3 Best Meal Replacements You Should Know in Malaysia!

Here in Malaysia we are blessed with an abundance of food from all over the globe with most of our local food being notoriously unhealthy. From having nasi lemak for breakfasts to maggi goreng for dinner, Malaysians are blessed with food that taste real good but unfortunately lead on the unhealthy side.

Although dieting may seem all to difficult at first due to the commitment to prep time and maintaining a healthy portion which may eventually also lead to difficulties in having to keep track of your weight loss goals. This where meal replacements come in handy. They may come in the form of bars, shakes or soup to substitute the typical solid meal. One might probably seen promo ads for meal replacements in Malaysia blowing up your Instagram, Facebook and Twitter feeds with seriously amazing unbelievable before-and-after pics. But the question is, can swapping your breakfast or lunch for a shake really help you reach your goal weight?

The idea is to actually replace your regular meals with low-kilojoule powdered shakes or snack bars to reduce your overall energy intake to subsequently help you lose weight. This is of course if you can stomach shakes and bars for breakfast (and in some cases, lunch and dinner too), there's evidence meal replacements may be a feasible weight-loss strategy in the short term. However, meal replacements shouldn't be carried out for the long term These replacement diets—which normally come in the form of prepackaged meals, shakes or bars—are actually much easier to prepare, low in calories, and fortified with essential vitamins. Thus, one can say that meal replacements are the way to go in actually supplying your body with only the absolute essentials and cutting out the non-essentials but still retaining the taste as meal replacements provide you with nutrition as of a full meal.

But here are 3 best meal replacements you can find in Malaysia easily!

1. Meal Replacement Shakes:



Replacing meals may sound like a good choice but only if you do it right. Hence, meal replacement shakes are the real deal when it comes to tracking down on your weight loss goals.
Some are prepared in a can or bottle, while others come in a powdered form that can be mixed with either milk or water. Normally, meal replacement shakes have a calorie count of around 200–400 calories and a decent amount of protein, fiber and essential vitamins and minerals.Therefore, meal replacement shakes are easy way to have a meal on the go. This also helps in preventing urges to binge into unhealthy processed meals which can tamper in your weight loss efforts. That said, ingredients and nutrient compositions can vary substantially with various proportions of protein, carbs and fat.

Meal replacement shakes have been around for many years, but to be fair, they were traditionally been used in hospital settings for when patients have difficulty eating or absorbing nutrients. This has now changed as more and more meal replacement shakes are now designed for athletes and busy people on the go.
One good meal replacement Malaysia shakes you can make is the Wake Up Shake!

The Sunrise Shake is a fresh and healthy smoothie recipe to get any morning off to a good start! The Wake Up Shake smoothie has a combination of the antioxidant power of frozen berries with a blast of vitamin C from a whole orange, a punch of potassium from frozen bananaS, and protein-packed Greek yogurt which helps with the staying power. It will taste like the tropical sea breeze in a glass, and who would not want to wake up to that?

Depending on how big your orange and banana are, the smoothie will be clocking in at around 350 calories ( with 1 gram of fat, 14 grams of fiber, and 15 grams of protein, this smoothie is as PACKED WITH HEALTHY GOODNESS. Which you know, is a good thing especially when talking about smoothies anyways.

This thick and frosty smoothie could not be easier to make, either. All you need will be in the ingredients list as below;

INGREDIENTS
1. a really good blender
2. frozen dried berries
3. fresh oranges
4. frozen bananas.

STEPS
1. add 1 cup organic frozen berries, and 1 frozen banana (remember to slice the bananas!)
2. add 1 peeled & segmented orange, plus 4 – 6oz Greek yogurt.
3. BLEND AWAY!

Serve everything in a cup and slurp away. Either way, it’ll power you way past lunchtime! This icy cold smoothie is also perfect for Malaysia's tropical hot climate


2. Meal Replacement Bars



Replacement meal bars, like their shake/smoothie counterparts are actually similar just it all depends on preference. Meal replacement bars were initially targeted to the serious athlete who needed extra fuel for workouts. Today, meal replacement bars have gone onto mainstream shelves, targeted to anyone who needs a nutritional boost. These bars can be eaten for quick meals as they can be easily stashed in a desk drawer, pocket, purse, or briefcase.
However, not all bars are made equal. One would assume most of this meal replacement bars must be better choices than the fast food junk in the hall vending machine, right? Not always -- some are just nothing more than overhyped fattening candy bars. Some bars may fool you with clever marketing that the bars may actually be a healthier alternative.

But let us show you a way to make some healthy meal replacement bars with a few easy steps.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups quick oats
2 cups almond four
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
½ cup peanut butter or any other “nut-butter”
⅓ cup honey
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup skim milk
STEPS
1. Put oats, almond flour, and flax seed in a bowl. Set aside.
2. In a small sauce pan, all all the other ingredients. Warm until everything is melted and mixed well. I use a metal whisk to slowly mix.
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry bowl. Mix all ingredients until thick paste is formed.
4. Transfer mix into a 9×9 pan. Cover the mix with saran wrap to apply pressure to spread uniformly.
5. Refrigerate at least 1 hour but preferably overnight.
6. With a biscuit cutter or upside down glass, cut into circular “bars.”
7. Store up to 5 days in fridge or 1 month in freezer.

3. Salads



One of the most obvious options to replacement your meal and also an underrated option is with a salad. Opting for a bowl of salad is always by instinct when dining out. But the question remains, is the choice of opting for a salad really the healthy and best calorie bet? The answer, surprisingly may be no.
And it actually depends on what goes into your salad. All salads, at their basic best, are a bowl full of vegetables such as greens, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and carrots. But nobody wants a plain salad, thus they zero in on something fancy.
They add in croutons (stale fried bread), fried meat, creamy dressings (mostly these contain more calories than the entire salad), fried noodles or loads of cheese (calorie dense). These are the delicious little culprits can turn your healthy meal into a spiralling wave of calories. But we're going to give you a few tips on making the perfect salad.

TIPS:
- Well-balanced salad with combination of carbohydrates, fats and proteins
- Have vinaigrette-based dressings for your salads as opposed to the creamier ones
- Try adding more of dark green veggies
- Choose a grilled, steamed or sautéed portion of protein for your salad instead of a fried one, be it chicken, fish, tofu, cheese or eggs
- Don’t forget to add the good fats. Pick from a wide selection of avocados, nuts, chia seeds or sunflower seeds.
- Try adding fruits, pasta, potatoes or quinoa for a complete meal
- Remember to control the portion of your salad dressings and have them in moderation.
- Food items like avocados or cheese are dense in calories, so have it moderately



In a nutshell, it is advisable to be well informed before choosing your preferred meal replacement options. We hope by reading this article, we can save you the frustrations of a poor diet plan to losing weight. Meal replacements in Malaysia are a great choice but they must be done right.

A friendly reminder: There is yet to be developed a supplement that will take the place of a nutritious meal. It may sound promising to grab a quick and healthy meal but only use the well-chosen meal replacement only when you have to truly eat on the go.