It’s Monday so you know what that means: smoothie-for-lunch day ! As I was sipping on one of my most random smoothie concoctions to date, a colleague asked me whether I was drinking a protein shake. Lucky for him, I was too involved in my drink and not at all in a chatty moody. If such were not the case, he might have regretted commenting. Like eating schedules , protein powders/shakes are a subject which I have a loaded opinion about. Like any good judge, I’ll consider both its merits and demerits and then present my verdict.
Pros
- Can help the body recover from a workout as they are easily digested and quickly processed
- If you can’t stomach food after exercising, great refueling alternative
- Huge variety of flavors can prevent boredom e.g. peanut butter cup, cake batter, French vanilla 😛
- Various modes of consumption: shakes, baking, oatmeal, pancakes
- Low in fat and can help with weight loss
- For heavy exercisers, it’s difficult to meet protein requirements through diet solely
- Addition to a meal can reduce the overall GI while increasing the satiety factor
- Light-weight & convenient
Cons
- Expensive: the same amount of money can be used to purchase a lot more powdered milk: an inexpensive form of protein
- Very protein-intense diets may increase the risk of bone loss and kidney damage
- Eating more protein than your body uses results in the excess being stored as fat
- No scientific evidence that protein from protein powders is better than protein derived from actual food
- Many powders come with a disturbing ingredient list
- Restricts your intake of other vital nutrients
- Unlike carbs, drinking a large amount of protein at once is not beneficial as it cannot be stored in the muscles
My take: Personally I’m not a fan of protein powders! Firstly, I rather eat my calories than drink them. Given my current activity levels, the recommended 0.8-1.8g protein/kg of body weight is a guideline which I stick to. As I do try and include some form of protein in every meal, I easily meet my protein requirements through my diet. Carnivore or not, the availability of protein is seriously underrated. Some forms of protein which I regularly eat include
- Oats 6g protein per 30g
- Soy milk 6.2 g protein per 200 ml
- Egg-whites 4g protein per egg-white
- Chicken breast 23g protein per 100g
- Tofu 8g protein per 100g
- Chickpeas 6g per half cup
- Shellfish 16g protein per 100g
- Smoked salmon 22g protein per 100g
- Yogurt 4g protein per 100g
For curiosity sake, I did sample the chocolate flavor of Gold Standard Whey Protein and it tasted terribly artificial. If I was traveling or on -the-go a lot, I may consider using protein powders in addition to a healthy diet. And while some might say that protein shakes will aid muscle development, two words: weight training!
Your take on protein shakes: yay or nay?
how many gms of protein in a regular protein shake – regulat glass size!
The grams of protein vary per brand but some have up to 26g per glass
I just bought my first package of protein powder but I had all the same concerns you do. I got the Sunwarrior brand because of its ingredient list and I like it. It is really expensive :(, but worth it for me because I don’t think I get enough protein for the workouts I do.
I’ve read great things about Sunwarrior- how did you enjoy the taste?
YES! so glad u addressed the pros AND CONS! i love protein powder but in my oats not shakes 🙂
I used to be completely anti-powders and didnt think they had any benefits but clearly I was wrong. i just don’t think it’s right for me, at least not now.
I am not a huge fan of protein powders, one because they are so expensive and why overdo my body with protein (hello kidney problems) when I can get the required amount with my diet. That being said, it works for some and I have no problem with that.
Amen to that! Go with whatever works for u!
[…] Pack in some protein: If protein powders are your thing, scoop up! As you know I’d rather get my protein from real foods where possible so I add in Greek yogurt which has up to 15g protein per cup and/or soy milk which […]
[…] the past, I have offered my opinion on Protein Powders several times. Although others might disagree, my opinion is largely based […]