Compare Slim-Fast to Medifast: Is one better than the other?
Whenever you are trying to determine the best “fad” diet to follow always weigh out your options. Look at the products recommended for consumption. Review the macro and micronutrient breakdown, read the ingredients to see what are in the products, and identify how realistic it is for you to maintain. Below is information for you to compare Slim-Fast to Medifast that will help you to determine which would be best for you.
Slim-Fast
Slim-Fast is designed to satisfy your hunger with high fiber, high protein and nutrient rich shakes and bars. The Slim-Fast 3-2-1 plan allows for a sensible 500-calorie meal at dinner, a slim-fast meal bar or shake at breakfast and lunch, and three 100-calorie snacks. Snacks can be fruit, vegetables, nuts or Slim-Fast snack bars. The variety of flavors appeal to most people and can satisfy any appetite.
The Sensible Dinner:
On the Slim-Fast website you can find recipes for 500-calorie meals to ensure you stay within the allotted calorie amount. However, you can explore other websites and cookbooks for meals that stay within the 500-calorie limit. A sensible meal should have a lean protein like white meat chicken, turkey, or fish, a whole grain, and vegetables. For relatively accurate portions, use your plate and measure out half your plate in vegetables, a quarter in starch, and a quarter in lean protein.
Breakfast and Lunch:
The Slim-Fast shakes and bars for meal replacement average around 200 calories each.
- Chewy Chocolate Crisp Meal Bar
- 200 calories, 6 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 26 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 8 g protein
- Soy is the main source of protein in this product. A variety of oils provide the fat content- if you read the ingredients of the meal bar you will see that the product does contain partially hydrogenated oil in the chocolate coating. This means that there is some trans fat in this product even though the label reads zero grams. The carbohydrates in the meal bar come from sugar, fructose, corn syrup, and high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup has had a lot of negative press and has been reported to have significant effects on blood sugar and metabolism. There are also artificial sweeteners in this product.
- 200 calories, 6 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 26 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 8 g protein
- Chocolate Royale Shake Mix with 8 oz. skim milk
- 200 calories, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 30 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 10 g protein
- The 8 oz. of skim milk provides only 12g of carbohydrate. The balance is from the mix where sugar is the first ingredient. The fiber and fat content also comes from the mix. The majority of the protein comes from the milk.
- 200 calories, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 30 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 10 g protein
- Ready made Chocolate Royale Shake
- 190 calories, 6 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 24 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 10 g protein
- This ready made shake is made mostly of skim milk and water. This product also contains hydrogenated oils, which are not noticeable on the nutrition label.
- 190 calories, 6 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 24 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 10 g protein
Snacks:
- Chocolate Mint Snack Bar
- 100 calories, 3.5 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 16 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 1 g protein
- Again, sugar is the first ingredient in this product. It also contains hydrogenated oils that are not noticeable on the nutrition label_._
- 100 calories, 3.5 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 16 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 1 g protein
Medifast
5 Medifast Meals
Medifast has a long list of products for consumption from oatmeal to eggs to cheese puffs. Each meal is an average of 90-110 calories. When you compare Slim-Fast to Medifast, the Medifast products do not have high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils. The products average around 10 g of protein that mostly comes from soy protein isolate.
- Dutch Chocolate Shake, 90 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 13 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 11 g protein
- Crunch Bars, 110 calories, 3 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 12 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 11 g protein
- Oatmeal, 100 calories, 1.5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat. 15 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 11 g protein
1 Lean and Green Meal
The lean and green meal can be consumed at any meal of your choice. It must be 5-7 ounces of cooked lean meat along with 3 servings of green vegetables off of their vegetable list.
Message from the RD
When choosing a diet make sure to read the ingredients of the products. Try to find products with the least amount of preservatives and additives. The more natural the better. Avoid high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils whenever possible. Relying on heavily processed foods is not recommended for long-term weight loss. Ultimately, it is best to eat three sensible meals a day with snacks in between.
References
Slim Fast www.slimfast.com
Medifast www.medifast1.com
