Protein - A single scoop of vanilla

So often I hear new WLS patients complain that they've "tried all the protein and hate them all." (And they are only 2 or 3 weeks post-op.) Unfortunately, I don't believe them. I know - that's harsh. Be honestly, if you try something once and never try it again, or never try it a different way how can you say that you hate them ALL unless you've exhausted every possible option? One example I use when replying to forum posts is how different a single scoop of vanilla protein powder can taste if only you mix it a different way each time. So I thought I'd make a list of all the ways I can think of to make a single scoop of protein into a variety of different concoctions.

1. Mix it with water
2. Mix it with milk
3. Mix it with soy milk
4. Mix it with flavored soy milk (chocolate?)
5. Mix it with crystal light or sugar free Kool-aid
6. Mix it with diet juice (V8 Splash!)
7. Mix it with coffee
8. Mix it with tea
9. Mix it with hot cocoa
10. Make it hot
11. Make it cold
12. Make it frozen (protein ice cream)
13. Make it thick like a milk shake
14. Make it thicker like pudding
15. Make it thin and serve it over ice
16. Mix in some fruit
17. Mix it into yogurt
18. Mix in some spices (cinnamon, chai spice)
19. Mix in some flavored sugar free coffee syrups
20. Mix in some sugar free pudding mix (pistachio, cheesecake, banana??)
21. Mix it into pudding (1 sf pudding cup, 1/2 scoop protein)
22. Mix it into oatmeal
23. Mix it into protein bars or balls or these bars
24. Make it aromatic (like my protein hot chai tea recipe)
25. Use your imagine..... the sky is the limit!

The recipes are endless. Obviously I have some here on my blog, but if you do a search on Google, you'll find millions. Bodybuilders are very creative with recipes for protein shakes - you might need to adjust the ingredients to make them more WLS friendly, but at least the ideas are often unique.


And of course, there's always my "Protein Book" with a ton of recipes. So next time you are stumped for a way to mix your protein powder. Just pick something new off the list above and see how it goes. It's all a big game of experimentation -- a game that you can't give up on after the first try. 


 ~Pam