Protein Shakes : Should i have them with Water or Milk?

Have it with Milk, Taking it with Water is a Con, An idea created by Gyms and Health Clubs to cut costs of using Milk, which i intend to expose.

its better value for money, contains more nutrients,minerals,vitamins and importantly Protein, What could be a 35g Shake with Water, Can be a 56.6g Shake with Milk, read on to understand why

The 4 main things people want from a Protein Shake are:

1) High Protein Content

2) Healthy Low Fat Method Of Obtaining Protein

3) Good Taste

4) Get to the Muscles in time to begin repairing

High Protein Content

How much Protein do we need? (I will assume that we are dealing with a 70kg Athlete)

Endurance Athlete - 1.4g Per kg of Body Weight (98g of Protein required)

Strength and Power Athlete - 1.8g per kg of Body Weight (126g of Protein Required)

Athlete on Fat Loss Programme - 2.0g per kg of Body Weight (140g Protein Required)

Athlete on Weight gain Programme - 2.0g per kg of Body Weight (140g Protein Required)

(Amounts taken from "Anita Bean, The Complete Guide To Sports Nutrition, 2009")

These amounts are really difficult to hit and Protein Supplementation is generally needed

So

(Lets assume that the powder we are adding is 35g of Protein)

With Water

You will obtain exactly that, 35g of Protein

With Milk (Skimmed)

(Lets assume that we are adding 1 Pint (568ml) of Milk, infact round it up to 600ml to make it easier, here is what 600ml of skimmed milk contains)

Protein - 21.6g (Milk) + 35g (Powder) = 56.6g

Fat - 0.6g (Reccomended Daily Allowance is 65g+ so you can imagine 0.6g isnt even gonna scratch it, so you dont have to worry about the fat content of milk in your shake)

So...

With Water = 35g

With Milk = 56.6g

So make sure you get your moneys worth, Your probably paying like £2 for your shake

with water = 6p per Gram of Protein

With Milk = 3.5p per Gram of Protein

2) Healthy Low Fat Method Of Obtaining Protein

Water - Yes true it has 0g of fat and 0 calories, so wheras this might be a good choice for those counting calories, but if your taking Protein in the first place, your most likely not to be.

There are 3 main types of non powdered Milk

1) Skimmed

Typical values Per 100ml: Per 200ml: Energy 148kJ/35kcal 298kJ/70kcal Protein 3.6g 7.2g Carbohydrate 4.9g 9.9g of which sugars 4.9g 9.9g Fat 0.1g 0.2g

2) Semi Skimmed

Typical values Per 100ml: Per 200ml: Energy 209kJ/50kcal 419kJ/100kcal Protein 3.6g 7.2g Carbohydrate 4.8g 9.6g of which sugars 4.8g 9.6g Fat 1.8g 3.6g

3) Full Fat

Typical values Per 100ml: Per 200ml: Energy 271kJ/65kcal 542kJ/130kcal Protein 3.4g 6.8g Carbohydrate 4.7g 9.4g of which sugars 4.7g 9.4g Fat 3.6g 7.2g of which saturates 2.3g 4.6g

So as you can see anything other than Skimmed COULD be a problem but skimmed is fine

"In a study,nine weight trainers were given either water, a carbohydrate supplement, a Protein supplement or a carbohydrate-protein supplement immediately after training and again 2 hours later. Blood levels of insulin and growth hormone were greatest during the 8 hours after exercise in those who took a Carbohydrate and Protein mix" (Anita Bean, The Complete Guide To Sports Nutrition, 2009)

Therefore the Carbohydrates in the Milk are anabolic and promote muscle growth and recovery, which you wouldnt get from water

the Calcium in the Milk is enough to fulfil 96% of your RDA (Reccomended Daily Allowance)

Along with Many variations of the Vitamin B Series and more Vitamins and Minerals

3) Good Taste

This is quite simple, With water is kinda nasty and weak tasting, With Milk is just so much nicer

4) Get to the Muscles in time to begin repairing

Its been said that you need to get your protein within 90 minutes of your workout, this is plenty of time

With water - Water WILL allow the protein to be digested quicker because it doesnt have to be digested itself, instead it is flushed out fairly quickly in the urine and potentially along with it any excess protein will be more quickly flushed out, this will lower the amount of Protein that will actually be utilised by the body.

With Milk - Will be digested more slowly (Slower Burning), will result in a higher Bioavailability (More protein being Utilised by the body)

So in conclusion, Have it with Milk, get your monies worth and some extra nutrition along with it, the suggestion that it is healthier is relative and not strictly true