My first shake went horribly, horribly wrong.

[emk]

My first attmept to make a breakfast shake went very badly. I was following what was listed in the PPLP book (8oz water/milk + 1/4 cup berries + protein powder). My minimum Protein per meal is supposed to be 40g, which comes out to 4.8 "heaping tbsp" of Genisoy's Soy Protein Powder. Let's just say the combination turned out to be more like mortar than like something I'd want to drink.

I mean, it *looked* like a shake, but it tasted nasty (not even a hint of the berry flavor) and was room temperature to boot (because I didn't have the forethought to refrigerate the powder).

Now, looking at Genisoy's directions, it suggests 3 heaping tbsp per 8oz milk...so, proportion might have a lot to do with it, though I must admit I'm gun shy now. (Taking a big slug of something wretched will do that to you.)

So, what was I doing wrong here? Should I just up the milk to 12.8oz to match the 4.8 tbsp? Should I increase the berries too? Should I find a better protein powder...maybe one with its own flavor?

[jilly27]

emk,

I would consider a different protein powder, particularly one made with whey rather than soy. (unless you have real problems with whey) You could get a flavoured powder but a good plain (or vanilla) whey protein gives you more flavouring options. I like to use Almond Breeze almond milk instead of water or regular milk, less carbs than milk and makes a creamier shake than water, (I also add coconut milk for added creaminess). I use Da Vinci sugar free syrup to sweeten and flavour my shakes, also lower carb than adding more fruit. Some people don't like artificial sweeteners though, I don't know where you stand on that. If you like chocolate flavour you could get that in a protein powder, just watch the carb count of any powder you're looking at, they can vary greatly.

Some people also like to add ice to their shakes and make it in the blender, makes it frothy and cold. I prefer to mix the shake then pour it over ice to cool it.

Adding things like nutmeg and cinnamon can really make a vanilla shake nice too. You will just have to experiment a bit and find some shakes you like.

Hope this helps a bit. :)

Jilly

[gitfiddle]

So, what was I doing wrong here? Should I just up the milk to 12.8oz to match the 4.8 tbsp? Should I increase the berries too? Should I find a better protein powder...maybe one with its own flavor?Well, emk, increasing the milk or berries would increase the carb count a lot. I'd go for a different protein powder. We have a thread or two on favorite protein powders. Here's a link (http://drseades.com/forum/showthread.php?t=792&highlight=favorite+powders) to a recent one.

I use a zero carb vanilla whey powder that gives me 50 grams of protein plus more than enough leucine and I put eight ounces of water with it. If I want it creamier, I just add a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream. I find that frozen strawberries work the best to thicken it up. Watch the carbs on the fruit. It's easy to overdo. I personally don't use soy, so I can't comment on the flavor.

[maile]

jmho, but it's the protein powder. I've had Geni soy products and don't like them. both texture (gritty) and taste (very soyish) put me off.

[maxlharris]

Soy protein tastes bad. I don't need the Weston A. Price foundation to tell me that. Just about everything with soy protein in it has this soy taste to it that offends the living hell out of my palate. Weston A. Price can tell you a lot of other reasons not to use soy protein, but really, the taste is prime for me.

I have three things I recommend for protein:
If you are looking for a post workout shake, get a whey/casein blend.
If you are looking for a meal replacement shake, go whey.
If you do not tolerate whey (or casein) well, go with egg protein.
Do not use soy protein. Do not use wheat protein.

If you're gonna attempt to lump it through with the soy, the key to getting it down would be to add more water. Use frozen berries (then you don't have to refrigerate the protein powder). If you're blending, add some ice. Does wonders for texture. Add heavy cream for creaminess. Then add some flavor to kill the soy flavor. Cinnamon, nutmeg. Something like that. Get the good cinnamon. If you have a Penzey's near you, get the Vietnamese Extra Fancy Cinnamon (http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysvietnamesecinnamon.html) (it's actually cassia, but it has better flavor than pretty much any cinnamon around). A few good shakes and the soy flavor should be killed dead. Alternatively, black pepper (no really... with the berries... yeah!).

[pfair143]

I have a protein shake for breakfast EVERY morning. For flavor and less carbs, drop the milk and add a smidgen of Crystal Lite powder (undiluted). If you add to vanilla protein you can have any flavor that you like without going through the expense of buying different flavors of protein powder. I throw in everything I can: Protein powder, psyllium, cinnamon, flax oil, berries, 1 whole egg, Crystal Lite, and Life's Greens (which tastes disgusting on its own). Put everything in a large glass, add cold water and zap it with a stick blender. Yes, this shake is delicious and holds me till lunch.

[SnowTao]

I've found only one protein powder I can stand -- the rest taste awful! (I'm what the Monel Lab in Philly calls a "supertaster.") It's sold as "MaxProtein" at some GNCs (they're franchises so they can choose to carry it or not), but it's actually "Ultimate Protein" by SEI Pharmaceuticals. The chocolate tastes like chocolate milk. (Yippee!) (And that's made with water!) I'm not fond of the strawberry taste, but it's okay. The vanilla, chocolate mint, and chocolate chip cookie flavors are good, but not as good (I think) as the plain chocolate.

Please emk -- read up about soy -- there is a lot of evidence that it is way too high in estrogen-analog substances. It also depresses your thyroid, which is the last thing you want if you have weight to lose!!

(I hope it's okay to mention brands in the forum -- I saw a couple mentioned above and concluded it was?) (I'm not associated in any way with SEI -- I've just spent a lot of money over the years with them for really excellent protein powders! :D )

(1 scoop has three g of carbs, which may or may not suit your needs.)

Elenor