ABC Medical Center > Procedures > Meal replacement

What is meal replacement?

4 May 2021

It is understood as a nutritional strategy that focuses on replacing the consumption of certain foods with others that contain the same nutritional properties, with the intention of reducing adverse health consequences. This substitution could, for example, be used to treat problems of chronic diseases such as diabetes, overweight, and obesity.

Before the procedure:

Before undergoing a meal replacement, it is necessary to review your medical history, know your diet, and your eating habits. Also, you will be asked for blood and urine tests to detect the presence of other health problems. 

After the procedure: 

Food replacement will require that the changes in the diet are accompanied by commitment, regularity, and follow-up to achieve the objectives set. Similarly, this strategy must be accompanied by the adoption of a healthy lifestyle, such as physical activity and abandoning harmful behaviors such as smoking and drinking alcohol. 

Potential risks:

The greatest risk associated with a meal replacement is precisely not adhering to the nutritional changes that this implies. In any case, if during the follow-up you show a food decompensation or an allergy, the required adjustments in your diet will be indicated.

At the Nutrition & Obesity Center we offer you comprehensive care according to your needs to help you have a healthy lifestyle, control your weight, change your body composition, prevent, and manage associated diseases, as well as improve your physical and sports performance.

We have specialized schemes for accelerated and sustained weight loss under the supervision of a multidisciplinary team, based on safe and scientifically supported methods.

Related centers and departments:

Fuentes: 

  • mayoclinic.org
  • cigna.com
  • sos-bariatria.com
  • medlineplus.gov
  • medigraphic.com
  • Aguiar-Bloemer, A. C., Japur, C. C., Francisco, L. V., y Diez-Garcia, R. W. (2019). Dietary quality differences between women with and without weight loss in nutritional treatment. Clinical nutrition ESPEN, 34, 110-115.
  • Arteaga-Murguia DM, Alarcón-Domínguez EE, Gutiérrez-Sánchez Q, et al. Eficacia de la incorporación dietética de alimentos bajos en carbohidratos simples y altos en antioxidantes sobre parámetros antropométricos en mujeres con sobrepeso. Rev Salud Publica Nutr. 2021;20(1):20-29.
  • Crujeiras, A. B., Parra, M. D., Rodríguez, M. C., de Morentin, B. E. M., y Martínez, J. A. (2006). A role for fruit content in energy-restricted diets in improving antioxidant status in obese women during weight loss. Nutrition, 22(6), 593-599.
  • Dreher, M. L., y Ford, N. A. (2020). A Comprehensive Critical Assessment of Increased Fruit and Vegetable Intake on Weight Loss in Women. Nutrients, 12(7), 1919.
  • Pérez-Lizaur, A., Palacios-González, B., Castro- Becerra, A., y Flores-Galicia, I. (2014). SMAE: Sistema Mexicano de Alimentos Equivalentes. México, Fomento de Nutrición y Salud.

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    Sources
    • mayoclinic.org | cigna.com | sos-bariatria.com | medlineplus.gov | medigraphic.com | Aguiar-Bloemer, A. C., Japur, C. C., Francisco, L. V., y Diez-Garcia, R. W. (2019). Dietary quality differences between women with and without weight loss in nutritional treatment. Clinical nutrition ESPEN, 34, 110-115. | Arteaga-Murguia DM, Alarcón-Domínguez EE, Gutiérrez-Sánchez Q, et al. Eficacia de la incorporación dietética de alimentos bajos en carbohidratos simples y altos en antioxidantes sobre parámetros antropométricos en mujeres con sobrepeso. Rev Salud Publica Nutr. 2021;20(1):20-29. | Crujeiras, A. B., Parra, M. D., Rodríguez, M. C., de Morentin, B. E. M., y Martínez, J. A. (2006). A role for fruit content in energy-restricted diets in improving antioxidant status in obese women during weight loss. Nutrition, 22(6), 593-599. | Dreher, M. L., y Ford, N. A. (2020). A Comprehensive Critical Assessment of Increased Fruit and Vegetable Intake on Weight Loss in Women. Nutrients, 12(7), 1919. | Pérez-Lizaur, A., Palacios-González, B., Castro- Becerra, A., y Flores-Galicia, I. (2014). SMAE: Sistema Mexicano de Alimentos Equivalentes. México, Fomento de Nutrición y Salud.