What Protein Shakes Taste Best?

Let’s take a “virtual” tour on the best protein shakes around. When it comes to protein shakes, there are some key factors we all want to know about:

• What protein powder won’t cost me half of my paycheck?? 
• Which one won’t make me feel like I’m drinking funky tasting chalk powder?
• What’s the best for my waistline? I don’t want to bulk up like the guy at GNC….

There may be other important factors to you, but these are the ones most important to me and the vast majority of my clients. Cost, taste and nutrition.

I can’t tell you how many products are out there, because it’s so many even I’m overwhelmed. Instead let’s put them in categories for cost, for taste and for nutrition.

 Protein Shake for Cost

Body Fortress Whey Protein Powder  : I would recommend only using one scoop of this protein powder, instead of the two scoops it mentions. 1 scoop provides 30 grams of protein and about 6 grams of total carbohydrates (depending on the flavor). It works great when I’m making protein pancakes or protein ice cream. Doesn’t have a funky taste and seems to blend well. I mix with with a unsweetened Vanilla almond milk if I’m drinking it as a shake for a little better flavor than mixed with water.

Protein Shake for Flavor

Atkins Ready Made Protein Drinks– Dark Chocolate: This is a completely biased choice to my  favorites for flavor. I love the Dark Chocolate Atkins Shake, because it taste like a rich chocolate milk to me! I keep it in the refrigerator so it’s nice and cold and often times pour it in a glass so I feel like it’s a chocolate treat. Filling because of protein and satisfying because it’s so rich!

Okay another choice for flavor: High Protein Hot Chocolate. Especially in the upcoming winter months, I will be sipping on this by my fire place in the evenings when I have some night time hunger. Only 90 calories per serving of which is mostly protein (15 grams) and it makes well for a very satisfying hot cocoa.

Best for Nutrition

None of the products listed above are not recommended for good nutrition. All of the above are high protein supplements with little to no sugar and very low carbohydrates. This is great for hunger and weight control. When it comes to the nutrition aspect, there are varying opinions. Important things to pay attention to when shopping for protein shakes:

• Look for protein between 15-30 grams per serving.
• Whey protein isolate is the most complete protein and the best absorbed. Other good proteins are casein, soy and egg white powder. Collagen protein is incomplete and not as well absorbed.
• Sugar & Carbohydrate content: choose a protein supplement with less than 6 grams of total carbohydrates per servings. Sugars are counted in “total” carbs so keeping the total under 6 grams will keep the sugar low as well.
• Mix with water or unsweetened almond milk (about 30 calories per cup) to keep carbohydrate content low.
• Stay aware of the portion size. Many protein powders will list 2 scoops as the serving size giving you almost 60 grams of protein. Since that’s about the same amount of protein as a 8.5 ounce steak, one scoop is typically plenty.

Here’s another good shake for nutrition purposes: Unjury Protein Powder. It was designed by a Registered Dietitian and recommended in many hospital settings. Uses whey protein isolate and has 20 grams of protein in a serving, about 4 grams of total carbs.

This list is only the smallest fraction of protein shakes out there! Use this as a guide and you will find the shakes best for you. I’d love to hear from you if YOU have a favorite! Comment below to share with all of us ;-)