Is Orgain Protein Powder Good For Weight Loss?
Although various types of intermittent fasting and low-carb diets are popular, the main idea behind weight loss is reducing the number of calories you consume each day. A busy lifestyle might have you scrambling during breakfast or lunch, so it can be tempting to reach for convenience foods. However, these can easily quash your weight loss program.
Meal replacement shakes are easy fixes that will give you the nutrients you need while supporting your weight loss. Many of them offer high protein and fiber to keep you fuller for longer, so you're not raiding the vending machine a few hours later. It's always a good idea to take a look at the ingredients in your meal replacement shakes. Many of them have added sugars and artificial flavors. Healthline suggests putting down any meal replacement shake that has ingredients you can't pronounce. You should also look for a 200 to 400-calorie shake that has at least 15 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, and less than 10 grams of sugar.
If you take a look at the ingredients of Orgain chocolate peanut butter protein powder, you'll notice that it has 150 calories, 21 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, and 1 gram of sugar. It slightly misses the mark in terms of fiber and calories, but there are a few things you can do to make Orgain's protein powder a good meal replacement shake for weight loss.
How you can make a meal replacement shake from protein powder
Orgain also suggests limiting your sugar intake and adding milk or a milk alternative to your protein drink to add a little more protein or fat for a meal replacement. You can try a cup of unsweetened coconut milk (the kind in the milk case, not the canned version) to add 45 calories and 4.5 grams of fat. That will total the fat content to 9 grams in your Orgain meal replacement shake, which will make about 40% of its calories from fat.
To make an Orgain meal replacement shake more balanced, you can add a banana for carbs, fiber, and potassium. That banana will add 105 calories, 27 grams of carbs, and 3 grams of fiber — which means it will help you hit your fiber goals.
Healthline says that meal replacement shakes might be good for the short term, but it's best to stick with whole foods for long-term weight loss. Certain foods have certain antioxidants and plant enzymes that you might not be able to find in a meal replacement drink. If you regularly use meal replacements for weight loss, you'll also need to make lifestyle changes so you don't gain the weight back.