Putting your preferred protein powder into water and chugging it is fine.
It’s fine. Everything is fine.
Let’s bump up your protein shake game by turning it into a smoothie! Adding fruit and blending your shake tastes great and you can get all the vitamins and fiber of the fruit–execllent. But what about making this a nutritionally dense smoothie that’s like a small meal? You don't need to cook to get nutrition. Yay for smoothies!
Start with your protein powder. Depending on the brand, the calories and macros vary, but let’s start with two scoops of Orgain Protein and call it 160 calories, with 21g of protein.
Next, add some fruit–that’s some fiber and good vitamins, and deliciousness.
After that, throw in a bit of fat: half an avocado, or half a tablespoon of coconut oil. This helps the smoothie to be smooth, and also adds nutrition with some calories that stick with you.
An alternative to those fats could be nut butter–just a bit of peanut butter or almond butter increases the protein and fat together. This is a good option for those who don’t like avocados. (I’ll eat it–more for me!)
Kefir or yogurt will also boost the protein in this smoothie, and will add the gut health benefits of fermentation.
Finally, consider adding some fiber in the form of chia seeds. They move slowly through your digestive system, helping you to feel full longer and helping your gut with the fiber.
If we build a smoothie that has:
Protein powder–chocolate flavor
Strawberries
Peanut butter
Plain kefir
Chia seeds
Raw spinach (just for fun and nutrition)
then we will have a smoothie with 35.5 grams of protein, 36 grams of carbs, and 12.1 grams of fat, plus all the vitamins and fiber from the strawberries, spinach, and chia seeds, the gut benefits from the kefir, and some serious get swole energy. Cold and delicious!
Please feel free to refer to the chart below for nutritional information for some smoothie additives, and enjoy that refreshing fuel!
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