We’ve all heard the adage “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” but in addition, we need to eat the right kind of breakfast and actually be able to have time to do so.

Eating breakfast jump-starts your metabolism, which gets your body burning calories to fuel your brain, organs, muscles, etc. Your metabolism works best when fueled by small meals every few hours, and when you wake up in the morning, you haven’t eaten for about eight hours. Your metabolism is on “slow” until you eat. If you don’t eat breakfast, it stays on slow.

When you eat the right things for breakfast, your metabolism gets a kick-start, your body is geared to burn fat rather than store fat, you feel satisfied not hungry, you can think clearly, and you are more productive, patient and learn better.

To make your breakfast do all these wonderful things for you, you need three things at every meal: protein, fats, carbs. That’s where the whey protein shakes and smoothies come in. High protein drinks are fast and easy to make and still give you the necessary protein to satisfy the checklist.

Four Key Items For a Fast Metabolism Checklist

Get these items in at every breakfast and your day is off to a great start. Follow this checklist for every meal, and you”ll have a rock star metabolism all day. Every meal should have:

Here’s why getting these items in at each meal will keep you burning fat instead of storing it. Your cells need the carbs to function (they’re the actual fuel/energy) but need the protein and fats to take in the carbs you’ve eaten in a steady stream. If you get only carbs or too many, you get a “sugar rush” and then crash and go into starvation mode. This means nothing functions properly. You can’t think. You’re hungry and tend to overeat. And whatever carbs/glucose you do eat in this state is stored as fat not used as energy. But follow the fast-metabolism checklist, and you’ll:

Having a whey protein shake, protein drink or smoothie first thing in the morning ensures that your carbs are time-released, your metabolism gets a kick-start, your body is geared to burn fat rather than store fat, and you feel satisfied not hungry. Mix in fresh berries, yogurt, cinnamon and other tasty favorites for a delicious meal.

Technorati Tags: 4point, Breakfast, Checklist, Metabolism, Protein, Shake, Speed, This, Whey

4point · Breakfast · Checklist · Metabolism · Protein · Shake · Speed · This · Whey

Protein Shake Diet is a great opportunity for you to lose weight gradually and to learn how to make smarter food choices and eat healthily for life.
It includes protein diet shakes, drinks and other high protein snacks. With the protein shake diet you enjoy the tasty flavor of protein diet shakes in between your regular meals – yeah, you drink protein shakes, eat less of your regular meals and lose weight.
It is not impossible, it is very simple – the protein diet shakes are portion controlled and rich in variety of nutrients, so when you eat them between your meals, you are not starving until your next meal. You make a smarter choice about your food, eat less of your regular meal and lose weight at the same time.
It is all about portion controlling and meal planning
With the protein shake diet your body is supplied with all the nutrients and energy you need to stay healthy and not starving. You can substitute any of your regular meals with high protein diet shake or other snack. How? Calculate the number of calories from the packets details (do not to exceed 1200 calories per meal), follow the preparing directions and your meal is ready.
Most protein diet shakes are portion controlled and contain whey protein isolate, no fats or in insignificant amounts, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibers, carbohydrates and very little amounts of sugar.
With protein shake diet you can choose the type of protein shakes you like and wanna drink. But whichever high protein shake you choose, you should know that every product has a plan for taking or recommends a proper diet plan to follow.
You can design and adjust the protein shake diet to help you reach your weight loss goal, but you need to have a good knowledge on diet menu planning, combining and portioning of the basic nutrients from protein shakes. That is why there are many easy to follow and time saving diet plans that will also help you lose weight faster.
Protein Shake Diet Pros
- Easy preparing and consumption – all in all not more than 5 to 10 minutes.
- Delicious flavors
- Each protein diet shake can give you all you need in one single serving
- Subtle and successful weight loss
Protein Shake Diet Cons
Though it may sound like a fad diet, the protein shake diet can help you lose weight and with proper meal planning afterwards you can maintain your reduced weight easily.
You may feel a severe hunger for the first couple of days, but it will pass shortly.
You can’t drink protein diet shakes for the rest of your life and that’s the greatest cons of the protein shake diet.
Conclusion
You do not need to be on shakes for life. Just follow the protein shake diet to lose the weight you need and maintain your new weight by proper meal planning, smart food choices and exercising. Change your life style for the better and healthier you.

