How Long Can the Elderly Live On Ensure?

Ensure and similar shakes can be powerful for seniors, providing calories and nutrients in an easy-to-consume form. They’re particularly helpful for seniors who struggle to chew and those with a limited appetite. 

Some caregivers even find that seniors will consume a meal shake without hesitation, particularly shakes that are high in sugar and taste like dessert. 

But, how long can the elderly live on Ensure? 

Could they just survive meal replacement shakes like these and nothing else? Or, do you need to make sure they still eat regular food as well?

Why The Elderly Can’t Live On Ensure

You’ve probably guessed the answer already – a person can’t live off Ensure alone. Or, at the very least, they shouldn’t live on just Ensure.

That’s true regardless of the specific Ensure product you choose. The same answer applies to any other meal replacement product as well. 

But, why? 

They’re called meal replacement shakes, after all. That implies you can have them instead of a meal, right? 

They Replace A Meal

First, even the most comprehensive meal replacement shakes aren’t designed to replace every meal. 

They normally focus on replacing one or perhaps two meals every day. Users should still be having at least one decent meal each day. 

This is often obvious from the instructions on the bottle. No shake ever says you should skip all meals. 

This is partly because the shakes are normally designed to promote weight loss. The shakes are meant to give you most of the nutrients you need with fewer calories, which creates a calorie deficit and promotes weight loss. 

Trying to consume shakes for all meals risks putting calorie or nutrient intake too low.  

They’re Not As Good As Real Food

Some Ensure shakes are high in sugar and surprisingly low in protein and nutrients, while others are much better. 

But, even the most ideal shake pales compared to real food. 

Most don’t have the same nutrient balance and are very low in fiber. 

The loss of fiber is a particular problem, as fiber is essential for digestion. Seniors who don’t get enough fiber are likely to be constipated more often and might experience other health issues.

Shakes are also heavily processed. This may reduce the benefits of some ingredients. 

For example, you normally get fewer antioxidants and phytochemicals in a shake compared to real food. Those compounds have many important effects on health and seniors need to be consuming them regularly.. 

The sugar content is often pretty high too. This can lead to health issues, like increased inflammation and a higher risk of some diseases.   

They Contain Additives

Most popular protein shake brands aren’t just heavily processed. They also use many additives. For example, Ensure Complete includes natural and artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, cellulose gel, and soy lecithin. 

These ingredients are all theoretically safe. 

Still… there’s a lot we don’t know. There’s certainly been little testing into the effects of drinking additive-laden protein shakes day after day. 

They’re Not Always Filling

Even high protein shakes aren’t as filling as you might expect. Our bodies don’t respond to protein from drinks quite as well as protein from food. 

So, many people get hungry soon after drinking a shake. This can easily lead to overeating if the senior ends up having meal replacement shakes, plus full meals and snacks. 

Alternatively, relying on shakes could mean the senior often feels hungry, which is incredibly uncomfortable and isn’t great for their mental health. 

There Are Side Effects

Our bodies rely on solid food. 

While it’s possible to get all required nutrients from liquids and pureed foods, the senior is likely to experience side effects. 

Most people’s bodies will adjust to a partly liquid diet over time and side effects should decrease. Still, the early days of relying on Ensure could easily be uncomfortable. 

Could An Elderly Person Ever Live On Ensure?

If a shake provides all the essential nutrients, fiber, and protein, then it may be possible to live just on shakes. 

Ensure isn’t a great choice here though, as most of the shakes aren’t nutritionally balanced. They’re also highly processed and often contain too much sugar.

Also, any true liquid diet should be followed under close medical supervision. There are too many potential issues, including rapid weight loss, decreased blood pressure, and digestive challenges. 

If you chose the right product and had medical supervision, it might be possible to live on meal replacement shakes for months or even longer. 

But, this approach should only be used if proper meals truly aren’t viable. If the senior can eat real food, doing so should always be the priority.  

How Ensure Can Be Helpful

It’s clear then – most elderly people shouldn’t rely exclusively on Ensure. 

But, the shakes still have their place. 

They Provide Some Nutrition

While Ensure shakes are inferior to real food, they’re still better than nothing.

This is crucial for times when seniors completely refuse to eat. I remember this when caregiving myself. There were times when my partner’s mother wasn’t interested in food at all, no matter what it was. 

But, she would drink a sweet Ensure shake. 

Was it a perfect solution? Not at all, especially as those particular shakes were high in sugar and fairly low in protein. Still, she was at least eating something. 

Some days, getting a senior to eat anything at all is a win. 

