Meal Replacement Tablets

Category: Food, Food And Nutrition

Last Updated: 13 Feb 2023

Pages: 2 Views: 110

The first idea that was considered was to create a meal replacement pill that contains a full day’s nutrients. A meal pill should contain (a) protein, (b) carbohydrates (e.g. beet sugar), (c) fats (e.g. sunflower oil), and (d) vitamins and minerals. Having a single pill that contains 2,000 calories would minimize the time spent on food preparation. However, this pill would have significant disadvantages. One issue is that if an individual eats a pill that contains 2,000 calories at once the individual would be uncomfortably full, sleepy, and possibly unable to be productive. Additionally, this individual would be hungry at the end of the day which may also contribute to distraction. It may also be the case that one daily meal replacement pill might be too large for people to comfortably and safely swallow. If there were smaller meal replacement pills that contained one-third of the daily caloric intake (approximately 667 calories) then individuals may safely consume the pill and be sufficiently satisfied.

The second idea that was considered was the idea of putting a fully dehydrated meal into the pill capsule. This idea might make the pill tastier. The problem with this idea is that the materials (i.e., food) and the process would be too expensive. One meal replacement pill would equal the cost of the food, plus the price to clean, cook, dehydrate and condense the food, and the pill capsule. The cost of one pill might be too expensive for the people who need it most (poor individuals who need food). Likewise, this dehydrated meal replacement pill may be too large to safely swallow. Additionally, this pill may be more open to contamination and spoilage, as the process involves picking, cleaning, cooking, and dehydrating actual food that may come in contact with bacteria. In order to cut down the price of the pill and to make the pills smaller, extracts of other ingredients that make up a meal’s nutrients, vitamins, and minerals could be put into the Meal Pill instead of having a shrunk down meal.

A third alternative design idea that was not chosen was to use lard in the Meal Pill. The main reason to add lard into the Meal Pill would be to increase the number of calories in the pill. Lard is good for a high concentration of calories (902 calories per 100 grams) and it doesn’t need to be refrigerated if it is in an airtight container (“Lard Nutrition Facts & Calories.” Jan. 10, 2019). Despite these advantages there are some negatives with lard. The negatives are that vegetarians and people who won’t eat cow meat due to their religion will not want to eat the Meal Pill. Also, the idea of eating cow fat may turn off buyers who simply think that cow fat is disgusting. There is luckily a substance very similar to lard that can go into the meal pill. Olive oil will be the substitute for lard, because it has almost the same caloric density (825 calories per 100 grams) and it does not need to be refrigerated (“Calories in Olive Oil & Nutrition Facts” 2019). Furthermore, many people enjoy olive oil, because it is not distasteful or prohibited by any common religion.

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