A Unilever team of scientists developed a weight-loss drink that tastes likes a milkshake but is designed to prevent foods from dissolving in the mouth, like whipped cream, and thus cutting appetite. To do this, the team engineered the fats, proteins, and fibers in the food until reaching the right mix to trap the gas in the foods. This new “technology” was put to a scientific test in which researchers tested the new milkshake on 24 volunteers who were given either the new drink or a serving of regular Slim-Fast for breakfast.

People who drank the “trapped gas” milkshake reported that they felt significantly fuller when asked how they felt at different intervals over a four-hour time period. “The food maintains the bulk, much of which is air that helps you maintain the full feeling,” a Unilever nutritionist said.

I’m not sure you can call this new techno milkshake “food.” It sure doesn’t sound like food to me. I do like the idea that drinking a delicious and satisfying meal supplement as a way to feel satiated between meals, however. In fact, I was involved in the development of a high protein and high fiber meal-replacement drink called Perfect Meal that provides benefits far beyond trapping gas in foods. By providing high-quality fiber that gently expands in your gut, providing a feeling of satiety, Garden of Life’s Perfect Meal can stave off hunger for hours.

Perfect Meal is also very low in sugar and has a glycemic index of 13.5 and 14, based on the flavor. The glycemic index (GI) ranks carbohydrates according to their effect on your blood glucose levels. Any number over 55 is considered a high GI food, so drinking a glass of Perfect Meal will help you maintain healthy blood sugar levels, instead of spiking them like when you eat Moose Tracks ice cream, for instance. As you would expect, sugary desserts and refined foods have a high glycemic index, which means they are digested very quickly, leaving you hungry in a short time. When you keep nibbling sugary treats to satisfy your sweet tooth, the downward spiral continues.

I don’t know what’s inside the new “milkshake” to make it trap gases, but Perfect Meal contains two key ingredients to slow the digestion of carbohydrates in your digestive tract: fibertrol and native whey protein. Fibertrol is a fiber blend that includes glucomannan derived from Konjac root, a traditional Japanese food. It helps you feel full longer, reducing unnecessary food cravings that can lead to overeating during meals and overindulging on unhealthy snacks between meals.

Native whey comes from the milk of free-range, grass-fed cattle that graze on pesticide-free pastures. Normally, whey products are byproducts of cheese devoid of vital immune and regenerative components, which were destroyed during commercial processing. Perfect Meal’s native whey is minimally processed to preserve more of the natural factors, including cysteine, which is an important amino acid with a crucial role in the body’s production of glutathione (GSH)—a major antioxidant indispensable for healthy functioning of all body cells. Laboratory studies have demonstrated that glutathione has the potential to greatly improve many aspects of our health.

Another great thing about Perfect Meal is that it contains probiotics, which are live bacteria cultures shown to enhance the natural flora in the gut. Probiotics increase the number of beneficial or friendly microorganisms present in the digestive tract while improving digestive efficiency. By enhancing the good bacteria, probiotics help drive out bad bacteria, yeasts, viruses, and parasites.

The Perfect Meal powder comes in two natural flavors: creamy vanilla and dark chocolate. Just add water and you’re drinking something high in protein, low in sugar, high in fiber, and low in calories—just 200. You can purchase Perfect Meal in a small tub or in handy packets, perfect for tucking into a purse as an SRE, or snack-ready-to-eat.