Best Unsweetened Meal Replacement Shakes
Meal replacement shakes are some of the most popular supplements on the market. They are a convenient way for busy people to skip meals and still get all the essential nutrients they need or to help people on a weight loss journey stay satiated while reducing their calorie intake.
However, most meal replacement shakes use sugar or sweetener, natural or not, to make them taste nicer. Now, while these ingredients are not always bad, many people avoid them for one reason or another. This can make finding a suitable meal replacement supplement challenging.
That is not to say unsweetened meal replacements don’t exist, they are just hard to find. That is why we’ve decided to make life easy for you and compile a list of the best meal replacement products that have not been sweetened, to ensure everyone can meet their nutritional needs.
Best Unsweetened Meal Replacement Shake Overall – Rootana
Rootana is a vegan meal replacement shake made using only scientifically proven ingredients, all of which benefit your body in some way. It includes 27 vitamins and minerals, but has no stevia, artificial sweeteners, flavors, colours, or preservatives, lactose, or soy.
The sweetness of Rootana comes from coconut sugar, which contains the fibre inulin. It is proven to prevent high blood sugar or cholesterol levels, keep your gut healthy, and stop you from getting heart disease, diabetes, and certain other health conditions (1).
This is then supported by vegan pea protein isolate, one of the best plant based alternatives to whey protein which boasts a complete amino acid profile, as well as golden milled flaxseed, oat flour, sunflower lecithin, and sunflower seed oil.
Rootana is full of complete proteins, complex carbs, essential amino acids, fibre, omega-6 and omega-9 healthy fats, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. These will keep joints healthy and supple, repair and prevent damage, slow the signs of aging, and protect against illnesses (2).
All the nutrients release slowly through the day to stop you feeling hungry or bloated and give you energy and strength, while providing various other mental and physical health benefits.
Every serving has 421 calories, 44 grams of carbs, 21 grams of protein, 16 grams of fat, and 7.1 grams of fibre. This makes it perfectly balanced to replace actual food and meals, making it an ideal meal replacement shake to use as part of a healthy diet.
Pros
- Made with an incredible variety of macronutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals
- Doesn’t contain any artificial sweeteners, preservatives, flavors, or colours
- Contains an ideal number of calories per serving to fill you up without bloating you
- Provides numerous physical and mental health benefits
- Features an entirely vegan meal replacement formula
- A complete amino acid profile is delivered through the pea protein
- Convenient, quick, affordable, and easy to mix
- Tastes great
Cons
- Has to be bought straight from the manufacturers website
- Only comes in three flavour choices, original and cacao
Best Unsweetened Gluten Free Meal Replacement Shake – Ka’Chava
Ka’Chava is a vegan, gluten free meal replacement made from over 85 superfoods. Instead of being sweetened with artificial sweeteners or sugar, its sweetness comes from the varied range of berries and other fruits it contains, all of which offer their own unique health benefits.
These aid proven, natural ingredients like greens, vegetables, organic pea protein, whole grain brown rice protein, and various other blends of plant proteins, adaptogens, antioxidants, fibre, healthy fats, digestive enzymes, vitamins and minerals, prebiotics, probiotics, and more.
With no artificial sweeteners, flavours, colours, and preservatives, and being soy free, gluten free, and dairy free, it can safely be used by virtually anyone, regardless of their dietary needs or allergies.
It is even available in 5 different flavours; chai, chocolate, coconut acai, matcha, and vanilla. This all but guarantees people of all different tastes will be able to make the most of the countless mental and physical health benefits Ka’Chava offers.
That said, its calorie content and price do need to be mentioned, as they may be a sticking point for many.
At 250 calories a serving, it isn’t going to be able to fill you up enough to replace full meals, making it more of a gluten free snack or a tool to satiate you a little while keeping you in a calorie deficit to aid weight loss.
Costing more than most other meal replacements will still be a tough pill to swallow though, especially given its low calorie content.
