The best meal replacement shakes, bars, and powder

The PROBAR Superfood Slam Meal Bar (12-Pack) packs 370 calories into a three-ounce bar, so you can ingest a small meal's worth of nutrition in just a few bites.

While I heartily endorse PROBAR meal bars as meal replacement foods for the busy professional, the harried parent, or the starving student, I have to admit that my own primary use for these tasty, calorie-packed bars is as a snack while hiking.

A PROBAR has about a hundred calories more than you'll find in the average energy bar promoted for use by the outdoorsman or athlete, so carrying these just makes sense when you're worrying about gear weight during a trek or climb.

The fact that said calories are derived from a range of healthy ingredients doesn't hurt, either. A PROBAR Superfood Slam Meal Bar features flax, oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, and a host of other healthy ingredients. The bars are certified to be made using non-GMO sourced foods and to be free of soy and of gluten, so Celiac patients need not abstain. Also, thanks to the fruits and natural sweeteners, these bars taste good. Which you'll appreciate when one is standing in for a sandwich.

With more than 800 reviews posted online, the PROBAR Superfood Slam Meal Bar enjoys a solid 4.5-star average rating. One sated customer calls them "tasty, filling, and nutritious," adding that the bars are perfect for "outdoor activities." Another person says PROBARs are "great for busy days when you don't have time to eat, or for breakfast on mornings you're in a rush."

A write up from TrailSpace calls PROBAR Superfood Slam bars "a meal in a pouch" that has plenty of "nutritional balance." A GearJunkie reviewer called these bars "an organic whirlwind of uncooked and un-processed raw foods."

Pros: Lots of calories and nutrition in small bar, sweet and tasty, free of soy and gluten

Cons: Too sweet for some palates

A shake made from Garden of Life Meal Replacement powder offers you an excellent nutritional boost with ingredients that build muscle, deliver vitamins, and keep you full.

When you use Garden of Life Meal Replacement Powder to make yourself a healthy shake, you are using a product created from no fewer than 44 so-called "superfoods." Organic flax seed? That's super good for you. Organic spinach? Ditto. Organic lentils? Also good for you. And so on and so forth. So yeah, actually, this powder is pretty much a super food, buzzwords be damned.

But lots of meal replacement products are made from organic this and sprouted that and GMO-free the other thing. What I like about this and other high-quality meal replacement powders is that the serving size is in your control. If you go with the recommended one scoop whisked into a glass of water, you'll be getting 120 calories, 20 grams of protein, plenty of carbs, lots of vitamins and minerals, and very little fat indeed.

Need a bit more post-workout protein? Or want a few more calories to power you through the morning? No problem, just add another half scoop. Want just a little afternoon fuel? Have a half scoop. Unlike with a pre-packaged meal replacement drink or bar, it's up to you to have as much or as little of this super powder as you want each and every time.

With a stunning 7,000-plus ratings posted online, Garden of Life Meal Replacement Powder gets a laudable 4.1 out of five-star average score. One super fan hits all the main points when she calls the powder "ridiculously healthy" and a great way to have "more energy" and to stay "full for a surprising amount of time." She also adds that it's even delicious, especially when blended with fresh fruits in a smoothie.

A video review with BestProteinPowder4Women called Garden of Life powder the "top pick" for a natural meal replacement powder product. A Bodybuilding reviewer says the powder "tastes amazing" and is "super convenient... on the go."

Pros: Easy portion control, dozens of healthful ingredients, loaded with probiotics

Cons: Shakes require vigorous stirring or blending to remove chunks

Whether you're trying to build muscle or you just really want to stay full, a BSN Syntha-6 Protein Crisp Bar (12-Pack) is a great way to do it.

If you're looking for a meal replacement that has optimal nutritional balance and that delivers all the essential vitamins, minerals and that covers all the food groups, then a BSN Syntha-6 Protein Crisp Bar is probably not the best choice for you. These things aren't an ideal choice for daily consumption in lieu of breakfast, in other words.

If you need an occasional energy-boosting meal replacement bar for those days when you're just too busy for lunch, they're a good choice, however. If you're a fitness enthusiast looking to speed up muscle growth, they're a great choice.

A BSN Syntha-6 bar, on the other hand, packs 20 grams of protein into 230 calories. That means you will get a serious infusion of the protein needed to repair and grow muscles following a serious weightlifting session, or the protein needed to keep your muscles in good repair during a long hike, a weekend on the river or surfing the waves, and so forth.

Although these bars lack some of the nutritional balance needed for use as an everyday meal replacement option, all that protein will keep you feeling nice and full on the occasions when you do turn to a BSN Syntha-6 Protein Crisp Bar as your stopgap meal replacement choice. As an added bonus, they taste more like a candy bar than a meal bar, too.

With 5,500-plus ratings and counting, these protein powerhouses have a mighty 4.6-star average rating on Amazon. One consumer calls them "delicious, low on sugar, [and] high on protein." Another brand fan says the bars are "easy to eat and digest," alluding to a common problem among other high protein products.

A product tester from Stack3d praised the BSN Syntha-6 bar's "combination of flavor and consistency," while a writer with the site Sean's Skillet called them "delicious" with a great blend of ingredients "to balance the sweetness."

Pros: Very high protein count, great taste, good price point

Cons: Less nutritional balance than other options

A single 11-ounce Atkins Ready to Drink Shake (12-Pack) can satisfy your hunger pangs despite only delivering a modest 160 calories.

Dieting sucks. But hitting your weight loss and fitness goals rocks. The more you can reduce the unpleasantness of the former, the more likely you are to attain the latter. One of the best ways to reduce your overall caloric intake and speed up the progress toward weight loss and fitness gains is to find a meal replacement option that is low on calories, big on great taste, and that has enough protein to keep you feeling full enough to ward of snacking.

Enter the Atkins Ready to Drink Shake. One of these 11-ounce shakes can stand in for your breakfast whether you're on-the-go, trying to lose some weight, or both. You can also sip an Atkins shake as part of a workout routine, adding much-needed protein without adding lots of calories. Anytime and anywhere you drink one, you'll appreciate the fact that the Milk Chocolate Delight flavor actually tastes great.

The fact that this stuff is gluten-free and high in calcium is lovely, too. One serving supplies 20% of your daily need of more than a dozen vitamins and minerals, including vitamins K, E, and B12.

With hundreds of reviews logged, Atkins Ready to Drink Shakes earn a tasty 4.6-star average. One satisfied buyer appreciates how a shake "curbs the carb craving" and taste good, too. Another calls them "great for a quick breakfast on the run."

A writer from Consumer Health Digest appreciated how each shake "provides you with... proteins, fire, vitamins, and minerals that the body require." A review from ProDietReviews said the shakes can help "make weight management both tasty and convenient."

Pros: High protein and low calorie, great taste, good balance of vitamins and minerals, great low price

Cons: Less filling than other options