Protein shake in the morning instead of fruit?

YellowFeather

Hey all

I've been trying to get a fair bit of protein into my diet, but am finding it really difficult to get enough. I'd have fish for lunch and some kind of lean meat / quorn at dinner. I'm trying to shove eggs into my diet too - I like them, but would never think of eating them normally.

I don't have breakfast when I get up, but usually would have a banana and an orange around 10am when I'm in work. I know fruit was always championed as being good, but, the more I'm hearing about it, the more I hear about sugar, carbs, etc. I eat a lot of veggies, so I don't know if I really need the fruit.

I was thinking about having some sort of protein shake in the morning instead of the fruit. I'd want to have something, 'cause otherwise I'd be starving by lunch.

I keep getting told different things by different people - it seems like there's no right way!! Is this a good idea / bad idea do ye think?

ronanc15

Nothing wrong with having both, which would be addressing different areas. (Making an assumption here that your goal is weight loss)

Firstly to break your fast (from your nights sleep).
Secondly the shake will obviously help towards your protein intake.
Fruit will give some carbs/sugars (which will help with energy/fullness). Fairly minimal carb/sugar content, certainly wouldn't cut them out of my diet because of it. Average banana is roughly 20g carbs & 10-12g sugars.

IMO if you're worried about being too hungry by lunch try your shake in the AM & a bowl of porridge with a spoon of honey. Tasty, healthy, filling

the groutch

maybe mix your protein shake with milk instead of water, the lactose in the milk is a good natural form of sugar, or find a flavour that tastes ok when mixed with a fruit juice.

thegreatiam

YellowFeather wrote: »

I keep getting told different things by different people - it seems like there's no right way!! Is this a good idea / bad idea do ye think?

Cos there is no real right way. Having a shake like this is exactly how they are meant to be used, to supplement an existing diet.
Have a shake in the morning, banana at mid morning if you still need it. And can also have a shake or a banana in the afternoon if you cant get anything else in you.

the groutch wrote: »

maybe mix your protein shake with milk instead of water, the lactose in the milk is a good natural form of sugar, or find a flavour that tastes ok when mixed with a fruit juice.

Here is a great morning shake:
250 mls milk, protein powder. 1/2 banana, scoop of peanut butter.
adjust according to taste. add some flax seed too if you wish.

goes down a treat, will keep you feeling full and provides enough fat, carbs and protein you need til lunch.

or

ice cubes, handful of spinach, protein powder, water and some frozen berries.

(spinach can be added to most blended drinks without any overly bad taste effects, I have tried a few and yet to discover one that isnt dodgy. great way to get a little more greens in your diet.)

YellowFeather

Thanks guys. It's not really a weight thing - I'm just trying to increase my protein intake, and possibly decrease my sugar / carb intake. Once I have something between waking up and lunchtime, I wouldn't be hungry - I'm just trying to find the best something! :P I wouldn't be pushed about having a shake and fruit - I'm just trying to decide on what would be better, and I'm thinking increasing my protein would probably be more beneficial than whatever I get from the fruit - particularly as I eat so many veggies.

thegreatiam

YellowFeather wrote: »

It's not really a weight thing - I'm just trying to increase my protein intake, and possibly decrease my sugar / carb intake.

If you only want to increase your protein then just start eating more meats, fish and dairy.
Instead of fruit snack on nuts or beef jerky/biltong.
Greek yoghurt is high in protein.
start making food additions like that to your regular diet and you will get more protein easily.

eat chicken breast for lunch, 1 breast is around 30g. + 1 tin of tuna as a snack is 40g.

50g beef jerky snack, is another 25g.
that's near 100g of protein with very little effort.
Add an evening meal of steak, turkey or chicken and you can easily be over 150g in a day. These are the foods I would eat regularly but there are plenty of other ways.

you say its not a weight issue, so what is the reasoning behind wanting more protein?

If you want to increase muscle you'll need around 1g per 1lb of body weight, but you can go 40-50g over or under on any given day.

Col_Loki

I don't like preparing food in the mornings so I hard boil a load of eggs, stick them into a container and then into the fridge. I have a couple on my way to work and use them for snacks later in the day.

You can also scramble eggs in the microwave, only takes 2mins, very handy, very filling and very healthy!

That's how I get my eggs anyway.

wandatowell

Col_Loki wrote: »

You can also scramble eggs in the microwave, only takes 2mins, very handy, very filling and very healthy!

That my go to meal if feeling hungry. 2-3 eggs with a tiny dash of black pepper.

Lovely

Eggs are really a great breakfast. This morning I had an omelette of eggs, spinach, cherry tomatoes, and smoked salmon - couple of minutes to cook, couple of minutes to eat, full of goodness and will keep the hunger at bay!

If you particularly like the idea of having a shake/smoothie I recommend protein powder, water, small handfull of frozen berries, spoon of almond butter all whizzed togethether. It'll keep you going for a good while and is delish!

thegreatiam

Deleted User wrote: »

spoon of almond butter all whizzed togethether. It'll keep you going for a good while and is delish!

ever tried almond milk? lots of recipes ive seen suggest it. Ive never remembered to buy it. Sounds like it might taste nice. Wondering if it taste like almonds.

thegreatiam

thegreatiam wrote: »

ever tried almond milk? lots of recipes ive seen suggest it. Ive never remembered to buy it. Sounds like it might taste nice. Wondering if it taste like almonds.

Nope, never tried it.

Almond butter is yummy, cashew butter is nicer but I don't buy it because I would eat it alllllll.

YellowFeather

Cheers guys - loads of good advice!

The reason I want to increase protein is that I'm trying to balance out my diet. My diet is half good but half bad in that I eat plenty of veggies / chicken / Quorn and fish for lunch, but I still don't get enough fat or protein in and I definitely have been known to bulk up on pasta (sometimes spuds too, but mostly pasta) so I'm trying to swap protein and fats for sugar (fruits) and starch. This is all during the week now - weekends are a completely different story! :P

Whoopsiadaisy - your shake sounds yummy. I'm a big fan of almond butter. I think I'll give that one a go first! Is there any kind of protein powder you would recommend? The omelette sounds even better really but I know myself, I will sacrifice breakfast for an extra ten minutes in bed every time.

thegreatiam - we were actually only talking about almond milk today. Apparently it's not particularly nice at all. The girl who tried it (who would be a big fan of the butters and the like) said it tasted quite oil slicky and not for her at all.

Sprog 4

thegreatiam wrote: »

ever tried almond milk? lots of recipes ive seen suggest it. Ive never remembered to buy it. Sounds like it might taste nice. Wondering if it taste like almonds.

I found it to be quite like normal skimmed milk in taste, maybe a bit sweeter with a very subtle almond taste. I doubt I would use it regularly as it was 3 times the price of normal skimmed.

I use a strawberry flavoured protein powder so the shakes are really tasty.