How Many Protein Shakes Should I Drink in a Day?

There are many people who try to increase their daily protein intake with the assistance of shakes. These are made with protein powder and water, milk or juice. There are specific reasons why they use protein shakes and in some cases, there is a specific amount of protein they are trying to get each day. When it comes to your daily intake of protein shakes, it usually depends on what you are looking to do.

Multiple Meals

One of the most common things people do to lose weight is eat small, frequent meals throughout the day. This is done to increase metabolism. Whenever you eat a meal, your body needs to burn calories to break down the food, which is called the thermic effect. When you eat every two to three hours throughout the day, your body is always burning calories to break down the food and there is no excess to be stored as fat. In these situations, protein shakes are often times alternated with whole food meals in a five to six meals per day plan. By the end of the day, two or three protein shakes will have been consumed.

Morning Meal

It is said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day being that you are coming out of a long fast from sleeping. There are some people who do not have time to eat breakfast when they wake up because of their busy lifestyle, yet they know how important it is. For that reason, they often rely on a protein shake, because it is quick and easy to make. In this case, they drink just one shake then eat regular meals the rest of the day.

Snack

Some people use protein shakes as a snack in the middle of the afternoon or evening. In this case, the shake is used as a healthy substitute for something they might have eaten that was not good for them. Another thing they may do is, make the shake resemble that of a dessert. This is done to make it more satisfying and give them the feeling that they are not being deprived. In this case, the shake is made by putting the protein powder in a bowl, adding a little bit of water or milk, then mixing it to a pudding-like consistency with a spoon. In these cases, they generally consume one to two drinks/portions a day.

Weight Gain

Bodybuilders try to get extreme amounts of protein in their diets on a daily basis. It is not uncommon for them to aim for 200g or more a day. This is done to help rebuild the muscle tissue that was broken down during their strenuous workouts. With that being said, they generally go through three or more a day with the post-workout protein shake being the most important.

Another thing that they often do is make their protein shakes into smoothies by adding other ingredients and supplements. This acts as a one-stop shop for more caloric intake and a fast meal on the go. Some ingredients they would use for one of these would be protein powder, milk, yogurt, berries, bananas, peanut butter and honey.

Caution

The RDA recommended amount of protein per day by the U.S. government is .8g per kilogram of body weight. If you happen to have kidney problems, it is not advised to eat high amounts of protein on a daily basis. One scoop of protein powder can have anywhere from 15 to 22g of protein in it. In this case, it would be a good idea to stick with one to two shakes a day as long as you do not overdo your required daily amount.