7 Best Meal Replacement Shakes Without Artificial Sweeteners

7 Best Meal Replacement Shakes Without Artificial Sweeteners

Last Updated on December, 2024

A meal replacement shake is one of the best things for usually busy people. That’s because they’re easy to manage and make on the go, like a protein shake. On top of that, they’re great for our body too, helping us with our nutrient intake. 

That’s because meal replacements come filled with many essential nutrients, healthy fats, and more. This also includes different types of protein, such as whey protein, plant-based protein, pea protein, grass fed whey protein, and more. You’ll also find amino acids, digestive enzymes, and other great things.

The meal replacement supplements are a healthy way of dealing with food cravings and saving time. But, some use artificial flavors and sweeteners. These can be bad for your body, which is why it’s vital to find best meal replacement shakes without artificial sweeteners.

Editor’s Choice
kachava meal shake
Kachava
Ingredients
Taste
Price

5.0

5.0

5.0

Overall Score

5.0

#2nd Best Choice
Transparent Labs
Ingredients
Taste
Price

4.9

4.8

4.9

Overall Score

4.9

#3rd Best Choice
Garden of Life
Ingredients
Taste
Price

4.9

4.7

4.8

Overall Score

4.8

7 Best Meal Replacement Shakes without Artificial Sweeteners

Looking for a healthy way to get back into shape and don’t want to consume anything unhealthy? The right solution for this is Meal replacement shakes without any artificial sweeteners.

We have listed down seven best meal replacement shakes without artificial sweeteners to help you out in your weight management journey.

1. Kachava (Editor’s Choice)

Kachava product
Ingredient
Taste
Effectiveness
Price

5.0

5.0

5.0

5.0

Overall Score: 5.0

>>> Click Here to Checkout Yourself <<<

This natural supplement is healthy and a vegan-based meal shake. Although this is quite an excellent addition to your meal plans, this cannot be used as a substitute for food but rather as a complementary addition to a well-balanced diet.

Kachava is wholly plant-based protein powder and consists of ingredients like organic ginger, açai berry, organic maitake mushroom, spinach, flax seed, and other organic vegetable produce, to name a few. This is a two-scoop kind instead of one for each serving (60g).

A serving of Kachava includes 240 calories and a total Fat of 7g, including 4.5g of Saturated Fat. A Total Carbohydrate level of 24g is included with each serving to ensure that you receive the right stuff to back up your energized fitness plan.

Besides 25g of protein, vitamins A, C, D, B1, B2, B3, B6, and B12 are included in minute quantity within a serving. Coconut Milk, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Soluble Vegetable Fiber, etc., are a few additional ingredients.

They also come in 4 different flavors. All those taste addicts looking for a supplement shake would find Kachava interesting as long as they don’t depend on it entirely for a healthy intake of food substitutes.

Kachava is equal to Transparent Labs MRP in terms of Fat but lower in Carbs and Calories intake per serving.

Here’s some nutritional information and key facts for Kachava Vanilla Shake (240 Calories):

Calories: 240
Protein: 25 grams
Carbs (Sugar, Dietary Fiber): 24 grams
Fat: 7 grams
Available flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, Coconut acai, Chai, and Matcha (Best flavor=Chocolate)

Pros

A lower percentage of Fat
Higher Protein
No chemical additives
Tastes better

Cons

Higher rate of Fat

2. Transparent Labs MRP (#2nd Best Choice)

Transparent Labs MRP product
Ingredient
Taste
Effectiveness
Price

4.9

4.8

4.9

4.9

Overall Score: 4.9

This meal replacement brings you the luxury of indulging in a healthy meal replacement at a reasonable price. What more would an on-the-run person need when rushing behind a healthy lifestyle? An MRP to substitute their meals and save time.

There are no chemical additives, soy protein, sugars, cheap “creamers,” or fillers. It is purely made using purely natural ingredients.

