What's in your cup, Meghan?

 I often get asked what is in my drink shaker.  From their it turns into a great opportunity to share the importance of protein and my theory on the best ways to add it into your nutrition habits.  Most often what is in Meghan's cup is a protein smoothie, but sometimes is self-made drink or juice-protein mix.   Protein can be found in many forms, but when I am on the go...which is constantly, mixing something up in my shaker is the most convenient.   I use Nature's Best ISOPURE 100% Whey Protein -Unflavored.  (boy...that line sounds like a commercial) I use the unflavored to avoid some of the funky things you will find in most of your health isles or even "so called" health stores (ahem...GNC....sorry, gotta cough).  Check out almost any protein shake mix (or supplements)  and you are going to find junk in it...Corn syrup, high fructose, artificial sweetener, soy (yes, soy IS BAD), and the list goes on.  Even the sugar in the mix is not necessary when you can mix your own with nature's sweets, such as fruits or honey.  Using natural sweetener will also add back in some of the nutrients that are artificially put into supplement mixes. Take Muscle Milk for example...bad choice.  Just to name a few of the obvious...it has trans fats, fructooligosaccarides, (I like this one...it is a fancy term for fructose), sucralose, canola oil (yes, this is bad too), soy letchin...   These protein or health drinks that are claiming to be health supplements are far from healthy....so I make my own.  With a blender or shaker you can supplement protein into just about any drink....or food!  Some of the things I like to dump protein into are:
Orange Juice
Apple Juice
Grape Juice
V8
Milk (with or without chocolate)
Gatorade (only after a real sweaty workout...and no G2 - it uses an artificial sweetener. A BIG NO NO)
Ice Cream - This is just for a treat.  I like Edy's.  Once again look for things sweetened with REAL sugar or honey.

Meghan's Banana Blueberry Smoothie
1 scoop Isopure unflavored whey -26 grams protein- 110 calories
1/2 cup frozen blueberries 45 calories
1/2 banana 60 calories
1/2 cup Stonyfield Organic Oikos plain greek yogurt (packs more protein -11 grams) 65 calories 
1 cup crushed ice
Toss in the blender for a few and viola!
                               Total:   280 Calories & 37+ grams of Protein


A diet high in protein is very essential to healthy living.  It is especially important in muscle development and maintenance.   Look for your protein in natural forms too...chicken, eggs, fish, peas, dairy, nuts, and beans. Also, look for your vitamins and minerals in food form as well.  A vitamin or mineral supplement is an okay thing, but keep your diet rich in "natural supplements".  

Where to get Nature's Best Isopure Unflavored 100% Whey Protein.  You can get it in supplement stores such as Vitamin World or GNC.  Okay, so I kind of bashed GNC earlier.  I will admit I do use GNC from time to time, but they are guilty of carrying a lot of junk filled products.  You can go online as well.  Recently a client found a great deal for this protein on the web.  Here is the site:
A1supplements.com

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