Low Carb Shakes

Low Carb Shakes – Which Ones Are For Me

For me, a Low Carb Shake is my daily breakfast, as it is for probably many on a low carb diet plan . Low Carb Shakes are convenient, tasty, and usually formulated to match your nutritional needs for a low carb diet. So, they are a good choice and well worth employing as a part of you low carb diet. They should only be a part of your diet however. You can’t live on shakes alone as this would rob you of needed fiber and other nutrients you would obtain from natural proteins, vegetables, fruit, and fats.

This blog contains a number of posts on different kinds of shakes. Just perform a search for “shakes” or search more directly for specific shakes like “banana shakes” etc., like the following video…

As an overview on the topic of shakes, the following sections cover some of the issues common with making or buying shakes: Isolated Whey Protein (a common source of protein for low carb shakes), the issue of whether to us Soy Milk or Almond Milk as the main liquid ingredient for shakes, and suggestions for purchasing low carb shakes online or from stores.

Isolated Whey Protein Powder

Often called Whey Isolate, Isolated Whey Protein Powder is produced by separating the protein (globular proteins ) from whey, a by-product in the production of cheese. When milk is coagulated to create cheese, the liquid remaining is called whey, which contains the water soluble components of milk. The whey is then dried in a fashion that removes fats and other non-protein substances, leaving only a highly concentrated protein powder, whey isolate.

Clinical animal studies have suggested that whey isolate may provide some benefits in reducing inflammation or in resisting the growth of cancer, but human clinical studies haven’t yet proven this. Nevertheless, there is interest in whey isolate as a potentially valuable food additive that may help with prevention of disease.

The bottom line is that whey isolate may be a healthy food additive for making low carb shakes, and it certainly provides protein, so is a good choice as the protein component of a shake.

Soy Milk or Almond Milk

A shake should generally taste like and have the consistency of a “milk shake” so you have to have some kind of milk. Cow’s milk or goat’s milk is out of the question for low carb shakes because they contain lactose, a form of sugar (disaccharide sugar).

Soy milk was a popular choice for many years as a milk substitute but more recently almond milk has gained some attention as a favorite. In choosing between the two, bear in mind that soy has, in recent years, lost favor with many users because of its hormonal impacts. It is suspected that it acts like estrogen, so may have negative impacts on both male and female fertility.

Almond milk also has an advantage for the low carb dieter because it is higher in fat content than soy milk (a good thing), it is much less starchy (also a good thing).

Therefore almond milk should be considered instead of soy milk for use in low carb shakes. Keep in mind that both soy and almond milk have allergens (like almost anything we eat), so that may be a consideration as well.

Off-the-Shelf Low Carb Shakes

I’m an advocate of off-the-shelf low carb shakes for a low carb diet plan because they are just so convenient. I take them out of the fridge and drink them straight from the container. Some like to blend them with crushed ice to really make a treat out of them. They are expensive though. There are several varieties at grocery and drug stores, and many can be found online. Ask fellow low carb dieters what their favorites are.

Blenders

Don’t try and get by with a small, portable blender. Get a good-sized, solid blender you can use and abuse daily. If the new ones are too expensive pick one up from EBay, Craigslist, or the Salvation Army or Goodwill stores and run the blender parts that touch food through the dishwasher before you use it.

Use Your Imagination

You’ll find a number of shake recipes on this blog. Find one you like and modify it to suit your tastes by adding crushed nuts, fruit, or whatever you like. You’ll have to account for the changes in carbs these modifications may entail, but making the shake recipe your own will make all the difference in making your low carb shake experience a successful one.

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Joe Lindley