Protein Shakes: Yay or Nay?

KharismaticKayteh

I don't know anything about protein shakes. Are Slim-Fast shakes protein shakes? Never mind, point is that I see some delicious-looking recipes for shakes online now and again, but I know nothing about them. Are they primarily for workout recovery/people who work out HARD, or are they okay for meal replacements? Are they difficult to make? Are the ingredients to tasty shakes expensive or tedious ("tedious" here meaning that they're ingredients that may not usually be staples in someone's home)?

My last two questions are primarily why I've not considered them as an option until now, but this is coming from a woman who will eagerly stand at the stove for an hour or more while preparing potato soup, so a shake can't be half as time-consuming as that. I suppose I'm mostly concerned with ingredients.

martyqueen52

Slim fast shakes are for people who have little, to no knowledge, about nutrition, period.

You don't need protein before or after a workout, that's pure "bro-science". You just need to eat your allocated calories per day with the combination of your fats/ carbs/ protein and you'll be good... whether it be you're trying to lose weight or gain muscle.

If you're dead-set on a protein shake, go to GNC, buy a tub of your favorite flavor from the brand.... Optimum Nutrition, Cellucor, Myofusion, or Dymatize.... not that Slimfast crap.

dieselbyte

If you are hitting your protein goal for the day, a protein shake isn't necessary. If you need a quick meal and are low on your protein goal, then a shake is a good go-to.

bryant28408

I will do a shake now and then when I am having trouble hitting my goal but the truth is they are not very filling and still pack calories. I think they are ok every now and then but probably not good to reply on them every day. Good advice above, plan your eating and target your macros (fat, carbs and protein) and you will be just fine.

La5Vega5Girl

i like protein shakes. i am on the go alot and find they are easy to keep in my car and grab when i have few food choices. Pure Protein brand (powder) has a great one with little carbs and high protein. also, Atkins brand protein ready made have some good options with very few carbs and 15g protein.

PieSaver

You're better off if you can get your calories through real food than protein supplementation. If you enjoy a shake or a smoothie here and there, that's fine. But don't expect them to deliver any sort of miraculous results.

On the whole, the entire protein supplementation industry is a sham that's based on slick marketing.

La5Vega5Girl

KharismaticKayteh wrote: »

Are they primarily for workout recovery/people who work out HARD, or are they okay for meal replacements?
both. i love to have one after i work-out for added protein. but sometimes i will drink one when i'm out running errands and don't want to stop to eat "real" food.

Are they difficult to make?
no. you can buy them ready-made, or you can make in a shaker cup with water or milk. my husband puts his powder in a shaker cup in the mornings, adds water at his gym at lunchtime, and has a post-workout shake every day. if i'm at home and want one, i add frozen berries, banana, or even chocolate in a blender with the powder. done!

Are the ingredients to tasty shakes expensive or tedious ("tedious" here meaning that they're ingredients that may not usually be staples in someone's home)?
see above

cwolfman13

It's a supplement...you only need to supplement when you're not getting something through your diet. If you get enough protein in your diet then you don't need to supplement. I try to hit anywhere from 120 - 145 grams of protein per day so I usually have to supplement.

jmcnealy

they are okay for meal replacements, but don't go overboard. I agree, they are not really that filling for me. I used to drink one with some fruit every morning. Helped me hit my protein goal.

I do recommend that if you are going that route, make sure you buy high quality protein (which is actually kind of expensive). The cheaper ones will have less protein and a lot more sugar. Watch the sugar. A drink with 11g of protein and 9g of sugar is hardly a protein shake, even though they are labelled as such sometimes.

enterdanger

I like chewing. I've never had a meal replacement shake.

dbmata

I'm not sure what is hard to understand about protein shakes.

Protein shake: a drink or substance that is primarily protein, used to supplement daily protein intake in cases where need is not fulfilled by current diet.

Drink them or not, as long as you're getting the protein in, it doesn't matter. Also, in case some others are confused, it is real food, purified isolates. It's also efficient.

You could pretty much DIY it in a well setup kitchen as well.

So_Much_Fab

martyqueen52 wrote: »

Slim fast shakes are for people who have little, to no knowledge, about nutrition, period.

^ This...a million times over. Have you read the ingredient list on those things?

If you want to make a protein shake (or smoothie) it's easy enough to make your own with fresh ingredients (and protein powder if you wish). There are a gazillion recipes out there.

mgrimes517

I make my own. I use vanilla protein powder and mix in my own ingredients such as fruit, veggies, etc. Take a look at pintrest and get some ideas there!

dbmata

So_Much_Fab wrote: »

There are a gazillion recipes out there.

