And why is a breakfast shake so popular ?

The simple reason is that the type of breakfast you eat affects how you feel and perform throughout your morning.

This article will explain the popularity by focussing on the 3 items that are key to making the best shake for breakfast.

Because the best breakfast shake:

1. Will balance your blood sugar level
   1. Boosting energy and
   2. Preventing hunger & slumps
2. Contains exactly the right level of protein
3. Is personalised for vitamins, minerals & fibre

To make your ideal breakfast shake:

Step1. Start with a Basic Breakfast Shake…

One that will provide you with a ‘steady flow’ of energy..

Because ‘quite simply’ the right breakfast will be one that..

• Keeps you fueled up until your next meal or snack.
• Supplies your body and brain with energy.
• Helps avoid blood sugar swings and reduce cravings.
• Helps you make better food choices throughout the day.
• Provides enough protein to help support muscle health.

So what is the ideal breakfast shake ?..

The obvious explanation is that the ideal Breakfast shake is one that you will enjoy, will fill you up and also prevent hunger & snacking.

But one of the key items to focus on is

1a. Breakfast & blood sugar levels.

One of the key reasons shakes are so popular is because they are such an easy way to provide your body with exactly the right breakfast to gives you a steady flow of energy to prevent peaks & troughs in your insulin levels – so you have the ideal balance of energy all day long..

1b. If you skip breakfast

At present 48 % of people in the uk have no breakfast, and this figure is still increasing.

Most of these will end up having a quick coffee or tea and ‘something’ a bit later.

Yes, it’s quick & easy but the problem is you end up with a quick sugar ‘rush’ followed by a hunger pang a bit later.

1c. To much sugar at breakfast

47 % of the UK population have a sugar based breakfast..

A bowl of cereal, toast or a fry up might be enjoyable but will ‘instantly’ create a sugar rush, followed by hunger (that craving for snacks) a bit later.

The increasing popularity of shakes can easily be explained due the ideal balance of ingredients helping you stay in the ‘ideal sugar zone’ – helping prevent the sugar rushes and hunger pangs..

But just as important is that shakes are calorie controlled and a key element to shakes are the protein levels.

The Shake Mix powder

The key one to start with is the Shake Mix Powder (more details below)

.

Step 2. Add the right amount of Protein..

Did you know that it’s not only that we are eating less healthy,

but that we are just eating more and more?.

Even compared to as recent as 30 years ago – we are eating 50 % more per year.

And quite simply the starting point to this are poor breakfast habits. And one of these bad habits is…

Not enough protein for Breakfast

What happens if you eat more protein ?…

The effect of having a regular breakfast with enough protein was shown in a study conducted at the University of Missouri,

In the study researchers recruited 28 overweight students who routinely skipped breakfast at least five days a week. The aim of the study was to compare the effects of two different 350-calorie breakfasts on hunger, food intake and body weight over a period of twelve weeks.

The students were randomly divided into three groups.

1. One group simply continue skipping breakfast as they usually did.
2. The second group had a “standard” protein breakfast (cereals and milk );
3. The third group received a high protein breakfast (35 grams of protein).

(Continues below a few breakfast shake examples..)

So what did they find ?

Group 1 & 2..

The students who skipped breakfast or had a ‘regular’ (cereal) breakfast gained body fat over the 12 weeks.

This is worth noting, since many breakfast-skippers defend their habit in the belief it will save them calories and lead to weight loss.

Group 3..

Whereas those in the high protein group had more stable blood sugar levels throughout the day, and the students reported that the breakfast helped them to feel more full during the day as well.

In fact, those who ate the high protein breakfast every morning ended up eating less food over the course of the day. This was about 400 calories less than their usual intake, which led to a loss of body fat.

The study was small and only included young adults, so it’s yet to be seen if the same effects would be seen in a larger group of people. The study does, however, provide additional evidence that protein helps with appetite control. Also, eating a relatively high protein breakfast may help to set the stage for more calorie-controlled choices for the rest of the day.

Step 3. Personalise your shake…

With protein, fibre, vitamins….

If you try a shake for breakfast you will notice a difference & provide your body with ideal nutrients.

And yes – it’s really easy to blend shake mix powder with liquid to provide a delicious breakfast.

It takes no time at all, you instantly have an ideal breakfast.

But…..

A key advantage to the shake breakfast is that it can be easily personalised to help you achieve your targets.

Protein & Your Shake..

The amount of protein you need is individual to you, based on your current weight & what you do. But for example an average women might want to go for about 15 to 20 gr of protein for breakfast, and a man 20 to 25g.

According to a study by Harvard Medical School you should be aiming for about 15 % to 25 % of your daily calorie intake to be protein. But don’t just start tucking into bacon and sausages for Breakfast – or to quote the report

“For one, don’t read “get more protein” as “eat more meat.” Beef, poultry, and pork (as well as milk, cheese, and eggs) can certainly provide high-quality protein, but so can many plant foods — including whole grains, beans and other legumes, nuts, and vegetables”

Easy ways to add protein..

The advantage of a shake is that it’s very easy to add protein – for example adding protein powder into the shake won’t affect the taste and you can add exactly how much you need.

Or a very simple way is to select the right fluid for your shake:

Vitamins, Fibre & Your Shake…

In addition a key advantage is that you can add ‘bits’ like fruit & vegetables to your shake.

Our best weight loss shake article explains more details on which vegetables you can add – but especially for breakfast shakes adding fruit is a great way to personalise your shake.

If you look at the table on the right than a few spring out..

• Strawberries – are very low in calories
• Cranberries – not to bad on calories and very high for fibre
• Blackberries – low in calories and high in fibre

We’ve not included the other benefits of the vitamins in the fruits, but adding fresh fruits to your best herbalife weight loss shake is not only good for your general health – they can also make the shakes taste great.

In addition you can simply vary your shakes depending on what is in season, or keep items like blueberries in your freezer…

So, What is the best shake for Breakfast ?

You are probably not going to be surprised that the best shake is one that is personalised to help you achieve your objectives.

The beauty of shakes (& one of the reasons for the popularity) is that you can make for specifically for you:

• Want to lose weight ? – try a low calorie/high protein shake
• Digestive issues ? – Try a shake with added fibre
• Want to gain weight ? – go for a high calorie shake
• Going to play sport or do exercise ? – have a high energy sport shake
• …. (You get the picture)

If you look on this site you will see we not only do very ‘simple’ meal replacement shakes but also more specialised ones – for example a sport shake, free from gluten & lactose shake, etc.

Why not simply try a Breakfast Shake ?