Can Gluten-Free Meal Replacement Shakes Cause Constipation?: Meal replacement shakes or protein shakes are rather important if you wish to build lean muscles in your body. If you have such shakes occasionally or even if you have protein shakes in place of snacks, it should not cause any digestive problems. However, if you have meal replacement shakes several times in a single day, it may easily bind you up. There are multiple components in a protein beverage, such as gluten, lactose or excessive protein that can cause constipation.
Can Gluten-Free Meal Replacement Shakes Cause Constipation?
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It is good to know that if you are in a health balanced diet, meal replacement shakes should not cause any constipation. However, if you are intolerant to gluten or lactose and if you do not get sufficient amount of fiber, constipation can easily take place and you should opt for a gluten-free option when it comes to your shakes.
Insufficient Amount of Fiber
If you normally make protein shakes at home, you have the advantage of adding plenty of fresh produce in order to add some fiber. However, if you take a look at some of the ready-to-drink protein shakes available at the stores, you will notice that the fiber content in them is insufficient. If you do not get sufficient amount of fiber, the food that you eat tend to move at a reduced pace through your gut. As a result of this, your bowels wind up and tend to squeeze out a lot of moisture. This automatically makes your stool hard and dry and it makes it tough for it to pass. If you normally have protein shakes several times a day, always have some fruits or a veggie-rich salad in order to get enough fiber in your system.
Excessive Intake of Protein
If you have protein shakes a lot, you will automatically add too much protein to your daily diet. If the protein intake is more than necessary, your kidneys work overtime to filter out everything. As a result of this, you tend to urinate more than normal. This may also result in dehydration of your body. The more your body dehydrates, the more water is absorbed from your stool. This automatically makes your stool dry and it finds it tough to pass. According to a health data, for men, it is normal to have around 56gms of protein a day and for women it is 46gms.
Tough to Digest Lactose
Choose and protein shake of your choice and you will find milk solids, such as whey, or milk present in the product. Normally most of the users can handle this very easily. However, if your body fails to produce sufficient amount of lactase, the enzyme necessary to digest lactose, you will feel uneasy in your gut. Once the lactose reaches your bowel, your body fails to understand how to deal with it. As a result of this, your body slows things down. This is mainly known as lactose intolerance. If you are lactose intolerant, it will be a good idea to opt for a meal replacement shake that is free from any dairy products. You may also make your own protein shake at home with the help of soy or hemp protein.