Truth, my favorite is:

- Optimum Nutrition Mocha Whey Protein, 2 scoops
- Nescafe coffee crystals
- Water

Shake it up, drink.

racheljonel

I like them, so I drink them. I mix a scoop of chocolate protein (had been using Optimum Nutrition, but just bought a tub of Cellucor) with 8 oz of cold brewed coffee and almond milk. So good.

writermindi

I had a horrific botched surgery last summer where they shredded my intestine and made eating unpleasant. I wasn't getting enough protein and was exhausted.

My son recommended True Nutrition protein powders and it saved my life. I have a custom blend that works as a low calorie meal replacement I have for lunch at work. If you get the right blends - whey and casein last longer and are more filling, rice protein is the easiest to digest, sweet potato powder has necessary carbs, etc. - they won't leave you hungry. You can mix with juice or milk or water, and add fruit to change it up. I use the bananas and cream flavor with V-8 Smoothie Tropical Colada juice for 200 cals and feel more alert and energized, without feeling empty.

Also great for when I'm able to overindulge occasionally and need to eat but don't have calories.

tomatoey

Nay, not really filling enough for the calories, even with the protein. Prefer solid food. Blender cleanup is annoying.

Thorbjornn

I've starting using a shake in the early morning because I can't get food into me that early, and by the time I'm ready to eat (9:30 - 10:30), I'm ravenous. I think a protein shake is a good grab 'n go if you punch it up... milk, a banana or other fruit, maybe 1-2 tbsp. peanut or almond butter. I also make something like that before or during the gym because I don't get a chance to eat "real" food before the gym. The shakes take the edge off those times. I think you do whatever works for you.

Pootler74

I LOVE protein shakes. I aim for more than 100g of protein every day, and I find them a cheap, filling, tasty and easy way to get that in.

I have protein powder almost every morning for breakfast. I started off with just plain shakes. Now I like it blended with frozen fruit, psyllium husk powder (for extra fibre and to fill me up even more) and sometimes spinach or peanut flour. Seriously, vanilla protein powder, peanut flour, milk, water and frozen berries is like a drinkable PB&J and tastes AMAZING.

However, I do make sure that my other two meals have 'proper' protein in them and I keep the rest of my diet pretty balanced. I think there's a place for protein supplements, especially if you make sure to get a decent powder.

Mrscanmore

I was very hesitant to start using them because I think we should be able to get what we need through food. However, I noticed that I was always low in protein. In the past on mfp, I only worried about calories, not about what I was actually eating. Now I'm trying to concentrate on what I am eating.

I consulted with a friend of mine who is a dietician. She recommended Leanwhey (I'm in Canada, don't know if it is available elsewhere). She said she liked it best for content and flavour. So, I have been adding that to my smoothies. I'm also doing a beachbody challenge right now, so I've been having vanilla shakeology. It's really expensive though! So, I've been alternating between the two. I like the shakeology flavour a lot more! I usually have protein shakes on weekdays, then take a snack for 10:00 or so, and then on the weekends I don't always have one.

lynndot1

Protein smoothies can be made with so many different ingredients it's ridiculous. I tend to do a mixture of whey, frozen berries, and peanut butter. But you can put basically anything you want in there. A handful of spinach won't be noticeable either and you get some bonus green leafy veg.

You can also add flaxseed for fiber if you need more of that. Or if you don't want to bother with whey just some berries and peanut butter make for an excellent snack or small meal.

If you want to buy commercially prepared drinks/smoothies just take a look at the ingredients and see if it's what you want. Some are better than others, but almost all of them are going to have extra sugar compared to if you just make it yourself at home. Also individually packed drinks are more expensive than buying the ingredients and making it yourself.

As for how to eat them, it's completely up to you. I make one after every weightlifting session, but sometimes I also just have one for breakfast because I'm craving it. If you're someone who is prone to huge ice cream cravings like me you can also mix up very small smoothies just to get that taste without overindulging.

KharismaticKayteh

Thanks, everyone, for your input. I'm glad I asked about it, 'cause I honestly NEVER reach my protein goal, so this might be a good option for me. And I'll remember to avoid the Slim-Fast as well.

Deekay8008

I find it hard to reach my protein goal every day even if I switch carbs to meat where I can, so a protein shake for me works, plus I like them. During work mornings I have one every day for breakfast, SmartTech FX Skinny chocolate cookie powder is the one for me, it's packed with caffeine to kick start my day and I blend this in a blender with unsweetened Almond milk and if I have the cals often add some oats or a banana, on workout days I can even add a little bit of peanut butter to the blend. This keeps me filled up allowing me to have a later lunch which in turn means I don't get that horrible knawing hunger late afternoon when I'm at my weakest and people at my work are offering me snacks.