Replacement for Ensure page

[westes]

I have a family member who is addicted to Ensure. To my horror, I read the ingredients and one serving of this meal-replacement drink has 32 grams of sugar!! It's like drinking a can of sugary soda. Does anyone know of a Paleo-safe substitute for Ensure? I'm looking for something with coconut milk as a base, high fat, and if there has to be a sweetener, then Stevia not sucrose or corn syrup.

[Damiana]

My first thought was Glucerna if you're looking for something with lower sugar, but the ingredients list is rather horrifying. I think you're better off making your own with protein powder and coconut milk. I don't know of any meal replacement drinks without a number of preservatives and artificial sweeteners.

[zoebird]

Bone broth might be a good place (perhaps makign one of the Weston A Price foundation's bone broth based infant formulas?)

[jojohaligo]

A "Paleo-safe substitute for Ensure" would be real food.

Are they just drinking it because they like it? As a meal supplement? Because they can't eat solid food?

[Dirlot]

A "Paleo-safe substitute for Ensure" would be real food.

Are they just drinking it because they like it? As a meal supplement? Because they can't eat solid food?

+1

I was going to say that but you beat me to it.

[Paleobird]

The whole point of Ensure type drinks is to pack as many calories as possible into a person who is in danger of being under-nourished.

When my father was ill, the doctors were trying to give him that stuff but I made my own for him based on coconut cream with various flavoring combos of cocoa powder, vanilla, real fruit, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. using just a touch of stevia for sweetening. (If using fruit, the stevia is not even really needed. The fruit is sweet enough.)

[Dr. Bork Bork]

sun warrior warrior blend (vanilla tastes best) with almond milk & heavy cream? That's close to 700 cals.

[EyeOfRound]

Yeah, I was thinking hot chocolate/Mexican hot chocolate/pumpkin-spiced latte based on coconut milk/cream, with stevia, maple syrup, or honey as a sweetener.

There are so many things that are tastier than Ensure!

[joelwlcx]

I agree with chocolate, but I'd skip the sweeteners and spice it up with chili peppers (powdered) and cinnamon instead.

[oxide]

Water, Salt, Corn Syrup, Corn Maltodextrin, Milk Protein Concentrate, Soy Oil, Soy Protein Concentrate, Cocoa Powder (Processed with Alkali), Canola Oil. Less than 0.5% of the Following: Corn Oil, Potassium Citrate, Magnesium Phosphate, Magnesium Chloride, Calcium Phosphate, Soy Lecithin, Sodium Citrate, Sugar, Carrageenan, Choline Chloride, Ascorbic Acid, Natural & Artificial Flavor, Potassium Chloride, dl-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Ferric Phosphate, Zinc Sulfate, Niacinamide, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Cupric Sulfate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Thiamine Chloride Hydrochloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Chromium Chloride, Biotin, Sodium Molybdate, Sodium Selenate, Potassium Iodide, Cyanocobalamin, Phylloquinone, and Vitamin D3.

YIKES!!

Skip the sweeteners and add chili powder? Fruit is sweet enough? Maybe that's good enough for a Primal, but I assume this person is a CW with a massive sweet tooth. Take away that sugar all at once, and you're asking for a fight.

Can they have dairy? I would start with a cup of half-and-half and a half-scoop of whey powder, then add 3 teaspoons of real sugar and a dash of vanilla extract. Yes, that's still 15 grams of sugar, but IMO they need to wean down.