Wellness Hustle

Wellness Hustle (00:44)
Welcome back to another episode of the Wellness Hustle. We are so happy you're here. Thank you for tuning in to another episode. Today we are talking about protein shakes. I love a protein shake. It's an easy way to get a bunch of amazing macronutrients in real quick. So we're going to talk about how they can boost your energy and they can help you with cravings and all of that. So

Sasha, why did this come to mind for you? think, so short story before we start. Yeah. Back in the day, I went to this fitposium where there are a bunch of speakers talking about how to make your fitness business thrive. Okay. And one of the speakers said, if you wanted to do a certain, if you write a blog or whatever, how do you come up with the information to write about it? Right.

She said, well, if you look what other people are doing and there's some things you'd strongly disagree with, that would be a topic. You don't have to bash the people. just don't even have to mention the people, but you will write on it your own perspective. So that's how you would come up with the topic. And I thought that's really smart. That's really cool. There's so many things I disagree with in fitness industry. And it will definitely help me to come up with different.

topics and protein shake is one of them. I see so many protein shakes on Instagram, TikTok, whatever, all these recipes. And I just cannot believe what a sugar bomb those protein shakes are being, you know, kind of pushed on the people. to me, was like, we got to do the segment on protein shake. We have to show people how to do it the right way.

So that's where the topic came. And I learned how to do a protein shake kind of about like similar to, similarly to how you're going to explain it here in a second. And it changed protein shakes for me as a whole. Like they even taste better in my opinion. They taste better, but also you feel like you had a meal. You are not starving half an hour later. Yeah. You're not craving. So we're going to teach you guys. We're very excited. going to teach you how to do it the right way.

how to, what to put in it, the formula, exact formula, to put into your protein shake. So yeah. Yeah. So why are protein shakes so good for your energy levels and for having essentially a full meal and getting all those macronutrients. why is that so important? Well, I think if you view protein shake as a meal, then it's going to be a meal.

You have a freedom in your hand to put what's going to go into your protein shake. Right. Right. So then you choose what we're going to teach you to choose to put in your protein shake. So it's going to be, you know, all of the macros in there and some nutrients that are going to help you with whatever your needs are for that day. Right. So that's why, and also it's very easy to make. You don't have to cook a whole stew or soup or whatever. It's very easy. It's good for busy people.

If you're prepped, if you have a formula, if you have the ingredients in the house, you can just whip one up and go, you know, take a roadie. We talked about it. Love a roadie. A roadie, right? So it's a quick, if you work from home and you don't have a lot of time to cook lunch for yourself, you can whip a protein shake and it's going to have all the nutrients that you need. And it's going to keep you full and satisfied. How good to build the muscle, you know, all of the things. And Sasha's going to walk us through how to build the proper protein shake, but

I want to set, the basics, right? So as you're building this protein shake, and we're to talk about all those ingredients in a second, you know, we're talking about balancing your blood sugar with this shake. We're talking about using protein as that like baseline foundation, your powerhouse. Are there any like tips and tricks when you're drinking your protein shake that you would recommend? Right, because we talked about it in previous episodes.

it's all about swishing the protein shake in your mouth because you are not chewing it. So if you just gobble gobble down, your body is not ready to receive the protein shake. So your digestive system is not ready. So if you swish the protein shake in your mouth as you're drinking it, if you drink it from the straw, you, some, some people, I like to make mine thick and eat it with a spoon sometimes. But if you swish it in your mouth,

So it's going to give your body the opportunity to get ready for receiving the protein shake and digesting it. Right. Because we've talked about before digestion starts in the mouth. really, really in your brain first and helps you digest the food, getting the saliva going and all of that. Yeah. So essentially what you're saying is that protein shakes are just like really, really convenient and they're good for stabilizing your energy, your blood sugar levels, all of that. And it's a really good way to get

protein, which we know is that's so challenging for me every day. It's challenging. So you can pack a lot of protein and a lot of you can put collagen, other things that we're to tell you guys about. Yeah. So it's a very great way to get a lot of nutrients into your body. I haven't done research on this and I think I should, but I have the hardest time eating a chewable meal in the morning. I don't know why that is. Like I do better on a protein shake in the morning and

