The pros and cons of liquid meals and protein shakes
May 6th, 2009 Posted by: Jon Cardozo
An important question before beginning any weight gain program would be how much you should rely on protein powders, also known as liquid meals.
You definitely do not want to rely on the supplements completely. I knew a guy once who was drinking readymade protein shakes all day long and ended up getting sick. It may have been a coincidence, but you don’t want to end up throwing up all day like he did!
You must remember that protein powders and similar products were developed because of their convenience and should be used as supplements and not as the core of a diet. You need to consume sufficient vitamins, minerals, fiber etc. if you wish to build muscle as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Your body needs to be in tiptop shape, and you need to treat it like a high performance car by giving it the best fuel possible to remain in an anabolic state. Besides, drinking shakes all day without enough variety of nutrients (and often with lots of sugar) is not good for overall health regardless of its effect on muscle.
Aside from the overall health aspects, you’re probably going to get tired of taking the same old shakes all the time! If you don’t treat these protein powders as supplements that take them all to time, you’re going to get sick of them and may even want to do away with your entire muscle building project.
If you want to get the best results possible out of your weight lifting program (as well as keeping yourself healthy overall), you’ll want to get over 60% of your food from quality solid food and not from protein shakes.
The truth is that most people expect these weightlifting products to make up for an inadequate diet or a lousy training regimen. It may not be as exciting as glamorous, but focusing on the basics is more important than looking for a quick fix such as muscle building supplements.
Even protein powders, which are relatively helpful supplements, are not absolutely necessary. While they’re helpful when it’s difficult to consume adequate calories or protein, a bunch of powder with artificial ingredients thrown in is not a substitute for a solid, healthy meal plan.
