Many people who are actively involved in sports come to a threshold of physical development when normal nutrition no longer provides the required amount of vitamins and active substances needed to build the body. In order to cross this threshold, a series of proteins and various nutritional supplements were created, which, by and large, are simply a concentrated portion of the necessary substances.
There is an opinion that, since all these substances are created chemically, they contribute little to the development of the body, sometimes taking a significant toll, for example, an overloaded liver. Therefore, athletes have come to the conclusion that preparing protein at home, which is chemical-free and under personal control, will bring more benefits to their body than the same protein purchased at a sports nutrition store. Moreover, a pretty good cocktail that anyone can make at home will cost the same as a fairly cheap one in a store.
Scientists have found that the amount of protein in the daily diet should be 1 gram. per 1 kg of total human weight. And with a fairly active life or exercise with weights, the limit should increase to 1.2 g. protein, so you will promote stable muscle growth and strength building.
Overcoming this limit, as scientists say, can negatively affect health, because the intestines absorb only a certain amount of useful substances in the form of amino acids and vitamins; when processing amounts exceeding the limit, quite dangerous carcinogenic substances begin to be released in the human body. This fact has also been proven and does not need further discussion, so when preparing to prepare protein at home, you need to take this information into account.
There are several ways to create a great protein shake.
The first method is more popular, this is creating protein shakes without adding protein powder or any other mixtures.
This method is used by experienced athletes. They do not create protein from conventional products, but enhance regular whey protein with homemade products for better absorption. Whey protein cannot be prepared at home, because it is an ideal combination of essential amino acids and other beneficial substances.
In this article we will tell you how to prepare both options.
Homemade proteins and shakes
Protein is found in various foods such as meat, fish, milk, and legumes. However, the amount of pure protein per unit weight varies significantly. Accordingly, you should choose a product with the highest content of pure protein per hundred grams of product. For example, if you use meat as a source of protein, it is worth noting that it takes quite a long time to digest it, and the entire body has to spend a lot of energy processing it. That is why it is not advisable to eat such food before training.
Homemade protein shakes
But meat can be replaced by a protein or a cocktail that is light and nutritious, and can be prepared quickly and easily. As for the preparation itself, the protein shake will take first place in its simplicity, since its preparation involves only the process of diluting the dry protein concentrate in water or milk. You can buy the concentrated protein shake itself in the store.
In general, there are quite a lot of types of proteins, and each of them has different functions and ultimately gives different results. As for protein supplements, they taste better. If we talk about powder cocktails, then there is poor absorption, which is associated with the processes of obtaining concentrates.
Cooking protein at home
Ingredients:
- Wheat. But we need it not ordinary, but sprouted, with sprouts of 1 or 2 millimeters - during this period the grains release a large amount of vitamins and amino acids. In order to germinate wheat seeds at home, you need to perform some manipulations with ordinary wheat. First you need to prepare the wheat grain. After thorough rinsing, pour it into a jar two or three times. Fill it with cool boiled water, but just enough to cover the grains. Leave it overnight.
- The second ingredient we need to prepare protein is low-fat cottage cheese. It contains about 20% protein and a little fat, which are perfectly absorbed by the body.
- Powdered milk. There are two types of it: whole and low-fat, and the second version has more protein and healthy carbohydrates, which are also perfectly absorbed by the human body. But if you don’t have it, regular whole meat will do, since you can’t buy low-fat milk everywhere.
- Regular drinking milk. It will act as a universal solution for us.
- Egg powder. It contains about half protein, but also quite a bit of fat and carbohydrates.
- Soy protein concentrate. The most protein-rich product is approximately 60%, and very little fat. In consumer markets you can find such a product called “Soyushka”.
- Peanut. It contains a lot of vegetable protein and fats, which are also necessary for the body, just like animal ones.
In the morning, remove the lid, wrap the jar in double-layer gauze and drain the water. For convenience, it is better to strengthen the gauze with an elastic band and not remove it yet. Place the jar with drained water at an angle of 45°. In the evening, pour cool boiled water into the jar, immediately drain it and place the jar in its original position at 45°. By morning the grains sprout. We remove the gauze, wash the wheat two or three times, and it is ready.
When and how should you take protein?
With the help of a protein shake, a constant high level of amino acids is maintained in your body; this is precisely the condition that will help increase the growth of your muscles.
In general, it is advisable to take cocktails about half an hour before the start of the workout, and after the workout itself, after the same period of time.
Protein dosage at home
- - Use in the morning.
Usually you have to time your protein intake yourself, but in the morning it is essential and most effective, so try to make a shake in the morning and take it.
- Use before and after training.