Pros
- Features a potent and diverse vegan protein powder blend
- Contains numerous antioxidants, adaptogens, digestive enzymes, fibres, greens, healthy fats, prebiotics, probiotics, vegetables, vitamins, and minerals
- Can be beneficial to both your mind and body
- Comes in a choice of 5 different flavours
Cons
- Costs a lot more than most other meal replacement shakes
- Only contains 250 calories in each serving
Best Unsweetened Organic Meal Replacement Shake – Orgain Organic Nutrition Nutritional Shake
Orgain Organic Nutrition Nutritional Shake is a fabulous, ready to drink organic protein shake and meal replacement, making it a convenient, quick, easy meal replacement option for people on the go.
Its sweetness comes monk fruit extract, which is an anti-inflammatory than contains no calories, regulates blood sugar levels, heals sore throats, promotes weight loss, and helps to prevent oxidative damage and certain diseases (3).
The monk fruit is then aided by an Organic Protein Blend centred on grass fed whey protein, an Organic Fruits & Vegetables Blend, and the Orgain Vitamins & Minerals Blend. Between them, these nutrients are able to produce countless different health benefits.
The Orgain Organic Nutrition Nutritional Shake is available in 4 different flavours, ensuring there are options to suit people of all tastes. The flavours are creamy chocolate fudge, iced cafe mocha, strawberries & cream, and sweet vanilla bean.
Its low price is also very appealing too. Unfortunately, having just 250 calories and 16 grams of protein per serving will be too low for many people. While it can still be useful as a snack to get you some essential nutrients and satiate you a little, it isn’t going to replace whole meals.
Pros
- Comes in a range of 4 tasty flavours
- Contains nothing but organic ingredients
- Bursting with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients
- Affordable, convenient, quick, and easy to use on the go
Cons
- The amount of calories and protein in each serving will be far too low for many people
- Some people aren’t a fan of the texture of ready to drink meal replacement shakes
Best Unsweetened Keto Meal Replacement Shake – Proganics Organic Keto Meal Replacement Vegan
Proganics Organic Keto Meal Replacement Vegan is an entirely plant based protein and meal replacement shake designed for people on a keto diet. The sweetness comes from monk fruit extract which, as we have seen, can offer multiple health benefits.
It is then surrounded by plant based ingredients like organic pea protein, healthy fat sources, coconut milk powder, cacao, and quinoa, as well as digestive enzymes and probiotics. Its 19 grams of fat is more than most meal replacement shakes, so is ideal for those in ketosis.
12 grams of protein is also beneficial and even having fewer calories than normal at 270 per serving is ok, as the high fat content will help you feel fuller and still lose weight. Admittedly though, its net carbs is a bit high for a keto shake at 12 grams, even if 5 of them are from fibre.
This means you will need to be extra careful when planning the rest of your diet if you want to avoid getting knocked out of ketosis (4). At least a choice of pleasant chocolate and vanilla flavours will make planning your balanced diet a little more tolerable.
The big issue with Proganics Organic Keto Meal Replacement Vegan though is the price, which is far higher than many meal replacement shakes. This means that, unless you need a meal replacement shake that is specifically organic, vegan, and keto friendly, it may not be for you.
Pros
- Higher fat and lower carb levels than many meal replacement shakes is suited to a keto diet
- All ingredients are organic and plant based
Cons
- Extremely expensive
- Only available in a choice of two flavours
- Will not have a huge effect on your calorie intake
- Its net carbs are a little higher than is ideal in a keto meal replacement shake
Final Thoughts On The Best Meal Replacement Shakes Without Sweeteners
If you are looking for a healthy meal replacement or protein shake that doesn’t contain any added sweeteners, Rootana is the best choice for most people.
Its ingredients are diverse, offer many health benefits, and will hit all your nutritional needs. Add in its fabulous mixability, that is both quick and easy, its affordable price tag, and a great taste, no matter which flavour you pick, and it does all you could ask of a meal replacement.
On the off chance that Rootana doesn’t seem quite right for you though, one of the other meal replacement shakes on this list is guaranteed to be. So, there should be nothing left stopping you from achieving any of your goals.
Resources:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7174220/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541064/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7008860/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499830/
