It is packed in bottles and sold by packs. I learned about Ensure the last time my dad had to go for a procedure. The procedure went well but it took a month or so before he was able to get back his full appetite. You also need to take the recommended amount to meet your calories intake as required. There are many reasons for us to want to gain weight. These delicious nutritional shakes for weight gain are designed to give you additional calories and protein and to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy. And yet, others need to gain weight so that they can reach a healthier weight that’s suited for their height. Instead, it contains a combination of protein, vitamins and minerals to provide extra calories. I guess this why the doctor recommended it. This is especially true for older adults and those who have kidney disease. advertisements are served by third party advertising companies. Each 8 oz. Ensure and Boost are two nutritional supplement brands with a wide range of products designed to help you gain weight, build muscle, or tend to your specific nutritional needs. Take note however that it is a nutritional supplement and is not meant to replace eating all together. The recommended intake of Ensure is two servings per day. So use it to add extra calories but not as a complement replacement to meals and you’ll be seeing yourself pack on the pounds gradually. Original Ensure powder is a concentrated source of nutrients and you should use it with caution. In dad’s case, we used it between meals. For the most part Ensure is used by people who need to gain weight or add extra calories to what they are currently eating. In all there are a few number of flavors and a number of different Ensure products to choose from. The vanilla and the butter pecan were our favorites so we stuck with those. Corleone holds a Bachelor of Science in nutrition. That’s to say that some calories you’re better without even it they help you gain weight, since they may cause health problems later on. The drink can help control your calorie intake to lose weight, or it can be a convenient way to add calories to help you gain weight. I’m sure Abbot labs did some testing to make sure they did so otherwise those who don’t have appetites won’t even bother drinking it. To gain healthfully, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests that your extra calories come from nutrient-rich sources, which might include nutrient-fortified products such as Ensure. Shop your favorite flavors. LIVESTRONG is a registered trademark of the LIVESTRONG Foundation. For example, an 8-ounce serving of Ensure Active Light -- taken with 2 cups of mixed greens, 2 tablespoons of low-fat dressing and a small apple -- has 225 calories. Just pick up a pack from the store, pull out a bottle, open the cap and drink or pour in a glass. The drink is sweet, which may not suit everyone's taste -- and for some -- it may be expensive. Copyright Policy For those looking to gain weight, the original version makes a good option, as does Ensure Plus, which has 350 calories per 8-ounce serving. The LIVESTRONG Foundation and LIVESTRONG.COM do not endorse However, Ensure is not recommended for people with galactosemia -- which is a rare genetic disorder that affects how the body processes the simple sugar galactose -- or for those individuals who have a milk allergy. Only then do we gain weight. To lose weight, the equation must be negative -- meaning that the calories you take "in" must be less than the number of calories "out" -- the calories you expend. 2020 , Copyright © Ensure also offers a powdered version of Original Ensure -- in addition to Ensure Active High-Protein powder -- which you can use to boost the calories in your drink. Mixing 2 tablespoons of original Ensure powder to your morning cup of milk or lunchtime yogurt adds an extra 60 calories. This is especially important for those who have a poor appetite but are trying to gain weight. On the other hand, Ensure comes with 350 calories that provides healthy nutrition. Jill Corleone is a registered dietitian and health coach who has been writing and lecturing on diet and health for more than 15 years. For those who would like to gain weight, the recommended Ensure supplement would be the original Ensure. The protein helps maintain muscle mass so you don’t just gain fat but healthy muscle. Whatever the reason may be there are a number of ways we are able to gain weight. Ensure Active Light contains artificial sweeteners, and is lower in calories than the other Ensure products, making it a good option when you're trying to reduce your calorie intake. Ensure products can help you control your calorie intake for weight loss or help you add calories for weight gain. Ensure also helped him gain weight he lost before and after the procedure. Before making changes to your diet, however, consult your doctor to discuss the risks and benefits of using Ensure, to help you reach your weight goals. Terms of Use There was no formulation needed and you didn’t need to prepare anything. It is often prescribed to individuals who are recovering from surgery, illness or other conditions where food is difficult to keep down due to loss of appetite, inability to eat solid foods or weight loss issues. In the weight gain journey, the one an only constant is the equation, calories consumed must be greater than calories burned. So for weight loss -- instead of having a regular breakfast, lunch or dinner -- you would drink an Ensure shake. Leaf Group Ltd. In terms of nutritional value, the goal of taking Ensure which costs more than let’s say a soda, it the health content in them. Also go through our review of Anabolic Cooking here to learn more about it. After all a calorie is not a calorie. When you want to make a change to your weight -- whether you're trying to lose or gain weight -- you need to change your equation for the number of calories in and the number of calories out. So all you needed to do was drink it like a normal beverage. Ensure may be able to help you reach your weight goals. It's the total number of calories that count -- not the source of those calories. Updated April 20, 2015. The other option for weight gain is the Ensure Plus supplement, which was created primarily to help a person gain weight. For the most part Ensure is used by people who need to gain weight or add extra calories to what they are currently eating. I did taste a few myself and they’re quite delicious. If your goal is to lose weight, you might consider the original Ensure, which has 220 calories per 8-ounce serving. It also may not make a good meal replacement choice for people who have diabetes, because of its sugar content. 2 meals a day will yield about 700 extra calories which are recommended per day. LIVESTRONG.com may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. To gain weight, the calories must be positive -- meaning that the number of calories in must be greater than the number of calories out. container also comes with a good amount of fat at 11 grams. Original Ensure is a good meal-replacement choice for anyone who's trying to lose weight, because of its calorie level, and because of its vitamin and mineral content. Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the LIVESTRONG.COM This makes it easy to get in even when you can’t down food, because it is in liquid form. Drink 1-2 daily with meals or as snacks. In addition to helping you meet your vitamin and mineral needs, Ensure products make a good choice if you can't drink milk, due to lactose intolerance or if you can't eat foods that contain gluten.