One of the key moments in fitness is proper nutrition. In order to achieve good results, it is necessary to consume a certain amount of protein on a daily basis.
The first thing that comes to mind is grilled steak and chicken breasts. However, with the preparation of meat the process is slow and labor demanding. In addition, the meat takes a long time to digest, and the process of digestion robs the body of a lot of energy. Also a thick meal won’t provide you with an immediate energy kick before you hit your workout.
The alternative is to consume high protein shakes that include different types of proteins. Each kind will serve a specific role: building muscle mass, muscle recovery etc. Initially concentrated protein was not very digestible, but at the moment the situation is more favorable, and the market offers a variety of tasty, high digestible protein powders.
There are still some downsides when using protein powders, however. The powder can not be compared to the ingredients of a real diet. Protein powder diluted in water is not as pleasant as consuming real foods. In this article, you will learn 16 protein shake recipes that include natural products which are easily available at home.
Let’s take a look at the most favorable times for using a high protein shake or an energy cocktail.
In the morning
In the morning the glycogen in the liver is depleted, because the body didn’t receive food for a longer period of time during the night. There is nothing wrong with that, as energy expenditure is low while you sleep. On the other hand, the active actions after waking up, coupled with the lack of glycogen could trigger the secretion of catabolic hormones, that are not helping the muscle building process.
To kick-start the muscle building process, you can drink a protein shake after waking up. Make sure to add some fructose to the protein shake in the morning (contained in fruits and especially honey). Unlike glucose, which enters the muscle immediately and is used for energy, fructose is sent to the liver where it is converted into glycogen first.
Pre workout
Eating before training has a role to provide the body with nutrients that help muscle growth and supply the muscles with energy. An ideal ratio would be 1:2 – protein/carbohydrates. Or 20 g of protein and 40g of “slow” carbs will be sufficient to fuel up the workout. In this case, the usual meals won’t help.
Firstly, it’s a little bit hard to workout with a full stomach, and secondly, natural food takes a long time to digest and provide you with energy. In this situation, it will be convenient to resort to protein shakes containing whey protein. While choosing carbohydrates, you should, again, focus on fructose. Fructose slowly releases energy and does not cause a spike of insulin like glucose does.
Post workout
After a workout, you need to do two things – give your muscles some protein for recovery and restore the wasted glycogen. Of course, using a protein shake is more suitable as ordinary food takes a long time to digest ( you can take food some time after the protein shake). It is generally recommended to use a whey protein shake (40 g of protein), and fast carbs, at least 40-50 grams (candy, sweet rolls).
Between meals
In order to build muscle, bodybuilders usually eat large amounts of food. Because they can’t eat all that food in 3 regular meals, they usually eat 4,5,6 or more meals a day. This strategy is very hard to implement unless you are not on a vacation.
Protein shakes can solve this problem, especially if you add fruit and honey in the mix. Thus, it is possible to transform a boring procedure of protein recharge into pleasure. It turns out tasty and nutritious. The basis here can be casein, whey protein or mixture between the two.
Before sleep
During a night’s sleep the muscles are not getting protein for 8-9 hours, so they should be properly prepared. The usual food to fill the stomach is not worth it, because when you fall asleep, solid foods are digested slowly. And again, right there you can use a protein shake. In this case, it is necessary to prepare a shake containing only casein.
Carbohydrate intake is allowed (although not needed), but in a minimal amount. During sleep, the muscles do not need extra energy, so the extra carbohydrates will be stored as fat.
Before proceeding with the protein shake recipes, it should be noted that the preparation of high-grade homemade protein shakes takes a bit longer than just adding protein powder to water, but it’s definitely worth it.
1. Hot Cocoa
1 scoop of chocolate whey protein
1 cup of skimed milk
½ cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 bag of instant cocoa
Warm up the milk, but do not boil it. Pour the milk in a blender, pour the protein, cocoa, add the cheese. Stir until you get homogeneous mixture. You don’t need to add casein because of the cottage cheese which contains casein in a good form.
Composition: 5 g fat, 20 g carbohydrates, 44 g protein, 0 g fiber, 296 calories.
When to drink it : before going to bed.
2. Vanilla protein shake recipe
1 Scoop of casein with vanilla flavor
1 scoop of vanilla whey protein
½ cup skimmed milk
½ cup vanilla yogurt (fat-free)
Mix the protein and yogurt in a separate bowl until you get homogeneous lump-free liquid. Pour the milk into a large glass and add the mixture of yogurt and protein while mixing gently. The use of a blender is not necessary, as the protein is already mixed with yoghurt. Stirring with a spoon will be the most convenient.
Composition: 5g fat, 61 g carbohydrates, 48 g protein, 0 g fiber, 475calories.
When to consume it: after a workout.
3. Peach protein shake recipe
1 scoop of vanilla whey protein
1 cup of water
1 packet of oatmeal noodles
½ cans of canned peaches, remove the syrup
Mix all the ingredients in a blender until you get a smooth liquid. Oatmeal provides the body with fiber. If you don’t like raw oatmeal, you can add a small amount of sweet corn flakes.
Composition: 2 g fat, 49 g carbohydrates, 24 g protein, 2 g of fiber, 306 calories.
Time to consume it: before your workout in the morning.
