BariatricEating.com Health & Nutrition
Protein Drinks 101
If you don’t love your protein
drinks - you aren’t starting with the right base and you aren’t
mixing them correctly.
-Teresa White, protein barista for BariatricEating.com
One of the things that I found out early in my weight loss surgery journey
was that I could not get the amount of protein that my surgeon required
by simply ‘eating’. It sounds good on paper that we can eat
our protein, but it doesn’t work in real life. Once I figured out
that supplementing my protein intake would be a new way of life for me,
I started to experiment with tastes and recipes.
Generally
there are four bases for shakes and the most flexible is vanilla. My personal
choice for vanilla is Matrix Vanilla. It is a creamy smooth vanilla flavor
that is a very affordable yet contains a high quality protein blend.
You can do anything with vanilla; even make it into chocolate! Here are
some specific ideas that have made my journey more enjoyable.
In
the morning many of us have to have our coffee in order to function, and
I’ve recently become one of those people too. Not mentioning any
names but Susan Maria is not always that nice before her coffee, but you
didn’t hear that from me!
There is nothing easier than adding a scoop of Matrix Simply Vanilla
to a cup of coffee in the morning in place of creamer or milk. Add a little
cold water to the scoop of protein in your mug, blend until it is smooth,
then fill with coffee for a Creamy Vanilla Cappuccino! Or add ready to
drink Labrada Vanilla to your coffee as creamer or Labrada Chocolate for
a cup of Mocha; nothing is easier than pouring in the creamy vanilla or
chocolate protein! Add a dash of cinnamon for an over the top treat that
is so simple.
When you start adding fruit to protein keep in mind that fruit also has
carbs. Today there are many ways to add flavor without adding carbs. The
line of DaVinci Sugar Free Syrup flavors is perfect to flavor shakes without
adding unnecessary carbs, sugar, or calories.
Adding
DaVinci Sugar Free Peach syrup to a Matrix vanilla shake it gives it an
excellent creamy peach flavor that will appeal to even the pickiest pallet.
There are more than 30 sugar free flavors to choose from so you don’t
get bored. DaVinci gives you unlimited choices. Some of my personal favorites
to add to my vanilla protein drink are Dulce de Leche (a Spanish caramel
flavor), Macadamia Nut, Cookie Dough, and Caramel. The trick is for you
to pick a flavor that you like. Experiment and always make sure try new
flavors with an open mind. Blending flavors of sugar free syrups expands
your recipes to the thousands.
Hmmmm, DaVinci Sugar Free Cookie Dough, with DaVinci Sugar Free Gingerbread
is a Gingersnap Cookie! Adding DaVinci Sugar Free Cherry, DaVinci Sugar
Free Amaretto, plus DaVinci Sugar Free Cinnamon is Cherry Cobbler. DaVinci
Sugar Free Toasted Marshmallow, plus DaVinci Sugar Free German Chocolate
Cake is S'Mores. See where I am going with this?
If
you do decide to add real fruit to your protein always keep in mind that
berries are the lowest in carbs and sugar. I keep bags of frozen strawberries,
blackberries, raspberries and blackberries on hand and add just ¼
cup to my vanilla protein in the blender for a berry smoothie.
I have noticed that many people add ½ of a banana or even worse
a whole banana to a shake. Keep in mind that bananas and many other fruit
are high in fructose, which is another name for sugar, and will stall
or slow down your weight loss. Bananas also make many people sick from
the high concentration of sugar and carbs. Even a medium banana can have
30 grams of carbohydrate. Use a small piece of banana no more than 1-2
inches, to flavor a drink. Or use DaVinci Sugar Free Banana syrup instead!
There
are many opportunities to incorporate protein into our daily life. We
just have to be mindful of those opportunities and take full advantage
of them. For example many evenings I enjoy sitting down at my computer
with a cup of warm Chai tea; a scoop of Matrix Vanilla protein or a few
ounces of Labrada ready-to-drink Vanilla not only gives it a rich creamy
flavor but gives me a nice protein boost as well. I love the rich spiced
cinnamon flavor of Big Train Sugar Free Chai for my base drink; I have
tried other brands but come back to this one as it is the best. I guarantee
you will love warm Big Train Chai Tea blended with Labrada Vanilla!
Next
there is chocolate. Again I find that the Matrix Perfect Chocolate is
the perfect base for protein drinks. Matrix chocolate made as a warm chocolate
drink is quite simply one of my favorite beverages. It is soothing to
my pouch to sip a warm drink than the shock of a cold or frosty drink.
The formula for a warm hot chocolate is quite simple, just put a scoop
of Matrix Perfect Chocolate in one of your favorite mugs and add enough
cool water to make it a paste stirring it well to make it smooth. Then
add hot but not boiling hot water to the mug, and stir. I find this hot
chocolate to be as good and soothing as a Swiss Miss hot chocolate the
only difference is the one made with Matrix is sugar free and loaded with
protein. Sometimes I add some cinnamon and occasionally I treat myself
with a small squirt of Reddi Whip or Cool Whip.