You can push away the doubts of shoving chemical-based products down your throat as a meal replacement and instead enjoy a healthy substitute.

Transparent Labs MRP also provides you with energy to keep up your metabolism in the face of exercise by including slow-digesting complex carbohydrates and healthy Fats.

It has innovative Carb10® Pea Starch, TapiOK® organic tapioca maltodextrin, medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), organic flaxseed, and oat bran fiber.

This meal replacement needs only one scoop per serving and only 220 calories per serving. And each serving has a total Fat of 7g, just like Kachava but with 5g of saturated Fat included instead of the 4.5g we see in that.

There is also a 19g carb per serving and added sugar of 5g per scoop. This is a cause for concern when considering meal replacement without common artificial sweeteners. Minimal but still artificial. 

It includes 24g of protein per serving, providing the ultimate security for muscle repair and growth. Therefore, this is a reliable meal replacement shake for someone with a hectic schedule. This is a great way to gain energy that can replace a healthy meal without repercussions.

It costs $59.99 and can conveniently be made with either milk or water, even if you have only a shaker bottle at hand. Unlike some other meal replacement shakes that need blending.

Here’s some nutritional information and key facts for Transparent Labs MRP Vanilla Shake (220 Calories):

Calories: 220
Protein: 24 grams
Carbs (Sugar, Dietary Fiber): 19 grams
Fat: 7 grams
Available flavors: Vanilla and Chocolate (Best flavor=Chocolate)

Pros

No chemical additives
Natural ingredients

Cons

Comparatively expensive
Lower variety of flavors

3. Garden of Life Raw Organic Meal (#3rd Best Choice)

Kate Farms Nutrition Shake product
Ingredient
Taste
Effectiveness
Price

4.9

4.7

4.8

4.8

Overall Score: 4.8

You want to manage your weight but you are too busy to have anything more than fast food from a drive-through. And, what happens? All progress goes down the drain. Garden of Life Raw Organic Meal provides you with the solution to keeping a hold of your digestive health.

The focus is on providing one complete raw organic meal replacement shake by combining and using pure garden of life products. 

This helps you stay sated as you had a proper healthy meal that could support and let the body thrive without any deterioration caused by harmful ingredients that some scam products use.

It includes probiotics and enzymes to increase energy output and stabilize digestion. Fortunately, this product abstains from adding other artificial sweeteners. 

It is also a vegan product that might sit well with vegans looking for a proper meal replacement. If you are a vegan seeking a meal replacement shake, THIS PLANT-BASED PROTEIN SHAKE IS FOR YOU.

This shake provides only 130 calories and 13 grams per serving compared to the others on the list.

Each serving has only 20g of protein, unlike 24g of the other substitutes. The protein comprises 13 raw sprouted ingredients, greens, healthy Fat, fiber, probiotics, and enzymes, plus 21 vitamins and minerals. 

For someone on the run with deadlines and responsibilities hot on their tails, this shake provides them with 44 superfoods that satisfy both hunger and replenish their protein levels.

One serving delivers 20 grams of clean Certified USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified protein from 13 organic sprouted grains and seeds.

It is also gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy free. This, too, can be prepared using a bottle shaker, just like Transparent Labs MRP meal replacement.

Here’s some nutritional information and key facts for Garden of Life Raw Organic Meal Chocolate Cacao Powder (130 Calories):

Calories: 130
Protein: 20 grams
Carbs (Sugar, Dietary Fiber): 13 grams
Fat: 2.5 grams
Available flavors: Chocolate Cacao, Vanilla, Lightly Sweet, and Vanilla Spiced Chai (Best flavor=Chocolate Cacao)

Pros

Provides 44 superfoods
Variety of flavors
Low Fat

Cons

Low calories

4. Orgain Organic Nutritional Shake

Orgain Organic product
Ingredient
Taste
Effectiveness
Price

4.8

4.7

4.7

4.7

Overall Score: 4.7

For those who are too bored or busy to make their shake, Orgain’s Organic Nutritional Shake comes in handy as it comes in cartons ready to be drunk. 

