The Power of Protein Shakes

Keevan Hauschild

Protein shakes provide students with a quick and easy way to get their body the necessary nutrients during or following a workout.

Winkowitsch said one benefit of shakes is they help drinkers consume the right amount of protein needed in their diet; however, one drawback of drinking protein shakes is that some are high in sugar.

“The recommended sugar consumption per day is 25-36 grams,” Winkowitsch said. “It is best to be aware of the sugar amount per serving.”

When it comes to the number of shakes people should drink per day, Winkowitsch said it depends on the amount of protein consumed from other foods.

“We need .4-.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight, depending on the amount of activity,” Winkowitsch said. “A 150 pound person at .4 gram consumption needs roughly 60 grams of protein daily. There is nearly 60 grams of protein in an 8-ounce steak.”

Winkowitsch said people should consume 20-30 grams of protein in one meal, three times a day, rather than consuming all of the protein they need for the day in one meal.

Juniors Luke Reth and Bryce Smith both started to drink protein shakes in order to build strength and muscle. [sno-infographic id=”9641″ align=”left”]

“I have seen benefits to drinking protein shakes, such as building and repairing muscle after working out,” Smith said. 

Senior Payton Lewin, along with junior Sawyer Falck prefer making shakes with protein powder rather than buying the pre-made shakes. Both Lewin and Falck have a variety of reasons for the preference.

“I prefer protein powder because I can make shakes with stuff that suits me,” Falck said. “I use rolled oats, peanut butter, olive oil, whole milk, protein powder, bananas, fruits, honey, and eggs, all of which suit me and the goals I have.”

Reth prefers powder because a scoop or two has more protein than the pre-made shakes while Lewin prefers powder for a different reason.

“You can control the amount of whey you put into it, depending on if you’re bulking or need an extra protein supplement,” Lewin said. [sno-infographic id=”9646″ align=”right”]

As for costs, the four guys are spending between $40 and $80 every one to three month, depending on the size of the powder container.

In a survey sent out to students, 46 percent of the 76 respondents said they drink protein shakes. A study by Gainful showed that one to three shakes per day is enough to meet a person’s nutritional needs. In that same study, data showed consuming more than three shakes a day won’t have any harmful effects on the body; however, it said whole foods could be used to replace protein shakes. 

Poultry, other meats, seafood, dairy, and nuts provide the necessary nutrients needed for recovery, muscle growth, etc. 

“I love pulled chicken,” Lewin said. “It’s easy to eat a lot of and fits the amount of protein I need.”