Technorati Tags: Diet, Know, Need, Protein, Shake

Diet · Know · Need · Protein · Shake

Everyone knows that exercising can help speed your metabolism and help burn fat. But did you know that nutrition is actually more important than exercise when it comes to staying lean? And that if you cut back on exercising, you can still stay lean as long as you eat well? (That’s where the best protein drinks come in!)

 A recent study conducted by Loyola University, University of Ibadan, Howard University, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and University of Wisconsin, and published in the September 2008 issue of the journal Obesity, showed some very interesting results when it comes to exercise versus nutrition. 

The study took a group of obese African American women from metropolitan Chicago (average weight: 184 pounds) and compared them to slender women in rural Nigeria (average weight: 127 pounds). It was expected that the slender Nigerians would be much more physically active and burning more calories than the obese Americans, but the researchers found that both groups of women, slender and obese, had the same activity/energy expenditure levels! 

Their diets, however, were dramatically different. The women from Chicago ate 40 – 45% more fat and plenty of high processed foods. The women from Nigeria, on the other hand, ate plenty of fiber and unprocessed carbs and skipped the fat and animal protein, or just ate small portions of them. 

So what can you do to eat right to stay lean? Follow This High Protein Shake 3-Point Plan! 

#1. Eat the right ratio of foods at every meal. What’s the right ratio? A fist-size of lean protein, a fist-size of unprocessed carbs and a thumb-size of healthy fats. Your body needs the carbs to: 

• provide glucose to fuel your body and brain — glucose = fuel 

• provide fiber to curb hunger and stabilize blood sugar 

• burn body fat — if you don’t get a steady supply of glucose your body thinks it’s in emergency “starvation” mode and stores everything as fat instead of using it as energy You need the protein and fats to turn the carbs into glucose and create that steady supply. 

#2. Cut out processed carbs and other processed foods. They provide no nutritional value whatsoever. And when you eat processed foods, your body maintains excess water weight. It also stores fat because it’s in emergency “starvation” mode because it’s not getting any nutrition. 

#3. Eat a high protein shake for breakfast and plan ahead by having the ingredients on hand. This is so you can actually do points one and two. These shakes are easy to make, taste great and contain the optimum nutritional ratio. Plus, you can have them as a snack or as a meal substitute. To make the best protein shakes, add the following ingredients to a blender and mix to desired smoothness: liquid (water, non-fat milk, plain soy milk or plain almond milk); pure protein shake powder; good fat (omega oil, flax; green powder; fresh fruit; ice; optional essences and spices (vanilla, mint, cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger). 

Ready to stay thin without exercising all the time? Start by getting the ingredients for your fast-metabolism smoothies that you can eat all day long…

Technorati Tags: 3Point, Breakfast, Exercising, Plan, Protein, Shake, Stay, Study, Thin, This, Without

3Point · Breakfast · Exercising · Plan · Protein · Shake · Stay · Study · Thin · This · Without

Millions of people drink protein shakes every day. They’re the ideal health food: delicious, convenient, portable, and (usually) highly nutritious. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, build muscle, or just improve your health, protein shakes can be an incredibly effective way to reach your goals.

A good protein shake can help you:

- increase your energy levels
- boost your metabolism to burn fat quickly (and safely)
- increase your lean muscle mass
- enhance your immune system
- reduce/eliminate your appetite and food cravings
- increase your heart health
- lower cholesterol and blood pressure
- promote healing and recovery

Unfortunately the tasty, often expensive, concoctions you get at your local “smoothie” shop probably aren’t your best options. The recipes used at these places are geared much more toward taste than nutrition. Simply put, they’re loaded with sugar — often 30 grams or more — and frequently have no more than 10 or 15 grams of protein. That nutritional profile is much closer to a milk shake than a protein shake!

If you really want to enjoy all the great health and fitness benefits of a protein shake, it’s best to make your own. You can control exactly what goes into it and “optimize” it for your own goals: less calories/fat for weight loss, more protein for muscle building, etc. But maybe the biggest benefit of making your own shakes is that you can load them up with ultra-healthy ingredients that you may not eat otherwise (eg. flax seeds, coconut oil, fresh/frozen berries, etc.)

Here’s my personal recipe for what I call “The Perfect $1 Protein Shake” — an extremely healthy, energy-boosting, muscle-building shake you can make in about 3 minutes. If you buy the ingredients in bulk like I do, the total cost-per-shake should be about a dollar. Not a bad price for something much healthier than your average fast-food meal and just as convenient…

(Note: The following recipe actually makes enough for about 2 medium-sized shakes… or 1 really big shake! Feel free to add more or less of each ingredient to suit your own tastes and needs.)

