Shake Your Fats Off with Protein Shakes

The best whey protein shakes all share a few things in common; they’re nutritious, delicious, and convenient. Whey protein, as we’ve previously discussed is the most complete protein source available. It has more complete proteins than even egg whites or beef. This means you’re consuming a low fat, easily digestible, easily mixable, high protein source. It doesn’t get much better than that for those who pay attention to health.

Protein is an incredibly important macronutrient, and most of us in the West know this quite well. What we rarely think of however is that it isn’t easy to meet our daily protein requirements without also consuming excessive carbohydrates or fat. When you go to a restaurant, protein is surrounded by all those delicious high calorie foods like white breads, French fries, and pastas. It’s like high glycemic carbs are the only adornment of lean meats. And eating at home is tough enough. It’s time consuming to prepare healthy meals, let alone high protein meals that taste good enough to eat.

Whey protein shakes bypass this relative dietary inconvenience by allowing you to combine pure protein with delicious, highly mixable low fat fruits and vegetables. This should not be our main source of nutrition, but 1 to 3 whey protein shakes a day as a meal supplement and a couple mid day snacks is highly recommended. It incorporates all the vitamins and macronutrients of a full meal, but doesn’t sit in your stomach for hours and can be consumed even when not hungry.

And this is important for those who are looking to lose weight, because infrequent eating is the leading cause of a poor metabolism. If your body is fed regularly, every 3 to 4 hours, in moderate quantities, then your body will not have to work through large meals and store excess calories as fat. Furthermore it will prevent energy crashes which exacerbate this starvation mechanism, the body’s proclivity to retain body fat rather than use it for energy. Most people think calorie reduction and infrequent eating is the key to weight loss. And this will work for a few weeks…until they’ve downgraded their metabolism and now cannot deviate from their low calorie diet without putting on weight immediately.

Whey protein shakes are the ideal solution to this dietary paradox. It removes the guilt of stuffing your face all day, and it keeps your body satisfied and your metabolism high. Those looking not to lose weight but to gain weight will find whey protein shakes are a very convenient way to meet high protein needs. It’s easier than eating tough meal replacement protein bars, and shakes can be prepared in advance and drunk throughout the day. This is an easy way to grab an extra 60 to 120 grams of protein a day without forcing yourself to eat all day long.

And now to the incredible banana tofu whey protein shake. This turns the traditional conception of a shake on its head, and it was happened upon by my girlfriend last week. Rather than using ice cream, ice, or yogurt to add thickness and taste to the shake, she used soft tofu. I too was skeptical at first, but it turned out to be a glorious discovery, and one that provides multiple protein sources, combining the soy protein in tofu with the best whey protein powder. In addition to this mix, she added a banana and kiwi juice.

That’s it. It’s simple, very nutritious, and very delicious. If it’s lacking in anything, it’s fat. You could always pop a few almonds on the side, or look for tofu with a bit more fat in it to put you in the zone. But this has high protein content, and simple sugars from the banana and kiwi juice, making this an excellent pre or post workout shake. Simple sugars pre workout are great for an immediate energy boost, and post workout are great to replenish energy stores and pack the muscles with glycogen for the next day’s session. Best protein shakes pre workout keeps the body from breaking down muscle for energy, and post workout helps repair muscle broken down from a hard lifting session.

So this recipe for two servings of the incredible banana tofu whey protein shake, which is far from solidified, looks something like:
1 package soft tofu
1 or 2 bananas
2 to 3 scoops of whey protein powder
½ cup to 1 cup kiwi juice (depending on how thick you like it)