Since Nogii have known that a high protein diet can help me lose fat and build muscles, Nogii have tried to consume 1-2 protein shakes a day.
At first, Nogii tried a protein shake from whey protein powder with milk and ice. And its taste was disgusting. So, Nogii kept experimenting to get some tastier shakes to drink every day.
After several trials and errors, Nogii is here to tell you about how to make a protein shake with protein powder in a few minutes.
Before going into the detailed recipes, let’s get some information about the protein shakes.
What is a protein shake?
Protein shakes are health supplements to increase your daily protein intake. A classical protein shake is a mixture of water or milk with protein powder. Besides, you can always add fruit, chocolate to make the shakes tastier as long as you maintain the low portion of sugar.
There are several popular types of protein powder:
- Whey
- Casein
- Soy
- Pea
- Hemp
Among the five types of protein powder, whey and casein are the most common because they contain all the amino acids our body needs. The difference between them is that our body absorbs whey more quickly and efficiently than casein.
What do protein shakes do?
Let’s go into details the benefits of consuming protein shakes.
Weight Loss
This is the main reason why I start drinking these health supplements. Protein shakes help me get the energy I need while reducing fat quickly, especially belly fat.
Protein shakes help to lose belly fat fast / Source: Pixabay.
Muscle growth
Protein shakes also help to strengthen our muscles. Just after a few weeks, my muscles became much firmer.
Added nutrition
Besides protein, you can absorb a lot of different minerals, vitamins based on the ingredients you mix with protein powder.
If you practice exercises and drink protein shakes daily, you will see your body change a lot in just 3-4 weeks.
Banana Protein Shake
Banana Protein Shake is my first successful shake. And it is one of the yummiest protein shakes I’ve ever tasted. You can easily make it at home within 5 minutes.
Let’s make a protein shake with banana / Source: Pixabay.
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1-2 ripe banana (cut into small cubes)
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
- Ice cubes
Instructions
- Step 1: Add the milk, yogurt, vanilla protein powder, banana, ground cinnamon, and ice cubes in the blender.
- Step 2: Blend until everything is well mixed.
Nutritional Facts
It is so easy to make this protein shake. It is also a healthy breakfast that provides the energy you need for a day. Let’s calculate the calories together.
- Unsweetened almond milk: 40 calories
- Greek yogurt: 140 calories
- Vanilla protein powder: 111 calories
- 1 ripe banana: 105 calories
So in total, you will have 396 calories per serving. If you are an active person, you can get more calories by adding more bananas.
Strawberry Protein Shake
If you are asking “What to mix protein powder for weight loss?”, strawberry is the ingredient you are looking for. That’s because strawberry contains a host of vitamin C which helps detox our body and reduce fat.
Now, let’s find out how to make strawberry protein shakes with water.
Strawberry – the best ingredient for a protein shake / Source: Pixabay
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup of raw spinach (optional)
- 2 cups of fresh strawberries
- 1 scoop of whey protein powder
- 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
- 30 grams of chopped walnuts
- Ice cubes (optional)
Instructions
- Step 1: Add spinach, strawberries, whey protein powder, and yogurt in the blender.
- Step 2: Slightly add 15 grams walnuts, and ice cubes then blend.
- Step 2: Add the rest of the walnuts and mix everything until the shake is smooth.
Nutritional Facts
So how many calories in protein shake? In total, you will get 488,5 calories from
- Raw spinach: 7 calories
- Fresh strawberries: 98 calories
- Whey protein powder: 110 calories
- Plain low-fat yogurt: 77 calories
- Walnuts: 196,5 calories
Chocolate Protein Shake
A chocolate protein shake is especially for chocolate lovers like me. It tastes like creamy and tasty chocolate ice cream!
Let’s try chocolate protein shake / Source: Pixabay.
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter
- 1 fresh ripe banana (if you don’t have one, cut the frozen banana into large chunks)
- 1 scoop of chocolate whey protein powder
- Ice cubes
Instructions
- Step 1: Add all ingredients in the blender, starting with the almond milk.
- Step 2: Blend until smooth.
- Step 3: Add more ice if you prefer a thicker shake or more milk if you prefer a thinner one.
Nutritional Facts
Does this chocolate protein shake bring enough calories you need? Let’s calculate together.
- Unsweetened almond milk: 40 calories
- Ripe banana: 105 calories
- Peanut butter: 94 calories
- Chocolate whey protein powder: 140 calories
Summing all the calories intake, we will have 379 calories for a delicious chocolate protein shake.
Carrot Protein Shake
The taste of carrot protein may be strange when you first drink it. But you will soon fall in love with its flavor. Also, this protein shake has minimal amount of fat and sugar, so it is extremely healthy for your health.
Why don’t you make a protein shake from a carrot? / Source: Pixabay.
Ingredients
- 1 cups of unsweetened almond milk
- 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
- 1 carrot
- 20 grams of walnuts
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- Ice cubes
Instructions
- Step 1: Cleanse the carrot and shred it. Then chop the walnuts.
- Step 2: Add the milk in the blender, then the shredded carrots, walnuts, vanilla protein powder, yogurt, and ice cubes. Also, add the cinnamon for a yummy protein shake.
- Step 3: Blend until it is smooth.
Nutritional Facts
This veggie protein shake will provide the energy you need to begin a day or recharge after a workout. But how many calories will it provide?
You will have:
- 40 calories from almond milk
- 220 calories from vanilla protein powder
- 25 calories from carrot
- 130,8 calories from walnuts
- 70 calories from yogurt
So in total, you will have 485,8 calories – the energy you need to begin a day, right?
Things to remember
Protein shakes are health supplements that you should add to your diet. However, to get the best advantages of these health supplements, you need to remember a few things below.
Understand your health condition and goal
Depend on your health condition and goal, you will need the different protein shakes to consume the right amount of protein.
According to the US Food and Nutrition Board, an average adult needs to consume 0.8g of protein per kg of body weight. If you want to develop your muscles, you’ll need to increase this number. The recent research also shows that 2.2g of protein per kg of body weight is our limit.
Understand what protein shake is
Of course, protein shakes provide the protein your body needs. However, you should never replace your meals with protein shakes since you may be lack of other essential nutrients.
Get the right place to buy protein powder
Always check the information of the protein powder carefully before purchasing. One time, I was cheated to buy low-quality chocolate whey protein powder at a high price. What an awful experience! So if you are looking for places to buy protein powder, you can check my previous article about where to buy protein powder online. It will help you find what you need.
Wrapping Up
Now you have known how to make a protein shake with protein powder. Let’s try my recipe at home and share with me your experiences. Wait for my next articles because I will show you more and more useful information about how to choose protein powder as well as how to use them effectively.
