Why do people drink protein shakes?

[Braede]

I’m somewhat new to the dieting and health world. I’ve lost around 20 pounds with probably 25 to go. I’ve accomplished it by just following a three meal a day diet plan. Switched to whole grain and reduced alcohol.

But obviously there’s no denying everyone is obsessed with protein right now. And protein shakes. I jog for around 10 mins so assume my protein needs aren’t massive. And as a meat eater I am probably doing ok.

But can someone explain why a person would choose to have a protein shake over a chicken salad say. Or scrambled eggs?

My sister suggested I buy some as she saw some on offer but in my mind I prefer just to eat a meal as otherwise I would feel very hard done by and therefore much more likely to pig out.

Is it convenience?

Is it to do with muscles? As I know lifting is a lot more popular now

Do they keep you fuller for longer than a meal would? Just want to know if I’m missing a trick.

I’m a marathon runner and do use them to up my intake. Although I’m not vegetarian I don’t eat much meat and i definitely don’t want to eat more than I already do

protein shakes are convenient and easy to absorb

I do agree they are a bit faddy though. Our Sainsbury’s now has a massive section dedicated to them

Let us know how you get on 😊 I can’t stand them and I need to chew to be full but if I add an apple then psychologically I feel better about it.

Compare to your poached eggs on toast and you might find they are similar nutritionally.

I do eat alpro protein yoghurt for breakfast a few times a week. Usually with berries. They are delicious 😋

It’s probably the most processed thing I eat. I do mostly eat whole foods and get my protein from tofu, lentils, beans and chickpeas as well as wholegrains and veggies.

I’d be cautious of things that are labelled “high protein” but aren’t in reality. Bars are typically oats and fillers. Stick to meat over gimmicks and a protein shake to hit the rest.

I have to admit I’m a bit confused now
about the messaging around protein.

I did subscribe to the ‘aim for at least 1.6/ 2gm of protein per kg of body weight’ as I weight lift.

But recently lots of nutritionists and dieticians are speaking out against this protein trend. Claiming there’s lots of misinformation out there from influencers who are PTs and not trained in nutrition. They say most people get enough protein and we should be focusing on fibre…

I was a big fan of Stacy Sims but she just keeps upping the protein amounts she recommends. Now she says 40g straight after weights. Another article I read says it doesn’t matter at what time of day you eat the protein abs long as you eat enough. There is no ‘window’ after working out we need to hit.

Anyway there is no way I’m getting 40g after a workout. I eat before and have Greek yoghurt, nuts and seeds. I pop a little scoop of natural bone broth based protein powder in my coffee. Then I figure I’m at around 30g for breakfast. Then I relax for the rest of the day and just try to include some protein at each meals and snacks but I’m not obsessive about it anymore..

Trying to refocus on fibre now as most people don’t actually eat enough of that.

I’m perimenopausal, vegetarian, losing weight and do lots of strength training. I eat well, lots of whole foods but I just can’t hit my protein goals without a bit of help. I use single ingredient powders (just whey or pea protein) without sugar/sweeteners or any other additives as I do try to avoid too much UPF.

Agree with a PP that we should also be focussing on fibre - I find that one a lot easier as I eat a lot of veg, pulses and whole grains

Well done on your weight loss OP.
I am on a diet of 1550 calories and need to have 100g of protein today.
I sometimes have a shake if I haven’t reached my protein goal but am close to my calorie goal.
I don’t like milk so I buy clear protein drinks that are more like a squash.
If you are looking to do strength training increasing your protein will help your strength.

What brand of clear protein drinks do you all like?

The Fast 800 one tastes nice but doesn’t have as much protein as the MyProtein one. I have watermelon flavour My Protein, it tastes ok but will try another flavour next time. I don’t drink it everyday only on days when I haven’t eaten much protein to top me up.
i don’t recall my mother checking to see if she’d eaten enough protein. We do have far too much to worry about!

When I was working with a PT my allowance was like 1800 cals, 30% of which needed to come from protein. Thats a lot of protein! Its quite hard to consume from animal and dairy, and also quite hard not to go over the calorie allowance. So I'd have 10g of protein powder in overnight oats. When I was bulking at say 2000 cals I'd have 20g, and a 10g protein fluff snack (Yoghurt mixed with powder and some rice cakes). Really it just keeps you slightly fuller.

Since I stopped training as much I may occasionally have a drink like Huel but only rarely as its no substitute for food. Its just if I'm not hungry, am busy etc. If I don't have something my focus drops massively, I really notice my Adhd ramps up. Probably more likely to eat a really UPF protein bar with a sandwich - these are terrible and I need to stop them and plan better! Just bad planning.

I just use Bulk Pea Protein isolate powder unflavoured as it seemed the least harmful. Tastes rank but OK if you add cacao powder, cinnamon, ginger, Yoghurt, blueberries etc.

Where I am, a lot of people track their macros and drink protein shakes when they're not hitting their protein intake from food. I use pea protein for mine.

Had one today. It was ok. It had a bit of a chalky taste and mouth feel which wasn’t overly pleasant. I was surprised how it kept me going between breakfast and dinner. But I was definitely more peckish than I ordinarily would be if I stuck to my normal lunch of tuna toastie (brown bread)