Many of these readymade shakes in the market kill your taste buds enough to make you cringe when you look at another one, but this is an exception with its taste that makes you want to drink more (But you shouldn’t). 

This shake comes as a milk-based shake with 250 calories per serving. It also has a total Fat of 7g per serving with only 1g of saturated Fat. And 32g of carb per serving, along with only 16g of protein. 

The Orgain Organic Nutritional shake is gluten and soy-free, making it known to you what they bring into your body. This meal replacement shake also consists of the vitamins and minerals needed to energize your body for its fitness journey.

Orgain Organic Nutritional Shake includes organic fruits and vegetables blended into it as the product’s namesake. 

It comes in 4 flavors for $31.99 a pack and includes 12 shakes each.

Here’s some nutritional information and key facts for Orgain Organic Nutritional Shake Creamy Chocolate Fudge (250 Calories):

Calories: 250
Protein: 16 grams
Carbs (Sugar, Dietary Fiber): 32 grams
Fat: 7 grams
Available flavors: Creamy Chocolate Fudge, Sweet Vanilla Bean, Iced Café Mocha, and Strawberries and Cream (Best flavor=Creamy Chocolate Fudge & Strawberries and Cream)

Pros

Readymade meal replacement shake
Higher calories 

Cons

Higher rate of Carbs

5. Ambronite Complete Meal Shake

Ingredient
Taste
Effectiveness
Price

4.7

4.7

4.6

4.5

Overall Score: 4.6

For those who are pursuing your MRS (not Mrs. 😊), this vegan-based produce is just the one without any added artificial sweeteners. 

Abstaining from dairy products, wheat, and GMOs, the Ambronite Complete Meal Shake is powder-based. It consists of Oats, almonds, coconut sugar, apple, natural flavors, flaxseed, nutritional yeast, mineral salt, etc.

Another notable mention of its ingredients is that it includes plenty of omega3. Each serving contains 24g of vegan protein and consists of 41%, 35%, and 24% of Carbs, Fat, and Protein, respectively.

Yes, it provides a higher dose of calories than all the others, but they also give a higher amount of Fat and Carbs, which would only suit some people in the weight management process.

Although they have three flavors, there are reviews that this shake doesn’t taste as good, which is a slight deterrent for users with sensitive taste buds.

Here’s some nutritional information and key facts for Ambronite Balanced Meal Shake Vanilla (400 Calories):

Calories: 400
Protein: 24 grams
Carbs: 40 grams
Fat: 15 grams
Available flavors: Original, Banana, and Berries (Best flavor=Banana)

Pros

Vegan properties suitable for Vegans
High calories

Cons

Higher rate of Fat and Carbs
Low taste appeal for all three flavors

6. Kate Farms Nutrition Shake

Kate Farms Nutrition Shake product
Ingredient
Taste
Effectiveness
Price

4.7

4.6

4.6

4.6

Overall Score: 4.6

Another vegan-based Organic, Non-GMO shake that’s ready to go. This is gluten- and soy-free, with the main content of Organic Pea Protein. It comes in 3 flavors to be a meal replacement for any busy person looking to get back their weight loss and fitness game on track.

Kate Farms Nutrition Shake gives 330 calories per serving with 20g of total sugar and 12g of total Fat, which is relatively high compared to the ones above. 

It also has 38g of Carbs per serving. But they do abstain from adding artificial flavors and other artificial sweeteners. Compared to some, this shake is easily digestible with a delicious taste and is hassle-free because it comes out as a ready-made shake.

A serving of this shake consists of 16g of USDA Organic pea protein and phytonutrient extracts from kale and broccoli. It is priced at $51, which is quite expensive compared to the market prices of others listed above.

