Meal replacement drinks: healthy or harmful?

For decades, meal replacement drinks have been a novelty for dieters, taking the fuss out of healthy eating and offering a quick, over-the-counter drink that promises to cinch waistlines and curb hunger.

But with a growing emphasis on healthy eating rather than quick fixes in recent years, it seems individuals have been sceptical of their credibility as a nutritious alternative. Rather than drinking powdered milk combined with unpronounceable ingredients to cut calories, there has been a lot of focus on going back to basics and whipping up nutrient-rich, organic meals at home. For a while now, it seems the general consensus has been that ‘if it comes in a packet, it’s not good for you’, and meal replacement drinks have been a big non-exception to this mentality.

But one thing we can agree on with meal replacement drinks (or the concept of them anyway), is that they are very convenient. In a world where we are always on the go and more health-conscious than ever, it’s no surprise that we’ve seen brands repositioning themselves as ‘real food’ shakes made with ‘100% natural’ ingredients, here to complement and support your healthy lifestyle long-term, rather than help you shed the pounds for two weeks and then be forgotten about at the back of the kitchen cupboard.

Reinventing the meal replacement drink

One of these new-and-improved meal replacement brands is Huel, which you may have seen when scrolling through social media. This straight-talking brand prides itself on being “nutritionally complete, convenient, affordable food with minimal impact on animals and the environment”, not only that, but it’s also vegan, lactose-free, soya-free and GMO-free. Can you imagine the diet shakes from ten years ago boasting that amount of dietary accommodations?

Huel’s secret to success is that it has positioned itself to appeal to almost everyone, claiming on its website that “it's the perfect solution if you want to save time and money, reduce your meat consumption, improve your diet, or lose some weight.” Who doesn’t want at least one of these things, especially when we live in such a health, money and time-conscious world?

When you’re offering anything that promotes health and wellness, it’s imperative that you ensure your marketing messages are responsible and you are transparent about your offering – something that I, as a health drink entrepreneur myself, believe Huel do extremely well.

But unfortunately, not all brands have been so quick follow Huel’s shining example, with some brands being accused of ‘exploiting’ individuals wanting to lose weight using potentially harmful marketing messages that are thinly veiled under terms like ‘wellness’ and ‘cleansing’.

Healthful vs. harmful marketing

While Huel has been successful at offering a meal replacement drink to aid a healthy lifestyle, others have come under fire for marketing a potentially ‘dangerous’ and ‘addictive’ product: detox teas.

If you’ve seen Huel on Instagram, you’ve almost certainly seen an ad for ‘skinny’, ‘detox’ and ‘cleansing’ teas, with many of the world’s most prominent Instagram influencers having endorsed these products. These drinks can be used as meal replacements or a ‘detox’ drink for weight loss. While the teas generally contain peppermint, lemongrass and other natural remedies to ‘cleanse’ the body and promote ‘wellness’, the vast majority also contain the natural laxative, senna. And while Huel targets itself more towards health-conscious adults, detox teas seem to push their products more towards teenagers and young adults, a demographic that is notoriously more susceptible to body image issues and eating disorders.

The teas have caused such a backlash that there have been many campaigns to get them banned. In a BBC News video, 23-year-old Emma explains how she fell into a dangerous cycle of abusing the teas, eventually developing bulimia. “What I find so amazing is that these products have sort of rebranded laxatives into a fun, girly way for younger people to lose weight,” she says in the video. “And I think it’s really sad because it’s a trap I completely fell into.”

For decades now, the population has demanded healthy, on-the-go food and drink that complements a healthy lifestyle. Having launched a CBD drink in the health and wellness sector myself, I know how important it is to ensure consumers know what they’re buying. And while I believe there is a place for meal replacement drinks, I think brands need to be more transparent with their offering and ensure they are more responsible with their marketing.

About the author: 

Kamila is a bestselling author of  “Bespoke. How to radically grow your bar and restaurant business through personalisation”, and passionate trend-spotter for the UK Eating Out market with thousands of followers on her widely popular blog www.KamilaSitwell.co.uk.

With a decade of hands-on experience collaborating with hospitality influencers and insight experts and background in setting strategies for leading brands, Kamila has become the industry champion for truly bespoke and guest-centric experiences.