Are meal replacements a good idea for people with diabetes?

Life is busy. Add in diabetes, and life is really busy – as anyone living with the condition knows. Sometimes it feels almost impossible to fit three healthy meals into a day… Which is when meal replacements might be a good idea.

We wanted to do a deep dive into meal replacements to understand exactly what they are, and if they’re a good idea for people with diabetes. Read on for what we found out!

What are meal replacements?

Meal replacements are shakes made with powder and cold water. Some meal replacements – those specifically made for people with diabetes – can act as tools to improve glycemic control and reduce weight in people with Type 2 diabetes.

It is important to remember, though, that eating whole foods is always the best idea.
Here is our simple advice for how to eat well with diabetes.

Who might benefit from a meal replacement?

According to both the American Dietetic Association and the American Diabetes Association, meal replacements can be useful for weight control. In their position statement on weight management, the American Dietetic Association states that meal replacements can be a useful part of a comprehensive weight management program for those who struggle with self-selection and portion control.

For those who want to read the research, we’ve compiled it here.

Is it useful for weight loss?

Glycemia targeted nutrition products (meal replacements that are specifically for those with diabetes) have also been shown to support weight loss.

It is said that people with diabetes who have been unsuccessful at losing weight through traditional methods benefit from glycemia targeted nutrition products as part of a weight loss programme.

A study was conducted which followed 96 obese individuals with diabetes for six months. All subjects who failed to lose at least 5% of their presenting weight after three months in a comprehensive weight loss programme were advised to substitute one meal per day with a meal replacement.

Results demonstrated that subjects using meal replacement in a structured intervention program exhibited greater weight loss than those treated through conventional diet alone. In addition, subjects consuming Glucerna showed improvement in HbA1C levels, total cholesterol, total triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and blood pressure.

What do you think?

Do you use meal replacements? Let’s talk about it!

What to read next?

Do people with diabetes need to worry about heart health?: We all know that diabetes and heart health go together – heart disease is one of the most common diabetes complications. But does that mean all people with diabetes need to worry about heart health?

Healthy alternatives for diabetics: We’ve shared this list of healthy alternatives for diabetics – choose a food you eat often, and replace it with a healthier option that will be much kinder to your blood sugar!

What has diabetes taught you?: When our co-founder Bridget wrote this column about 15 things diabetes taught her, she was overwhelmed by all the excellent feedback from our South Africans with Diabetes community.

Photos by Bluewater Sweden on Unsplash

References 
1. Seagle HM, Strain GW, Makris A, Reeves RS; American Dietetic Association. Position of the  American Dietetic Association: weight management. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009 Feb;109(2):330-46.  doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2008.11.041. PMID: 19244669.
2. Glucerna® Product Label.3. Tatti P, De  Mauro P. Cardiovascular risk factors and blood glucose variation after weight loss with 2  different therapeutic strategies in obese diabetic patients. American Diabetes Association 68th  Annual Scientific Sessions. San Francisco CA, USA, 2008.
3. A Scoping Review Protocol. Lew Leong Chen,  Arimi Fitri Mat Ludin, Suzana Shahar et al. Meal Replacement in Dietary Management of Type-2  Diabetes Mellitus: A Scoping Review Protocol, 14 September 2020, PREPRINT (Version 2)  available at Research Square [https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-17283/v2]
4.  Glucerna Monograph.