If you are thinking about losing weight, we want you to know that It is not easy, but it is possible, and you will have to eat a calorie-restrictive diet and exercise on a daily basis.
Supermarkets know that there is a large public that wants to lose weight but cannot for various reasons, but take advantage of the difficulty and the desire that this audience has objective to offer products that in principle help you lose weight.
We are going to analyze the substitutes that Mercadona offers so we can analyze what each of these products contains and if they really work for weight loss.
What are meal replacements
Meal replacements are products that include ingredients necessary to be able to replace a daily intake and thus more control the amount of calories you eat.
There are several studies that conclude that substitutes are favorable for weight loss because they are effective when it comes to adherence and are very comfortable. Plus, they say they can make you lose more weight than a meal-based plan.
But it is very important that you know that meal replacements are ultra-processed, created to have the ingredients that supply a meal, but the nutritional quality is not the most adequate, being able to hinder the weight loss you want to have.
Mercadona meal replacements
Deliplus custard chocolate flavor
These custards are made by putting the product, which will come in an envelope, in a glass of skimmed milk, specifically 200 ml. By removing it, you will get that custard texture.
Per bag of dust, which is about 44 grams, is about 215 calories, a very low value to replace an intake, with which you should take it with another type of substitute or with real food. And it contains 3.5 grams of saturated fat.
But the most impressive thing about this product is the amount of sweetener it contains, which can cause intestinal disorders, such as diarrheal episodes. Although, it should be noted that this product contains a large amount of protein and fiber, which are 15 grams and 7 grams. In addition to it is rich in minerals and vitamins that we need in our day to day.
If we look carefully at the ingredients of the product, we can see that they contain a high amount of artificial preservatives, doubting that it is a good food for health.
Strawberry Deliplus Shake
Being from the same brand, it contains practically the same ingredients, vitamins and minerals as the previous one. But in the case of the strawberry smoothie, it contains 5 calories less than the previous one, being 210 calories a sachet of 42 grams of shake.
As for protein, the shake contains 23 grams, much more than the custard, but less fiber than the previous substitute. Too contains an excessive amount of sweetener, which is 16 grams, which although calorically very low, is too high a quantity that can cause problems in the functioning of the intestinal tract.
Belladieta substitute bar with oatmeal and milk chocolate flavor
It contains 232 two bars of 30 grams each, but between the two they contain 19 grams of sugar, because in the case of this substitute, instead of sweeteners they are sugars. It is too high a quantity of sugars to be a healthy substitute, so I would not contemplate buying it.
As with the previous ones, it is composed of a large part of essential vitamins and minerals that we need for the proper functioning of our body.
If we look at the ingredients, it happens exactly the same as the other substitutes, there is an excess of ingredients that have been introduced artificially, making it a very unnatural product.
Substitute bar for Belladieta with dark chocolate flavor
In principle, being dark chocolate, the amount of sugars should decrease, but this is not the case, since it only contains one gram less of sugar. In addition, it contains the same amount of calories for 2 bars of 30 grams each.
Contains a high amount of protein, about 25 grams, and a good portion of vitamins and minerals, just like the previous bar. As for saturated fats, they do not represent a very high weight in this type of product.
Deliplus chocolate and biscuit shake
We find this milkshake with the same format as the custard and the strawberry milkshake, since it is from the same brand. The difference practically does not existAt the calorie level, a 42-gram bag contains 210 calories, 16 grams of sweetener (sugars) and 23 grams of protein. Exactly the same values as the shake we have seen previously.
Too it has to be mixed in a 200 ml glass of milk and add the 42 grams of shake that each bag contains, which is supposed to be a serving.
There is nothing better than real food
For a diet to be prolonged in time, the ideal is to learn to eat all kinds of foods without discrimination, that is, to learn to have a balanced diet. Moving away from conventional food to replace it with these types of products will not teach you how to eat, so it will not teach you to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
At the level of proteins, vitamins and minerals, these types of products are very complete, making them suitable to eat if you are lacking in one of these three nutrients. But, for the rest, it is not as healthy food as they sell it because we remember that they are ultra-processed.
Cooking a complete dish in macronutrients and micronutrients that is natural and real, is what will provide you with greater satiety and a better state of health, without preservatives, flavorings or other types of additives that this type of meal replacements usually have.
In Vitónica | The pills that Mercadona sells you to lose weight: do they really work?
At Vitónica | We compare the protein-rich products from Mercadona and Carrefour: these are the ones that are worth the most.
Images | Wikimedia Commons, iStock