I've only realized this in the last week because I was eating a really good balanced, and I'm calling it a chewable meal, but like when you sit down, it's like a plated meal. And I was just feeling kind of nauseous afterwards because I feel like I was eating so much. So I don't know if I needed to wait a little bit longer after my workout to eat or what it was. It could be needed to wait a little bit longer, but I know from working with lots of clients, some have to chew something in the morning and some don't. So I think it's

back to bio individuality. Okay. We're going to, just love that we are always touching on that because it is my favorite thing. You can't put everybody in the same corner. Right. Yeah. So yeah. So protein shakes work well for me. So, um, what do I put in my protein shake? What's a well-rounded protein shake? Okay. So let's talk, it's protein shake. So let's start with protein. Okay. So I think you need to get a protein powder in and a lot of times people ask me what, how do I get a good protein powder? There's like,

I don't know, millions of different types, right? So, and we talked about labels, ingredients, applies to protein shake as well. And you want it to be third party tested because it's very important to know what's in this protein shake actually is what it is in that protein shake. So that's important. Minimum ingredients in the protein shake.

So preferably no more than five. Hopefully not much sugar. Right. No coloring, none of that crap. Right. And we do love the whey protein. I prefer it. Yeah. Yeah. Just as more bio available for your body. If you definitely doing vegan style eating, yeah, you could go into substitutes, but what

study shows that whey is more bio available for your body. Okay. If somebody is going to choose a vegetarian option or a plant based option for their protein, what would you recommend? The cleanest they can find. Okay. Because a lot of those things have a lot of different ingredients to make it taste better. Right. Unfortunately. So just look for less of the ingredients. We experienced that when we did our grocery shopping. Yeah, we did. It was unbelievable.

And then Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt. You can put Greek yogurt, but then you're getting two in one. You're getting probiotic and you're getting protein. Yeah. So I love that. So if you can put whole cup, it's going to be 20 grams of protein. Say you ran out of protein powder. You can just put Greek yogurt instead of protein powder and make your protein shake. As far as people who have dairy issues, what can we substitute as like a probiotic that hopefully has some protein in it?

What would you recommend for swapping out for Greek yogurt? For a protein shake. Yeah, I know it's hard, huh? It's hard. There could be probiotic powders that you can put in. Okay. But everything comes to mind is not going to taste good in the protein shake, like kimchi or sauerkraut. Right. Yeah. So I would say- Take a supplement for that. Take a supplement for that.

Okay. And then fiber. Fiber. Yeah, I get fiber. And what are you putting in for fiber? So for fiber, if you're putting avocado, you're killing two stones.

two birds with one stone. Okay. Don't kill two stones with one bird. do that. So you're getting fiber and you're getting good fat with avocado. Okay. Which we're going to talk about later. Okay. But also you can put greens, you can put fiber supplement. Okay. Right. So those things are easy peasy to put fiber in. Okay. So we have protein, we have the Greek yogurt, which is protein and a probiotic, and then we have fiber.

Yep. And then what are we doing for like, supplementation? Are we getting any carbs in there? How are we what's next? So the next let's talk about good fat. Okay, it's important. Yeah. So for good fat, we can add if we add avocado, we good. Okay. But if you don't have an avocado or don't like avocado, then we got to put something else. Okay. You do you can do other things. You can put nut butter. Okay, if you have it clean support host hopefully, you can put empty seoil. Okay.

Right. Then MCT, MCT. Okay. I knew I'm gonna. You got it. Yeah, I got it. It's Russian. Perfect. So we're there. so MCT oil. Yep. Then flax seeds. Okay. Chia seeds. All of those things are really good. three.

Okay. Good fat. So yeah, you can put those in. Okay. And then if we're doing like supplementation in that or wanting to get like antioxidants or anything like that, how, what are we putting in? So we're putting berries, right? So we're talking about fruit. Fruit, you want to stay low glycemic, seasonal, hopefully local, but if you can't, frozen option is good. Okay. Like we get today, we made a video with frozen organic blueberries in. Yep. And you want to measure it just because it's your sugar.

And if you're drinking first thing in the morning, we just want to be mindful of that. Okay. So just quarter of a cup or half a cup the most you want to go with your fruit. Okay. Stay away from mangoes, like any tropicals. Okay. If you can. Okay. Once in a while is all right. But if that's going to be, you're trying to balance your blood sugar, you're trying to be as fit as you can. Like that's not going to be the best option for you. Okay. So stay with berries. Okay. Yeah. Very cool.

