How Many Protein Shakes A Day Should You Drink?

how many protein shakes a day
Protein shakes are made from various sources for protein, such as whey, soy, and milk. The purpose protein shakes is to give your body a source of concentrated protein for maximum absorption. However, many wonder how many protein shakes a day is healthy.

According to LiveStrong, consuming the right amount of protein for your body is very important because too much protein is ineffective and potentially dangerous. It should be used as any other supplement, which should be addressed by your doctor for your specific needs.

It is important to consider the purpose of your drinking the protein shakes. Are you trying to lose weight or gain muscle? Are you looking for something that is convenient when you do not have the time to cook? This may impact how many protein shakes you should be drinking throughout the day.

Nutritional Study

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has published studies on how protein shakes impact fat loss and muscle mass in those suffering from obesity. Studies showed that 2 protein shakes each day, with ten grams of protein a piece, helped participants lose a higher percentage of body fat while maintaining more lean muscle mass than those who did not drink protein shakes.

Drinking these shakes spread out throughout the day, once in the morning and once before dinner, helped the subjects maintain satiety and not feel hungry or the need to overeat at meals.

For Athletes

If you exercise regularly, and especially if you incorporate weight training into your routine, you may benefit from increasing the amount of protein that you consume. According to The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, athletes only need approximately 1 gram of protein for each kilogram of body weight to maintain muscle mass, however, they require an addition 0.4 to 0.8 grams in order to build muscle mass.

However, not all athletes are trying to gain muscle mass. Athletes who are doing moderate intensity exercise and are also including enough calories and carbohydrates in their diet need only 1 gram of protein for each kilogram of body weight in order to stay healthy.

One gram of protein for each kilogram of body weight is equal to approximately 0.45 grams of protein for each pound of body weight. Athletes who add endurance training to their moderate exercise should add about 0.55 grams to 0.8 grams of protein in their daily diet per pound of body weight.

Safety Concerns

Protein powders that are used to make protein shakes are typically recognized as being safe when they are used as directed. According to the University of Illinois McKinley Health Center, 20-25 g of whey protein consumed each day is sufficient for general health, while athletes may require up to 50 g per day.

However, just because protein powders are considered to be generally safe to use, they are not regulated by the FDA. This means it is important to do some research to find out what kind of protein is best for your personal health.

Keep Into Consideration

It’s important to not consume more protein than your body can necessarily handle. If you are adding protein shakes into your regular diet, you have to be cautious to not exceed your daily protein needs.
 protein shake

According to SF Gate, too much protein can lead to some health consequences, such as weight gain, high cholesterol, and reduced liver and brain function.

Weight Gain

Consuming too much protein may lead to weight gain because your body is only able to use a certain amount of protein every day. There are 4 calories in every gram of protein, so if you consume 100 grams of protein when your body is only able to use 50 grams, you will store the remaining 200 calories as fat.

Doing this every day can result in an excess of 1400 calories each week. This equates to almost two pounds of weight gain each month.

High Cholesterol

Many foods that are high in protein, which you may be adding to your protein shakes if you are not exclusively using protein powder, contain a lot of cholesterol. This contributes to the hardening of arteries, which can then lead to other serious medical issues, like a heart attack or a stroke.

The US Department of Health and Human Services recommends an upper limit of cholesterol intake of 200 milligrams each day. It is important to take into account the other cholesterol you are eating throughout the day because just half a roasted chicken breast, for example, has 83 mg of cholesterol.

Too much animal protein in the diet can result in high cholesterol, which puts you at risk for dangerous medical conditions.

Reduced Liver and Brain Function

Consuming too much protein can harm your liver, nervous system, and brain. Your body makes ammonia when you consume protein, which causes your liver to get to work.

Consuming too much protein on a regular basis can overwork your liver, which will allow ammonia to build up in the bloodstream. This may lead to serious health conditions, such as hepatic encephalopathy, which leads to a decline in the function of the brain and nervous system.

So, how many shakes a day is healthy?

The Institute of Medicine says that protein-rich foods should account for 10-35% of a healthy diet. An average woman should aim for around 46 grams each day, and men should aim for somewhere around 56 grams each day.

Active people will need more protein than people who live sedentary lives, so these numbers should be altered according to one’s lifestyle.

Conclusion

When it comes to how many protein shakes a day is best for you, it really just depends. Take your lifestyle into consideration when you are calculating this number.

Also, take into account how much protein you are adding to your shakes. One person’s protein shake may have twice as much protein as another person’s, so there are several variables that come into play.

It is not really the number of protein shakes that is important here, instead, it is the amount of protein you are getting into your diet. This can be through shakes or just everyday food.

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