Q: What protein shakes?

Q: What kind of protein shake should I use? I found one that says it's carb-free.  Is that ok?


A: Good question.  What I've found is that most protein shakes aren't ok.  One thing Tim Ferriss says is to avoid artificial sweeteners like sucralose (Splenda) or aspartame (Nutrasweet), and these 'carb free' protein shakes use these for flavor.  Also, the ideal protein is Casein, which makes up 80% of the protein in milk.  The problem is that casein is hard to find without sweeteners - natural or artificial.  If you are ok with a little sweetener, then Optimum Nutrition has a good natural option.  If you aren't, then I've only found 1 option so far.  Check out our store page for a link to Muscle Feast Micelar Casein.  Casein is best because it's a very slow protein to metabolize, so it's easy for your muscles to absorb over a ~4 hour period.  I add a scoop of natural unsweetened cocoa, a teaspoon of cinnamon and a packet of stevia.  Super tasty.

Otherwise, you have 2 more options. The next is whey protein isolate. Note that I didn't just say 'whey' or 'whey protein'. This is a fast absorbing protein, which makes it great for post-workout use as your muscles are ready to absorb protein quickly. Otherwise, your body will process out what it can't use via the kidneys (and urine). My favorite option is Jay Robb's chocolate whey protein isolate.  Jay Robb uses stevia to sweeten it, which is absolutely ok with the diet.  The chocolate also tastes really good.  There's also an unflavored that's very good, but I treat it like casein, and add my own flavoring.

If these proteins don't work well for you, then I'd suggest egg white protein. It doesn't taste as good when mixed with water as the other two.  It works, and works well, but I'd make this my third choice.

For whole food protein, lentils, eggs and cottage cheese are the way to go.  I make an omelet at night and put some lentils in it.  Then I heat it up in the morning and eat it with a casein shake within the first 30 minutes after waking, as the diet suggests.  It's easy and works well for me.  I then workout, and then have a cup of cottage cheese or maybe a spoon of almond butter. Otherwise, I grab a Dizzle Bar, and hop in my car to get to work.