I've heard a lot of buzz surrounding protein shakes in the past few years, so I decided to figure out just what they are and whether or not I should be drinking them, like everybody else seems to be doing. Protein shakes are just that -- shakes infused with protein, often in soy, egg or whey form. The shakes are often fruit smoothie-style -- at least the ones I've had have been. In theory, increasing your protein intake increases your chances of losing weight when you're working out.

Should you be consuming protein shakes? If you're a pro athlete, sure, but otherwise it's not really necessary. Adding protein to a smoothie adds calories -- lots of them. If you already have a balanced diet, that extra protein isn't necessary. As for weight-loss, it's a result of decreasing the number of calories you consume, but if you add a bunch of extra calories in the form of a protein shake, that kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

What are your thoughts on protein shakes? Have they helped you lose weight?

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