Optifast vs Boost for diabetics

I guess this would be mostly for St. Joe's Hamilton patients.  I was talking to Krista re: using Boost for diabetics instead of the the Vanilla Optifast and she informed me that by NO means should I be substituting anything for Optifast.  Nutrients (some) are different, re: protein amount, etc.

The only time they will sub boost for optifast is if one is lactose intolerant and even then, she said, it should only be under the direction of your Clinic professional.

 I am sure most would either follow the their specific Program outlined to them or check before making any "changes", but I just wanted to let you know what I was recently told.

Thanks

$$$$$$$$$$$$$  LOST if you use cheaper alternatives.

That's the nutritional difference our dear clinics cannot tolerate.

Exactly what Nata said. There's been a rumor going around about bariatric surgeons getting a kick back for having their patients use Optifast when there ARE alternatives.

I don't know if that's true however I would have paid over $100 more had I bought my Optifast from my surgeon than buying it from The Hamilton General Hospital for my 6 weeks I was ordered to use Optifast for.

The Hamilton Bariatric Clinic runs an Optifast program that used to not be covered by OHIP. I paid almost 3 grand to be in it in 2007. The staff used to talk to us about how many people couldn't get any help because they couldn't afford it. We also chimed in about not being able to afford the cost of Optifast since the program only covered out Optifast for the 12 weeks we were on it and not for our gradual return to food afterward so they started then to look for alternatives and back then they told us Boost High Protein was closest to Optifast and that we could substitute it as we went back onto food.

They've since restructured since OHIP started to pay for the program but not for the Optifast. When I went in last Tuesday I started talking about Boost Diabetic and I was told that the doctors were just talking about that and have found it to be a good substitute to Optifast for those that can't afford the program solely because of the cost of the Optifast.

I think that's a GREAT idea. It costs so much less than Optifast even though the hospital doesn't make a profit on the product anymore (they did back in 2007).

If you look up the nutritional facts for both they're almost identical except Boost Diabetic has less calories and less carbs. Both are made by the SAME company. It used to be Novartis which was bought out by Nestle. They both use sugar substitutes so no sugar. Optifast uses aspartame. So if you're one of those people worried about using aspartame that makes Boost Diabetic good for you also.

Here's the breakdown and you'll see that Boost Diabetic has less calories, less fat and less carbs than Optifast and just like Optifast 4 a day will give you 100% of your vitamin and mineral needs.

Here's Boost Diabetic...

www.nutrition.nestle.ca/en/our_products/oral_supplement/read y2feed/boost_diabetic

Energy     kcal     190
      kJ     795
Protein     g     16
Carbohydrate     g     16
Dietary Fibre*     g     2
Fat     g     7
Linoleic Acid     g     1.2
Sodium     mg (mEq)     180 (7.8)
Potassium**     mg (mEq)     80 (2.0)
Vitamin A***     IU     500
Choline     mg     50
Vitamin C     mg     102
Calcium     mg     350
Iron     mg     4.5
Vitamin D     IU     100
Vitamin E     IU     60
Vitamin K     mg     0.032
Thiamine     mg     0.38
Riboflavin     mg     0.43
Niacin     mg     5
Vitamin B6     mg     1.0
Folic Acid     mg     0.2
Vitamin B12     mg     0.0003
Biotin     mg     0.075
Pantothenic Acid     mg     2.5
Phosphorus     mg     300
Iodine     mg     0.038
Magnesium     mg     40
Zinc     mg     4.5
Selenium     mg     0.018
Copper     mg     0.5
Manganese     mg     0.7
Chromium     mg     0.06
Molybdenum     mg     0.019
Chloride     mg     200

Vanilla: Water, Modified Milk Ingredients, Tapioca Dextrin, Vegetable Oil (Canola, High Oleic Sunflower, Corn Oils), Fructose, Inulin, Partially Hydrolyzed Guar Gum, L-Arginine, Artificial Flavour, Calcium Phosphate, Citric Acid, Salt, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Sodium Ascorbate, Soy Lecithin, Magnesium Phosphate, Vitamin E Acetate, Choline Chloride, Maltodextrin, Ascorbic Acid, Sucralose, Ferrous Sulfate, Carrageenan, Zinc Sulfate, Niacinamide, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Vitamin B6 Hydrochloride, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Cupric Sulfate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Chromium Chloride, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Palmitate, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin K1, Sodium Molybdate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3 (May Contain Potassium Hydroxide And Dimethylpolysiloxane)


Optifast...

www.nutrition.nestle.ca/en/our_products/weightloss/Optifast_ 900

Energy     kcal     225
Protein     g     22.5
Carbohydrate     g     16.8
Fat     g     7.5
Sodium     mg     500
Potassium     mg     750
 Percentage of Recommended Daily Intake          
Vitamin A     38     %
Vitamin D3     25     %
Vitamin E     25     %
Vitamin C     33     %
Thiamine     33     %
Riboflavin     29     %
Niacin     47     %
Vitamin B6     28     %
Folacin     27     %
Vitamin B12     38     %
Pantothenic Acid     25     %
Calcium     25     %
Phosphorus     25     %
Magnesium     30     %
Iron     25     %
Zinc     33     %
Iodide     25     %
Biotin     0.025     mg
Copper     0.52     mg
Manganese     1.0     mg
Selenium     0.015     mg
Chromium     0.015     mg

