Protein is one of the most famous and widespread sports supplements. Athletes actively use it for muscle growth and to preserve them during drying. Protein sports nutrition is useful not only for professional athletes, but also for ordinary people who work out in the gym for themselves. But not everyone trusts industrially produced powder; many prefer to prepare healthy cocktails on their own. It is easy to make such a drink from ordinary products.
Beneficial properties of protein shakes made from natural products
If the daily menu of a person involved in sports does not contain the required amount of protein, the training will not bring the expected result, since the body will not have time to regain strength. To fully restore muscles, you need a sufficient amount of amino acids, which provide them with material for construction. They can only be obtained from protein. Consuming protein shakes increases the speed of regeneration processes and creates the necessary conditions for the growth of muscle tissue.
The advantage of a protein shake prepared at home is that you are allowed to choose the ingredients yourself. This allows you to optimize the composition of the drink to suit the needs of the body. You can add different types of protein, increase or decrease the proportion of complex or simple carbohydrates.
Homemade protein shakes are made from readily available ingredients. They are almost completely free of fats and simple carbohydrates, which means there are no unnecessary calories. This drink is an excellent snack for women who are losing weight. A homemade protein shake can also be used as a substitute for dinner, as it fully saturates the body with all the necessary nutrients and does not overload the digestive system with a significant amount of dense food.
A cocktail prepared at home allows you to be confident in the quality of the products used for it. There is no chance of purchasing a fake or having harmful components in the composition, as when buying industrially produced protein powder.
Who should drink the cocktail?
The use of this type of liquid will be useful for anyone who wants to limit the intake of carbohydrates and fats. As is known, protein is an important component for the formation of energy within the body, the structure of the cell membrane, and the support of hemostasis within the body
It is especially important for building and restoring muscles.
Therefore, protein is recommended for people who are involved in hard work, but at the same time want to maintain their figure, for example: loaders, builders, blacksmiths, etc., and not just professional athletes. But what processes occur at the physiological level during protein consumption?
A protein shake is pure protein, although it is presented in liquid form. At the very beginning, the digestibility of such a compound will occur much faster than solids (for example, meat). Once in the blood, the protein will rush to the muscle fibers that require amino acids, since after a heavy load microcracks form in the muscles that need regeneration.
Main Ingredients
The protein component of a homemade protein shake can be milk, egg white or low-fat cottage cheese:
- Milk must be purchased with a small percentage of fat. People who are forced to follow a strict diet should take into account that it contains lactose, which has a high glycemic index. Therefore, in such circumstances, it is better to abandon milk altogether and replace it with water.
- You can add any cottage cheese if it is suitable in terms of BJU content and calorie content.
- Egg white is well absorbed by the body and contains many essential amino acids. To prepare drinks, it is allowed to use simple chicken eggs or a ready-to-use pasteurized liquid product in bottles.
Egg white
If you need to take protein at home for muscle growth, then you need to add carbohydrates to it. It is best to use oatmeal. They are an excellent source of complex carbohydrates and have a low glycemic index and low calorie content. Oatmeal flakes ground in a coffee grinder will make the drink thicker and more satisfying.
You can add some simple carbohydrates to your shake for morning use or immediately after training. For this purpose, it is necessary to use natural products: honey, berries or fruits. They will give the drink a more pleasant taste and add fiber for high-quality absorption.
To make the drink sweeter, it is recommended to add a sweetener - stevia or aspartame in small volumes.
To increase the calorie content, you can add a few crushed walnuts, peanuts or almonds to the cocktail. They contain significant amounts of healthy fatty acids.
Peanut butter is allowed as a substitute for nuts, but it must be measured on a scale. By adding a product “by eye”, you can make a mistake and exceed the permissible calorie content.
