I've been using Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey for a while and sampled a few flavours and was quite impressed with a few of them. I even gave a female friend at work a try of a few of them when she forgot to grab an Up & Go in the morning and she thought they just tasted like a milkshake, and that was with them mixed with water, not milk.

I've also tried powders from BSC, Evolve & Gaspari Nutrition and most were alright.

If you've got a supplement shop handy might be worth seeing if they can give you some samples of suitable protein powders that fit your needs that you can taste before buying.

I swear by the banana flavoured WPC from Bulk Nutrients. It's high quality protein at a bargain basement price, really easy to dissolve and very very tasty. Super fast delivery from their Tasmanian warehouse is just icing on the cake.

As for the taste, I always mix with cold skim milk - it really helps a lot. I could never get used to the taste of mixing it with just water.

I was seeing a dietitian who told me I wasn't eating enough food in a day, she gave me a list of what to eat but I couldn't manage to eat it all so she told me to have some shakes as well which has worked well for me. The shakes she suggested are called Optifast VLCD which you can buy in a pharmacy. The originally could only be got by doctors prescription but now they are over the counter, in fact they have been advertised on the telly a lot where I am. There is also a website which you can register on and it will give advice http://www.optifast.com.au I must admit the diet is pretty hardcore so I don't follow it as it is on the site. I stopped using the shakes when I started losing weight and was able to eat more food but I have decided to go back onto the shakes again for a while as I have been stuck in a platuea. I find the shakes very nice, if you find the shakes you are having too thick then just add more water to them. Actually most of the time I just get the vanilla shakes and add some low fat, low sugar yoghurt to it and even blend a banana in too. Optifast also have meal bars, soups and desserts, the only soup I would recommend is the chicken it is really nice but yuck to the vegetable soup unless it has improved Good luck

Aren't Optifast meal replacements? Not protein shakes?

sometimes it helps to make a smoothie out of the powder, chuck in some frozen banana pieces, any type of berries, and personally for me soymilk and you get a really nice cool smoothie

I usually go with the banana flavored protein powders, also use milk or soy (if you dont mind soy) since using water usually makes it a bit hard for some to drink.

Aren't Optifast meal replacements? Not protein shakes?

yes they are meal replacement shakes, I always forget there is a difference

Why do people have protein shakes anyway are they had as well as ordinary meals ?

They are supplements. For example if you aren't reaching your protein goal through whole foods, these are used to help reach the goal. Good for post work out etc as well.

I use BSN, I have the syntha 6 chocolate milkshake along with the lean dessert whipped vanilla and choc fudge shake which is amazing. It tastes awesome!

Also my PT says not eat any carbs just before or after workout, because the insulin created to break down the carbs is counter productive during a workout building muscle.

Rubbish bro-science from your uneducated PT. Insulin is probably the most anabolic hormone there is. You need carbs before and after a workout. That's why lifters have dextrose/maltodextrin with the pwo protein shake. Insulin delivers all the nutrients to the muscles. If you don't have carbs before/after workout, where do you think the energy to workout/repair muscle comes from.

Gawd!!