protein shakes

When Your Athlete Wants to Incorporate Protein Shakes

Today we are talking Protein Shakes. Probably one of the most common questions that I get from parents I work with…

  • “Are they good?”

  • “Should my athlete drink them?”

  • “Which ones do you recommend?”

  • “When should they drink them?”

My response and discussion of this popular question is always similar and it goes something like this…

Yes, I think that protein shakes CAN be beneficial and helpful…

  1. in certain situations

  2. with the right information and understanding to support it

Typical Instances Where Protein Shakes Can Be Helpful For Young Athletes:

  • An athlete has early morning practice before school and needs a quick protein choice to pair with the carbohydrate in their recovery snack between end of practice and their first class.

  • An athlete has a super packed school schedule and sometimes does not have the time (or make the time) for a full hot lunch.

  • An athlete needs quick and shelf-stable protein ideas to have on-hand during long days of tournaments, back-to-back practices or competitions.

  • The athlete is vegetarian or vegan and so their easy on-the-go protein choices are more limited throughout the day.

  • The more mature athlete is struggling to meet protein goals for weight and / or muscle gain.

  • An athlete has decreased appetite after intense practices and liquid nutrition is the only thing desired or tolerated.

While protein shakes can be helpful in scenarios like those above, it’s important for the athlete to understand a few important facts so that the shake fully benefits the athlete’s performance…

Key Points to Remember When Incorporating Protein Shakes:

  • Low in Calories. Protein shakes are often low in calories and relying too much on these on their own can leave an athlete underfueled.

  • Low in Carbohydrates. Protein shakes are often low in carbohydrates. Not being strategic about how a protein shake fits into the meal or snack can leave an athlete under-consuming carbohydrates. And we know that carbohydrates are key for (1) energy, stamina and performance, (2) building muscle and (3) recovery.

  • Not a Nutrition Shake. Relying too much on protein shakes as a source of protein while not being intentional about other meals and snacks can leave an athlete deficient in other macro or micronutrients. Protein shakes are usually not equal to nutrition / meal replacement shakes.

  • Contain Artificial Sweeteners. Many protein shakes do contain artificial sweeteners (to keep the sugar down, which means the carbohydrates are low as well) and these can cause stomach discomfort / upset in some individuals. If your athletes’ stomach is sensitive to these, it may be best to avoid.

  • More isn’t necessarily better. Different protein shakes have different amounts of protein. The typical 12 or 13 year old athlete does not need 40+ grams of protein in their protein shake. It will not give them an additional benefit to building muscle over 15 to 30 grams (depends on weight, stage of development, etc.), especially if they are allowing that 40 grams to make up for very little protein or no protein in another meal or snack. Remember, we want consistent protein intake that meets the specific athlete’s overall goal spaced throughout the day. This is where, if the athlete has struggled with building muscle, I recommend you get with a sports RD who can give your athlete a total protein goal and the best way to break it up throughout the day.


And, or course, one other thing to consider is the question around if the athlete actually needs extra protein from a shake. Some athletes think they need to drink these because friends or teammates are drinking them. Here are some initial questions I start with when seeing an athlete who wonders about protein shakes…

Initial Questions To Ask Before Relying On Protein Shakes:

  • “How much protein is the athlete currently getting?”

    • Many athlete are getting more protein than they think.

    • Take a look at current meal and snack patterns. What is the protein content of your athlete’s current food choices?

  • “Does your athlete like a variety of protein-rich foods and drinks?” If the answer is “yes”, then I encourage them to try those first over shakes. Those foods and drinks will likely offer more overall nutrition and energy than a single protein shake (and can be more budget-friendly than more pricey protein shakes).

  • “Can the athlete fit a variety of these foods in throughout the school day (before school, during school or after school)?” Once the athlete has identified protein foods they enjoy and that are available regularly (I go over this in depth with the athlete in our sessions), we need to determine the feasibility of actually getting these throughout the day each day. The athlete may have a bunch of protein-rich foods & drinks they love, but their school schedule makes it tough to get many of those foods each day. In my sessions with athletes, I’m here to partner with them. We incorporate what they like and what they will try with what is actually feasible with their scheduler and make recommendations and a plan from there.