Here’s some nutritional information and key facts for Kate Farms Nutrition Shake Chocolate (330 Calories):

Calories: 330
Protein: 16 grams
Carbs: 38 grams
Fat: 12 grams
Available flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, and Coffee (Best flavor=Coffee)

Pros

Comparatively high calories on the list
Easily digestible Carbs and Fat
No artificial flavors

Cons

Higher rate of Fat and Carbs Fat

7. HLTH Complete Meal

HLTH Code Complete Meal product
Ingredient
Taste
Effectiveness
Price

4.6

4.5

4.6

4.5

Overall Score: 4.5

Another best meal replacement without any artificial sweeteners is the HLTH Complete Meal. They strive to give you the complete package of the right nutrients along with a 1:1 ratio of healthy fats to protein.

For those of you who are picky eaters, this works well for you with the reviews coming in of how tasty it is and still makes sure that you are not hungry for food. It is keto-friendly and even has an optimal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6.

Although it provides 400 calories per serving, it has the drawback of providing a higher rate of Fat and cholesterol compared to the other meal replacement shakes. Coming to the shelf with two flavors both of which are quite taken by the users.

There was even one person who made these shakes into ice creams (I don’t recommend it but she’s a mad genius for sure). 25 vitamins and minerals all embroiled into one package consisting of 15 servings.

A, B, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K, it’s like an alphabet of vitamins along with Folic acid, Zinc, Magnesium, and others in this meal replacement shake.

Here’s some nutritional information and key facts for HLTH Complete Meal Chocolate Macadamia Shake (400 Calories):

Calories: 400
Protein: 27 grams
Carbs (Sugar, Dietary Fiber): 13 grams
Fat (Saturated and Trans): 27 grams
Available flavors: Chocolate Macadamia and Creamy Vanilla (Best flavor=Both)

Pros

High Calories
Higher rate of protein
Both flavors taste good

Cons

Higher rate of Fat
Lower variety of flavors

What are Artificial Sweeteners and How Do They Work?

powders in a spoon

Also known as sugar substitutes, artificial sweeteners are a chemical added to various foods and drinks. Much like natural sugar, artificial sweeteners make food taste sweet. (1)

However, it does so while reducing the total calories in a meal for those worried about calorie consumption.

Artificial sweeteners also help people manage their blood sugar. It’s a great thing for those that wish to lose weight. That’s because artificial sweeteners promote weight loss by kicking out fattening sugars from food supplements. That’s why they’re so common in meal replacement shakes. 

Natural sweeteners and artificial sweeteners taste so similar to real sugar because of their molecules. They’re similar enough for our taste buds not to be able to tell the difference but too different for the body to break them down into calories. 

That’s why artificial sweeteners are suitable for those that want to lose weight and avoid blood sugar spikes. But, they have various disadvantages if consumed regularly, which is why you should avoid them. (2)

Keep reading to learn more about artificial sweeteners.

Things to Consider Before Buying Meal Shakes Without Artificial Sweeteners

Meal Shakes on the table

Now that you know more about artificial sweeteners and the best meal replacement shakes without them, there’s one more important thing to understand. This refers to essential factors you should know about before buying these meal replacements. Following are said factors:

Right Ingredients

Remember that just because there aren’t any artificial sweeteners doesn’t make it a healthy meal replacement. You’ll have to watch out for some other potential ingredients too, so make sure that you choose right.

Keep your allergies and other similar matters in mind while buying a supplement. They all include several ingredients, and you don’t want some that’ll cause you medical issues. Contacting your doctor for help with choosing one might be a smart move if you have allergies.

Taste and Texture

While not everyone cares about their meal replacement shakes taste, some are very picky about it. So, if you want a shake without any artificial sweeteners, you’ll have to keep in mind that there aren’t many options that taste great.

Luckily, the ones we’ve mentioned use other, healthier means of providing good taste. Our reviews show that most of them are delicious without artificial sweeteners. This is an essential factor if you’re meant to drink the shakes regularly because bad taste might put you off.

