Protein Shakes

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The Basics

Whether you're into body building or trying to lose body fat protein shakes are a quick and convenient way to get your protein requirements and they are a good meal replacement when on the go or away from home.

There is an abundance of pre-made protein powder mixes available. Just add water, juice or milk and you've got a protein shake. A meal replacement packed full of vitamins, minerals and of course, lots of protein. You can add a variety of fruits or vegetables to these drinks for a more complete meal.  However, if you are dealing with food allergies, making your own protein shake from basic ingredients is probably your only option since many of the pre-made mixes contain multiple ingredients and flavorings. Read the labels.

Dependent upon the type of powder you choose you may want to purchase a good shaker cup or hand held drink mixer since many of these powders are difficult to mix to a good smooth consistency. A spoon will work in a pinch, but it isn't easy to get the lumps out. If you are at home your blender is also a good choice.

Protein powder ingredients vary. The most popular protein powder choice is whey, a by-product of cheese making. This is not a good choice for many people with milk intolerance or milk allergies. Other popular choices are soy, egg white, pea, and spirulina. Due to dairy allergies, I've found the best choice for me is the basic powdered ingredient with nothing added. I then add my own flavorings: fruit, vanilla, cocoa powder, etc.  You can add these powders to cow's milk, or the many milk alternatives available such as goats milk, rice milk, soy milk, almond milk, and coconut milk or even water dependent upon your tastes and needs.  There are a couple of different choices for each one.  I recently purchased the lovely tasting coconut milk (made from coconut puree) it is somewhat higher in fat than some of the other choices, but if you like coconut flavor it is a nice creamy choice. (The coconut milk, from the inside of a coconut, is not creamy, but has a watery texture and produces a different flavor which I did not enjoy.)

A basic protein shake will consist of:

1-2 cups of water, milk, or milk alternative
Crushed ice - optional
1- 2 scoops of protein powder - dependent upon your needs and type of powder being used
1/2- 1 cup of fruit (berries, apples, etc.)
Flavorings and nutritional additions:
vanilla, chocolate, healthy oils, lecithin, green drink powders, nut butter, chocolate chips, cookies,  etc.

Experiment with your favorite flavors and ingredients! 

Here are a couple of my favorite recipes:

Basic Berry Shake

1 cup blue berries
2 T. honey (or more to suite your tastes)
1 cup apple juice
1 scoop protein powder

Basic Chocolate Shake

8-12 oz rice milk
1 scoop egg white protein powder
2 T. cocoa powder
1 t. vanilla

Enjoy