Although I am not a huge fan of shakes being included as a meal supplement, I do think they have their place in the diet on occasion. I’d always rather someone eat a natural food source rather than a manufactured source, however whey is great post workout as it is easily absorbed and utilized by the body. So it definitely has it’s place in the diet for those who cannot realistically eat a meal right away post workout or because of their lifestyle.
On another note, I regularly work with clients who have strong sweet tooths when we start working together, and some of these shake concoctions I came up with below are of course better than baking cookies, cakes, or grabbing anything sweet in your kids candy drawers.
Please enjoy these recipes but also remember that shakes should be used in moderation, you’re always better off with a real animal or plant protein source, whole fruits, veggies and grains post workout!
WHEY YOUR OPTIONS…THINGS TO KNOW WHEN CHOOSING A WHEY THAT’S BEST FOR YOU:
1. Do you have a sensitivity to dairy? If so choice an alternate source of protein powder such as pea protein, hemp protein, brown rice protein, egg white protein, soy (to be used moderately). I personally use and love Vega brand protein. The Vega One is my favorite.
2. Choose Grass-Fed: First, a grass-fed source of pure whey protein is essential when you’re choosing a protein powder. If it’s not grass-fed, chances are you’re consuming protein that’s coming from pesticide-treated, grain-fed animals. And that’s bad news, especially when you consider that grain-fed whey is missing many of the amino acids and enzymes found in grass-fed whey. Grain-fed whey is also much lower in healthy omega-3 fats. The old saying “you are what you eat” comes to mind. As a result, commercial beef has drastically less nutritional value than their pasture-fed relatives. A study in the Journal of Animal Science found that the more grass cattle ate, the more nutritious their beef became.1 Grass-fed products have three to five times more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than that of commercial animals.2 CLA is an important nutrient that has cancer-preventing properties. Grass-fed beef also has four times more vitamin E.
3. Hormone-Free Cows: Grain-fed cattle are almost always injected with antibiotics, estrogens and growth hormones to quickly fatten the cows and fight the infections and diseases that come from being confined on feed lots. A great one to try is Jay Robb Protein, which comes from cold-processed, cross-flow microfiltered whey protein isolate is used as the protein source and this material comes from farm-raised, pasture-grazed, grass-fed cows not treated with the synthetic bovine growth hormone rBGH.
4. Sweetened Naturally: Avoid artificial sweeteners, especially the ones that contain aspartame, sugar alcohol or high fructose corn syrup. A good protein powder should be low-glycemic, meaning it should not raise your blood sugar.
BANANA BREAD SHAKE
1 cup Almond Breeze Almond Milk, Unsweetened Original
1 scoop Vanilla Protein powder
6 walnuts or 1 tsp walnut oil
dash cinnamon
6 ice cubes
CINNAMON MOCHA SHAKE
1 scoop of protein powder
1 cup of unsweetened almond,hemp or soy milk
1 tsp cocoa
½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. decaffeinated instant coffee
ALMOND JOY PROTEIN SHAKE
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 protein scoop cup of unsweetened coconut
4 oz unsweetened almond milk
4-6 ice cubes
CHOCOLATE CHERRY PROTEIN SHAKE
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 cup of unsweetened almond,hemp or soy milk
¼ cup of frozen black cherries
POWER PACKED PUMPKIN:
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup almond milk, coconut, soy or hemp milk
1/2 cup 100% pure egg-whites (pasteurized so you can have out of carton)
1/2 can canned pumpkin
1 TBSP coconut milk creamer (optional)
1 small drop vanilla extract
dash cinnamon
6 ice cubes
BLUEBERRY MUFFIN SHAKE:
1 cup Almond Breeze Almond Milk, Unsweetened Original or vanilla
1/2 cup Blueberries, frozen (unsweetened)
1/4 banana
1 scoop Vanilla Protein powder
6 ice cubes
references
[1]French, P., et al, “Fatty acid composition, including conjugated linoleic acid, of intramuscular fat from steers offered grazed grass, grass silage, or concentrate-based diets,” J. Anim. Sci. 2000;78:2849-2855
[2] Dhiman, T., et al, “Conjugated linoleic acid from cows fed different diets,” J. Dairy Sci. 1999; 82(10): 2146-2156
