One of my go-tos for making health and fitness as simple and easy as possible is a protein shake.
Or in my case, a delicious smoothie.
They are quick and easy to make, a very affordable source of extremely high quality protein, you can make simple tweaks depending on your goal, and best of all are easy to transport.
Need an easy snack on the go? Smoothie.
Want to lose fat or build muscle? Smoothie.
Or, if you’re like me and need a simple breakfast option with lots of protein so you aren’t starving and crash but you don’t want to cook?
You guessed it, smoothie.
Over the years I’ve learned regardless of my goal, I want to be as consistent as possible with both exercise and nutrition. So I recommend that you keep most of your meals the same, and adjust the least number of things possible.
Think minimum effort for maximum results.
And the easiest thing to adjust is a smoothie.
Here’s my go-to recipes for general health, fat loss, and building strength and muscle.
General Health
I want the best of ALL worlds – protein, micronutrients, fiber, reasonable calorie content, and taste – and after some experimenting this is my go-to.
- 1 cup of water
- 2 servings of LSFW protein
- 1 serving of LSFW greens for micronutrients
- 10g of psyllium husk for fiber
- 5g of creatine for muscle support and brain health
- 1 cup of mixed berries
- 1/4 cup of greek yogurt for a creamy, delicious flavour
- Another half cup of water
Then blend, add a bit of water if needed to get the right consistency, and enjoy. You can swap the berries for whatever fruit you like, I just prefer these for taste, calories and fiber.
You get 73g of protein and 12g of fiber for only 432 calories, and it takes less than 5 minutes to make.
That’s 40-50% of your protein target for the day and 33% of your fiber content of the day, for only ~20% of your calorie target for the day (assuming you eat 2000kcals/day). Plus, you got a couple servings of veggies!
If you are looking for fat loss, the primary goals are twofold.
First, reducing calories, usually by ~200kcals per day You need to be in a deficit to lose weight, which means you want to eat less than you burn. And it’s far easier to eat a bit less than to burn a bit more.
Second, you need to keep protein almost as high as possible – up to 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight. It’s a common misconception that protein is most important for muscle building – it’s actually most important for muscle preservation, particularly if you are trying to lean out a bit.
When you are in a deficit your body wants fuel, and it goes to the main stores in your body – muscle, stored carbs in your muscles and liver, and of course bodyfat.
And when you are in a caloric deficit, there is no way to tell your body
“Hey, make sure you burn the fat around my midsection, please.” (I wish!)
By keeping protein high, it signals your body to NOT break down that hard-earned muscle tissue you need for quality of life and to focus on the stored carbs and bodyfat. Since you don’t store that much in carbs, you end up burning more bodyfat and preserving muscle.
Win!
So for the smoothie change, it’s simple
- Do the same recipe as above
- Skip the greek yogurt
This still gives you lots of protein and fiber with ~75-100 less calories (depending on the brand). Assuming all other things stay consistent, you are halfway to your fat loss goal of 200kcals less with one very simple change.
Now, if you are looking to build strength and muscle, the focus is the opposite of fat loss.
Instead of eating ~200kcals per day less, eat 200kcals per day MORE than you normally do.
So I keep the same initial recipe and add 2 TBSP of peanut butter for an additional ~200kcals and even more delicious taste.
As you might have noticed, I didn’t reduce the protein. When you want to build muscle you need 0.7-0.8g of protein per pound of bodyweight.
You could absolutely go down to one serving of protein, but in my experience most people have a hard time getting enough protein so sticking with 2 servings is worth it, if for no other reason it makes it easier to hit your goals.
Plus, I find a smoothie is a great breakfast option, and getting lots of protein, fiber, and a couple servings of veggies, is more time consuming if you want to cook it.
If you normally have a smoothie try this out, with the changes for your goal and see what you think.
And if you have been in search of a quick yet healthy breakfast option this is for you.
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