Protein powder is an essential tool in your arsenal after weight loss surgery, and just as handy if a weight loss medication or a plain old smaller appetite has shrunk your portions. The tricky part is knowing what to do with it day after day!
Fear not, here are 10 super simple but tasty ways to use your Whey Protein:
- Protein power your smoothies with a scoop of powder
- Freeze your favourite smoothies into ice block molds for a cool treat
- Turn it into soft serve, blend your protein powder with greek yoghurt and frozen fruit. Add a touch of honey for extra sweetness
- Mix it in with your overnight oats or bircher muesli
- Add it to your favourite protein ball recipe for an extra boost on-the-go
- Soup up your cereal, dissolve your protein powder into water or milk and pour it over your cereal or muesli of choice
- Make your coffee pack a punch, dissolve your protein powder into water or milk and pour over your espresso. That trick is the basis of proffee, which gets you 45g of protein before 8am
- Add it to your greek yoghurt for a quick fix
- Mix it into a bariatric-friendly breakfast muffin recipe
- Add it to your oatmeal along with your favourite toppings
Don't forget: Always mix your protein powder into liquid and not the other way round to avoid lumps and bumps in your mixture. Plus, a little extra water in your shake will reduce the sweetness!
A note if you're on Wegovy, Mounjaro or one of their mates: when your appetite is dialled right down, protein tends to be the first thing that slips, and it matters for holding onto muscle while the weight comes off. Every trick on this list works exactly the same whatever the reason you're eating less.
Gone off cold shakes entirely? That happens to most of us when the weather turns, and the winter protein slump has twenty-five warm ways round it.
Powder is not the only answer either. A stir-fry like our Chinese pork stir-fry with pineapple gets 28g onto a small plate in half an hour, no scoop required.
If you are still short at the end of the day, we have three more ideas for squeezing protein in, and the full picture on how much you need lives in all your protein Qs. For something more substantial, browse our WLS-friendly recipes.