Sometimes I get specific questions about the medifast diet on my blog. The other day someone wrote to me and asked, “What exactly is in medifast? What are the ingredients? What nutrients does the food contain?” I will try to answer these questions in the following article.

Soy protein and Medifast: Many of the foods in the diet contain soy, which is rich in quality protein and low in carbohydrates. Soy is often used as a substitute for whey, and many foods contain about 6 grams of this substance. I was worried about the taste of this ingredient, but I think it’s really not a problem. Most shakes taste like regular shakes even though they contain this as well.

What is used instead of sugar: Medifast sweetens its products using a combination of fructose and acesulfame potassium instead of sugar. The company says this is done because these ingredients keep the carbohydrates, sugars, and calories in food low.

Are the products kosher?: Most of the foods are kosher. Examples of foods that fall into this category are smoothies, puddings, bars, tomato cream, oatmeal, fruit drinks, and potato chips.

Are the products gluten free?: Most foods contain less than 20 PPM of gluten and are therefore considered “safe.” The only real exceptions to this are the chicken noodle soup and some of the shakes. If you’re concerned about gluten, you should opt for the ready-to-drink shakes instead of the 55 or 70.

Are the products vegetarian?: Many of the foods do not contain meat. There are some options that contain fish. These are the products that are scheduled for heart health and some of the diabetic options (which have fish oil added for heart health). Also, obviously chicken, crab and beef soups with vegetables will be prohibited as they contain Beef Protein as the main ingredient. But, most of the items on the popular five plus one plan are fine.

Does Medifast contain stimulants?: Regular 5 plus one products contain 100 milligrams of caffeine and 90 milligrams of EGCG (the antioxidant in green tea). they are separate from the monthly packages of the regular woman’s diet. Therefore, they will not be included unless you request them.

Do foods contain monosodium glutamate?: The only product that has MSG is tomato soup.

Are there enough nutrients and vitamins in the food?: All foods are fortified with vitamins and minerals. Plus, you eat one large, fresh meal a day that you prepare yourself, so it will provide you with nutrition, too. Using the very popular chocolate shakes as an example (55), this meal contains at least 20% or more (and up to 45%) of a very long list of daily vitamins and minerals. Considering you’re eating five similar meals per day, you’ll get more than enough of what you need, especially if you’re health conscious about your “lean and green” food.