Make that protein shake taste, well drinkable!

We’ve all got our own quirky taste and texture preferences, even for simple protein shakes. Here are a few techniques you may find useful in preparing your next protein shake.

PROBLEM:

If your protein shake is:

Too Thin:

Try adding a few ice cubes, frozen fruit, or a tablespoon of sugar-free instant pudding mix to thicken it.

Too Thick:

Some protein mixes have guar gum or other artificial thickeners in them. Instead of throwing them out, you can make shakes using only half the packet, mixing in a regular whey protein to cover the protein gap.

Not Creamy Enough:

Try using a tablespoon of sugar-free pudding if you make your shakes with water or milk. If you use milk, you can try using milk with higher fat content (1 or 2% instead of skim) or just use a tablespoon of dry, sugar-free instant pudding mix.

Not “Foamy” Or Frothy Enough:

Extend the “whip” time in the blender to “fluff” the shake.

Won’t dissolve:

Solubility problems usually have to do with the particular brand of protein that you buy. Your best option is to first blend your liquid and ice and slowly add the protein to the blender. Look for an “instantized” protein that blends with a few shakes to avoid the problem all together.

Not Sweet Enough:

Add a packet or two of Splenda or a small piece of banana. Fructose (fruit sugar) is 70% sweeter than sucrose (table sugar) so even just a small piece of banana or other fruit go a long way in providing sweetness.

Weak Vanilla Flavor:

A ½ tsp of imitation vanilla flavor or ¼ tsp vanilla extract will enhance the vanilla flavor without adding calories. Alternatively, you could add a tablespoon of sugar-free instant vanilla pudding for just 13 calories.

Weak Chocolate Flavor:

A teaspoon of real cocoa powder will give you a nice chocolate flavor without adding the sugar that comes with using chocolate syrup. This is a great idea for those on tighter budgets that can only purchase one flavor of protein at a time because you can add cocoa to vanilla protein and make a chocolate flavor.

Protein Sticks To Blender Glass:

Always add the liquid to your blender or shaker first. When blending thicker shakes, try pouring the protein into the blender as it whirls or lightly pushing the powder down with a spoon to ensure it mixes.

Is “To Go”:

To cut down on dishes and make a handy “to go” shake, you may be able to use a pint or quart Mason jar in place of your blender pitcher. Simply remove the blending attachment from the pitcher; if it twists onto the jar (like a cap) it will work. Put your drink ingredients into the jar, twist on the blending assembly, turn the jar top-down onto the blender and hit the switch.

Yes Girls, you can have protein shakes. No you wont get big and bulky like Arnold if you drink protein shakes. Jacob won’t even get as big as Arnold if he drinks protein shakes.

So when is the best time to drink a protein shake?

The first thing to realize is that protein shakes are intended to be supplemental to your regular whole meals — not replacements for whole meals. So if you view it that way, you should typically be consuming no more than 2-3 shakes a day on your workout days, and 1-2 (if any) protein shakes on your non-workout days.

In general, the two most critical times for drinking a protein shake are:

1. First thing in the morning

2. Immediately following your workout.

Why first thing in the morning?

Well, when you wake up, you have essentially been in a fasted state for the past seven to eight hours. That means you’ve had no protein during this time and you are at risk for becoming catabolic (meaning you’ll start to break down muscle for fuel.) By drinking a protein shake with some simple carbs (like orange juice or a banana blended in) as soon as you wake up, you can stop this muscle breakdown dead in its tracks and put yourself back in “positive nitrogen balance” — a fancy term that simply means you have more protein available for your body than what it is using for fuel or excreting.

The second key window of opportunity for drinking a protein shake is immediately following your workout.

During this 30-60 minute post-workout window, your muscles are like sponges and take up nutrients — including protein — very quickly as part of the repair and recovery process. Your body also utilizes carbohydrates more efficiently during this period, due to increased insulin sensitivity, so drinking your protein shake with some simple carbs can help the body more efficient absorb amino acids and utilize them for ongoing tissue repair and growth.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 5:57 am and is filed under Fitness Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.