If I told you there was a way to enjoy a healthy, well-balanced meal that complements whatever diet or meal plan you’re currently following—in under 5 minutes for under $3.00 to boot—some might call me crazy. But it’s true whether you are following a low-carb diet, ketogenic diet, or are simply conscientious of foods that have no added sugar or artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors, or preservatives, while also being gluten-free, soy-free, and non-GMO. That’s right.

You see, protein is a pillar of an overall healthy and balanced nutrition plan. As Coach Tim highlighted in the recent blog article “High Protein Diet: What Are the Benefits?,” the benefits of including quality protein sources in your healthy diet include, but are not limited to:

• better health
• more calorie-burning lean muscle and strength
• less body fat
• and better metabolic function.

And while some might argue that the most solid protein sources are foods such as beef (steak, ground beef, jerky, etc.), cottage cheese, deer/venison, eggs (whole or whites), finfish (salmon, haddock, mackerel, tuna, bluefish, herring, etc.), ham (fresh), lamb, pork (tenderloin, chop, etc.), shellfish (scallops, shrimp, clams, oysters, crab, lobster, etc.), skinless chicken (breast, thigh, wing, etc.) and turkey breast, what about a milk protein source?

Replacing one meal a day with a protein-packed shake may elicit many favorable results, including, but again not limited to:

• greater calorie burn
• thermic effect of feeding
• retention of calorie-burning lean muscle while losing fat
• overall improved body composition
• And improved recovery from exercise.

For anyone looking to build more calorie-burning lean muscle, a protein-packed shake is also perfect when used in conjunction with a muscle-building diet and training regimen as it feeds muscles high-quality protein.

Specifically speaking of BioTRUST Low Carb Protein Blend, we use equal amounts of whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, milk protein concentrate, and micellar casein because too much of a good thing may not be so good after all. With medium- and slow-digesting proteins, these proteins don’t get into the bloodstream as quickly, which not only means you don’t have to worry about a huge insulin spike but may also count on sustained nutrition—and satiety—for upwards of six hours. Further, our Low Carb includes the all-natural fiber Inulin, which further slows digestion time and helps with more stable insulin levels.

The proteins in BioTRUST Low Carb are carefully processed using a proprietary, cold-temperature, microfiltration process, which protects the proteins, maximizes their biological value, and ensures the highest concentration of health-promoting bioactives and immune-boosting factors. What’s more, the proteins in BioTRUST Low Carb are from grass-fed cows—100% domestically sourced, healthy, happy, humanely-treated pasture-raised cows at that.

Knowing all of this, why not create healthful concoctions that will allow you to have your cake and eat it too. By using healthy ingredients, you can whip up dessert-like protein shakes in a jiffy and reap the benefits while sipping. Win-win!

We also have a few meal plans that incorporate protein shakes in them that have proven results:

• Protein Power Meal Plan
• One-Day Diet
• Three-Week Diet

Disclaimer: I encourage folks to obtain as much high-quality protein from whole foods as possible on a daily basis. However, you’ll be hard-pressed to find such an incredible, all-natural blend of proteins through food sources to meet your needs. In addition, the ease and effectiveness of using a protein blend such as our Low Carb Protein Blend around your workout times would be very difficult to match with whole foods.

Three Protein Smoothies That Help Boost Weight Loss

Oatmeal Raisin Protein Shake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 scoops Low Carb Vanilla Cream Protein Blend
• 1/2 banana, frozen
• 2 Tbsp quick-cooking rolled oats
• 1 Tbsp raisins
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Pinch of sea salt

Directions:
Blend all ingredients and serve immediately! Enjoy!

Chef Note: Peel banana before freezing.

Oatmeal Raisin Protein Shake Nutrition Facts:
1 serving

• Calories: 370
• Total Fat: 7 g
• Total Carbohydrate: 52.6 g
• Fiber: 9.4 g
• Protein: 29 g

Very Berry Superfood Protein Shake

Ingredients:

• 12 oz water
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 cup frozen mixed berries
• 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 2 scoops Low Carb Vanilla Cream Protein Blend
• 1 scoop MetaboGreens™
• 1 Tbsp walnuts
• 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed

Directions:
Blend all ingredients and serve immediately! Enjoy!

Very Berry Superfood Protein Shake Nutrition Facts:
1 serving

• Calories: 435
• Total Fat: 15.5 g
• Total Carbohydrate: 43 g
• Fiber: 15 g
• Protein: 35 g

Mocha Delight

Ingredients:

• ½ cup vanilla almond milk
• ½ cup cold brewed black coffee
• 2 scoops Café Mocha Low Carb Protein Blend
• *stevia to taste
• handful of ice cubes

Directions:
Blend all ingredients and serve immediately! Enjoy!

Mocha Delight Nutrition Facts:
1 serving

• Calories: 167
• Total Fat: 4.3 g
• Total Carbohydrate: 8.3 g
• Fiber: 4.3 g
• Protein: 24.7 g