Are protein shakes right for you?

Protein should be the primary macronutrient in a stringent diet as it prevents muscle catabolism brought about in a hypocaloric state, and additionally is difficult to convert to fat, and is more satiating than other types of macronutrients per calorie.

Protein doesn't "add a ton of calories" -- it's very low calorie by volume. A protein shake made with milk is only several hundred calories, rather filling, and certainly beats a regular "smoothie" that's all carbs and fat.

Protein doesn't "increase the chances of losing weight while working out"... the only macronutrient that could be said for is carbohydrates for the short-term energy boost and insulin spike (which may or may not negate the entire benefit of exercising, calorie wise). Protein does make weight loss more successful, by preventing muscle catabolism and allowing one to actually gain muscle mass while on a diet. If you do not consume enough protein on a diet, at the end of it you will be physically weaker and have a lower metabolism from the decreased muscle mass.

The FDA guidelines for a "balanced" diet do not include enough protein for bodybuilding and preventing catabolism while dieting. (feel free to PubMed this) So no, you'll still probably need more protein than a "balanced diet" alone under most definitions of the term.

Don't simply add extra calories as protein shakes-- eliminate them from other sources. Cut down on the fat and carbs consumed in favor of protein. Optimally one should get at least 100g a day of carbs to maintain glycogen stores, but more than 50g of that shouldn't be fructose, as too much fructose will increase di novo lipogenesis and decrease fat oxidation, neither of which are good on a diet. I will assume most dieters have cut fat pretty significantly already.

It's your life and you can eat what you want, but given the choice between a smoothie that's going to probably not be particularly useful and a protein shake, I'll take the protein shake.

With that said, don't let protein shakes be the only thing on your diet either; protein from lean meat and dairy sources and heavy vegetable consumption is much healthier.

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I've gradually reduced my meat consumption over the last few years, and have been supplementing my diet with protein shakes to make sure I'm getting enough. I alternate between soy and whey protein in a variety of flavors, and add fruit, organic peanut butter, and sometimes extracts to keep them tasty and interesting. If you're cautious about the sugar content of the supplement and what you put into it, I think protein shakes can be a really great addition to your diet.

Kristen

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If you want to put on a decent amount of muscle (like a lot of guys do) chances are you'll need to drink protein shakes, because when you work out your body first uses protein and muscle fibres as energy sources - not fat! So if you work out and don't replace the protein in your body you are likely to be using your muscles as energy for working out, rather than fat stores (especially if you don't have that much fat on you). If you replace the protein then your muscles can increase in size.

Protein shakes have far more protein than regular food - and since regular food is likely to come with sugar and fat at the same time, shakes are a better way to go.

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