I have been having an email conversation today with loyal reader Andrew about what ingredients a post workout protein shake should include. In this post I want to take a quick look at what I feel are the most important ingredients for a post workout protein shake.

The most important ingredients for a post workout protein shake

Remember, when having a protein shake it is important to consider not only the ingredients but also the timing. Your post workout shake should be taken immediately after your workout. Not five minutes later. Not three minutes later. Immediately. You need to give your muscles protein and energy as soon as possible. With that in mind here are some of the important ingredients:

1. Milk
Milk has a lot of protein in it and the type of protein in milk is called casein. Casein is a slow digesting protein and it is one of the best proteins there is for building muscle. It is good to have this protein after your workout and then again before bed as it will provide a few hours of proteins for the body to work with.

Milk is also important for the protein shake to make it taste good! I always use a non-homogenized milk that has not been heated too much as I feel this really impacts on the quality. Some people believe that this is dangerous as it has a lot of germs in it. I am not too sure - make up your own mind.

2. Whey protein powder
We all know how important whey is for bodybuilding. It is a by-product of cheese that comes from milk during the cheese making process. The two main types of whey protein are isolate and concentrate - isolate being higher in protein and lower in calories as it has been purified more. Whey is an essential ingredient to any serious post workout shake.

3. Gatorade
Not many people include Gatorade in their post workout shake and it is a shame. This stuff is designed to hydrate you fast and also has a lot of water in it. The salt in Gatorade helps you hydrate a lot quicker. A dash in a protein shake helps with recovery.

4. Banana
Bananas are full of so many vitamins, minerals, proteins and more that they are truly a super food. I make all of my protein shakes with banana in them as I love the taste and I find it an easy way to get more fruit in my diet. An added bonus of banana is that it causes a mild sugar boost which helps your body release insulin and as such push nutrients in to the muscles. Many bodybuilders believe that this is a key to successful post workout eating.

5. Multivitamins
If you take a multivitamin it is a good idea to have it now while you are getting a lot of other vitamins and minerals. Your body is somewhat depleted after a hard workout so now is a good a time as any to top yourself up.

6. Egg
Eggs are an amazing food for bodybuilders. They are full of all the nutrients that a baby chicken would need to grow had the egg been fertilized and incubated. The protein in egg is the highest quality protein there is as it is raw and uncooked and 100% absorbed by the body. Eggs also have a lot of good fats and cholesterols in them which is essential for healthy bodybuilding. I usually have one or two in a post workout shake.

Homemade are better than store bought

At my gym they sell a wide range of Musashi protein shakes. These are quite expensive and not all that good for you. Sure they have a lot of protein in them but the other ingredients are artificial and they are packed full of poisonous refined sugar.

It is a much better idea to make your protein shakes at home with fresh ingredients. Over time you will save money and you will be doing your body a big favor. I have found from my own experience that muscle gains are a lot bigger when you have fresh ingredients in your cup.

Getting only the best ingredients

I am a firm believer that what we eat has a huge impact on how healthy we are. I also think better quality ingredients mean better quality results. For this reason (and others) you should take some pride in how you select your food. Here are some pointers:

• NEVER buy cage eggs. Always buy free range eggs from chickens on a big farm. They are better for you and much more ethical.
• Buy local bananas. Try to buy bananas that have been grown in your own country to support local trade.
• Carefully select the milk you buy based on how they prepare it and what the companies treatment of the cows is like

These are some of the most important ingredients and tips for making a post workout protein shake. If you have any others we would really like to hear them. Leave a comment as it may help the tens of thousands of people who read this site.

We all know how important protein is. We know we need it to grow big muscles and we know we need it to perform at our best. But, does the type of protein matter? Do you get most of your protein from natural or man-made sources?

Natural Proteins

Natural proteins (in my book) are proteins that come from all natural sources. Here we are talking about things like:

• Eggs
• Raw Milk
• Meats
• Nuts
• Fruits and vegetables
• Etc

These proteins occur naturally in foods and are not extracted or tampered with. The main thing is that they have not been heated to high temperatures and as such the amino acids are still in tact.

Man-Made Proteins

Man-made proteins are those that come from natural sources but are extracted out and enhanced in some way. Whey protein powder is the perfect example - it is made as by-product of the cheese making process and is heated, watered down, cleaned and so on before it gets into your stomach.

Where do you get your protein

So the big question is: where do you get most of your protein? And, even more importantly, does it make a difference?

top image:photo credit: Melting Mama

Someone contacted me through the Real Muscle Online Facebook Group this week and asked for some ideas about eating healthy at high school. Here is a copy of what they said:

“I was wondering if you guys at RMO could do some stuff about eating healthy in high school? As is, just about every fast food and prepared food company tries to aggressively market to kids and adolescents especially, and at times, even for health conscious people, it can be pretty tough, you know?”

I agree with what the email says 100% and thought it was a great idea for a post. I will try to give some ideas based on my own experience of trying to eat like an athlete while still in high school and all the limitations that it presents.

How to eat healthy at high school

High school can be pretty annoying. You are bound by class times and you only have two breaks to fit in your meals. However, with a bit of planning this structure can actually work in your favor.

1. Trying to eat six healthy meals a day

If you are trying to lose weight or gain muscle it is important to eat about six evenly spaced out meals per day. The reason for this is that you want to keep your metabolism cranking as well as providing your muscles with a constant stream of nutrients.

High school is actually good for this as the two breaks are usually at around 11am and 1pm. This means that you can have breakfast at about 8am, snack at 11am, lunch at 1pm, snack at 4pm and then dinner at 7pm. That is all six meals spaced out perfectly!

Leftovers
The problem with high school is that you need to do a lot of pre-cooking if your school has a bad canteen. I was very luck where I went - the canteen ladies did an amazing job and we always had gourmet foods like sandwiches, healthy pizzas, pasta dishes, salads and so on. It was not difficult to eat healthy or get my protein.

However, not all schools are like this and that means that you have to plan. One of the best things you can do it eat leftovers. If your mom cooks for you then kindly ask her to make extra. If you have an extra chicken breast leftover you can cut it up and throw it into a lunch box with some salad leaves and a bit of mustard for a dressing. Be creative with your leftovers as you can quite often turn some old meal into an awesome new one by simply adding some salad, vegetables or dressing.

Buy food elsewhere
Another thing you can do is spend your lunch money on the way to school. If you have a crappy canteen you can stop off at the local supermarket or a local cafe and buy some take away food which you then eat for lunch. A chicken salad or some healthy equivalent should only cost you about $10. If you can’t afford this everyday once or twice a week is better than none. Continue Reading