If you are on a weight-loss routine, protein shakes are usually a great addition to your fat killing armament. They act gradually and subtly but produce effective and long-lasting weight loss result. Taking a well-prepared protein shake is usually a cheap alternative to complement other activities targeted at weight loss. Protein shakes have traditionally appealed to people who want to build more muscle, but it can also help those who want to get rid of some weight. Protein shake meals curb your appetite and help to keep you full for a longer period. The help you burn fat and also keep them at bay. However, just like every other thing people do for weight loss, doing things the wrong way could either show no effect or worse off — result in weight gain. To gain all the weight loss and fat burning benefits of a protein shake, you’ll need to make sure your protein shakes are prepared the right way. From using the best blenders for protein shakes to paying attention to the right mix of ingredients, we’ve put together some ways to ensure you are making your weight loss protein shakes the right way.
Sure, all good protein shakes are definitely protein-packed, but quite a large number of them come with extra baggage that may be counterproductive to your weight loss goals. Though there is a good array of choices to chose from, finding the right variety of protein shake powder could turn out to be quite challenging. For a lot of people, the gold standard for protein powders is whey protein. It’s popular, it protein-packed and it doesn’t taste terrible but whey protein isn’t particularly the best, at least if you’re primary concern is losing some weight. The issue with whey protein is that it is absorbed very quickly. That might be cool if it’s taken after some serious workout, but as a meal replacement, absorbing fast could become a recipe for disaster. Recent studies indicate that whey protein creates an insulin raising effect akin to that of white bread, which means you could hungry an hour or two after taking a whey-based protein shake. Becoming hungry that fast means you are probably going to consume much food in a shorter period of time; we all probably know what that could do to our weight loss goals.
Another popular protein powder is casein protein. This is unfortunately not quite optimal for weight loss targeted protein shakes. While casein protein absorbs relatively slower than whey, it also comes with a lot of baggage. Studies have shown that casein peptides behave quite similarly to gluten. In clearer terms, this means the can react with opiate receptors of your brain, leading to drug-like effects. Soy protein also has its problems, among which includes that most soy is genetically modified. Also apart from not being the best for weight loss; soy can also adversely affect your thyroid increasing the risk of breast cancer in women. The best option for protein powders when weight loss is the priority is a non-soy, nondairy protein powder, ideally, plant-based or defatted beef protein powder.
Also, it is quite important to avoid unnecessary sugar-packed ingredients in your protein shakes. Sugar and weight loss are not particularly the best of friends. Using high-sugar ingredients like sweetened but milk, dried fruit, and sugar-added almond butter as ingredients can easily turn your weight-fighting and healthy protein shake into a fat accumulating disaster. Excess sugar is very likely to cause weight gain because it is usually high in calories while offering few other nutrients. Most of them are called empty calories because they’re quite high in calories yet relatively low in nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and protein which your body needs to function optimally. Also, sugar-packed ingredients can negatively impact fullness and may push you to eat more meals throughout the day, ultimately leading to weight gain.
When choosing additional ingredients for your protein shakes, opt for low sugar ingredients. This way, you’ll have an easy, protein-packed and fat-blasting breakfasts in minutes that is sure to keep you full for hours. Similarly, if you take sugar-packed protein shakes frequently, especially those packed with a type of sugar called fructose, you can significantly increase the level of your body’s hunger-promoting hormones — ghrelin — while reducing that of appetite-suppressing hormones.
As a pro tip, using the best blenders for protein shakes would help ensure that all your ingredients are well blended exposing all the protein and other nutrients you need to stay fit and healthy. Best blenders for protein shakes generally have a decent blending power and blades strong enough to crush up all your ingredients without leaving unnecessary chumps behind.