4. Orange protein shake recipe
1 scoop of whey protein (vanilla flavor)
1 cup of orange juice
½ cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
Mix all ingredients in a blender. This protein shake recipe uses only 100% orange juice (preferably fresh)
Composition: 43 g of carbohydrates, 1 g fat, 27 g protein, 2 g of fiber, 280 calories.
Consume in the morning before exercise.
5. Chocolate and nuts protein shake
1 scoop of whey protein (chocolate flavor)
1 cup of milk (skimmed)
½ cup almonds (grated)
½ chocolate bar crushed in pieces
Mix the protein and milk in a blender. Pour the grated almonds and chocolate chips on top. You need to actually eat the shake with a spoon, as nuts and chocolate almost immediately sink to the bottom.
Composition: 17 g fat, 41 g carbohydrates, 39 g protein, 8 g of fiber, 457 calories.
Consumption: before training.
6. Lemon protein shake recipe
1 scoop of vanilla whey protein
1 scoop of casein with vanilla flavor
1 cup of lemonade
Mix the lemonade with the protein in a tightly covered container. Shake the can for a better mixing of the ingredients. In the preparation of this shake it’s best not to use sweeteners (aspartame), but sugar.
Composition: 1 g fat, 65 g carbohydrates, 43 g protein, 0 g fiber, 445 calories.
Consumption: Take after a workout.
7. Mocha protein shake recipe
1 cup of hot coffee
2 tablespoons honey
1 scoop of whey protein (chocolate flavor)
All ingredients are mixed together in a blender. The shake can also be used in low-calorie diets, but without the honey.
Composition: 0 g fat, 36 g carbohydrates, 20 g protein, 0 g fat, 215 calories
Consumption: before exercise, morning, noon
8. Banana-peanut butter protein shake recipe
1 cup of of skimmed milk
1 scoop of whey protein (chocolate flavor)
1 small banana
1 tablespoon of peanut butter
Mix the ingredients in a blender. You can also add coconut oil in the shake (as long as the oil has natural flavors). Coconut oil, in turn, can be replaced by high-quality olive oil.
Composition: 16 g fat, 46 g carbohydrates, 37 g protein, 2 g of cellulose, 461 calories.
Consumption: before exercise, in the morning, in the afternoon.
9. Energy shake recipe
One cup of milk (1%)
¾ cup of oatmeal (instant), soaked in water
2 tablespoons vanilla yogurt, low-fat
2 scoops of whey protein with chocolate flavor
2 teaspoons peanut butter
6 ice cubes (crushed).
Composition: 4 g fat, 29 g carbohydrates, 12 g protein, 3 grams of fiber and 220 calories.
10. Strawberry protein shake
½ cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
One cup of milk (1%)
2 ML Whey Protein
2 teaspoons peanut butter
1 cup frozen strawberries
6 ice cubes (crushed).
Composition: 5 grams of fat, 26 g carbohydrates, 11 g protein, 3g fiber, 186 calories.
11. Banana and orange smoothie
1 banana
½ cup of low-fat vanilla yogurt
1/8 cup of frozen orange juice (concentrate)
½ cup of milk (1%)
6 ice cubes (crushed).
Nutrition: 2 g fat, 33 g carbohydrates, 8 g protein, 2 g fiber, 171 calories.
12. Berry protein shake
¾ cup skimmed milk
¾ cup of oatmeal (instant), soaked in skim milk or water
¾ cup frozen mixture of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.
2 scoops of whey protein
3 crushed ice cubes.
Composition: 1 g fat, 27 g carbohydrates, 7 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber and 144 calories.
13. Summer homemade protein shake
1 banana
2/3 cup of frozen strawberries
¾ cup of milk (1% fat)
2 ML vanilla whey protein
½ cup diced honeydew
120g low-fat vanilla yogurt
3 ice cubes (crushed).
Composition: 2 g fat, 39 g carbohydrates, 9 g protein 4 g fiber, 199 calories.
Protein shakes used by popular bodybuilders :
14. Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s protein shake
1 egg
2 cups milk
½ cup ice cream
½ cup of skimmed milk powder.
Mix all ingredients in a blender until you get a consistent liquid.
15. George Zangas protein shake
fresh fruit (berries, bananas)
300-350 g of fruit juice or whole milk
1-2 tablespoons of brewer’s yeast
2-3 scoops of protein powder
2-3 whole eggs
3-4 ice cubes.
First you need to blend the milk, fruit (juice) and the protein in a blender, then add the remaining ingredients and stir until smooth.
16. Steve Reeves‘ power drink
2 tablespoons of milk powder
400 grams of fresh orange juice
2-4 raw eggs
1 banana
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of gelatin.
All ingredients should be mixed in a blender until we get a smooth mass.
Finally we want to say a few words about the choice of protein shakes, and about the dangers of their excessive consumption. It is not necessary to use ingredients made by unknown manufacturers and dealers sold under the counter in the gym. There are cases when such products in addition to the protein concentrates contain amphetamines and anabolic agents.
If you are healthy the excessive amount of protein should not cause any health issues, although an extreme amount of protein in the diet is known put the kidneys under stress.
Quite a common stereotype is that protein shakes, unlike ordinary food can not be converted to fat, which, of course is not true. In the human body any energy substrates (including protein), can easily be stored as fat. This is why you should not go overboard with using these protein shakes.