Put all of the following ingredients into a large, heavy-duty blender and blend until liquefied:

16 oz. Low-Fat, Organic Milk — A very tasty “base” for the shake with slow-digesting casein protein, calcium, and several vitamins/minerals. If you don’t drink milk you can substitute soy milk or filtered water.

2 – 3 Scoops Whey Protein Powder (Generally 30 – 50 grams of protein, depending on the brand) — If you haven’t already heard, whey protein is an incredibly healthy substance that isn’t just for bodybuilders. No other protein feeds your muscles or boosts your immune system like whey. Just about anyone can benefit from this amazing food! (Note: Try to avoid protein powders sweetened with the artificial-sweetener aspartame.)

1 Cup Frozen Berries — Packed with fiber and antioxidants — with a very low glycemic impact — berries are some of the healthiest foods you can eat. Unsweetened frozen berries can be purchased year-around and are a great substitute for ice in any protein shake recipe.

1 Tbsp. Virgin Coconut Oil — A “good” saturated fat with a variety of health benefits that is full of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), a great source of energy.

1 Tbsp. Natural Peanut Butter — A great-tasting, highly filling nut butter with healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Recent studies have shown that peanut butter is great for dieters because it reduces hunger and food cravings more than almost any other food.

1 Tbsp. Ground Flax Seeds — Flax seeds contain all-important omega-3 fatty acids, a vital component to good health. They also contain lignans (powerful antioxidants) as well as healthy dietary fiber. Many people prefer the nutty flavor of ground flax seeds over the “fishy” flavor of flax seed oil.

1 Medium Ripe Banana — A good source of potassium, fiber, and healthy carbs, a ripe banana is a great way to sweeten any protein shake.

Optional sweeteners — If you want to sweeten this (or any) protein shake, two good low-calorie sugar-alternatives are stevia and xylitol, both of which can usually be found in health food stores.

As you can probably tell, my “Perfect $1 Protein Shake” isn’t exactly low-calorie. In fact it has quite a bit of healthy fat and a decent amount of carbohydrates. But keep in mind that you don’t have to, and probably shouldn’t, drink the whole thing at once — unless your primary goal is to pack on muscle (in which case you might want to drink 2 or more a day!). What I like to do is make a blender-full in the morning, drink a glass for breakfast, take some with me to have as a “pick-me-up” in the afternoon, and then drink the rest at night.

Remember, there are literally thousands of ways to make a protein shake. Find some recipes you really like and don’t be afraid to experiment. As long as you base it around whey protein, just about any shake you make should have plenty of health benefits!

Technorati Tags: Perfect, Protein, Shake

Perfect · Protein · Shake

It’s well-accepted in health and fitness circles that protein shakes are one of the best ways to get the necessary nutrition to lose weight and even gain muscle. In this article, you’ll find out some of the best tips and tricks to super-charge the nutritional properties of your protein shake recipes!

Listen, I know you don’t need to be lectured about why protein shakes are good for you. Instead, I’m just going to jump right into the “hacks” I’ve got planned for you!

Hack #1: Use frozen vegetables in your shakes instead of ice

That’s right! If you use frozen vegetables — I recommend brocolli, califlour, and carrots — then you’ll not only add two or more servings of vegetables to your shakes, but you also won’t notice the difference in taste. Frozen vegetables generally have the exact same taste and texture as ice!

Hack #2: Use sugar-free jell-o pudding mix

If you want to make your shakes sweeter and thicker, but without piling on tons of extra calories, then toss in half or all of a pack of sugar-free jell-o pudding mix.

Hack #3: Grind up whole foods, like oats

Want to get some super nutrition in your shake? Grind up whole foods, like oats. The texture is delicious and most people are surprised to find out that these items work just fine in shakes.

Hack #4: Use pasteurized egg whites or whole eggs instead of water

Pasteurized egg whites pose absolutely no threat to your health, and the threat from raw whole eggs is negligible. Using these items instead of water will make your shakes thick, creamy, and absolutely amazing.

Try some of these hacks today, and let me know what you think!

Technorati Tags: Hacks, Lose, Protein, Recipe, Shake, These, Weight

Hacks · Lose · Protein · Recipe · Shake · These · Weight

Protein shakes for weight loss are drunk daily by an unestimated number of people.

They’re the ideal health food: delicious, convenient, portable, and (usually) highly nutritious. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, build muscle, or just improve your health, protein shakes can be an incredibly effective way to reach your goals.

