Protein is what makes us, us. It is pretty important to eat enough of it, as we need the amino acids to build the proteins we need. So when we eat protein, we break it down into amino acids, and use those amino acids to be assembled into the protein molecules that the particular cell or organ needs.
DNA is translated into protein and everything from your skin texture and even how you digest food, is a reflection of protein in your body. Your liver is capable of making 12 of the 20 core amino acids, and 8 need to come from outside sources. Animal protein is considered "complete" protein, because it has all 20 amino acids. Rice and beans are a "complete" protein, because what amino acids rice lacks, beans have. Quinoa is also considered complete, as well as a few other vegetarian combinations. Animal protein is generally preferred, and it is actually easier to absorb. In my case, I already eat a lot of animal protein in the form of grassfed beef, antibiotic free pastured chicken, and organic free range eggs...organic greek yogurt...yum.... So I generally try to get vegetarian shakes, because I don't think I need even more animal protein. I have used some whey protein in the past, and have a few recommendations for that as well.
Things I look for in a shake:
I also need affordable - Daniel and I, combined, make way under the average income in America. I pinch every penny I can find, into making healthy food a priority in our home. Yes, we still eat Pizza Hut too, don't judge ;) I buy most of our food at Bj's Wholesale or Aldi to save money, and buy my spices once a month through a co-op - and I go through a lot of spices! We don't have cable, we only have one car payment, we don't buy a lot of snack foods or soda/juice, and just stick to filtered water...you get the drill... So what I may consider affordable, you may not. So I will try to put price per serving in with each shake option.
I need healthy - if it is likely going to be 30% of my diet, it needs to be nutritious...infact, it might be the most nutritious thing I eat all day...it needs to be awesome.
I need it convenient - one of the main reasons I do shakes, is because I need something relatively low calorie, and high nutrition that is EASY. Sure, I can wake up, make myself eggs and spinach, and pull out the juicer and make myself fresh juice every morning...but I don't know about you, but "ain't nobody got time for that" in this house! Let alone the cost of that, can be quite pricey over time. Yes, I still eat eggs, for breakfast even, but it isn't often and certainly not before I tackle my busy day...which is every day...I need something I can easily mix in a blender bottle or my vitamix super fast, and GO!
I want it soy free- soy is linked to all kinds of hormonal problems...and if you follow my blog at all, you know already, that I have my own sets of hormone issues, and I really can't have any extra factors contributing to the issue(s).
Whey shakes:
You want a whey shake to be whey concentrate, not whey isolate. Whey isolate protein can have a lot of damaging effects to the body...Dr. Mercola explains a lot about it in this article. I think whey shakes should be organic and minimally processed...and once you step into that bracket, they become pretty pricey. Here are the ones I recommend -
Tera's Whey - ~2$ a serving for ~ 20g of protein. They have a bunch of different flavors, I LOVE their chocolate and their blueberry. They are NOT meal replacement shakes, though. If you want the other goodies in a meal replacement shake, then you need a blender to add goodness in. But if you just want straight protein, these are great for a blender bottle and some cold fluid!
Mercola Whey - ~3$ for ~20g of protein, depending on which shake you decide on. Dr. Mercola has some great products. If you sign up for newsletters, you can get some really great deals that the newsletters offer. If you buy in bulk, it is even better pricing. I have to laugh...there is a blogger called the Crunchy Dungeon, and he is hysterical...and he wrote this blog about Mercola and mentions his whey shakes, so I just need to reference that post of his, for your entertainment. I have never had it, but I have used a few other Mercola products and follow him avidly
Raw Organic Whey - ~2$ for ~20 g of protein. Oh man...this stuff. I LOVE this protein. LOVE it. It needs to be said how creamy and awesome this protein is. If you are a vegetarian that tries to avoid dairy, but really need some animal protein...this is the "whey" to go. It is just wonderful, and the company is awesome. It is very easy on the tummy, and again, delish. It is also available from Amazon. These are also not meal replacements, but with a little this or that, you'd be grand pretty quick.