If your answer these questions and you realize the athlete is meeting their protein goals, then a protein shake likely isn’t necessary. If, however, you determine that the athlete’s protein needs cannot be met from regular foods and beverages, then protein shakes may be a helpful advantage.

If you need help assessing your athlete’s intake…

or if your athlete needs help with getting enough protein each day to support recovery, performance and meeting their goals…

You can always reach out to me on Instagram (@taylormorrisonRD) or shoot me a quick email at taylor@taylored-nutrition.com. We’ll jump on a brief Discover Call to talk more about your athlete’s needs and goals and see if working together would be a good fit. I offer a variety of one-to-one packages as well as a group program throughout the year!

I hope you found this helpful today. Until next time!

Wishing you a well-fueled athlete,

Taylor

Do You Really Need All of Those Protein Bars and Shakes?

Lately I have been working with athletes to help build meals and snacks that support their intense summer training schedules. I find that while the issue during the school year is maintaining sufficient intake with a busy school and sports schedule, the issue during the summer is maintaining sufficient intake or increasing intake to support the higher volume and intensity of training that occurs for many sports. Athletes that may have higher intensity summer training include distance runners (longer mileage in the summer in preparation for the fall season), dancers (with summer intensives), figure skaters (I went to camp for 6 weeks in the summer growing up and trained off and on ice for about 7 hours a day, whew!), football players with two-a-days in preparation for the fall, and many other club sport athletes that play year-round.

In working with these athletes and assessing intakes, it got me thinking about protein. I realized that, while I have written posts about how to meet protein needs or increase protein to meet needs, I have not written any posts talking about why you may be just fine and why you many NOT need to worry about your protein intake! I think it’s important to talk on this because the reality is that most teen athletes, if they are eating enough to support growth, training and activities of daily life are probably getting enough protein. Why? Well, because as I stated above, teen athletes need a lot of calories, especially during the height of their training! And in order to meet that increased need in a way that fills and satisfies the body, protein is usually increased as a byproduct. It’s hard to increase intake that much (I’m talking 3500 to 4000 calories a day here) and not use any protein-containing foods, especially when part of the goal with the increase is to help the athlete feel satisfied so he / she isn’t hungry ALL. DAY. LONG. Even our carbohydrate sources, like whole grain bread, pasta, milk and yogurt contain protein. And there is 7 grams of protein in just one ounce of meat! I rarely come across a male teen athlete who says he only eats two ounces of meat with his dinner…

So, what’s my point? My point is that many athletes (and many people in general) are consuming more protein than they think, especially when trying to increase their intake. It seems like society is soooo focused on protein these days and getting more protein. I actually had a hard time finding a non-Greek dairy yogurt at the store yesterday. Yes, protein is important and there are many athletes who have trouble meeting there needs but, before going out and buying all of the high protein bars, yogurts, milks, cereals and shakes out there, I would first challenge you to take a look at how much protein you are currently getting in a day . If you love non-Greek yogurts or regular granola bars vs protein bars, great! Chances are those “average products” contain some protein anyway all contributing to your needs at the end of the day.

Want to see an example of what I’m talking about? Let’s take a look!

Let’s say you’re a high school athlete that weights 121 pounds (55 kg) and your sports dietitian says you should be getting about 1.4 grams protein / kg / day, which is appropriate for some young athletes (but I don’t know you so please don’t take this as medical advise or a personal recommendation of what you should be getting in a day). The diagram below is what that would look like. And, y’all, that’s it! That’s all you need! The thing is, you are going to need way more calories (and other nutrients) than what the below chart shows and so my point is, you’re probably getting enough protein to meet your needs. What you should now be focusing on is increasing those carbs to fuel your brain and muscles, getting healthy fat to promote satiety, decrease inflammation and absorb other nutrients and micronutrients like calcium and vitamin D to protect your bones.

Protein Meal Example.png

So, again, if you worry about your protein intake, I challenge you to take a closer look at what you are eating and drinking. Compare it to my example here and my list of protein-containing foods. If you still worry about your intake, I encourage you to reach out to a sports RD in your area. If you’re interested in working with me, I would love to work with you! You can reach out to me through the link here.

Happy Fueling!

Taylor