Protein coffee shakes are getting quite a buzz in the world of health and wellness recently. Made from protein powder and coffee, this refreshing drink is said to provide a whole lot of health benefits.
Good coffee alone can benefit us in many ways. Aside from providing us with a boost of energy, it’s loaded with powerful antioxidants that help fight a number of diseases.
Related reading: Is Mold in Coffee Bad for You?
Combined with protein, which is an important macronutrient, drinking protein coffee shakes is indeed a great way to kick-start your day.
But can protein coffee shakes help with fat loss? Let’s find out.
What are Protein Coffee Shakes?
Protein coffee shakes are made from a combination of protein powder and coffee. To make it quick and easy these shakes are often prepared using a ready made coffee-based protein powder.
The protein may be derived from whey, soy, or collagen. When you consume this refreshing drink, you can take advantage of the powerful benefits of both coffee and protein.
Related reading: Benefits of Collagen for a Keto Diet
LesLee K. Funderburk, assistant professor of family and consumer sciences at Baylor University, told Refinery29,
“Adding protein to your coffee can be a good way to increase your intake if you’re not getting enough of the nutrient.”
She further added that although protein should ideally be obtained from protein-rich food sources such as meat and eggs, adding protein into your morning coffee is also effective.
Related reading: What Is Keto Coffee and Should You Drink It?
In fact, health experts believe that having protein in your coffee can help with fat loss, especially belly fat and help you to maintain your ideal weight. This is especially true for those who are following a low carb diet like keto.
Related reading: CICO Diet: What Is It And Is It Good For Fat Loss?
By drinking protein coffee shakes daily, you can be sure that you will be getting the right amount of protein that your body needs to stay in ketosis.
Benefits of Protein Coffee
In order for us to determine if a protein coffee can help with fat loss, let’s take a closer look at how we can benefit from it.
Related reading: Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss. Which is Best?
Prevents Muscle Loss
Building muscles is important for weight loss. Having a healthy bulk of muscles can improve your strength and performance. If you ever notice, strong and healthy individuals usually have dense muscles. Unfortunately, muscle loss occurs because of the lack of exercise and malnutrition.
Related reading: Burn Some Body Fat With Bodyweight Exercises
Drinking protein coffee shakes has been found to help prevent muscle loss. When consumed along with a healthy diet and exercise, the protein coffee will not only slow down the loss of muscle mass but it may also reverse it.
As the Healthcare Weekly has explained,
“The best strategy to prevent muscle loss is to load up on protein coffee that contains leucine. This is a type of protein that aids in the production of muscle fuel and muscle regeneration.”
Improve your Metabolism
There is an abundant amount of caffeine in protein coffee shakes. Research shows that caffeine may help to improve your metabolism, which aids in fat loss.
Aside from improving your metabolism, caffeine also helps suppress appetite, which reduces your calorie intake. It also helps to boost your stamina, which gives you the energy to stick to your weight loss goals.
Improve Cognitive Function and Mental Alertness
Caffeine is an effective brain booster. It is for this reason why we feel alert after getting our daily dose of coffee.
Proteins derived from whey powder contain leucine, an essential amino acid that triggers increased production of melatonin and serotonin in the body, especially when combined with caffeine.
Melatonin helps you to sleep well, which is important for weight loss. On the other hand, serotonin is a powerful brain chemical that can help to curb appetite and minimize unhealthy cravings.
Improve Digestion
Coffee has been found to help minimize, bloating, constipation and gas. When consumed, coffee releases heat that can help in breaking down proteins easily. Therefore, you won’t have to deal with digestive problems that are commonly associated with protein consumption.
When you consume protein coffee shakes, your gastrointestinal tract will take this in without any issues. This results in the rapid absorption of caffeine, amino acids, and other essential nutrients from coffee and protein.
And as mentioned above, caffeine can help to improve your metabolism, which results in the breaking down of protein molecules fast and faster delivery of fuel to your muscles.
How to Consume the Protein Coffee
Given the many benefits above, it’s easy to see why the protein and coffee combination is believed to help with fat loss. The protein and coffee combination is indeed a match made in heaven and can help you with your goals of losing weight.
Most of the commercially made protein coffees are rich and great tasting and contain a low percentage of carbs, which is perfect for those on a keto diet. Most brands contain only 1 gram of carbs per serving and that should help you stay in ketosis.
One example is Maine Roast Protein Coffee. It consists of 15g of whey protein and 2 shots of espresso. The whey protein is high quality instantized (quick absorption) and whey protein isolate to keep you satisfied throughout your day.
It makes a delicious, low fat, low carb and low- calorie coffee protein drink with no added sugar designed to promote energy. What’s not to like? Check it out here.
Protein coffee powder is usually added to cold water and made into refreshing shakes and smoothies. This is because the powder tends to combine better with cold water than hot water.
This practice seems to have been started when researchers at Cornell University found that the amino acids in protein become unfolded or ‘denatured’ from their natural chain or shape when introduced to very high temperatures.
If a protein is denatured, the absorb-ability and solubility of amino acids is decreased slightly. However, the effects of the denaturing process won’t decrease the health benefits of protein. Your body will still absorb it and use it. Your muscles won’t know the difference.
Some say that dding the protein powder to hot coffee leads to an extremely foamy mixture. Fine if you don’t mind that but manufacturers of commercial protein coffee powders suggest drinking the product as a chilled beverage.
If you’ve already been using protein powder, then you have probably tried adding it into your keto smoothies. You can also have the protein powder in your coffee, which is also one way of consuming the protein coffee.
As mentioned, protein coffee can work best with cold water. So instead of adding it to your hot coffee, try adding your favorite protein powder to a cup of ice-cold coffee.
Conclusion
As you see, the combination of protein and coffee comes with many benefits, which aids in your fat loss journey.
But as with anything else, too much of something is not good. So try to limit your consumption of protein coffee shakes to a moderate amount.
Remember, excessive consumption of coffee can affect some people adversely. As for protein, too much of it could make increase you calorie intake and cause weight gain.
Related reading: Can You Have Too Much Protein On Keto?
You could also suffer from digestive problems, such as constipation or diarrhea. It’s all a matter of balance.
So have you already tried protein coffee shakes? If not will you give them a try?
