Ingredients:
- ¾ cup Fresh or Frozen Blueberries or Strawberries
- 1 Banana
- 3 scoops Chocolate or Cocoa Whey Protein Powder
- ½ cup Greek Vanilla Yogurt
- ¾ cup Almond Milk
- ¾ cup Cold Water
- 2/3 blender full Ice Cubes
You can also add to mixture:
- 1/8 cup Ground Cacao Beans
- ¼ cup Goji Berries, or Spirulina powder.
Directions
Fill blender 2/3 full of ice cubes and add the berries, banana, protein powder, yogurt, almond milk, and cold water to the mixture. Blend mixture until creamy smooth. Add the ground cacao beans towards the end and always add to your personal taste preference. Cacao beans tend to be bitter, but are packed full of nutrients and some caffeine for energy!
Personal Background
When my son was diagnosed with cancer several years ago, I became extra concerned that he wasn’t getting the nutrition he needed in the foods he was eating. So, I came up with several favorite smoothies I began preparing for him. This is one of those nutrient rich smoothies he and I love! These ingredients should make enough for two people, but you can also drink it yourself if you want to.
Why is Protein Important?
Including protein in your diet is crucial for supporting muscle repair and rebuilding. You should focus on consuming 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight every day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, then you want to focus on eating a total of 150 grams of protein per day, spread out across 5-6 meals. Whey protein powder is a very easy and convenient way to fulfill your protein requirements every day and provides your muscles with a very fast acting and quality source of protein. Go to your local vitamin store and choose your favorite flavor of whey protein powder. Vanilla flavored protein works great as a neutral flavor that goes with a wide variety of smoothies. Feel free to experiment with different types of fruit as well. A great tip for making thick milkshake style smoothie is to actually freeze your fruit. Frozen bananas, mangos and strawberries are excellent fruits to add to your recipe for making a delicious and frothy protein packed smoothie!
Different Types of Protein Powder
There are several different types of protein powder to use for your smoothies. These include:
- Whey Protein (Concentrate and Isolate): This type of protein is derived from milk. Whole milk consists of 20% whey and 80% casein protein. Along with being an excellent source of protein for building lean muscle tissue, it also enhances the immune system in many ways. Whey concentrate is much more affordable per gram of protein. This is the most popular form of whey protein powder on the market today. Whey isolate is an extremely lean form of protein which contains virtually zero fat but is more expensive per gram when compared to whey protein concentrate.
- Egg White Protein: This is an excellent form of protein which is very low in fat and carbs. Egg whites have a very high biological value (BV) which is a measure of the proportion of absorbed protein from a food which becomes incorporated into the proteins of the body.
- Casein or Milk Protein: Just like whey, casein protein is derived from milk. The great thing about casein protein is that it’s absorbed slowly and steadily after consuming it, which makes it a perfect choice to take before bed to allow for a steady flow of protein to your muscles.
- Vegetable Protein: For people who want to avoid animal based protein, soy is the most popular form in the vegetable protein category. Hemp is also a very popular vegetable protein gaining acceptance in the health and fitness community. The unique aspect of soy and hemp protein is that they supply all 8 essential amino acids. The taste of vegetable protein may be a concern since soy and hemp do not taste as good as whey and casein protein powders.