And then if we're talking about supplements, right, supplements opens up the whole thing. It's whatever, that's where you make it bio individual. Whatever you need. If you need to be a little calm or you can put some ashwagandha in. Okay. If you want to boost your immunity, that's where you put your, you know, probiotics, spirulina, those things. Okay. If you wanted to build

beautiful skin and for your joints, it's collagen, you add collagen in.

you can put coffee in there, you can make coffee, can put mushrooms. mean, it's endless. Okay. You can put all kinds of things. Okay. Very cool. You can make it as expensive as you want. That's really what it comes down to. Have a hundred dollar shake. No problem. That's awesome. So essentially you're taking the same thing you would put on a plate, which is like all of your macronutrients. So your fibers, your healthy fats, protein, your carbs, all of that stuff.

And then you're getting a really balanced meal there. Exactly. That's the key. And it can be a roadie. Yeah. And it's a roadie. Yeah. Yeah. So what do you, from your clients here, that is the most common mistake that they're making or that like you see people on the internet making with their that just drives me crazy. Yeah. Crazy. So number one is always using too much fruit. And it looks so beautiful the way

mango and the bananas and all kinds of beautiful fruits. And all it is in the end is a sugar bomb. It tastes amazing. And if you want to make dessert like that and share with your friend, that's one thing, but it's not going to be a breakfast meal. Right. Right. I've made kind of a similar concept where I make essentially a smoothie and then I freeze those pieces so that I can munch on them at night. Like you put them in like a little, like a... trays? Like the cupcake tin things.

And then I'll pull those out and eat those. it's like Greek yogurt and berries and things like that. And then I'll drizzle some honey and cinnamon on it. And it's like, that's my ice cream. But it's a dessert. It's not a meal. Exactly. That's what I'm trying to say. Yes. So just to fix that, you can just swap the berries, the berries. That's what we just. Yeah. We want to stick to berries on that. And you're saying about a half a cup or less to keep it in that safe, low glycemic kind of

balancing your blood sugar and not spiking it too much. And then what's next? Keeping healthy fats. Okay. Yeah. So if you're putting all that fruit in and then you're not putting any fat to balance it out, right? To slow down the digestion. Again, sugar bomb. Yeah. So we really want to put some healthy fats in your protein shake. And remind me again, what fats do once they go into your body. So there's not butters, avocado,

chia seeds, those things. Okay. And those things are really going to, as far as digestion goes and what they do for your body, remind me again. So the fats are going to slow down the digestion. Got it. And it's going to make that shake creamier. So it's going to taste better. Cause I am going to keep you more satisfied. And the reason I asked you that is because I have noticed with my own protein shakes and my own meals that the combination of protein and healthy fats has

kept me satiated for much longer. absolutely. Then like if I don't get those two things in a meal at the very least and I'm starving in 30 minutes. Exactly. So I feel the same. and how much are you adding to that for healthy fats? Yeah, you don't want to go more than two tablespoons really. Okay. Yeah. I wanted to.

Yeah. mean, that's a win. Stay satisfied longer. I mean, you're not mentioning anything that isn't fun. I love avocado and nut butters. I love all of that. All the fats. I need to add more chia seeds into my life, I think. I keep hearing about them. Yeah, they're a great source of omega-3, so anti-inflammatory. Just don't drink a roadie with chia seeds and go meet a client. Yeah. Just smile with those chia seeds in between your teeth.

That's just the only thing with the teeth. Check your teeth. And before we jump into the next thing too, I just wanted to talk a little bit, you know, with the healthy fats and all of that stuff, because yogurt kind of falls into that with healthy fats. Yeah, if it's a full fat. So we were talking before we started airing about how dairy might be something I need to remove from my diet for a little while. chia seeds, is that a good?

like replacement. I'm just having a hard time. I don't want to remove dairy. So I'm making this about me right now. Okay. Well chia seeds, it's you're have like tablespoon of chia seeds for that much amount of fat. So you have to put it into something. So you could do chia seed pudding with coconut milk. And you know what I was gonna ask if I remove the dairy and start adding chia seeds in and the reason let me connect all the dots here.

