 ingredient is sugar.
ReplyI went through a time where I ate a lot of protein/meal replacement bars until I forced myself to look at the labels. And sure enough, most of the commercial brands have high fructose corn syrup so that was the end of that. But I still eat a Cliff or Lara bar once in a while when traveling.
ReplyDid everybody notice how fast the Atkins diet bars disappeared from the shelves? These things are so full of chemicals anyway. Better off keeping your diet as natural as possible.
ReplyUgh, I hate meal replacement shakes. I tried slim-fast and they made me gag. I've tried various protein-supplement shakes and they always make me gag too. I've decided that I need to just eat real foods to get my energy...things like oatmeal, yogurt, eggs, meat, nuts, etc.
ReplyOne can always prepare things like turkey burgers ahead of time for a week. Then bring them to work or on the run, they make a great low-calorie snack.
ReplyI just stumbled over a news article that says Splenda is not making it's projected sales goals.
ReplyI once needed to fit into a dress for an ocassion and needed to do it fast. I has 3 shakes a day made of 2 scooups of strawberry flavoured whey protein (80%)powder. The taste wan't too bad but it wasn't nice.
ReplyOn the 8th morning I weighed myself and had lost 19 pounds. This is not recommended for the long term but it served the purpose. Each time I see my weight creeping up. I take it for 2-3 days and I'm back down to my normal weight.