Vanilla: total milk protein, fructose, maltodextrin, canola oil, soybean oil, potassium citrate, sodium citrate, sodium caseinate, sodium chloride, potassium phosphate dibasic, artificial flavour, mono and diglycerides, citric acid, magnesium oxide, choline bitartrate, aspartame*, ascorbic acid, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, niacinamide, copper gluconate, manganese sulfate, d-calcium pantothenate, BHA/BHT (to preserve freshness), colour, thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin A palmitate, riboflavin, chromium acetate, Vitamin E acetate, folic acid, sodium molybdate, potassium iodide, sodium selenite, biotin, Vitamin D3, cyanocobalamin.

*aspartame contains phenylalanine

Both products can be found on the Nestle Nutrition Website. I provided links.

The choice really is up to you. Boost Diabetic comes in Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry. Optifast has Vanilla and Chocolate although I heard they have Strawberry in the US and soups in Australia.

One interesting note is that in Optifast.. FRUCTOSE is the second ingredient. It's 5th in Boost Diabetic.

Anyway just thought I'd give you the info you needed to make an informed choice rather than just taking one person's opinion as fact. You can see the values for yourself and decide which product is better for you.

Good Luck!

I have been using  diabetic boost for almost a year now. I was introduced to it by Dr. Wharton in Hamilton. It is a great substitute for breakfast. It does have less protein than optifast but its not that big of a difference.
Right now if you check out the Walmart pharmacy section you can find  $2.00 of coupons attached to an information pamphlet on Diabetic boost. I have managed to hoard about 14 of the coupons so far. LOL

Actually it was Dr. Sean Wharton that suggested Boost High Protein to me too. He used to run the Bariatric Program at The Hamilton General Clinic with Dr. Sharma in 2007 before they both left due to lack of government funding.

I followed Wharton over to his private practise in Burlington but he wanted me to pay too much money just for a surgical referral.

I waited for The Hamilton General to restructure and I got my referral for free and didn't have to jump through any hoops like he wanted lol

I know he was the first to compare all the weight loss drinks out there and then suggest Boost High Protein instead of Optifast. He let us replace it while we were doing the Optifast program when we were going back onto food and for maitenance. Now of course there's a better product.. Boost Diabetic so of course he's advocating that.

Wharton was the one that said you could live on Optifast or Boost for a year if you had to. Some people will need a substitute for life.

I don't think you'd want to eat any less than 900 calories a day and you need a certain amount of protein/fat, that being said, I think by adding a little protein powder to the Boost, you would increase the protein level and the calorie count to make them more equal.

Actually Bariatric doctors DO want you to have less than 900 calories but the Canadian government hasn't given approval to Optifast 800 yet. Only the 900.

That's exactly what WLS is for... a forced calorie restriction diet. Most people (that aren't anorexic) could never keep themselves on starvation diets so they need surgery to force them to. Basically gastric bypass allows us to be like anorexics taking in few calories and malabsorbing a good portion rather than purging on our own like anorexics.

Except by the time we lose all the weight we should be eating a sufficient amount to be sustaining our smaller frames. Some cannot and need revisions. Some end up under weight a lot of times after WLS. It all depends on cir****tance.

Dr. Wharton who was already mentioned on this thread has said that we could live off of Boost or Optifast for over a year if we needed to. It's just he hasn't come across a single person who can. He did however state that some will need some kind of meal replacement for the rest of their lives.

That's why a lot of his patients do Boost one or two times a day at least.

I suggest doing what your surgeon and dietician tell you to do.

If I bought my Optifast from my surgeon than from the local hospital here I would have paid over $100 more than what I paid here.

Informed decisions are the key. You can take a doctor's or nutritionist's advice but researching and finding out what's best for you and your budget is key.

I've already been down the path where I've taken out loans to be able to pay for Optifast programs and Optifast itself. Before Optifast programs were covered by OHIP they cost $2750.00 plus the cost of Optifast ($100 a week back then) after your 12 weeks of full Optifast.

When the hospital that ran the program saw how many people were being excluded and how many had to drop out after the 12 weeks because of cost.. they realized they had to come up with a cheaper alternative. Boost High Protein was their alternative until Boost Diabetic came out.

Not all doctors care if you have the money for Optifast or not. They expect you to buy it regardless of what sacrifces you have to go through to get it. I've paid over $4000 and I refuse to spend anymore on Optifast. That could have been spent on some plastics.

It's unfortunate it's marked up so much by Nestle and by surgeons and doctors. Even the hospital that used to sell it for $50 a box now sells it for $40 a box. Boost is still cheaper.

I think mgmrich is right to research the product and find out what's best for her and her budget.

Kudos