Hold on. My little brain's firing. So chia seeds for me, they fall right on the cusp of ancient grains, which are things that I do not, my body typically doesn't process well. I don't find that when I have chia seeds, I have the swelling quite like I do with most like quinoa or brown rice or things like that. if I'm going to remove, I'm just thinking about my next protein shake. If I'm removing the dairy and adding chia seeds, is that going to...

Should I wait to add the chia seeds? Because remember we talked about adding just one thing in. So I think we'll just wait on the chia seeds. Okay. Okay. All right. Moving on to the next thing. So what is our third thing? Neglecting fiber. Okay. Right. Yeah. So fiber again, slows down digestion, cleans out your gut, fits the gut, good prebiotics. So that's a food for your probiotics, for your gut, little soldiers. So all of those things. So you don't want to neglect that.

especially a satiating point as well of your protein shake. If you want to stay full and not crave, fiber is very important to add to your protein shake. So that would be in form of again, avocado, we said that, spinach, flaxseed, chia seeds, fiber, supplements, all of those things would be a good sources of fiber to add. Okay. I've dropped my hand and I'm so sore right now, my upper body is.

So, and that leads us to our fourth one, which is what is that? Choosing the wrong protein powder. So I don't have the wrong protein powder. That's not why I was thinking of that. But I will say that I don't think I've been having enough protein and I've increased my workout. So I've been doing four to five workouts a week and holy hell, my arms are so sore. This tiny mic I could barely hold. I literally was just like, okay, not happening. So what are people doing wrong with protein powders? Well,

You can't blame people because things are expensive now, especially good supplements. So they will go in without knowledge, without knowing, you know, better. They'll just get something on sale at Costco or other places online and not really look if it's third party tested, if the ingredients are clean, you know, they're just hiding in there. So just not using the clean, good.

protein powder. And just remember, it's going to go in your body. So just be mindful of that. Okay, maybe look for sales and places where the protein powder is a clean, good source and stack up on those. Yeah, you know, you're gonna use it. It doesn't go bad quickly. No. So yeah, and Amazon does great like discounts when you subscribe to a protein powder to right like on a lot of brands do that you can go on there and subscribe and you get like 15 % off or something like that. So yeah, doing that. Okay, so just making sure we're choosing a protein with

good quality ingredients, third party tested. Exactly. What's the next one? Okay, using sugary liquids. Yeah. How many people put milk and then they put juice and all of the things right? And sugars hide in the liquids. They ride they do. It's amazing how much sugar and skim milk. It's amazing. Have you looked? No, it's crazy.

So much sugar and even like I put tart cherry juice in mine this morning and I was thinking like that probably didn't help my blood sugar spike because when Sasha got here I was had shaky hands a little bit and I had eaten two meals but I was still shaky. So yeah just making those adjustments to make sure you don't have a bunch of hidden sugar in the liquids that you're putting into the. Exactly so I just stick with water and if you need to put something little creamier.

You could make your own nut milk if you really want to do a little bit of whole milk. Yeah, it's okay. And there are some brands that do good nut milk, but again, you're making a protein shake and you know, we just talked about all the supplements you put in a lot of things in it starts to get a little bit expensive. So why not just use water? need to hydrate anyway. Exactly. And when you put all those things in, it's still going to be creamy and yummy. So you don't have to worry about that part. I think that's people get hung up on, you know, like, I need some

cream in there like no base. don't have to if you're putting all other things in. And then the next one I am I like to measure with my heart. So right. And it's okay if you don't have specific goal in mind. But if you're trying to lose few pounds, that might not be a good strategy. Got it. Especially if you don't know what things are. Right. So sometimes we just need to have a little learning curve.

to see like, okay, this much is this much. know, kind of like measure the berries and see a quarter of a cup is about this much. Kind of eyeball things. And then once you know, then you can measure with your heart. And that was what I was going to say, like reading the nutrition label on the back and saying like, okay, a serving size of this is how much. And then for a really long time, when I first started cooking with all of the stuff I would make, I would have my measuring cups out, but I wouldn't use them.

I would look at them and see like, does this match that size? So that's a good way. And I used to measure everything for bodybuilding. So I had like the bootcamp of measuring. You're doing grams. So I can eyeball anything right now and tell you how much is how much. Yep. Definitely. Yeah. So if you want to go to your own bootcamp, measure everything for a couple of days and you're going to know. Oh yeah. It's so easy. You catch on so quick to that. Right. Okay. What's the next one?