They’re Practical

Ensure shakes are already made and are shelf-stable. You can even keep them in your bag for times when you or the senior needs something to eat fast. 

You certainly can’t do this with a full meal. 

They’re Appealing

Despite all the joys of food, eating can sometimes be overwhelming for seniors. After all, it takes a decent amount of effort and energy to consume a meal. 

The process gets trickier for seniors who struggle to chew or can’t easily lift a knife and fork. Shakes are easier. There’s no need for chewing or utensils. This can be amazing, particularly when seniors are struggling.  

Tips for Using Ensure Safely

How Often Should Seniors Consume Ensure?

Replacing one protein shake with a meal should be safe for most people, even if they’re doing this for months or longer. 

Having two or more shakes per day is best attempted only in the short-term – or under medical supervision. 

Of course, it’s much better to only use protein shakes when they’re essential – and focus on real food the rest of the time. This way you get the most benefits from the shakes and face the fewest risks.   

Choose The Right Product

Ensure shakes aren’t created equal. The products are designed for different needs and vary in their nutritional balance. 

For example, Ensure Original contains 220 calories per serving. It tastes much like a milkshake, which isn’t surprising, as it contains 10 grams of sugar per serving. 

In fact, the shake actually contains more sugar than protein per serving. 

Ensure Complete has a better balance, with 30 grams of protein and 15 grams of sugar per serving. Still, the shake has 350 calories and is pretty high in sugar. 

Ensure Max Protein is a good choice for seniors who want to keep sugar intake down, as it just has 1 gram of sugar. But, it does rely on artificial sweeteners and the flavor won’t be for everyone. 

The healthiest approach is to match the shake to the senior’s needs. For some, low calorie and high protein shakes will be ideal, while others will need shakes that taste good, even if this means the sugar content is higher. 

Follow The Instructions

Some shakes will have instructions about how often you can drink them (such as one per day) or how long you should use them for (such as no more than three weeks). 

Keeping to these instructions is crucial for protecting the senior’s health. 

And, if you’re at all unsure, talk to their doctor. This will give you the best idea of how to use the shakes without causing harm. 

Pay Attention To Health Effects

Finally, it’s important to watch for any side effects or issues – as our bodies don’t all respond the same. 

Plus, we still have a lot to learn about nutrition. Researchers are still figuring out exactly what combinations of nutrients are best for health and why. 

This means that even the most nutritionally balanced shake mightn’t be as healthy as it seems. 

Other Types of Shakes

Ensure is well-known, easy to find, and frequently recommended. You may even find discount coupons for the shakes. 

However, Ensure is one of many different brands. 

It isn’t the best option either. You’ll see more benefits from brands that have fewer additives and aren’t so sugar heavy. 

You can also turn to protein powder. These powders can be combined with milk, plant-based milk, or water to give you a meal replacement shake. 

However, powders don’t need as many additives to keep them shelf-stable, so they’re a wiser option for health. 

Garden of Life is a particularly good protein powder brand. It offers plenty of nutrients, while also focusing on healthy and natural ingredients. 

Alternatives to Protein Shakes

Ensure and other meal replacement shakes can be helpful for weight loss or making sure seniors get enough nutrients. 

But, they’re not the same as regular food. Seniors will still get more benefits by eating meals as well, ideally at least two a day. 

So, what do you do if they’re not willing to eat? 

The first step is working out why. 

Possible reasons include: 

• Loss of appetite. Seniors with decreased appetite may not realize they need to eat, which can make them resistant. Smaller meals can be useful here, particularly ones that the senior loves. 
• Decreased sense of taste. Loss of taste can make meals much less appealing. Increasing the flavor of meals can help, which often includes added extra spices. 
• Difficulty chewing. Soft foods are particularly healthy when seniors struggle to chew. There are even plenty of tasty recipes for seniors with no teeth. 
• Difficulty swallowing. Swallowing difficulties can make eating terrifying. It’s best to talk to a medical professional here, so you know exactly what foods the senior can safely eat and which are best avoided. 

As you can see, once you have a sense of the reasons the senior isn’t eating, the solutions start to get more obvious. 

Turning to small meals helps too. You could go as far as focusing on regular tiny snacks, rather than full meals. 

Smaller meals work well, as they can feel less overwhelming for seniors, making them easier to eat. 

Finally, don’t forget about flavor. 

Meals designed for seniors are often bland, but they don’t need to be. You can make delicious flavor-packed meals that still meet the senior’s nutritional needs. 

There are plenty of examples in our recipe roundups.