Just out of curiousity, is there any scientific research out there that says one way or the other that drinking meal replacement shakes is/isn't as effective as eating whole foods? I know you shouldn't be drinking them 24/7, but wondering what the big difference is. Thanks...

Great question! Same question goes for meal replacement bars. I eat a Met-RX Big 1000 MRB just about everyday for lunch.

I use 3 and 3(meals vs shakes).I'd prefer to get more real food in me,but with my schedule thats pretty tough.So I figure it beats missing nutrition.I like Myoplex myself.(as if anyone cares lol)

hey bro,,heres a small peice from a glossy mag i read back in december,,, it might help ya.....,,,,,"""""protein powders r easy 2 absorb, and absorbtion is an inportant part of the mass-building process, however whole-food animal sources of protein, such as eggs,dairy,fowl,meat and fish, have complete, and somewhat differant amino-acid profiles,,,sum r higher n certain amino-acids than others, it iz likely that the unique amino-acid combinations allow 4 greater protein synthesis.. 4 optimal gains, dont succomb 2 livin mainly on powders, choose a wide variety of whole foods and include powders b4 and after workouts and times when convienance is essential,,, the variable amino-acid concentrations among differant foods may exert unique effects on you that result in better growth, as opposed to just a couple foods or protein powders.."""""

The big difference is that a liquid is digusted much faster than a solid. So that can cause peaks in valleys and we want to keep everything stable.

Solid foods generally take 120min to digest and a liquid will be digested within 45min

so are we saying it's not the quality as much as the absorbtion(sp) rate?

Bump to Dr. Steroids.  This is the reason you see everyone say a pre-workout shake and a post-workout shake.  The reason being is that your body needs the faster absorption at these times.  Shakes will be absorbed faster than whole food to supply your muscles quicker with the nutrients it needs.  I have heard and seemed to like to get a shake in no later than 30 minutes prior to a workout then  about 1 /2 to 2 hours later get a whole foods meal in if possible.

Dr. Steroids is right, less peaks and valleys, I know I also feel fuller on whole food which keeps me from wanting ot eat more.  Your body also burns more calories digesting whole food than a shake which will also lead to a faster metabolism. Plus food tastes better!!

The fact that shakes do absorb quicker is true only to a certain extent. Whey protein shakes with no carbs will digest very fast (ideal for post-workout), however there are meal replacement shakes that contain micellar casein and low glycemic carbs and fiber that digest at a much slower rate, making then ideal as a meal substitute- hence the name meal replacement. Another thing to note is that casein protein digest very, very slowly over a 6-7 hour period, this ideal for before bed or throughout the day when a meal is 3 or more hours away.

Ideal times for protien shakes are first thing in the morning, pre-workout, post-workout, and before bed. Other than that I just eat whole foods. I usually have about 50g of protien with each of those shakes so I can just fit in my veggies, fruits, and grains in between because I've already taken in enough protien to grow.