By Aria Beheshtaein, founder of B’liev
During the Covid lockdowns we all had much more time on our hands and, with heightened consciousness about the importance of being healthy, many of us used that time to work on a balanced diet and as much exercise as restrictions allowed at any given time. Although working from home and hybrid working is still available to some, many of us are back to old working patterns and life has returned to being busier in every other way. We are going back to hobbies and pastimes we enjoyed before, socialising again in the evenings and at weekends, planning and going on holidays and other breaks. And, of course, that means we are short on time again, making it harder to get our nutrient levels right.
Many of us will return to old—or develop new—health hacks: smoothies to up fruit and vegetable intake; omega 3 supplements when you cannot fit in two portions of oily fish a week or, of course, if you choose not to eat fish. And, if you are someone who worries about getting enough protein in your diet, perhaps someone who does a high level of exercise and / or vegetarians and vegans, a protein shake is a quick and easy way to boost your levels and is an ever more popular choice of drinks. But when should you drink it? Morning or evening? Before or after a workout? Let’s take a look.
Brief history of protein shakes
With protein supplementation still widely regarded as applicable to athletes and sports men and women generally, it may not surprise you that in Ancient Greece, Spartan warriors were reportedly given huge meals in order to boost their strength and size, while legendary wrestler Milo of Croton apparently consumed 9kg of meat, 9kg of bread, and a whopping 10 litres of wine a day!
Protein supplementation as we know it today, however, started in the 1950s, when competitive body builders started using egg protein to build muscle. At that point it was very niche, but things picked up in the 60s as more research was conducted, meaning an increase in both quantity and quality when it came to protein supplementation.
During the 70s, protein use within the bodybuilding industry continued to grow steadily and by the late 80s / early 90s protein was becoming mainstream and more and more protein powder supplements were available.
Fast forward to today and protein is no longer seen as the preserve of hardcore muscle men but is used by all sorts of athletes and also by non-athletes who have seen its benefits for weight loss and muscle health generally. Not only that, but you also no longer have to painstakingly make drinks from powder, you can buy ready-to-eat bars and ready-to-drink shakes, including vegan options, which is increasingly important as more people make the switch to a plant-based lifestyle.
How much protein do you need?
It is recommended that women consume around 45g of protein per day and men 55g but it does depend on other factors. Indeed, if you use an online calculator to calculate your protein needs, it will ask for gender, age, weight, height and activity level. Not only do men generally need more protein than women, athletes are recommended to have a higher intake, as are people aged 40 to 50 plus, as that is the age at which muscle mass begins to decrease.
When should you consume protein?
Protein is used for many important bodily functions (hormone regulation, blood sugar stability, energy creation and maintenance) but people tend to consider its inclusion in our diet in terms of optimal muscle mass, whether that is for athletic performance and muscle building / repair, or for older people worried about muscle loss. So, speaking in those terms, the body uses nutrients from your food to stimulate muscle growth for around four to five hours after eating. This means that, ideally, you should consume protein every four hours or so. Obviously, this does not mean waking halfway through the night but does mean that, ideally, a little protein should be included at breakfast and lunch, in your evening meal and form part of an afternoon snack or supper before bed.
I believe the most important time to consume protein is in the morning. You have gone all night without protein, so you really need to top levels up before starting your day.
If you are a regular gym-goer you may have heard the term “anabolic window” and / or “anabolic window of opportunity”. The principal of this, simply put, is that you break down muscle tissue during a workout and there is a 30 to 60 minute window in which you should consume protein to achieve optimal muscle tissue repair and growth. Having been a popular theory for some time, various studies have been carried out and, while it seems like a logical idea, the scientific evidence is not conclusive. In general, I would suggest you should consume protein post-workout but it does not need to be within a very specific timescale. Indeed, the four times daily intake should ensure you consume enough protein to rebuild and repair the muscle tissue used during exercise.
How to get your protein intake – when do you need a protein shake?
So, we have established you should aim to intake protein around four times per day, evenly-spaced throughout the day and that protein with breakfast is really important. For non-vegans, small portions of meat, eggs or certain dairy produce with each meal and at snack times will suffice. For vegetarians and vegans, it is not as hard as you might think to get vegan proteins – eat foods such as pulses, legumes, grains, seeds and vegetables.
And, yes, protein shakes have their place. I would not recommend relying on them too heavily and they should certainly not be used as a meal replacement but nevertheless they remain very useful, particularly for people who are busy and/or very active. Some people may have time to include beans at breakfast, some nuts with lunch, hummus in the afternoon, etc. etc. but, for many of us, life is hectic and protein intake is not always first on your mind as you are dashing out of the door in the morning, or grabbing lunch at your desk, or whizzing to the gym before heading home for dinner. Perhaps you are so exhausted at the end of the day that you are more likely to doze off on the sofa in front of the TV than jump up and fix yourself a nut butter snack.
Of course, it is even more challenging to get proteins into your diet if you are vegan. While vegan proteins are perfectly abundant, they aren’t always to hand. So this is where a high-quality, ready-made vegan protein shake can serve its purpose. Running late for work and no time to prepare breakfast with a protein element? Remembered to prep a salad for lunch but not so hot on the protein this mealtime? A shake can be drunk to easily boost those levels. Or in the evening before bed, why not sup on a protein shake to top up before bed? And, even if having a protein shake after the gym is more of a ‘trendy’ thing to do than a necessity, what harm can there be to top up your protein as you hydrate post-workout, especially if you’re on your way home and fancy an easy pasta dinner?
Protein shakes definitely have their place in a varied and healthy diet and lifestyle. If you have tried shakes in the past and found the taste to be a bit predictable, there are some great new flavours available from companies like B’liev. Look out for chocolate brownie, blueberry muffin, cookies & cream and, always seek out shakes without added processed sugar or artificial flavours.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Aria Beheshtaein is founder of B’liev, a new plant-based, protein shake available in three unusual, but utterly delicious flavours: Blueberry Muffin, Cookies & Cream and Chocolate Brownie. Packed with protein and fibre, and fortified with vitamins and minerals, B’liev delivers much more than hydration and great taste, and encourages us all to believe that anything is possible, we just have to believe in ourselves.
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online protein calculator https://www.calculator.net/protein-calculator.html