Almost all of us will require liquified food sources at some point in our lifetimes. There is a wide range of formulas available to satisfy a multitude of uses. The uses may be as complex as sustaining life or as simple as serving as a lifestyle convenience. These are six ways we all may use a liquid meal replacement at different points in our everyday lives.

People leading busy lives often search for a quick way to slip in a meal. Work and a fast-paced lifestyle tend to push our nutritional needs to the end of our priority list. Consequently, we rely on the convenience of replacing one or more meals - usually lunch or breakfast - with a nutritious shake that can also be delicious. A single serving contains a third of the nutrients required for a daily balanced diet. It is a tempting way to make sure we meet our dietary needs in a frenetic world.

One of the most common issues facing society is obesity and being overweight. Replacing just one meal a day can be beneficial to weight related health issues. It is the perfect answer for portion control, in that a single serving is equivalent in value to a nutritious meal. In contrast, a person would have to overeat to get identical nutrients offered by that same great-tasting shake. It makes sense then to trade in calorie counting, food weighing, and guesswork for simplicity and certainty.

Meal replacements can be excellent sources of protein for those who either require more protein or desire it. Weightlifters and bodybuilders often turn to liquid protein meals to help with muscle recovery and muscle building. Vegetarians, who often struggle with getting enough protein in their diets, use them to meet daily protein requirements.

An example of a health problem that would respond well to a high-protein meal replacement program is type 2 diabetes. Protein shakes have been proven to enable weight loss, improve cholesterol levels, lower body mass index, and control essential blood sugar levels. Patients, in a few cases, were able to reduce daily doses of insulin. Similar results can be applied to a variety of health concerns.

In extreme circumstances, it may be that the only food source for a person is through a fluids only diet. An example might be the person who must be tube fed. Their nutrition depends entirely upon a liquid delivery system. Often, those who have undergone dramatic medical procedures or whose aging bodily systems are failing require this type of life-giving support.

Whether by choice or necessity, some mothers cannot breastfeed their infants. In these cases, formula feeding becomes the single source of nutrition for the infant from birth to three months. Commonly, nutrients that are essential to the development of a baby are provided through the use of these high value formulas.

Liquid meal replacements provide vital and necessary sources of nutrition throughout our lifetimes from our first days to our last. No matter if we use them for their dietary convenience, to assist us in muscle gain or weight loss, to aid us in disease management or recovery, or even to sustain our lives, we will most likely use them at one point or another. Lucky for us, these nutritional powerhouses are widely available to us.