Protein Supplements....Is It Good For You?

So seeing I am on a liquid diet I feel that I should talk to you about my liquid diet. My liquid diet consists of protein shakes, soup broth, unsweetened applesauce, diluted juice, sugar free Jell-O and yogurt with no fruit pieces (I stuck with vanilla). Protein is key to staying full and active with plenty of energy. A good way to start your morning is with protein. I do my Muscle Milk protein shake in the morning and afternoon. For snacks I like a lighter protein so I will have some yogurt or applesauce. For dinner I usually am home and depending on my appetite I will have some broth or a shake again. My goal is to have between 60 - 65 grams of protein a day. So most people think if you buy a protein powder from the vitamin store or the health food store that it is automatically good for you. THAT IS NOT THE CASE! I want to teach you how to find a good protein powder so if you wanted to replace your meals with a protein shake you won't have any problems doing so. The first thing you want to do when looking at a protein powder is look at the Nutritional Facts label. A good protein powder or pre-mixed drink will have 20 or more grams of protein per serving. The Muscle Milk I use currently is 30 or so plus the protein from my milk which is 8 grams. So in one serving I am getting 38 grams of protein. The next thing you want to look at is the calories in the protein shake. This is where companies try and trick you with hidden sugars and weight gaining no-no's. A good protein will have about 200 or less. The Muscle Milk I use has about 150, you should also look at the calories from fat because if its 200 calories and 100 are from fat chances are it may not be good for you in the end. Another good protein source I like is Carnation Instant Breakfast No Sugar Added. You just add some milk and stir. Some protein powders are made from soy, milk, vegetables, and nuts. So if you are like me and have food allergies you should read the labels to make sure you aren't going to get sick. If you want to have the premixed protein drinks, you should be really careful of the amount of sugar they put into them. Drinking empty calories is not a good way to go. When transitioning to drinking protein you may get tired at first but don't stop your body is only getting adjusted to the shock. Also they have unflavored protein powders so you can mix them with fruits and vegetables and make your own delicious flavor. With that said go out there and make some smoothies especially with the warm weather coming in. And remember Stay Beautiful.