The widely shared advice is that if you're looking to increase muscle mass, you need 1.6-2.0 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight per day - in addition to a weight training programme (just consuming protein won't cut it!). To reach that daily protein amount, it is not unreasonable to obtain it all from whole, natural foods.
For example, an average 83kg guy looking to bulk up may need around 133g of protein*. He could get near this from including high protein sources into his daily diet, such as - 200g low fat cottage cheese (alt 8776 10g), 100g chicken breast (60g), 100g chickpeas (3 eggs (20g) and 100g smoked makrel (20g), 100g Greek Yoghurt (10g) and 250ml semi-skimmed milk (8g).
However, downing a typical (whey) protein shake will deliver up to 30g of protein in one hit. This makes them very convenient for increasing the amount of protein in a person's diet. Nevertheless, more is not necessarily better when it comes to shakes.
Research has shown that the body can only really handle about 30g of protein at anyone time. If a person consumes more than 30g of protein in any meal, it is likely that the body cannot process the extra protein and it is excreted. Having said that, one study has suggest that maximal protein synthesis (muscle building) is actually helped by a 40g serving of protein straight after exercise.
The other issue apart from how much protein to take for those wanting to bulk up is when to eat protein. The general advice is to try to keep your protein intake relatively constant throughout the day - in other words, have protein at every meal, rather than additional shakes after meals. Having said that, many bodybuilders would recommend consuming a shake or a high protein meal within an hour of a workout.
When choosing your protein powder, whey isolate is the one that is most recommended but make sure that the one you buy isn't filled with lots of sugar, fat and other ingredients that you may not want to be consuming large amounts of.
Another issue to be aware of, that isn't often highlighted, is that many of the fitness magazines and websites are sponsored or funded by the huge sports supplement industry. Therefore, there may be an element of bias in their articles - and look out for paid promotions. Hopefully, most people also realise that the images used on adverts for supplements are engineered to influence our choice. The fantastic physique of that model holding that shake was not due to the drink, but due to their dedication and hard work - any supplement shake was just that - a supplement to a carefully crafted diet and workout plan.
So in summary, protein shakes are a useful way to up the amount of protein in a person's diet but they are not essential and over consumption can lead to problems. Make sure you buy a protein powder of good quality and check the ingredients carefully. Use any shakes as part of a good diet comprised of plenty of whole, natural foods from a range of food groups.
*Be aware that The Department of Health advice is that adults should avoid consuming more than twice the recommended daily intake of protein (55.5g for men and 45g for women).
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