Hot Body Training

It would be wonderful if we could all eat 5-6 regular, well balanced and nutritious meals a day, but the reality is that life often gets in the way of this. Who has the time to cook 5-6 meals a day? Nothing beats a wholesome meal, but often we need on-the-go nutrition. The problem is that if you’re on-the-go, all that’s really available to you is fast food. If you’re a fitness enthusiast you’re probably thinking the solution is simple - protein shakes and meals replacements will fit the bill here. Whilst this is probably better than Macky Dee’s the problem with meal replacements is that they’re not really that nutritious, despite what the label may say. This is about to change though. We’re going to turn these shakes into super shakes.

The basic idea here is to take a fairly non-nutritive protein shake and blend in healthy foods to make it a complete meals, with fibre and lots of vitamins and minerals too.

How to build a super shake
Firstly, we’re going to start with the base. For this we use either filtered water or green tea. You’ll need to prepare your green tea in advance, because we want it chilled.

Next, we’ll add a quality protein powder supplement to get the bulk of our protein. Stay away from the meal replacement formulas – they usually contain a lot of high glycemic carbohydrates and often quite a lot of saturated fat. You’ll also want to stay away from the mass builders – they are usually packed with maltodextrin and will play havoc on your blood sugar levels. Great for post-workout, not too good any other time. The powder you choose should be at least 90% protein and preferably a protein blend containing whey, casein and egg protein.

Although not necessary, I like to add Plain Low Fat Yoghurt and Cottage cheese to my super shakes. It bumps up the protein levels and also means that I’m not reliant on the powders for all my protein needs. I try to eat real food where possible.

Now that we have our protein requirements taken care of we need to think about adding some good quality carbs. Fruits are a great option here. If you’re trying to loose bodyfat then you might want to steer away from things like bananas and pineapple, but everybody should add berries. I usually throw in a handful of strawberries and blueberries. Not only are they low on the glycemic index, but berries are packed with cancer fighting anti-oxidants and add a healthy dose of fibre too. It a good thing I’m not on a diet though, because I love adding pineapple. The sweetness really comes through and depending on your protein powder, you might need it. You’ll have to play around with this because all the protein powders seem to have different levels of artificial sweetners in them. I also often add apples or some type of citrus fruit.

Now this is where things get a little weird. I like to add veges to my shakes! When I first heard of adding spinach and broccoli to a shake I baulked, but after trying it I was pleasantly surprised. You can’t actually taste the veggies, but they can make the shake quite thick and fibrous. I also add carrots and beetroot. I’ll admit, the veggies aren’t exactly gourmet, but I promise they are a whole lot better than you’re imagining now. Besides, are you getting your minimum 6 portions a day? This is a great way to get them down.

If this isn’t your cup of tea, you can always add a greens supplement, like Greens Plus or Biotest’s new Superfood.

The final piece of the puzzle is the healthy fats. are a must here. Nuts are also a good choice. I use walnuts because of there high omega 3 content, but any nuts will do. I also like to add some avocado pear to my super shakes. Sounds gross I know, but because of its subtle flavour you really can’t taste it and it adds a nice creamy texture.

Lastly, I add some creatine, but that’s entirely up to you.

So to recap, here’s what a typical shake for me usually looks like:

• Green tea or water
• Protein powder blend (3 scoops)
• Low fat plain yoghurt (500ml)
• Fat free cottage cheese (125ml)
• Strawberries & blueberries (1 handful each)
• Large slice of pineapple
• 2 spinach leaves
• Small handful of broccoli
• Half a beetroot
• 2 medium carrots
• 10-15 walnuts
• 2 tablespoons ground flax
• 1/3 to 1/2 avocado pear
• 5g creatine

This all then goes into the blender and will make enough for 3 super shakes, which I drink in between my 3 regular meals.

Some Tips
Experiment. The first super shake I made was so bad I couldn’t even finish it. This was probably because it was too thick. Water it down so that it is pretty runny otherwise you’ll have a hard time chugging it down. You might want to start off easy and leave out the veggies altogether. You can always slowly add them once you have the rest of your recipe just right. You also want a bit of sweetness in it. The protein powders usually do a good job of this, but I still find it a bit bland without the pineapple. The berries really aren’t going to add much sweetness to the mix.

Final thoughts
This might seem in contrast to the whole concept of the super shake, but I’m a firm believer that food needs to have an emotional element attached to it. It shouldn’t always be about protein, carbs and fat and getting your calories intake just right. Food needs to be enjoyed. By drinking my super shakes, I’m still able to have 3 regular meals to enjoy and allow myself a few indulgences. We should also not forget that chewing stimulates saliva production, which aids in digestion. The super shake work well to keep me on track nutritionally and is a god-sent when I’m on the road. Why not give them a try?