Before training, it is necessary to enrich the body with nutrients, with the help of which muscle growth will be accelerated. You need to consume both protein and carbohydrates here. And if you compare the two, carbohydrates will be absorbed much more slowly. But you shouldn’t eat a lot before the workout itself, as this can cause heaviness in the stomach and nausea, plus, these foods will take quite a long time to digest.
It is protein that will help you solve this problem. It will help you not only lower sugar levels in your body, but also stimulate fat burning. In order to relieve fatigue after training, sweets will help you. You will feel hungry immediately after your workout, but this will go away immediately after using the protein.
- Use during the daytime.
For athletes, even distribution of food is very important. But you don’t need to eat a lot; more than four times a day will be enough. But following these rules is very difficult, especially when you are at work. But protein shakes take quickly, and the taste can be completely different. But how do you make homemade muscle proteins?
Cooking method
It’s clear that we won’t throw it all into one big bowl and eat it. It is necessary to break all these products into components for complete sports nutrition.
- Porridge. You need to make porridge from wheat or cottage cheese, fill it with regular milk and sprinkle with peanuts. A serving should be no more than 100-200 grams, and it should contain 50 grams of protein. For example, 100 grams. wheat, add 50 grams of skim milk, and pour regular milk on top, about 200 grams. Mix everything thoroughly, you can add honey or chopped banana to taste. Don’t forget – it is not recommended to overdo it with portions.
- Cocktail. In this case, we mix soy concentrate and egg powder with milk; you can also add condensed milk or honey to taste. This cocktail should be drunk once a day, immediately after training. On a day that you do not dedicate to training, it is also recommended to drink it once a day for better muscle growth.
Wheat must be chewed thoroughly, otherwise you will not get the vitamins and substances you need from it, and when mixed in the mouth with saliva, you get very healthy wheat milk. Eating this porridge once a day will be quite useful; if necessary and desired, of course, you can make it more.
As you can see, protein at home is not at all difficult to prepare for a person who has decided to seriously start building his body. In addition to the porridge and protein shake described above, you can resort to alternative options for creating protein at home.
Protein for girls
According to experts, female and male athletes’ bodies do not have strong differences. During physical activity, both require at least 2 grams. protein per kilogram of body weight.
You should also not pay attention to what some manufacturers write about the product, dividing it into male and female, since its composition is the same. Considering that female athletes rarely pursue the goal of muscle growth, we can conclude that protein obtained from regular food will be sufficient. In addition, there is no recommendation that all athletes must take protein.
Alternative Protein Recipes
Now we will try to prepare protein drinks at home, resorting to several other popular recipes. To implement them, we will need a shaker, mixer or blender to mix all the ingredients until smooth. Here are a couple of recipes provided by professional athletes:
Recipe No. 1. Ingredients:
- Skim milk - 500 ml;
- Low-fat cottage cheese - 200 grams;
- Boiled eggs – 2 pieces;
- 2 bananas;
- Jam - 200 grams
We peel the boiled eggs, separate the yolks from them and cut them into small pieces. The bananas are also finely chopped, then all the ingredients are loaded into a mixer and mixed until smooth. Take immediately after or without training once daily.
Recipe No. 2. Ingredients:
- low-fat cottage cheese (if you don’t have it, you can use regular cottage cheese) - 250 grams;
- low-fat kefir (if you don’t have it, you can use regular kefir, but not too fatty) 500 ml;
- jam - 200 grams;
- 2 bananas.
Everything is the same as last time, only without eggs - finely chop the banana and pour all the ingredients into the mixer.
Let's sum it up
In general, those people who really want to have toned muscles and body, try using a protein shake, which is an effective tool. But you need to use it extremely carefully, because it can lead to bad consequences.
Vegetables are the best source of protein
Many manufacturers can fake the powder for preparing this cocktail, so it is best to purchase them in sports nutrition stores, and not somewhere in dubious places. There is also no need to overdose on this drug, as you may later end up in the hospital with serious poisoning. In general, the main thing is to do everything correctly and then soon you will be able to boast of your results.
Making a whey protein shake at home
You don't need a lot of time or ingredients to make a delicious shake using whey protein. To do this, it is enough to pour milk into the whey, throw in chopped bananas and mix everything thoroughly in a mixer or blender. You can add cottage cheese, egg whey or soy whey, the main thing is not to overdo it with the proportions, because it is very important to remember - do not overload the body with excess protein foods, remember that the body also needs carbohydrates and fats in the required quantities.
Protein with banana flavor
You will need to take 3 medium bananas, 0.5 liters of low-fat milk, 150 g of whey products with vanilla flavor.
Place the peeled fruits in a blender, adding the remaining ingredients. Beat until smooth.
