Protein shakes are everywhere – the gym juice bar, shopping malls, and even local supermarkets. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear about drive-thru establishments that offer protein drinks like coffee shops. Seriously, has anyone heard of one yet?

However, a high-quality protein drink that is homemade and nutritious is little harder to find. Most protein drinks today are cheap sugar cocktails with protein sources that raise a spokian eyebrow. Throw in some outlandish claims and I wouldn’t be surprised if it flew off the shelf at every GNC store from here to Hong Kong.

[Doesn't get anymore organic then this, does it? Milk mustache ads, mooove over:)]

In today’s post I’d like to share with you a strategy to build your very own protein drink that is simple, economic, and healthy all in the same gulp. Four principles that will guide our protein drink are:

1. Go organic as much as possible;

2. Include plenty of healthy fats rather than cheap sugar substitutes to help control insulin and provide more satiety;

3. Be ‘raw’;

4. It must taste good!

So here’s a recipe complete with ingredients that will take less than two minutes to make and keep us full for 2-3 hours.

By the way, I crunched some numbers against an off-the-shelf meal replacement product and found out it was 30% cheaper and contains almost 80% less ingredients. When there’s ingredients I can’t pronounce, I get paranoid.

And last but not least, it taste like a million bucks – which means it tastes grrreat!

Ladies and gentlemen – start… your… engines… Sorry, I mean get your blender or magic bullet out and mix the following:

1. One heaping scoop (20-30 grams) of your favorite protein powder

I’ve used a lot of different protein powders out there and I plan to write a dedicated article about this in the near future. For now, stick with what you have – which is hopefully an egg-white or high-quality whey protein with minimal ingredients, no additional carbs and sugars:)

2. One raw egg (cage-free)

Do not worry about cholesterol or getting food poisoning – Rocky sure didn’t:) Seriously though, these claims of food poisoning are greatly exaggerated in the media. You need the high-quality protein and fats found in the egg. Most people try to go low-fat when making a protein shake. This is a mistake, as fats are crucial to the digestion of protein.

As for contamination, here’s a quick test you can do: Roll the egg on the counter. If it wobbles, you are safe to consume it. Fitness author and expert Jon Benson was the first to tell me about this neat little trick but look it up for yourself if you’re still skeptical. NOTE: This is really the secret to a great tasting protein shake.

3. Raw almonds

I cannot say enough good things about almonds. Besides tasting great, they are loaded with essential fats and healthy fiber. Take 20 almonds and move on to the next step.

4. Frozen berries (raspberries mixed with blueberries)

Yes, we all know fresh is better than frozen but frozen makes the shake more frothy – remember, taste is an important element to our shake. You can buy organic berries and freeze them in containers. There is practically nothing lost in the process. Grab a handful and keep going.

5. Pumpkin seeds

A very-healthy addition to our recipe that packs a great punch of fiber. Half a handful is plenty for these fine seeds.

6. Use 1 to 1.5 cups of water

I prefer to use only 1 cup of water as I like a thicker shake.

7. One cup of ice

Blame it my preference for thickness and texture. This could very well be adjusted or cut-out if you like a more ‘liquidy-type’ of protein drink.

8. One Stevia packet

If you’ve never heard of Stevia it’s an herbal sweetener that doesn’t cause an insulin spike like typical processed or artificial sugar. I use one packet to make my shake a little sweeter for that damn sweet tooth of mine:)

And Voila – you now have a mostly raw, protein-rich, healthy fat and carb friendly protein drink that will fill you up for hours. Not too mention it tastes fantastic and contains more raw nutrition then people get in a whole day.

Want more? You can find 15 other shake recipes and over 40 pages of recipes in Jon Benson’s newest book – The Every Other Day Diet – see our book review for complete details. I’ve never seen this many fat burning meals that make my mouth water yet trim my waistline at the same time.

Have you ever started a diet and then become overwhelmed with the feeling of hunger, craving, and food deprivation? We all have!

Nothing can ruin a diet faster than the feeling of hunger or cravings of certain foods. Let’s be honest, it’s much easier to stay on track with a healthy eating plan when you’re feeling full and not hungry. Scientists have a name for this feeling: it’s called satiety. I’ve also heard satiety referred to as the ”craving-free” zone by various weight loss systems.

The concept of satiety is ever present in most eating plans and diets, except nobody takes the time to refer to it by name or explain what it actually means. If you understood the basic workings of satiety it would definitely make the food suggestions you see, hear, or read, make more sense and probably encourage you to follow it and your diet a lot more closely.

In order to lose weight, we have to eat less, particularly of the wrong foods, which often produce cravings and a sense of wanting more. However, when we eat less, we tend to feel hungry all the time. Most of us cannot resist hunger very long. That’s why the average weight loss diet lasts less than three weeks.

Great, I’m either craving chocolate bon bons all day or I’m starving like a character in Lost!

Enter the concept of satiety. If you’re not craving food and feeling deprived, it’s much easier to stay with your eating plan. Fortunately, nutrition researchers have learned it is possible to feel satisfied with a diet that still allows you to lose weight. But how?

It’s all about food selection.

The key practice in healthy satiety is eating small appetizers. Now, before you get excited about ordering the Jack Championship Slider Sampler from T.G.I. Friday’s or the Bloomin’ Onion from the Outback Steakhouse, it ain’t happening. Stop day dreaming and continue reading!

The appetizers I’m talking about contain specific satiety activators, or special nutrients that activate the body’s natural appetite control switch, so you eat smaller meals yet still feel satisfied. This eating strategy actually has a name and it’s called “healthy satiety.”

The most effective satiety activators are long-chain fatty acids, which are monounsaturated fats found in high concentrations in olive oil, macadamia nut oil, flaxseed oil, almond oil, peanut oil and other healthy cold-pressed oils. Consuming a small amount of foods rich in these oils will activate your appetite control switch before you begin eating a meal. Therfore, you will feel fuller even if you eat fewer calories.

Here are some high satiety appetizers. Because these oils are so effective in turning off your appetite, you only need a small amount:

• 2 cups of salad, dressed with one oz. olive oil

• 2 oz. turkey on a whole grain cracker

• 2 oz. mozzarella cheese on a whole grain cracker

• 2 oz. tuna in one oz. olive oil

• ½ teaspoon peanut butter on a piece of celery

Does this list of food options look familiar? Of course it does, but now you hopefully know why.

Certain oils trip the appetite control switch!

Studies have shown when the items above are consumed before a meal, it reduces food intake, slows the movement of food from the stomach, and extends the feeling of fullness for up to four hours after a meal.

If hunger was the main reason your last diet failed, you might want to try healthy satiety next time. Perhaps the best thing about it is, it can be used to make any reasonable diet more effective!

Mike Geary’s book The Truth About Six Pack Abs is currently the top selling abs program on the entire internet. But his nutrition guidelines and strategies is what sets him apart. Check out our review of this massive fat loss resource of eating habits, food choices, and so much more! 

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