Liquid Nutritional Drinks

Liquid nutritional drinks are considered by some to be one of the greatest medical advances in history since they provide sustenance and energy for patients unable to chew regular food. Supplemental feeding also serves the purpose of getting much needed calories, vitamins, and minerals to those who had recent bariatric surgery, since they require considerably less work by the stomach, and allow time for healing. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Bariatric Patients

The need for a full liquid diet for the bariatric patient can last for several weeks due to the incisions involved. Liquid nutritional drinks offer the benefit of providing all of the basic support a human body needs without aggravating wounds. Bariatric surgery may very well be impossible without this type of food.

Weight Loss

The success of relying upon liquid nutritional drinks has some individuals within the weight loss and dieting industry promoting liquid nutritional drinks as an effective weight loss aid. The concept of meal replacement has grown popular enough that a large number of companies are lining up to offer their own version of liquid nutritional drinks. Some debate rages over the safety of consumers relying too heavily upon them.

Dangers

Like everything else in life though, too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing. Relying solely upon liquid nutritional drinks for dietary needs can have adverse reactions, not just due to the high amounts of sugar, but that these meal replacement beverages can have up to 360 calories apiece as well. Someone putting their blood sugar levels at such high levels, for such a long range of time as some people will, can adversely affect other bodily functions. Anyone wishing to utilize liquid nutritional drinks as part of their weight loss strategy might do well to first consult with a licensed physician.

Benefits

Yet most nutritionists agree the benefits of providing the body with the nutrients provided far outweighs any risks of weight gain for those who might find themselves unable to eat normally. With the exception of a situation like end-of-life care, medical circumstances needing liquid nutritional drinks are temporary, or are alternated with pureed foods on occasion.

Sleep Aid

According to research conducted in Britain, covered on the website ScienceDirect.com, another recent discovery came to light in regards to nutrition and the elderly: Including liquid nutritional drinks as a supplementary to their diets, not only allowed the seniors the chance to gain weight, but also improved overall sleep patterns. This research was conducted with a control group taking a placebo simultaneously.

The group studied ranged in age from 82 to 89 with an average body mass of 25 kg/sq meter. In the case of these test subjects, with the additional energy provided by the nutritional supplementation of liquid nutritional drinks but without an increase in activities, the needed weight gain was achieved.