Can You Drink Protein Shakes While Fasting?
Intermittent Fasting and Protein Shakes | Can You Have A Protein Shake While Fasting | Do You Need A Protein Shake | 3 Best Protein Shakes For Intermittent Fasting | Protein Shake Intermittent Fasting Do’s and Don’ts
If you are practicing intermittent fasting or planning on starting to fast, you might know that it is ok to consume liquids. However, many people cannot fulfill their protein requirements through foods eaten in a small time frame.
Protein shakes are one of the best ways to satisfy that protein requirement in the body without having to eat excessive calories and with the least effort. So, can you drink protein shakes while intermittent fasting or any other kind of fasting? Let us discuss this in detail below.
Intermittent Fasting and Protein Shakes
When answering the question of whether you can drink protein shakes while fasting, you need to consider two things.
One is the type of fast and the reason for fasting. The reason most people fast is to lose weight and to improve their blood insulin levels. Protein shakes have protein and, in some cases, sugars and a small number of carbohydrates.
Even if you take the protein, mix it with water and consume it, they are still high in calories. Most of the time, you might consume 30 grams of protein at one time which is already over 100 calories.
So does a protein shake break a fast? Yes! it does.
Even if you practice dirty fasting, drinking protein shakes will break your fast. It will create a spike in your blood sugar levels. In all kinds of fasts, it is not appropriate to drink a protein shake in the fasting window because it will break the fast and take away all the benefits of the long hours of fast that you have managed to complete.
Can You Have A Protein Shake While Fasting?
Since we have explained why you can not consume protein shakes in your fasting window, can you drink protein shakes during the eating window while intermittent fasting? The answer is yes. Protein shakes can be consumed in the eating window. It would help if you considered protein shakes as a meal or a snack.
However, if you think about breaking a fast with a protein shake, you can do that too. It would be best if you complement your protein shake with enough fat and fiber to create that feeling of satiety.
If you work out during your fasting window, you cannot drink your favorite protein drink just after the workout without breaking your fast. So, if you do have a habit of consuming protein shake just after your workouts, it would be beneficial to either work out when you are in your eating window or plan your workout so that you are already in the eating window when it ends.
Do You Need A Protein Shake?
Protein is a vital macronutrient that should be a significant part of your meals. A sedentary person needs 0.8 gm of protein per 1kg of their body weight. The requirement for protein grows as you become more active.
Hence, if you follow intermittent fasting and rigorous workout, protein is essential in muscle building and repair and necessary for weight loss. Most people, especially vegetarians, find it challenging to consume enough protein in their day-to-day lives, while intermittent fasting and protein shakes are the easiest way to do that.
Also, since protein is digested slower in the body, it controls and suppresses your appetite. So, if you consume more protein, you feel less hungry for long durations. Eating enough protein in your diet is especially important for people who are intermittent fasting for longer durations.
But the core question is, do you need protein shakes? Well, it depends. If you can consume enough protein through your meals, you do not need a protein shake. However, if you cannot consume enough protein throughout your eating window, you can drink protein shakes as a meal supplement.
Now that you have the answer to- can you drink a protein shake while fasting? Let us help you choose among the best protein shakes for fasting available in the market.
3 Best Protein Shakes For Intermittent Fasting
1. Protein Powder Made from Real Bone Broth by Ancient Nutrition: Great For Keto Diet
If you are looking for a protein powder developed by experts in the keto diet, Ancient Nutrition one made from real bone broth is the right choice.
It has its roots in Ayurveda and Chinese Herbalism. It is a homemade chicken broth with vanilla powder for added taste and contains effective nutrients such as chondroitin and glucosamine.
The powder is formulated with concentrated chicken bone broth sustainably sourced from farmed chickens from the United States. It does not contain any growth hormones or added chemicals.
Why buy it?
- It is easy to digest and supports your gut health
- Great for use in smoothies, shakes, and hot drinks
- Chemical-free compositions make it ideal for consumption, while intermittent fasting
2. Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder: Amazon Best-Seller
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder is easy to mix whey protein powder that contains whey protein concentrate, whey peptides, and whey protein isolate. It significantly supports lean muscle mass. It has over 5 gms of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), making it a great source of isoleucine, valine, and leucine.
The Gold Standard of Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% whey protein powder is gluten-free with minimal sugar and fat content. The double-rich chocolate flavor does not contain artificial sweeteners like sucralose and is adequately tested for its purity.
Why Buy it?
- Award-winning protein powder- awarded by Consumer health 2019 edition, Euro monitor international limited
- Great to consume at any time of the day
- Available in over 20 flavors and four different sizes
- It helps build muscles
3. Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder: The Most Natural Option
A sugar-free plant-based protein powder Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder, comprises chia seeds, pea, and brown rice extracts. It is a vanilla-flavored protein powder.
Sealed by USDA organic, this protein powder is ideal for vegans as it is dairy-free and lactose-free. It is also a perfect kosher product, does not contain soy or artificial ingredients like carrageenan, and is GMO-free.
Why Buy it?
- Ideal for a quick snack drink when mixed in shakes, smoothies, or plain water
- It can be used for added protein and energy in bakery items such as cakes and muffins
- Suitable for muscle recovery after workouts
Protein Shake Intermittent Fasting Do’s and Don’ts
If you are new to powder proteins and intermittent fasting, you should read the following Do’s and Don’ts for best results.
Do’s
- Always read the ingredient list before buying.
Know the company, their production process, and the ingredients in their product. It is always better to put in your research before purchasing a supplement.
If you have time, it is also beneficial to read about the variety of protein supplements available in the market and the percentage of protein each of these supplements has.
- Know how much protein to consume.
As stated above, each person has a minimum requirement of 0.8gm per kg protein if they are sedentary. So, calculate your protein requirement based on your body weight. A 70kg person would require more protein than a 50kg one.
In addition to this, your protein requirement also depends on various body functions. If you have any chronic kidney and liver diseases, discuss with your doctor before consuming protein in high quantities.
- Try to get your protein from food.
Protein shakes should not be the only proteinsource for you. Try to get your proteins from the foods you consume, and then if you are unable tomeet your needs, use protein shakes as a supplement.
Don’ts
- Don’t overdo the protein shake.
It means that you should not overconsume protein shakes without assessing your daily requirement. If you consume protein shake more than your body requires, it will be stored as fat and you will lose all the benefits of weight loss. Hence calculate and measure the amount of protein you are consuming per scoop of your shake.
- Do not make your shakes full of calories.
It would be best not to go strictly by online recipes that add many ingredients to the protein powder when you make a protein shake. Each of the ingredients that you add will have its calorific values
So, when you include six ingredients in your protein shakes, it becomes equal to 350-400 kcal, which is the number of calories a person on a 1200 kcal diet would have per meal.
Of course, the exception here is the people who need lots of food and want to do that with liquid calories but if you are trying to lose weight, make your protein shake as simple as possible.
- Do not buy cheap protein powders with sugar and artificial sweeteners, oils, and carbohydrates.
Sometimes the protein powder companies add lots of these ingredients to improve the taste of the protein, which can often go unnoticed. Instead of falling for the claims at the front of the box, read the ingredients at the back.
Always invest in good quality proteins rather than the cheap stuff available in the market. Creating good quality proteins is costly, and hence the products provided at a lower price might be packed with sugars and carbs with less protein.
To Sum Up
Protein intake is necessary for anyone who is intermittent fasting and is trying to lose weight.
However, consuming protein shakes during the fasting window can break your fast. So, it is always better to take a protein shake in the eating window. Also, you should first fulfill your protein requirements with protein-rich foods and then use protein as a substitute to meet the rest of your daily needs.
