Weight loss by eating Internet celebrity meal replacement? Demystifying the truth about meal replacement foods

"I haven't seen you eating for several days, what are you eating?"

　　"What? Eat?"

　　"Meal replacement is popular now, what we eat is meal replacement."

　　I wondered why they could not eat for several days, and my girlfriends proudly answered my doubts.

　　Nowadays, there is a diet meal replacement product that claims to be "purely natural, full of nutrients, no need to endure hunger, and very fast results" is emerging, quickly becoming an Internet celebrity, and quickly burning from European and American countries to our country. But can this diet meal replacement food really lose weight? Can it really replace our three meals a day for a long time? If we completely replace our three meals a day for a long time, what effect will it have on our body? Below, let's take a look at the truth about weight loss of this kind of weight loss meal replacement food.

　　The principle of meal replacement food is "diet in disguise"

　　What is a meal replacement food? As the name suggests, it refers to those foods that can partially or completely replace our staple food or part of our diet. Its main manifestations on the market are: meal replacement powder, meal replacement bars, meal replacement biscuits or cookies, meal replacement porridge, and meal replacement milkshakes. According to the different ingredients in meal replacement foods, meal replacement foods can actually be divided into many types: pure protein, dietary fiber-rich and compound meal replacement foods.

　　All diet meal replacement foods have a common feature, that is, low energy density, high dietary fiber content, and a long-term satiety. It can be seen that the principle of weight loss of this type of meal replacement food is "diet in disguise to lose weight." Because, our normal three meals a day average about 500 to 1,000 calories of energy per meal, and the energy of each meal replacement food is 200 calories. If our three meals a day are completely replaced by meal replacement foods, and we eat only one meal replacement food for each meal, then we will only consume about 600 calories a day. This is a low-energy state of life. If such a long-term low-energy state of life will affect the body?

　　Long-term use of meal replacement foods

　　There are four major health hazards to the human body

　　Oxford University has conducted a study on whether it is feasible to take long-term meal replacement foods instead of three meals a day. The results show that replacing three meals a day with meal replacement foods for a long time can indeed reduce human body fat, visceral fat, and liver fat by 6%, 11%, and 46%, respectively. However, at the same time, myocardial fat has increased by 44%. This means that the intake of this long-term low-energy weight loss meal replacement food has an impact on heart function. This effect on the myocardium can manifest as palpitation, shortness of breath, angina, or even cardiac arrest. In our daily lives, we can often see regrettable reports on the Internet that "someone died suddenly due to long-term use of low-energy meal replacement foods".

　　Long-term use of meal replacement products to replace three meals a day, there may also be health damage that may occur is liver and kidney damage. In order to pursue a one-sided and rapid effect, many meal replacement products often secretly add some pharmaceutical ingredients. If you eat this kind of meal replacement diet food for a long period of time, serious liver and kidney damage may occur. On the Internet, we often see reports that "someone has liver failure due to long-term use of meal replacement products."

　　The third major health hazard of long-term replacement of three meals a day with meal replacement foods is fatigue and aging. The nutrient content in meal replacement foods cannot meet the human body's needs for 42 nutrients in six categories. Moreover, during the production and processing of meal replacement foods, the "anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, and anti-aging" substances contained in natural foods are likely to be lost. Moreover, the iron in this kind of meal replacement food is usually inorganic iron, and our body's absorption and utilization rate is very low, which is easy to cause anemia. Such a long-term use of meal replacement products may lead to yellowish facial muscles, wrinkles, fatigue, and fatigue and aging conditions such as yawning. This is contrary to our original intention of taking meal replacement products: to become a vigorous "small waist essence".

　　The fourth major health hazard of long-term use of meal replacement foods instead of three meals a day is that it is very prone to rebound. Because the weight loss of weight loss meal replacement food is a kind of diet in disguise to lose weight. It rapidly reduces our energy intake and causes our weight to decrease rapidly. If it is the first time to lose weight through dieting, it may be very effective. But this diet to lose weight will cause the body's basal metabolic rate to decrease. When we take this low-energy meal replacement food for a long time, our basal metabolic rate drops to a very low state. If we suddenly return to a normal diet, the body's lost weight will rebound quickly in a short time.

　　Meal replacements cannot completely replace three meals a day

　　Keep in mind the golden rule of "balanced diet and moderate exercise"

　　After talking about the truth about weight loss with meal replacement foods, we can draw the conclusion that meal replacement foods are actually a double-edged sword for weight loss. If you are obese or overeating, under the guidance of doctors and professionals, taking meal replacement products instead of part of the meal can help you achieve weight management. However, if you are a healthy person with a normal weight, please do not use meal replacement foods to completely replace three meals a day to manage your weight. The secret to your healthy weight management is still "a balanced diet and moderate exercise." As the saying goes, "just keep your mouth open and open your legs."

　　So how can you easily achieve a balanced diet while keeping your mouth shut? The pagoda of dietary balance in the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" is such a good practice guide.

　　I have a jingle here that can help you remember a balanced diet easily. Three points of the staple food is coarse grains, daily fruit meals, three palms of livestock, poultry, fish and eggs, milk and nuts to add meals, less oil and salt, no harm.

　　How to do moderate exercise? The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" puts forward such guidance for us, that is, there must be an appropriate amount of physical activity every day, which is equivalent to 6000 steps of exercise every day. Stand up and move every hour. Accumulate 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity at least five times a week, and at least 15 minutes of resistance exercise at least three times a week. I also have a jingle here that can help you quickly master "reasonable exercise". Exercise is expensive and insistent, 6,000 steps a day, perspiration slightly, anti-blocking day tonic.

　　To sum up, the truth of the meal replacement food we are talking about today is actually a disguised diet to lose weight. It is not suitable for us to completely replace three meals a day in a single, long-term basis. Otherwise, the heart, liver and kidney function will be damaged, fatigue and aging will occur, and the weight will rebound very easily. Our golden rule of healthy weight management is still "a balanced diet and moderate exercise." I wish you a big step forward on the road of weight health management, towards a healthy tomorrow!

　　Text/Sun Zhongqing, Chief Technician, Qingdao Center for Disease Control and Prevention