If you want a safe and tasty meal replacement shake, checkout this article.

Lots of Nutrition

Like plant-based protein powder or grass-fed whey protein powder, meal replacement shakes should provide lots of nutrition. This is not something you can miss out on with or without artificial sweeteners. A good amount of calories, protein, vitamins, fiber, all of it is vital.

A complete amino acid profile, whey protein concentrate, organic dietary fiber, and more are small but significant additions to your optimal health.

Carefully examine your goals and find a meal replacement that provides you with all the nutrition you need accordingly.

Other Details

The rest are factors that depend more on you and your personal preferences than anything else. For example, whether or not the shake is vegan, kosher, or halal. Whether or not it has certain flavors. If it passes specific tests and more details such as those.

Accordingly, keep these in mind, as they’ll all be different depending on the person in question. Everyone has their own thing. All you have to do is carefully consider your goals and needs. Once that’s done, you’ll figure out what your thing is and how to find a shake based on that.

Advantages of Drinking Shakes Without Artificial Sweeteners

It’s a lot better to drink shakes that don’t have a single artificial sweetener in them. If you’re looking to learn more about the reasons why this is the case, here’s a quick summary of the best ones:

  • It’s generally healthier. Artificial sweeteners and ingredients, in general, are heavily linked to lots of issues. But, shakes without them aren’t like that, as they provide lots of health benefits instead of putting you at risk.
  • They taste better. Shakes without these artificial additives taste much better. That’s because they use natural ingredients. While they taste the same at first, organic meal replacements leave a much better aftertaste in your mouth.
  • They’re better in the long term. Shakes that don’t have any artificial sweeteners or sugar substitutes will affect many things in your body, causing long term issues. If you avoid these, that won’t be something you have to worry about any longer.
  • You don’t have to worry about what’s right for you. Another bonus of meal replacement shakes that don’t use these artificial ingredients is that you don’t have to worry about what you’re allergic to, what’s safe for you, and what you should avoid.

Commonly Found Artificial Sweeteners In Meal Replacements

Meal Shake and Meal Shake powder on the table

While all kinds of artificial sweeteners are used in protein powders and meal shakes, a few, in particular, are especially common. Here’s what each of these is and how they can affect your health if consumed regularly.

  • Aspartame: This is a popular sweetener linked with problems like nausea, headaches, and gut health issues. It’s also linked with more severe issues like Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and Parkinson’s.
  • Sucralose: A common artificial sweetener that you might’ve heard of is sucralose. It’s newer than most other options but already widely used in meal replacements. While its more significant effects are still being studied, it has been linked to weight gain.
  • Stevia: This is another sweetener that has lots of disadvantages. For starters, it can cause a bad aftertaste and some wind. But, this can grow into raging headaches and nausea down the line. (3)
  • Acesulfame K: Like sucralose, this is another option that still needs to be studied more. For now, we know that it can be responsible for headaches and nausea. Additionally, it’s even linked with depression in some cases. (4)
  • Saccharin: One of the oldest artificial sweeteners still being used today, saccharin is highly linked with problems like diabetes and obesity. This is understandable, as it’s several hundred times sweeter than natural sugar.

We do have a list of the best meal shakes without stevia reviewed on our site.

Effects of These Sweeteners and Reasons to Avoid Them

If you’re still not convinced about why consuming these artificial sweeteners is such a bad thing, there’s a lot more still to know.

On top of all the dangerous side effects we mentioned above for each type of sugar substitutes, there are other ones.

For example, they’ve been linked with digestive issues on many occasions. These can be more minor things like some bloating or wind, but there can be full-blown problems in some cases. For example, some of these sweeteners might get caught inside the gastrointestinal tract. (5)

Meal Replacement Shakes without Artificial Sweeteners

It can cause bloating, nausea, and severe digestive problems when that happens. Consuming them regularly also results in issues with the pancreas and can cause type 2 diabetes among some people. 

