Most of my friends have the following routine after workouts:
-put protein powder in water, shake it, drink
-shower
-eat meal
This doesn’t work for me; I don’t like the taste of just water and protein powder mixed together, so for years I have been tinkering with my recipe for a protein shake meal replacement and I think I have it perfected. It takes roughly 10 minutes to make and the result is a healthy and delicious protein shake with balanced macronutrient ratios.
Ingredients
-16 ounces unsweetened almond milk
-12 ounces frozen berries
-1 organic medium banana
-1 tablespoon organic finely ground flaxseed
-1/2 tablespoon chocolate covered chia seeds
-1 tablespoon organic peanut butter
-1 scoop whey protein
-750 mg creatine hydrochloride
658.5 calories
-20.75g Fat, 28.35% total calories
-82.5g Carbohydrate, 50.11% total calories
-34.33g protein, 20.9% total calories
Benefits of these Ingredients
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 Fatty Acids are thought to have numerous health benefits: decreasing risk of heart disease, lowering levels of depression, visual and neurological development aid in children, and possible cognition benefits. Chia seeds and flaxseed are both high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Antioxidants
Although most studies are inconclusive, antioxidants are thought to neutralize and remove free radicals from the blood stream. Free radicals are destructive to our cells and contribute to cancer and the aging process. Berries, flaxseed, and chia seeds are all high in antioxidants.
Creatine
Generally thought of as a supplement which increases muscle mass and body size, creatine has been shown to have benefits for working memory and Intelligence:
Creatine supplementation is in widespread use to enhance sports-fitness performance, and has been trialled successfully in the treatment of neurological, neuromuscular and atherosclerotic disease. Creatine plays a pivotal role in brain energy homeostasis, being a temporal and spatial buffer for cytosolic and mitochondrial pools of the cellular energy currency, adenosine triphosphate and its regulator, adenosine diphosphate. In this work, we tested the hypothesis that oral creatine supplementation (5 g d(-1) for six weeks) would enhance intelligence test scores and working memory performance in 45 young adult, vegetarian subjects in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over design. Creatine supplementation had a significant positive effect (p < 0.0001) on both working memory (backward digit span) and intelligence (Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices), both tasks that require speed of processing. These findings underline a dynamic and significant role of brain energy capacity in influencing brain performance.
source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1691485/
Fiber
This shake contains 20 grams of fiber. The average American is thought to consume 15 grams of fiber, which is less than half the recommended daily dose. Fiber has benefits such as normal bowel movements, lowering cholesterol, controlling blood sugar levels, and maintaining a healthy weight.
Making the Shake
-Put 16 ounces of almond milk in blender
-Put banana and frozen fruit in the milk
-blend the milk, banana, berry combination until it's smooth and spiraling in the blender
-add in the flaxseed, chia, and peanut butter
-add scoop of whey protein and then creatine
-let everything blend for another 15 seconds, then enjoy your shake.
This is a large shake: if it is too much for you, you can refrigerate the rest and enjoy later.
Sources for information on omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, creatine, fiber
http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/omega-3-fatty-acids-fact-sheet
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/tc/antioxidants-topic-overview
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1691485
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983
My name is Ryan Daut and I would love to have you as a follower. Click here to go to my profile page, then click in the upper right corner if you would like to see my blogs and articles regularly.
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