People drink protein shakes for multiple purposes, including weight loss, muscle gain, and injury recovery. While several foods provide you with a lot of protein — such as meat, eggs, milk, poultry, and legumes — protein powders and shakes, have become a high-quality, popular source of this nutrient.
If you wonder whether these shakes will provide you the results you want, you are not alone.
Protein shakes are a dietary supplement
According to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), dietary supplements are products that contain a dietary ingredient, such as minerals, herbs, vitamins, and amino acids [1].
In this case, protein shakes give amino acids, also called the building blocks of proteins [2].
Dietary supplements come in several forms, from capsules to powders to liquids. While we may find ready-to-drink protein shakes in liquid form, we can also buy protein supplements in powder form [3].
Several types of powdered protein supplements are available from either plant – or animal-based sources.
For example, the most prominent animal-based protein powders are casein and whey, both usually extracted from cow’s milk. Moreover, if you have a milk allergy, egg white protein can be a proper choice [4].
As for well known plant-based proteins, you can take your pick from pea, soy, rice protein, or hemp. Lastly, as their name suggests, dietary supplements are meant to help us enhance or complete our diet.
Overall, protein shakes can come in handy when we don’t have high-quality protein sources available or simply can’t reach our daily protein requirements through food alone.
Believe it or not, bananas and chocolate make for an excellent combination. Not only do they make our protein shake super healthy, but they also add excellent taste.
For this homemade protein shake, Add ten almonds, ¾ cup milk, ½ cup yogurt, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, one banana cut into chunks, ¼ cup cooked quinoa, and one tablespoon of cocoa powder in a blender and blend away your tasty drink.
Quinoa consists of all the essential amino acids and is a fantastic source of plant-based complete protein. You may even use amaranth seeds instead of quinoa.
[Read: List of High Protein Shakes]
The phytonutrients in the apple can help maintain our blood sugar levels under control. Pair it up with oatmeal and milk for a thick breakfast protein shake that will keep us full for a long time.
This amazing protein-loaded smoothie is an excellent replacement meal and one of the best post-workout homemade protein shakes.
This is gluten-free and dairy-free, packed with protein, and tastes terrific. Adding strawberries or blueberries (or both) makes the consistency thicker and complements the taste.
[Read: Best Meal Replacement Shakes]
If you’re really into weight loss along with muscle building, try this homemade protein shake with raw eggs. But be sure you get excellent quality eggs.
Mix half an avocado, one raw egg (with yolk), 1/2 cup milk (you can even use coconut milk), one teaspoon honey, one banana, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Place all the ingredients in a blender. Blend well and serve.
For this homemade green protein shake, you can combine spinach leaves, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or any kind), 1/2 cup pineapple bits, 1/2 cup mango chunks, 1 Tbsp flax seeds, 1/2 a banana, 1 Tbsp chia seeds, and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and serve immediately.
This protein shake is suitable for all bitter chocolate lovers. It tastes sweet (but not extremely sweet) and is an instant mood booster and aromatic. The ingredients make it an excellent source of protein as well.
This smoothie is a splendid source of protein. Use this as a post-workout meal to reap its usefulness.
The ideal time to gulp down this power booster is after a workout because that’s when our body needs instant nutrition for growth and muscle recovery. But we must consume it within half an hour to 45 minutes of our workout.
This window is very vital because protein uptake is faster immediately after a workout. We can also have it 30 minutes before our activity to energize ourselves and boost our stamina.