Protein Shake for Breakfast: Is It Safe?

You can customize your protein drink to suit your taste buds by adding your favorite foods. Protein supplements can even help with weight loss, performance enhancement, and athletic training.

Saves time

Most people feel pressed for time in the morning. Making a protein shake is much faster than cooking oatmeal or making an omelet.

To speed up the process, you can prepare the ingredients the evening before—then in the morning you just need to blend them. Protein shakes don't store well for a long time, but you can take them with you to work.

Maintains satiety

Foods high in protein provide satiety and long-term hunger protection.

Scientific studies have shown that eating protein for breakfast reduces production of the hormone ghrelin, which is responsible for feelings of hunger. [1, 2]

Protein has also been shown to help you normalize blood sugar levels. It can also help you reduce calorie intake and lose weight. [3, 4]

High nutritional value

Many protein powders designed for shakes are fortified with vitamins and other nutrients. [5, 6, 7]

And you can increase the nutritional value of your shake even further. Add fruits, vegetables, berries, or nuts. Or try using cow's milk, plant milk, yogurt, or fermented milk products instead of water. There are many different recipes for protein shakes.

Promotes weight loss

Protein has a positive effect on weight loss. There are several mechanisms of action, the main one being an increase in the metabolic rate. When the metabolism becomes faster, the body burns more calories per day. [8]

High satiety also contributes to weight loss. Protein's control of the hormones leptin and ghrelin allows you to get rid of uncontrolled hunger and prevent overeating. [1, 2]

But understand that having a protein shake for breakfast will not be effective for losing weight if your shake includes a lot of high-calorie ingredients like chocolate, peanut butter, and many nuts and seeds. These are useful when consumed in moderation, but if included in high proportions, they neutralize the benefits of protein shakes for weight loss.

By itself, a protein powder can also be high in calories if, for example, it has a lot of carbohydrates and not much protein.

Boosts your performance

Anyone looking after their fitness should be aware of the role of protein. Without protein, recovery and growth of muscle tissue is impossible; the need for it increases even further with an intense training regimen.

Scientific studies have shown that eating enough protein can help increase strength, which allows you to increase your workload during resistance training. [9]

Thus, drinking a protein shake for breakfast can contribute to productivity in training and sports and to physical improvement of your body.

Drawbacks

Despite all their benefits, protein shakes can be harmful to your health. This applies primarily to protein shakes of low quality, which are rich in sugar, artificial sweeteners, and added flavors.

Individual intolerance to certain ingredients is possible. It can occur even when consuming high-quality foods if, for example, a person has an intolerance to whey protein.

You should not replace multiple meals with a protein drink. At this point, the shakes would no longer be a nutritional supplement; on the contrary, they would increase the risk of nutritional deficiencies.