Please note: there are other whey shakes that are good, or even better than I listed. I just have no desire to list them all for you. But I hope you do your research. MOST whey protein shakes are either all or mostly isolate protein, often have soy isolate protein (that super bad for you also) and/or other soy products, with junk artificial sweeteners, sugar, PUFA's, and a variety of other problematic ingredients. Most whey in shakes is not from organic or grass-fed sources. I'd say 90%+ of the whey shake market is garbage. Like, will do you more harm than good. Very popular, and oft touted brands are whey isolate based - Shakeology, doTERRA, Body by Vi(you can contact a rep, but you'll find they have lots of fancy words and isolate protein, and are outrageously expensive), Plexus, Usana...I'm sure you get the picture.
Vegetarian shakes:
These are much easier to find as "meal replacements", but you can find plain protein powders too. In this "realm", you have many options - rice, pea, chia, soy, lentil, quinoa, etc. as options, and many are combinations of those options. I prefer pea protein as the base, it isn't gritty and no strong flavors...rice seems gritty to me, I can ALWAYS taste the quinoa flavor, lentil is kind of gritty, I won't do any soy...as in, the shakes I use must be soy free!
Garden of Life RAW Meal- $1.50 for 20g of protein. They have a VARIETY of options that I have tried - raw meal, raw protein, FIT protein, and a whole ton of other products(their multivitamins are the best, as are their probiotics)...really can't say enough good things about this company...there is one catch...this raw meal, while incredibly healthy, is not...how can I say this...tasty? I mean, it isn't awful...they reformulated several months ago, and it is WORLDS BETTER, not so fibery, better taste and texture overall, more protein now too....but I just don't LOVE taking it...I don't think "man, I can't wait to get my shake!"...but it is super healthy, and very affordable, and their raw FIT protein is even better - a little more expensive, but better taste and tons of protein. I love that their raw meal comes with tons of vitamins and minerals, probiotics, etc....this is why I default to vegetarian protein powders...because you can get a very complete meal for less than the cost of the plain high quality whey... This is often on sale at my local health food store also, further reducing the price. I know Whole Foods discounts this from time to time also. As well as Vitamin Shoppe, and other carriers of this product!
22 Days Nutrition - $1.83-2.40 for 16g of protein. It is your basic protein - tasty, fine by itself, and great in smoothies. I am part of a co-op that I can get it for the 1.83 price, so it is nice to have on hand for the 1 or 2 smoothies I make a week. The strawberry flavor is excellent also. I make a mixed berry smoothie with it, chia, and spirulina and it is great. I don't love the price point, and I am looking into finding other simple protein options for a lower price.
Designer Protein Organic Pro 30 - $2.32 for 30g of protein. This one is my favorite right now...First of all, I need to tell you how awesome their customer service is. I had an issue with my order that they corrected at their expense and can't thank them enough. I do NOT, however, stand by all their products...they do use whey isolate in some of their other shakes and I only attest to Organic Pro 30 ones being great. I own both flavors that are available, chocolate and vanilla. I think the chocolate isn't chocolatey enough, but I just LOVE these shakes! They are creamy and smooth, instead of the typical fibery and gritty. I just use 4 oz of almond milk and 4 oz of water, in a blender bottle and CHUG them! I am just getting back into more hardcore lifting, and these are WONDERFUL additions to my diet! I love that they have fiber, probiotics, and protein too! I really feel like these are more the complete "meal" idea, without being full of calories and junk! Only 3g of sugar too! They are my go-to shake right now, and if you wanted to make the cost per serving less, you could do less of a scoop...not everyone needs 30g of protein for breakfast! I am hypoglycemic, so I am really appreciating that protein boost in my day!
Please note: Most vegetarian shakes are rice and/or soy based - soy isolate protein is common! Many are not non-gmo...and many of the ingredients in vegetarian shakes - alfalfa, soy, and corn, are OFTEN gmo, almost exclusively so. If you aren't getting organic shakes, you need to be getting non-gmo ones. GMO's are loaded with pesticides and when you dehydrate those pesticide-ridden foods, and concentrate them into a daily shake, you are getting LOTS more toxins than you probably would think...some people are more sensitive to them, than others. But they are still NOT GOOD for anyone. Just be informed, people.
I hope that sheds light on the protein shake idea...or at least, where I stand on it. I would love to hear your thoughts, or any helpful information! Thanks for reading,
In health,
Becca H.
