We all live busy lives. We have to juggle family, work, and everyday life. Sometimes we get caught in the whirlwind and we forget common items – like our lunch from the fridge before walking out the door, or in a hurry you bolt out of the office to see your son or daughters game, and you forget to eat. We’ve all been there.

We don’t have to throw our hands up, or worse, give up on our health goals. Things happen. However, there’s something that we’ve found useful when we find ourselves having a “doh” moment – Lean Body meal replacement shakes.

An Everyday Problem
We live in a nation where obesity is taking the population by storm. With over 60% of adults being categorized as overweight, and over 30% of that number being considered obese. This causes many different health problems both in the short-term and the long-term.

Our nutrition tends to get thrown to the wayside and convenience foods such as chips, pretzels, candy, cookies, and other unhealthy options are consumed. Do we know better? Most of us do. But it’s so much easier to eat something that is already made or comes pre-packaged.

How many of us stop by to pick up a cup of coffee on the way to the office? Do you sometimes also grab a donut while there? We’d bet many of us are nodding our heads yes. So, why do we pick up that donut (other than the fact that they taste delicious)?… Convenience. It’s there, it tastes good, and seems inexpensive – right?

The same can be said about vending machines.  The Majority of what we find in a vending machine isn’t healthy and doesn’t provide the nutrients needed to fuel our bodies. Sure, we might get the initial spike in energy from the sugars found in many of those options, but like a roller coaster, what goes up also comes back down (and quickly). They are low-quality items that are generally high in calories.

Stay Away from Items High in Sugar
It should go without saying, but we should also touch on the sugar aspect of many convenience options. Looking at the nutrition label you’ll find the majority of the food items are high in sugar. Sugar to the brain is similar to a drug. When it has it, it wants more. And when the brain doesn’t have it, we can suffer from brain fog, a drop in energy, headaches, and a decline in overall productivity.

When we consume sugar and have those ups and downs in energy and mood, many of us tend to find ourselves going back to those same poor choices to boost our energy. See where this is headed? This becomes a vicious cycle and for that reason, it’s important to find a healthy option when we are in a pinch and want some food.

What Should We Look For?
For starters, it’s important for us to have a clear picture of our own unique health goals. Sure, we’re all trying to fight off the hunger, but what about the foods we consume on a daily basis, what’s the purpose or reasoning for our choices? Are you trying to add quality lean muscle mass? Or maybe you’re trying to lose some weight and drop body fat? These are all factors we should take into consideration when trying to eat healthy and fuel our body.

Convenience
We can’t tell you how many times meal replacement shakes have saved our team members. Being in business and some of us being parents, we seem to always be on the go – and we do it without reservation. We love our lives, but sometimes life decides to throw us curveballs. And when that happens, we’ve learned a great way to stay in the batter’s box, keep swinging, and knock it out of the park.

We planned ahead! And as with many goals in life, when we plan ahead we can overcome the daily curveballs. For that reason, many of us have strategically-packed meal replacement shakes. We have one in our desk, one in our car, one in our briefcase, and a healthy supply in our refrigerator at home. What does this allow us to do? Well, anything we want, while knowing we have great nutritional choices with us at all times.

While we always prefer whole food meals (and you should too), having a backup plan is an awesome strategy. Simply having the convenience of meal replacement shakes at our disposal allows us to run from meeting to meeting, squeeze in an extra meal in the car after a workout, and play Super-Dad (or Mom) with our kids.

Meal replacement shakes can help:
• Support lean muscle mass and a toned body
• Provide the macronutrients our body needs to function optimally
• Assist with keeping energy levels elevated naturally without caffeine or stimulants
• Curb hunger and help us feel full and satiated throughout the day
• Prevent us from snacking on unhealthy food options
• Regulate blood sugar levels
• Satisfy our sweet tooth

A Solution
There are various options available on the market. Labrada, however, makes Lean Body RTD (ready-to-drink) meal replacement shakes in TetraPak Carton that contain 20 grams of protein or 40 grams of protein. Based on your nutrition and goals (like what we touched on earlier) will be dependent on which Lean Body shake you should choose.

The 20-gram variety will provide you with 140 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, and 0 grams of sugar. The larger 40-gram version will give you 280 calories, 9 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, and 0 grams of sugar. Regardless of which you choose, all of these Labrada varieties taste amazing and are also gluten free!