PLANT PROTEIN
When we talk about vegetable protein, we most often mean one of its most popular varieties - soy. Although you can find other types, for example: rice, pumpkin, pea, oatmeal, sunflower and their mixes. But soy protein is the most popular due to its complete amino acid composition, as well as the absence of gluten, lactose, cholesterol and hypoallergenic properties. Soy protein contains the same amount of fat as whey isolate. It, like other plant protein (protein), is great for vegans/vegetarians, as well as for athletes during religious fasting. From the observations of athletes, it was noted that the absorption of soy protein in the gastrointestinal tract is more difficult than milk protein, so its use is recommended to be short-term - about 2-3 weeks, so as not to harm digestion. Or mix it with casein or whey protein. Soy protein is especially valuable for women, especially during menopause. It contains soy isoflavones, which have a very beneficial effect on the immune system, the course of menopausal symptoms, the cardiovascular system, skin condition, general well-being, mood, libido, and also reduce the risk of neoplasms of various origins. Contents in 1 serving (30 grams): proteins – 23-27 grams; fats – 0.2-1 g; carbohydrates – 1.5-2 g; Kcal – 116-120.
Soy protein (isolate), 500 g, Orgtium
690 ₽
Dietary supplement NOT A MEDICINE
Drink Recipes
To gain muscle mass, the drink you consume must contain not only protein, but also a lot of complex carbohydrates. Therefore, it is useful to add a significant portion of oatmeal to it, having first crushed them in a coffee grinder. A little simple carbohydrates won’t hurt, so you can add berries, fruits or natural honey.
All components for the cocktail must be mixed until a homogeneous consistency is obtained. The easiest way to do this is with a blender. If you need to take the drink with you, you can pour it into a shaker for convenience.
For gaining muscle mass
Protein drink recipes for muscle growth:
| Name | Ingredients | Amount of protein | Time of receipt |
| Milk-oat with strawberries |
| 35 g | After training |
| Banana with walnuts and honey |
| 35 g | Instead of a snack |
| Milk curd with raspberries |
| 50 g | For the night |
| Milk curd with banana |
| 22 g | In the morning instead of breakfast |
| Kefir with jam |
| 25 g | After intense exercise |
| Yogurt with orange juice |
| 8 g | In the morning instead of breakfast |
When losing weight
When losing weight, you should follow a low-carbohydrate diet. The fat content in the diet should also be minimized: its amount cannot exceed 1 g per kilogram of body weight. Therefore, a protein drink for people losing weight should contain a lot of proteins, and the carbohydrate content in it should be kept to a minimum. Such protein shakes are recommended for girls who are losing weight, as they allow them to maintain a slim figure.
DIY protein drink recipes for weight loss:
| Name | Ingredients | Amount of protein | Time of use |
| Protein with jam |
| 30 g | After intense exercise |
| Curd with oat flakes and fresh berries |
| 30 g | After waking up instead of breakfast |
| Curd with blueberries |
| 40 g | Before bedtime |
| Curd with cinnamon |
| 33 g | Before bedtime |
| Kefir with nuts and sprouted wheat |
| 23 g | After training |
Making your own protein supplement at home
How is protein produced and how to take it correctly. How and from what to make this supplement yourself.
For most athletes, protein intake is the only way to achieve high athletic performance, increase muscle mass, increase endurance and strength. However, few people know how to make whey protein at home and how simple it is. Let's look at this point in more detail.
Professional production
First, let's remember the main stages of protein production. So, after curdling the milk, whey is formed, which is the basis for the future sports supplement. It contains proteins, lactose, minerals and lactalbumin. But the serum cannot be used in its usual form; subsequent processing is necessary.
First, a pasteurization procedure is carried out. After this, the composition is subjected to one of the types of filtration (microfiltration, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis or nanofiltration). At the end of the process we get protein. But that's not all. The intermediate product goes through the stage of concentration and spray drying. Only after this the finished powder is packaged in bags (jars) and sent to store shelves.
Dosage and time of administration
In the morning, it is advisable to sweeten the protein shake prepared at home a little by adding glucose to it. If taken at night, it is better to exclude carbohydrates from the composition altogether, giving preference to pure proteins with slow digestibility.
If you want to make a truly effective protein powder, try not to mix the powder with cold liquid. The optimal temperature is about 37 degrees Celsius. In this case, the stomach will happily accept the protein prepared at home and quickly absorb it.
The maximum volume of a cocktail drunk before classes should not exceed 300 ml. In this case, you need to carefully study the composition for the presence of lactose.