Matrix Chocolate can be enjoyed as a cold drink as well and comes closer
to tasting like chocolate milk than any protein powder that I have tasted.
And again DaVinci Sugar Free Syrups can be added to compliment the flavor
to this heavenly chocolate regardless if you drink it hot or cold. My
personal favorites are adding DaVinci Sugar Free Caramel for a deep rich
chocolate caramel taste that just melts in my mouth. Having a variety
of flavorings to experiment with is wonderful and allows us a nice variation
of a basic flavor for our taste buds. Other sugar free DaVinci flavors
I love to add to my chocolate are Raspberry, Cherry, Hazelnut, and Toasted
Marshmallow.
Next we have fruit flavors. It is nice to know I have tasted the ‘best
of the best’ proteins and when there is no time to play around and
blend up a drink there are good tasting alternatives that I can just add
water and stir. My personal favorite is the Whey Gourmet line of powders;
honestly I just haven’t found a flavor that I can say one bad thing
about. And there are so many things I can do with this to sneak in a great
tasting protein along the way.
Whey Gourmet is great to drink just mixed with cold water or blended with
ice and water for a frosty shake. You have other food options for using
Whey Gourmet that many folks never think of. There is nothing like half
a cup of plain yogurt with a heaping spoonful of Whey Gourmet protein
powder, a teaspoon of Nature’s Hollow sugar free jam, and a few
almond slivers for a high protein, great tasting breakfast!
I
also make myself a Protein Pancake; a mixture of ½ cup cottage
cheese, 1 egg, 2 scoops your favorite flavor of Whey Gourmet, and a tablespoon
of flour in my blender with enough water to make a thick smooth batter.
Pour into a hot non-stick skillet that you have sprayed with non-stick
cooking spray; let it set and brown lightly, then flip and cook a minute
until done. Serve with a little Steels Sugar Free Country Syrup or a smear
of Natures Hollow sugar free preserves. WOW!
For those who like a quick easy fruit drink Nectar fruit flavors are perfect.
Just throw a scoop of nectar in a glass and add water or Crystal Light
and pour over crushed ice. Many times I put this mix in a water bottle
with a squirt top lid and carry it to the gym. This way I get my water
in as well as my protein. The powder melts into the water, just like Crystal
Light does and is a thin smooth juice type beverage.
There are lots of little tricks that I have incorporated in my plan along
the way to boost my protein. My surgeon recommends that I get a minimum
of 85 grams of protein a day. Having a plan and a great variety of proteins
has made this easier for me and I manage to get between 85-100 grams of
protein in each day. This is how I not only lost the ‘easy’
first 100 pounds, but the remaining 135 for a total 235 pound weight loss.
I used protein to keep me full and fuel my body to burn fat.
Lastly but not least are my coffee based supplements. I never knew that
I liked coffee until after I had bariatric surgery. My days were always
filled with 12 packs of Coke and Pepsi, and now I like to savor a cup
of espresso or cappuccino.
There
is no need for Starbucks in my life when I can whip up my own great tasting
coffee drinks that are filled with protein. Nectar Latte Cappuccino is
my protein of choice for a great tasting coffee base. To me there is nothing
easier and tastier than taking a half a scoop of Nectar Latte Cappuccino
and a half a scoop of Matrix Perfect Chocolate, blending with a little
cool water, filling the mug with hot but not boiling water or even cold
water and ice for a chilled drink, and adding a generous amount of DaVinci
Sugar Free Caramel Syrup. It is a rich tasty experience that not only
gives me over 25 grams of protein but is simply delicious!
The
best coffee flavored proteins, along with my favorite Nectar Cappuccino
Latte are achievONE ready to drink lattes, Whey Gourmet Arctic Cappuccino
Frappe, Syntha-6 Mochaccino, and Champion Cocoa-Mochaccino.
The trick is blending flavors to suit your own personal taste for a more
gourmet experience. You can make any flavor of Nectar Latte Cappuccino
that you can imagine by using different combinations of DaVinci Sugar
Free Syrups as flavorings and some of my favorites are Hazelnut, French
Vanilla, Macadamia nut, Amaretto, German Chocolate Cake, and even Blueberry
but the possibilities are endless!
Looking back I realize that when I was morbidly obese there was no problem
with my mind figuring out how to use vanilla or chocolate Ice Cream as
a base for desserts. Now in order to remain a successful post op, I have
to redirect my thinking and combine flavors and ideas into healthy pouch-worthy
recipes.
If you love food… think of the flavors you love in terms of protein
flavorings and drink them up!
Teresa White had her RNY bariatric procedure over 5 years ago in Charleston West Virginia with Dr. Robert Shin. She maintains a 225 pound weight loss and spends her time motivating others by moderating and answering questions on the Before and After Support Board as well as being a featured speaker for surgeons support groups and the weekly online support group with BeforeAndAfterHelp.com.
She has worked in the nursing field for over 20 years and is certified in Nutrition and Weight Loss Management. Teresa is our Director of Bariatric Nutrition & Support.
