Looking for a quick breakfast? Consider a protein shake. With minimal planning, you can blend up a tasty, nutritious shake (also known as a smoothie) in a minute or two. It will leave you feeling satisfied, and you’ll know you’ve started your day on the right foot. Protein shakes also work great for mid-morning or afternoon snacks.
One of the best things about a protein shake is that you control the ingredients: the amount of protein, the type of fruit, the sweetness, and the texture. You can make it as hearty or as light as you want by simply tweaking the ingredients.
Putting together a protein shake is as easy as 1-2-3 – well, actually, 1-2-3-4. That’s because your shake will have four basic ingredients: a liquid base; a form of protein, usually a powder; a source of healthy fat; and some fruit. (Sweetener is optional.) All you do is blend them together and you’re ready to drink. Here are more details on each category:
Base: Start with a half- to one-cup of either dairy (any percentage fat your heart desires) or non-dairy milk, such as almond, rice, coconut, hazelnut, oat, or hemp milk. If none of these milk options is acceptable, use fruit juice, or better yet, fruit juice diluted with water. Adding a third of a cup of plain yogurt – Greek or regular – to the milk or juice will yield a creamier texture and a slightly sour or tart taste, if that’s your preference. (This will in effect add a few grams of protein, but I would still go ahead and use one of the protein sources listed below.)
Protein: My favorite form of protein is unsweetened and unflavored whey protein isolate. Whey protein isolate is almost 100-percent lactose-free, for those with lactose intolerance. Most of my patients, even those with lactose intolerance, can tolerate whey protein isolate without any digestive upset. (Whey protein concentrate, which is usually less expensive than the isolate, has more lactose in it because it is less filtered, and therefore may be problematic for lactoseintolerant people.) I recommend using one- to one-and-ahalf scoops, which has 20 to 30 grams of protein.
I found an interesting research result on the website of the Whey Protein Institute, which is sponsored by Davisco Foods, manufacturer of whey and dairy products. In a USDA Human Nutrition Research Center study that compared the effects of whey and soy protein supplementation on body composition in 90 overweight adults over 23 weeks, whey resulted in more weight loss and smaller waistlines. The authors concluded that “protein supplementation, particularly whey protein, in overweight and obese individuals may assist in long-term maintenance of body weight without energy restriction.”
Whey protein is a complete protein, which means it has all the essential amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and the essential ones are those which your body cannot make and need to be supplied through food. Whey protein is especially rich in branched-chain amino acids, which are metabolized by the muscles and not the liver. This means your muscles can access the amino acids sooner. This helps muscle repair and growth before, during, and after exercise.
For those who are allergic to milk or are otherwise avoiding dairy for some reason, good alternatives to whey protein are rice, pea, or hemp protein. Here, too, I suggest using 20 to 30 grams per smoothie. The vegetarian proteins, as opposed to whey, are a little denser in consistency and not quite as smooth-tasting. Most people I work with find at least one type of protein powder that works for them.
One other form of protein I should mention is soy. Generally, I am not a huge fan of soy protein isolate, including soy milk and tofu, mainly because of research suggesting it may be linked to certain health problems, such thyroid dysfunction and digestive distress. If soy works for you and your health, consider a fermented soy protein, as fermentation make the nutrients in soy more bio-available.
Still other options are egg white protein; a cup of yogurt (remember the slightly sour taste), cottage, or farmer cheese; pumpkin protein; or peanut protein.
Are these enough choices for you?
Good-quality fat or oil: Yes, you need to add some fat to your shake, or it will not provide the satiety that gives a wellbalanced protein shake its appetite-satisfying properties. Use one to two tablespoons of any of the following nut or seed butters, depending on your taste: peanut, almond, hazelnut, cashew, macadamia, sunflower, pumpkin, or sesame tahini (not prepared techina, as in the challah spread). Flax seed oil and coconut butter are also tasty choices. You can also use three or four tablespoons of whole nuts.
Fruit: I recommend you use a sweeter fruit and a less sweet fruit. Use frozen fruit for one or both fruits to give your shake a creamier consistency. Using fresh fruit will yield a shake that is more liquidy and less like soft ice cream. For the sweeter fruit, try one small banana or half of a large one; or one cup of mangos or cherries. For the less sweet fruit, use one cup of blueberries, strawberries, or peaches. (Personally, I prefer the frozen form of all these fruits, with the possible exception of the banana, mainly because of the convenience and ease-of-use factor. I have one compartment in my freezer devoted to bags of frozen fruit.)
If you are sensitive or allergic to fruit, try half-a-cup of cooked sweet potatoes or pumpkin puree (canned, such as Libby’s, or home cooked). These are not as sweet as fruit, though, so you may have to add some sweetener.
To adjust the sweetness of your shake, add stevia, honey, or sugar to taste.
Nowadays it’s also in vogue to use fresh greens, like spinach or kale, to boost your shake’s nutritional power. Many people find it easier to just use a nutrient-dense green powder, such as spirulina, barley grass, wheat grass, or chlorella. All can be found with a reliable hechsher. Some specific products I recommend are Earthrise or Nutrex spirulina, and Pines wheat grass. These products do affect the color and taste of your drink, though, so be prepared for a different type of smoothie experience. You may want to start off with only a fourth of a teaspoon and gradually build up to one teaspoon.
For an example of how I put all this together, here’s a sample recipe. Keep in mind that this uses only one set of the many options outlined above:
SMOOTHIE
1 c. almond milk
1 scoop whey protein isolate (18-22 grams)
1 T. almond butter and 1 T. flax seed oil
1 small banana
1 cup frozen blueberries or strawberries
1⁄4 tsp. spirulina powder Whirl in the blender, pour into a glass and enjoy.â—†
Recommended Protein Powders
Here are some of my favorite brands, all with a hechsher:
Whey: BiPro, Biochem, Integrated Supplements
Rice: Nutribiotic, MLO, Growing Naturals
Pea: Growing Natural
Hemp: Nutiva, Manitoba Harvest Hemp Pro 70, Ruth’s
Hemp Food
Egg white: Biochem
Pumpkin: Omega Nutrition Pumpkin Protein Powder
If you want an even more streamlined process for making
up your morning shake, there are several good quality, ready-to-use, all-in-one shake mixes. All you do is add milk and shake in a special shaker cup or bottle. No blender is required. Here are three products I recommend:
â—† Spirutein by Nature’s Plus
â—† Whey Plus Slim Shake by Nutri-Supreme Research
â—† Amazing Meal by Amazing Grass
Lauren Mirkin, CNS, LDN, LGPC, is a licensed nutritionist and counselor. She provides nutritional counseling at the Johns Hopkins Integrative Medicine and Digestive Center at Green Spring Station. Contact her at 443-326-7023 or holisticnutritionhelp@gmail.com.