If you have an intolerance to this component, then it is advisable to take the protein with extreme caution. In case of individual intolerance, it is better to refuse to take the powder.
In addition, after classes you don’t have to limit yourself to just protein made at home. You can supplement your diet with fast carbohydrates, which will help restore energy and help protein be absorbed faster. For example, it is acceptable to eat baked goods, cookies or candy.
In addition, it is advisable to prepare the composition for use early in the morning, between meals and at night. In the first two cases, it is better to drink whey protein (it is absorbed faster by the body), and at night - casein or soy protein.
Making your own supplement
It turns out that you can prepare a protein mixture at home from available products. All that is needed is a little knowledge and patience. So, the process of making sports nutrition is very simple. It is necessary to prepare 10-15 domestic eggs and separate the whites from the yolks. In this case, put the protein (that is, white) in one container, and the yolk in another. It is worth adding another ¾ of warm water to each of them. For better taste of the future composition, you can add pepper and salt.
The mixture obtained at home must be stirred, poured into a saucepan and kept on low heat for a certain time. The composition must be stirred throughout the cooking process to avoid burning. When the protein begins to coagulate, the remaining liquid must be strained through a sieve (you can use gauze), and the resulting mixture must be transferred to a separate bowl.
Essentially, this is a protein made at home from egg whites. What to do with the yolks? Essentially, it’s the same thing you did with protein – the technology doesn’t change a bit. By the way, many athletes prefer not to separate the whites from the yolks, but to cook everything together. It is believed that this way you can get a more high-calorie and healthy composition.
conclusions
As you can see, making a protein mixture at home is easy. At the same time, you can eat not only a ready-made mixture purchased in a store, but also a protein mixture prepared with your own hands. Good luck.
Time of receipt
If the cocktail is intended to restore strength after intense exercise, then you should drink it after finishing your workout a quarter of an hour later. The drink will provide the body with enough protein to build muscle fibers. To prevent catabolic processes that destroy muscles, it is better to drink protein drinks 30-40 minutes before training.
For people gaining muscle mass, it is recommended to take extra protein in the morning. The body needs nutrients after waking up. To preserve muscle tissue, you need to drink a serving of protein before bed.
On non-training days, cocktails should be consumed as a snack when it is not possible to eat normal food. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the person’s body weight and his body’s need for protein in order to determine the number of servings.
Side effects on the body
Excessive use of protein in the diet can lead to complications in vital organs.
Eating large amounts of protein changes the osmotic pressure of the blood, affecting kidney function. The consequences can be very serious, including the formation of calcium stones. Some people may experience intestinal cramps and constipation. It is very difficult for the small intestine to absorb amino acids, despite their vital necessity. The pancreas is under stress as it releases hormones that break down the protein component into amino acids.
Third method
For this method, take ½ cup of almonds, cashews and pistachios and ½ teaspoon of nutmeg, saffron and turmeric powder. Fry almonds, cashews and pistachios in a pan and wait until they cool completely. Similarly, dry a little saffron in a frying pan and wait until it changes color. Mix all the ingredients in a blender and add turmeric and nutmeg powder to the mixture. Mix the ingredients again until everything is evenly mixed. The powder may be a little sticky. This mixture goes best with milk.
Cooking recommendations
Let's move on to how to make protein at home.
The simplest option:
- 250-350 ml milk
- 2-3 tablespoons cottage cheese
- 1 banana
Once everything is thoroughly mixed in a blender, you will get 20-25 grams of protein and 25 grams of carbohydrates, for a total calorie content of 300-350 kcal.
If you want a more protein-rich option, add another 1-2 tablespoons of powdered milk or melange to the base.
One tablespoon of milk powder contains 5 grams of protein, 8 grams of carbohydrates and 100 kcal. A tablespoon of egg melange contains 9 grams of protein, 1 gram of carbohydrates and also about 100 kcal.
The taste is specific, but syrup fillers cope perfectly with this problem. Alternatively, you can add honey.
In summer, ice cream is an excellent cocktail ingredient :
- 250-350 ml milk
- 2 tablespoons milk powder
- 1 pack of ice cream
As you can see, there are a lot of options and combinations of products. Try, experiment, and find the perfect protein shake recipe for yourself.