Along with that, it’s not good for weight loss either, which is one of its primary functions. It’s proven that regularly consuming these sweeteners ultimately results in problems with weight gain. That’s because they also cause issues with metabolism, which is vital for losing weight. (6)

Last but certainly not least, it’s been linked with bladder cancer and other variations of the deadly disease. We don’t have to point out just how bad these can be. So, there are more than enough reasons to avoid these ingredients and all things that have them. (7)

While it’s still safe to try them out now and then, they’re very harmful if consumed regularly.

That’s why we recommend getting a meal replacement shake without artificial flavoring, as they’ll be much better for your health and taste better too.

Related: Best Diabetic Meal Replacement Shakes & Nutrition Drinks

Famous Alternatives to An Artificial Sweetener

honey and Coconut Sugar on the table

If you’re finally done making these sweeteners a part of your diet and want alternatives to them instead, you’ll be happy to know there are many delicious and healthy options. Here are some of the best ones that we recommend:

  • Honey: The first and perhaps the most obvious choice of them all is honey. It’s nature’s sweetest treat, and it also packs a nutritional punch. It’s a great and tasty addition to meal replacement shakes and promotes your gut’s health, but it is high in calories.
  • Brown Rice Syrup: This is another excellent and natural option that comes from brown rice. It’s thick and sugary, plus it adds great flavor to your meal. But, there haven’t been many studies made into its effects, so try this at your own risk.
  • Coconut Sugar: This is a very healthy option that is completely natural. Coconut sugar doesn’t cause issues with blood sugar, and since it’s always unrefined, it holds all of a coconut’s nutrients. But, it can cause problems for those looking to lose weight, so keep that in mind.
  • Maple Syrup: The final and very delicious option we recommend is maple syrup. It holds all kinds of oxidants, and it’s a great source of various minerals as well. But, it’s another sweetener high in calories, so avoid overeating it.

Conclusion

That’s all you need to know about meal replacement shakes without artificial sweeteners in them. As you can see, there are so many options for you to choose from, and we’ve compiled the best one in our list of reviews above. 

Read through all of them and decide which one is best for you according to your needs.

Our top pick is Kachava because of its balanced nutritional value, health benefits, and variety in taste. You can check that out or any of the other options.

As long as you listen to our advice and try out the options we listed, we can assure you that you won’t run into any problems! Just remember everything we’ve said about sweeteners and meal shakes, and you’ll do great at choosing the best option for yourself.

FAQs

Meal replacement shakes provide a balanced combination of nutrients to help maintain weight, while protein shakes are primarily used to help increase athletic performance and build muscle.

No, having a meal replacement shake every day is not recommended.

Yes, research has found that meal replacement shakes can be an effective tool in aiding weight loss.

OUR #1 RECOMMENDATION
Kachava
kachava meal shake
Ingredient quality
Taste
Price

5.0

5.0

5.0

Overall Score

5.0

visa, master, amex, paypal
Pros
A lower percentage of Fat
Higher Protein
No chemical additives
Tastes better
Get the BEST PRICE valid until the end of December
Cons
Higher rate of Fat

REFERENCES:

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4899993/
  2. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130710122000.htm
  3. https://www.medicinenet.com/what_are_the_negative_effects_of_stevia/article.htm
  4. https://www.medicinenet.com/artificial_sweeteners/article.htm
  5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6363527/
  6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7817779/
  7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8441827/#:~:text=Review%20of%20the%20most%20recent,sweetener%20consumption%20and%20bladder%20cancer.

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Jennifer Pantall
Jennifer Pantall is a Nutrition Therapy Practitioner. She loves tennis and has one daughter with a lovely husband whom she adores. Jennifer also loves to spend time outdoors playing with her dog or walking in nature. You can find more about me here.

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