RecipesNutrition

Guide To Making Protein Shakes

Tom drinks protein shake

Gym workouts are synonymous with protein shakes. Ever wondered why? Let’s take a look at what’s so great about protein shakes when you want to build muscle, drop body fat, or smash your gym training goals.

 

Why is protein important?

Protein is one of the three macronutrients we get from food (the other two are fats and carbohydrates). Protein is an “essential” macronutrient, because our bodies can not store it. That’s why it’s so important that we get enough protein every day from foods, or from supplements like protein powder and protein shakes.

 

What does protein do?

Protein is considered the most important of the three macronutrients. Forget building muscle for a minute. Let’s talk about just keeping your body alive. Even if you never set foot in the gym, your body needs protein for all its organs, bones, muscles, and hormones. Protein shakes are part of a healthy lifestyle.

All protein is made up of amino acids, and these amino acids are the building blocks of all your body’s tissues – including muscle tissue.

 

Why is protein powder useful?

It might surprise you to hear us say it, but there’s nothing inherently magical about protein powder. It’s just a great source of high protein food. The reason gym goers love using protein powder is that it is packed with protein and convenient, portable, and easy to digest.

Your body needs a regular top up of protein throughout the day (remember how we said the body can’t store amino acids?) There’s nothing to stop you from eating whole food sources of quality protein throughout the day. But that really isn’t convenient, quick, or easy.

Protein shakes make it so easy (and tasty!) to get the precise amount of amino acids and protein your body needs. And protein powders have been specifically designed to deliver balanced nutrition, so all you need to do is scoop and mix.

Are protein shakes some kind of magical wonder food? No. But they are a very easy, convenient, and cost-effective way to give your body the protein it needs with no cooking or clean-up. That’s what we like to hear!

 

How much protein should you eat?

 

Your body needs a surprising amount of protein for muscle recovery, let alone grow new tissue. If your goal is lean muscle mass, strength, or fat loss, you should aim for 1.2g-2g protein per kg bodyweight.

60kg person = 72-120 grams of protein per day

70kg person = 84-140 grams of protein per day

80kg person = 96-160 grams of protein per day

 

You can see how a good quality protein powder will really come in useful when you want to hit your macronutrient numbers. Take PhD 100% Whey, which has 20g protein per scoop. Add two tasty shakes per day and all of a sudden, you’ve ticked off 40g of your daily protein intake (with minimal extra carbohydrates and fats – bonus!)

Chocolate Protein shake

How to make a protein shake

A cold refreshing protein shake is one of the tastiest pre- or post-training drinks you can have. But there’s more to making a protein shake than adding a scoop of powder to water in a shaker. Here are 3 of our favourite ways protein shake recipes to whip up a delicious taste sensation in seconds.

 

1: the smoothie recipe

Drinking your protein shake at home? Try this luxurious way of enjoying your favourite protein powder. Add cold water (or almond milk) and ice cubes to a blender. Blend for 20 seconds to break up the ice. Now add in your protein powder and blend again. If you want a slightly thicker smoothie with an ice-cream consistency, add a small pinch of xanthum gum thickener.

 

2: peanut butter protein shake

Peanut butter lovers rejoice, we’ve come up with the creamiest, nuttiest protein smoothie recipe that has amazing macros. Combine ice-cold water or almond milk, ice cubes, and peanut butter protein powder in a blender and whizz up until the ice is blended. Add a serving of healthy fats from a macro-friendly nut butter like PhD Smart Butter and blend again. Delicious!

 

3: the added extras

Feel free to add more ingredients to your protein shake, like your daily serving of creatine monohydrate. How about giving your protein shake a kick of caffeine by adding a shot of espresso and a few ice cubes? Or add Greek yoghurt, frozen fruit, or chia seeds to create your own high protein treat.

strawberry protein shake

What type of protein powder should you use?

 These days there is a protein powder for every goal, diet, and way of life. The most popular type of protein powder is whey protein, because of its superior bioavailability. Within the whey category, you can choose from whey protein concentrate (WPC) which is a great all-rounder, or whey protein isolate (WPI) which has been filtered even further to give an almost zero-fat and zero-carbohydrate whey.

But protein shakes go well beyond whey and all these shakes taste great. There are so many types of protein including dairy-free, plant-based, and low-fat. If you prefer to eat a plant-based diet, you can choose from a range of vegan protein powders including pea protein (which derives from split peas), soya protein, hemp protein, and rice protein. If you choose a plant-based protein powder, go for a blend rather than a single source so you benefit from a wider array of amino acids. PhD 100% Plant is a blended plant protein powder with 22g vegan protein per serving.

 

How many protein shakes a day?

There’s no limit to how many protein shakes you can drink a day, but obviously we support you eating a varied and healthy diet. As long as you are also getting enough fibre and healthy fats from real food sources (vegetables, fruits, whole grains) you can have 2-3 servings of protein powder a day. Protein powder is safe, healthy, and derived from natural sources (whey is a dairy by product, and vegan protein powders are from pulses, rice, beans, and seeds).

 

When to drink protein shakes

Protein shakes are a brilliant way to keep on top of your protein and amino acids nutrition goals at any time of the day. Most people choose to drink a protein shake straight after training, mostly because it’s more convenient to drink protein from a shaker than it is to prep and cook a meal. But you can have a protein shake or protein smoothie made with protein powder at any time of the day.

Lots of people like to pour ice-cold protein shake over their cereal, or mix protein powder into their oats for breakfast. A protein shake makes a great snack during the work day. And a quick protein shake is the easiest way to tick your macronutrient boxes at the end of the day.

You can also use protein powder in baking recipes, to create microwave mug-cakes, or blended with an egg and banana to make tasty and macro-friendly pancakes for your healthy lifestyle. A good quality protein powder is an awesome addition to any healthy living kitchen.

What kind of protein shake suits your goal, your routine, and your tastebuds best? PhD has a huge range of protein powders from whey to plant, keto to diet. Your only challenge will be choosing a flavour from our enticing range of delicious offerings!

Nicola is a specialist freelance copywriter for the fitness industry @thefitwriter