is it a bad idea to use a protein shake as a breakfast replacement?



C

combfilter

Guest
I figured 35gm of protein would be good? I eat normal lunch's and
dinners. Usually lean meat and some green veggie.
 
I do it but I also eat a snack an hour or two later and my smoothie
consists of soymilk, a banana, strawberries, ground sunflower or flax
seeds, and whey protein so I think those things are pretty good. I
wouldn't want to just have some protein powder and water for a meal,
that's empty protein. On other days I eat a protein bar and a glass of
milk and it seems to work for me, again I usually snack later. So my
opinion is that it depends on what your shake consists of, if it is
just protein I would also eat a piece of fruit or something else
nutritious.
James
 
"combfilter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I figured 35gm of protein would be good? I eat normal lunch's and
> dinners. Usually lean meat and some green veggie.
>


It's better than no breakfast at all.
 
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> I do it but I also eat a snack an hour or two later and my smoothie
> consists of soymilk, a banana, strawberries, ground sunflower or flax
> seeds, and whey protein so I think those things are pretty good. I
> wouldn't want to just have some protein powder and water for a meal,
> that's empty protein. On other days I eat a protein bar and a glass of
> milk and it seems to work for me, again I usually snack later. So my
> opinion is that it depends on what your shake consists of, if it is
> just protein I would also eat a piece of fruit or something else
> nutritious.
> James
>
>

good point. Yes i either eat a protein bar (whatever is on sale
usually have 20g's of pro and some other items). HOwever, lately i have
been doing a straight shake or just water and protein.

empty protein? as in, it needs something else for my body to use it?
like a piece of food or something?

thx for the response
-comb
 
I was just doing a play on words by saying "empty protein", like how
people say you are getting empty calories from a soft drink. The
protein itself is good assuming that you are using a complete protein
(I would figure that any protein powder supplement probably is). I
just meant empty of other vitamins.
 
JamesG wrote:
> I was just doing a play on words by saying "empty protein", like how
> people say you are getting empty calories from a soft drink. The
> protein itself is good assuming that you are using a complete protein
> (I would figure that any protein powder supplement probably is). I
> just meant empty of other vitamins.


Ain't no "empty protein" any more than there are "empty calories."
Those are pop nutrition words that are intended to create psychological
responses in people who never bother to actually learn anything about
nutrition. That's not necessarily a bad thing -- most people need to
be told in very simple terms what they should eat and what they should
not eat -- but those terms are very simplistic and largely inaccurate.

As to "complete proteins," meaning dietary protein sources which
contain adequate quantities of the essential amino acids, those protein
bars you eat are probably the worst source; they are notorious for
containing a lot of collagen proteins that lack decent quantities of
one or more essential amino acids.

As to protein powder and water, there's nothing wrong with that if you
are on a low-carbohydrate regimen, but when consuming protein powder
(particularly whey) at times surrounding resistance training, it is
important to have a good source of carbohydrates with simple sugars to
provide the insulin response needed for optimal muscle protein
accretion (increased muscle protein synthesis, decreased muscle protein
breakdown).

As to vitamins, a good quality multi-vitamin will take care of that;
vitamins are not really a significant consideration in protein shakes.

The addition of fresh fruit to create "smoothies" is a pop, neo-hippy
convention that may taste pretty good and may provide beneficial
nutritients (vitamins, minerals, fiber, carbohydrates), but it is far
from being necessary, and there may well be better options. I find
"smoothies" a little too trendy and twink-like for my tastes, plus I'm
not a big fresh fruit aficionado, but that's a just matter of personal
taste, and generally, there's nothing inherently wrong with them.

Just thought I'd share that with you.
 
JamesG wrote:
> I was just doing a play on words by saying "empty protein", like how
> people say you are getting empty calories from a soft drink. The
> protein itself is good assuming that you are using a complete protein
> (I would figure that any protein powder supplement probably is). I
> just meant empty of other vitamins.


Ain't no "empty protein" any more than there are "empty calories."
Those are pop nutrition words that are intended to create psychological
responses in people who never bother to actually learn anything about
nutrition. That's not necessarily a bad thing -- most people need to
be told in very simple terms what they should eat and what they should
not eat -- but those terms are very simplistic and largely inaccurate.

As to "complete proteins," meaning dietary protein sources which
contain adequate quantities of the essential amino acids, those protein
bars you eat are probably the worst source; they are notorious for
containing a lot of collagen proteins that lack decent quantities of
one or more essential amino acids.

As to protein powder and water, there's nothing wrong with that if you
are on a low-carbohydrate regimen, but when consuming protein powder
(particularly whey) at times surrounding resistance training, it is
important to have a good source of carbohydrates with simple sugars to
provide the insulin response needed for optimal muscle protein
accretion (increased muscle protein synthesis, decreased muscle protein
breakdown).

As to vitamins, a good quality multi-vitamin will take care of that;
vitamins are not really a significant consideration in protein shakes.

The addition of fresh fruit to create "smoothies" is a pop, neo-hippy
convention that may taste pretty good and may provide beneficial
nutritients (vitamins, minerals, fiber, carbohydrates), but it is far
from being necessary, and there may well be better options. I find
"smoothies" a little too trendy and twink-like for my tastes, plus I'm
not a big fresh fruit aficionado, but that's a just matter of personal
taste, and generally, there's nothing inherently wrong with them.

Just thought I'd share that with you.
 
JMW,
I appreciate your response. As I said, I was just kind of joking
around saying "empty protein". As far as the "empty calorie" thing,
there are plenty of people out there that are so oblivious to nutrition
that this term could probably be considered useful to them. With such
a high percentage of people overweight, it is important that every
calorie they get also come along with some nutrition in my opinion.
Someone that is obese should at least be well nourished. The bars I
eat contain whey protein, I don't have one to look at right now but I
would think that the milk I drink with them might fill in some gaps in
the amino acid profile. I wouldn't consider this an ideal meal, but
they are okay when I am on the run.
I don't consider smoothies to be necessary and I definitely don't
look at them as a cure all like many pop, neohippies would, but I have
found that they provide a good supplement to my diet. They taste
really good, they are nutritious, mask any weird protein powder tastes,
and allow me to fit in some extra calories in my day. I use frozen
fruit and it is cheaper and easier to use than fresh fruit. I also
don't usually sit down and eat a lot of fruit so it is a useful way to
add fruit to my diet.
Thanks,
James
 
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> I was just doing a play on words by saying "empty protein", like how
> people say you are getting empty calories from a soft drink. The
> protein itself is good assuming that you are using a complete protein
> (I would figure that any protein powder supplement probably is). I
> just meant empty of other vitamins.
>
>

gotcha
 
On Wed, 2 Nov 2005 09:53:36 -0600, combfilter <[email protected]> wrote:

>I figured 35gm of protein would be good? I eat normal lunch's and
>dinners. Usually lean meat and some green veggie.


If you're lifting regularly, i can't think of anything better TO have
for breakfast...