A good protein shake can help you:

- increase your energy levels
- boost your metabolism to burn fat quickly (and safely)
- increase your lean muscle mass
- enhance your immune system
- reduce/eliminate your appetite and food cravings
- increase your heart health
- lower cholesterol and blood pressure
- promote healing and recovery

Unfortunately the tasty, often expensive, concoctions you get at your local “smoothie” shop probably aren’t your best options. The recipes used at these places are geared much more toward taste than nutrition. Simply put, they’re loaded with sugar — often 30 grams or more — and frequently have no more than 10 or 15 grams of protein. That nutritional profile is much closer to a milk shake than a protein shake!

If you really want to enjoy all the great health and fitness benefits of a protein shake, it’s best to make your own. You can control exactly what goes into it and “optimize” it for your own goals: less calories/fat for weight loss, more protein for muscle building, etc. But maybe the biggest benefit of making your own shakes is that you can load them up with ultra-healthy ingredients that you may not eat otherwise (eg. flax seeds, coconut oil, fresh/frozen berries, etc.)

Here’s my personal recipe for what I call “The Perfect $1 Protein Shake” — an extremely healthy, energy-boosting, muscle-building shake you can make in about 3 minutes. If you buy the ingredients in bulk like I do, the total cost-per-shake should be about a dollar. Not a bad price for something much healthier than your average fast-food meal and just as convenient…

(Note: The following recipe actually makes enough for about 2 medium-sized shakes… or 1 really big shake! Feel free to add more or less of each ingredient to suit your own tastes and needs.)

Put all of the following ingredients into a large, heavy-duty blender and blend until liquefied:

16 oz. Low-Fat, Organic Milk — A very tasty “base” for the shake with slow-digesting casein protein, calcium, and several vitamins/minerals. If you don’t drink milk you can substitute soy milk or filtered water.

2 – 3 Scoops Whey Protein Powder (Generally 30 – 50 grams of protein, depending on the brand) — If you haven’t already heard, whey protein is an incredibly healthy substance that isn’t just for bodybuilders. No other protein feeds your muscles or boosts your immune system like whey. Just about anyone can benefit from this amazing food! (Note: Try to avoid protein powders sweetened with the artificial-sweetener aspartame.)

1 Cup Frozen Berries — Packed with fiber and antioxidants — with a very low glycemic impact — berries are some of the healthiest foods you can eat. Unsweetened frozen berries can be purchased year-around and are a great substitute for ice in any protein shake recipe.

1 Tbsp. Virgin Coconut Oil — A “good” saturated fat with a variety of health benefits that is full of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), a great source of energy.

1 Tbsp. Natural Peanut Butter — A great-tasting, highly filling nut butter with healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Recent studies have shown that peanut butter is great for dieters because it reduces hunger and food cravings more than almost any other food.

1 Tbsp. Ground Flax Seeds — Flax seeds contain all-important omega-3 fatty acids, a vital component to good health. They also contain lignans (powerful antioxidants) as well as healthy dietary fiber. Many people prefer the nutty flavor of ground flax seeds over the “fishy” flavor of flax seed oil.

1 Medium Ripe Banana — A good source of potassium, fiber, and healthy carbs, a ripe banana is a great way to sweeten any protein shake.

Optional sweeteners — If you want to sweeten this (or any) protein shake, two good low-calorie sugar-alternatives are stevia and xylitol, both of which can usually be found in health food stores.

As you can probably tell, my “Perfect $1 Protein Shake” isn’t exactly low-calorie. In fact it has quite a bit of healthy fat and a decent amount of carbohydrates. But keep in mind that you don’t have to, and probably shouldn’t, drink the whole thing at once — unless your primary goal is to pack on muscle (in which case you might want to drink 2 or more a day!). What I like to do is make a blender-full in the morning, drink a glass for breakfast, take some with me to have as a “pick-me-up” in the afternoon, and then drink the rest at night.

Remember, there are literally thousands of ways to make a protein shake. Find some recipes you really like and don’t be afraid to experiment. As long as you base it around whey protein, just about any shake you make should have plenty of health benefits!

Technorati Tags: Perfect, Protein, protein shakes, protein shakes for high protein diet for weight loss, Protein Shakes For Weight Loss, Shake

Perfect · Protein · protein shakes · protein shakes for high protein diet for weight loss · Protein Shakes For Weight Loss · Shake