Not Just for the Body Builder: Protein Shakes You Can Make at Home
Whether you want to loose weight or build muscles: a lot of people use protein shakes. However, in ready-made powders there are a lot of chemical additives. The healthy alternatives to this are shakes made from natural ingredients. EAT SMARTER will show you how to easily make your own protein shakes.
All Star Protein: the nutrients in protein are not only a low-calorie filling food, they are also important building materials for our bodies, ensuring that the muscles and brain remain efficient. No wonder then, that many people rely on protein – whether to build muscle or loose weight. Popular sources of protein are protein shakes. While athletes drink them on top of a regular diet in order to cover their bodies increasing needs during training, people can also use them as a meal replacement during a diet.
Unfortunately ready-made protein shakes that you only have to mix with milk tend to be expensive. In addition, the nutrients (especially protein and vitamins) are produced artificially. Other ingredients include dyes and artificial flavors - which are anything but smart! Here, you can learn how to easily make protein shakes yourself. Then also, unlike the ready-made products, all the ingredients are of natural origin. Another bonus: You can choose the flavor of the shakes without being limited to standard flavors like vanilla, strawberry and chocolate.
Protein Shakes – The Basic Recipe
It is important that your drink contains the following three components:
- Protein: low-fat yoghurt or cottage cheese (150 g/5.3 oz)
- Carbohydrates: Oatmeal or carbohydrate-rich fruits such as bananas (approximately 100 g/3.5 oz)
- Fats: olive oil, nuts, or flaxseed (about 2 tablespoons)
So that the shake tastes good you can freely add fruit, honey and spices. You can customize the consistency with milk or water. As an inspiration we have put together four protein shakes for you to try. If none of these drinks are your taste, you can easily customize the basic recipe and adapt it to your personal preference.
Banana Protein Shake
Ingredients: 170 g/6 oz low-fat yoghurt, 1 banana, 400 ml/1.7 cups milk, 1 tablespoon honey, 3 tablespoons grated almonds
Preparation: Mash the banana with a fork and mix it with the low-fat quark. Now add the milk, honey and almonds and mix with a blender.
Berry Protein Shake
Ingredients: 150 g/5.3 oz low-fat yoghurt, 200 ml/ 6.7 oz apple juice, 5 tablespoons oatmeal, 100 g (frozen) raspberries (or whichever berry you prefer)
Preparation: Mix all ingredients and puree them with a blender.
Savory Protein Shake
Ingredients: 150 g cottage cheese, 3 tablespoons yogurt, 1 red bell pepper, 300 ml low-fat milk, 2 tablespoons olive oil, sweet paprika powder.
Preparation: Wash the bell peppers and cut them into small pieces. Mix them together with the cottage cheese. Then add the milk and olive oil. Puree and season at the end with paprika powder.
To Loose Weight: The Diet Protein Shake
If protein shakes part of a diet use them to replace a meal. In order to do this they must be filling, low in fat and low in calories - our protein shake satisfies these conditions without a problem:
Ingredients: 150 g/5.3 oz low-fat yoghurt, 350 ml/1.5 cups of water, 70 g/2.36 oz strawberries (or other fruit), and 1 tsp. honey
Preparation: Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix it with a blender.
Tip: All self-made protein shakes can be in the fridge for at least a day before going bad.