And the next one I want to talk about is making it too thin or too thick. Okay. because I know I have some clients, do not like avocado in their shade because it's going to make it too thick and they don't like it. Okay. Some people like it like really thin and so you have to figure it out for yourself and kind of measure the water. Okay. So a lot of times, you know, like you're putting so much in, might get so thick really quick before you know it. So kind of know like

play with it, how much ice you need, and if you're putting all of these things in the protein shake, how much water do you really need to make it to the point where you like it? Right. And it is, it's such a, it's like a Goldilocks situation. Yeah, it is. You just kind of play with that. And then, so I love to add superfoods into everything that I do. Like, you know, I, we've made our protein shake before this and I was like, ashwagandha, let's put ashwagandha in there. And I said, yes. Yeah. And so

Are there, can you get too carried away with like super foods and things like that? think so. think overloading could get to like, yeah, overwhelming and overloading. Okay. Too many things in, right? I mean, you kind of have to narrow it down and what is your goal? You don't have to do same shake over and over again. You can play with them and what is your goal for the day? Do you want to be more focused and more like relaxed? Then you put your ashwagandha in. if you don't need that, you skip on that, you know? Yeah.

Definitely.

Okay, so the last one that you have on here is one that I actually like because like I talked about before I like triggers for everything. Yep. So how do you go about you're talking about skipping prep? That's that could be an issue for people. And why is that an issue? I think

Maybe now you and I maybe can skip prep because we're just grandfathered into it and we know what we have in our pantry. But when you're starting, you kind of need to know the formula of your protein shake, what goes in there and have it ready. Yeah. I have a game plan. If you don't, then you're going to start throwing random things in your protein shake, blend it up. Yeah. And it's not going to go well for you. Right. So just kind of know what you want in your protein shake.

why you're putting it in your protein shake and not necessarily measure everything out. can if you wanted to and toss it in the freezer, it's gonna make it super easy for you, but you don't have to just as long as you know. Maybe you do like a little cheat sheet and put it in your refrigerator and go off of it at first. know, like protein check, fiber check, you know, those things. If that makes it easier for you, but have a game plan. How are you gonna make your protein shake?

And you get to know, and we'll share this recipe with you guys, but you get to know what you like. And for me, I know that I love to have blueberries in my shake with chocolate because it tastes a little bit like an Oreo to me. amazing. We just tried it. I've never tried it before. Yeah. I did raspberry before with chocolate and I liked that taste too. But blueberry with chocolate does taste like.

And think about the things that you like that you're really maybe not getting anymore that you've chosen to eliminate that for health purposes. And then recreate those. If you love cheesecake, like a raspberry cheesecake, well, then you can kind of create, put raspberries in there and put a vanilla protein and do like, and that'll kind of create that similar taste, that same profile. So, well, this is a-

This is amazing. I'm really excited. Protein shakes are my favorite because I like efficiency. So I like efficiency, but also I like the taste of it. I think they taste amazing. You can make a really tasty protein shake. Yeah, you can. And then I think the biggest takeaway for me is just like stabilizing your energy and cravings because honestly, that's such a hard thing for me to manage in my day with the amount of time I just Sasha showed up and we were talking about our week and I was like, I just wish I had more hours in the day.

Yeah, the old you are. just wish I did. And this is a good way to get a meal in and not have to. My dad's so cute too. He brings his protein shake and he does one like how we do it. And he brings it with him to work. And that's like his little little roadie little roadie that he does. And he just puts it in his little lunchbox. just love your mom and dad. My parents are pretty awesome. I gotta be honest. And then yeah, build your shake with protein. Always the base, healthy fats, fiber and low glycemic carbs.

like berries and then prep ahead to make them an easy, sustainable part of your routine. Have a plan. Have a game plan. Always. Yeah. Okay, guys, you should go out and make one of these. We hope that you enjoyed this so much. If you did, we would love if you would share your creations with us on Instagram at Wellness Hustle Podcast. We would love to see them. If you guys are doing ingredients that you love, DM us or just share it with us. us in the story.

Yeah, if you guys like this episode, share it with a friend as well as the recipes. And don't forget to subscribe and follow and leave a review. Do all the things that we like for you to do so that we can keep doing this. Yes. And we appreciate you leaving us reviews. Yes. Last time I looked, got five stars. Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You guys are the greatest. And we will see you on another time. Ciao.