Protein Shake with Milk, Yay or Nay

Hi All

I saw a post where someone mentioned that you shouldn’t have your protein shake with milk. I didn’t want to hijack that thread as it was on a different topic altogether.

Basically they said that due to the different speeds of protein absorption that by putting milk in your shake you are potentially slowing down the whey protein etc (i know I don’t sound scientific).

Now for someone like me who is still very much bulking ie only 165lbs at the moment is this relative to me. I was thinking that as a compromise I should exclude milk from my shake on the post workout shakes when fast protein absorption is vital and carry on including milk at all other times ie morning shake.

As you can tell from this post i don’t really know what i’m talking about hence the need to seek advice.

It really doesn’t matter at all, unless you were dieting and having post-workout shakes with whole milk and olive oil or something stupid like that, this is the sort of thing you shouldn’t worry about.

cool, thanks for letting me know. The more I get into this way of life the more anal i’m becoming.

I hate having water in my shakes because they don’t have calories. Only time I ever drink whey with water is when I wake up, and post-workout. EVery other time its with milk.

Don’t get too technical and to the point where you can’t eat this and that in the same meal.

Thats the problem hardgnr, the more I lift, control my diet, and rest the more addicted i become and therefore the more i’m looking for perfection with maximum gains.

You have said that you have water in your morning shake and post workout, i’m putting full fat milk and flaxseed it each and every shake is that right

Well, like you said, Milk slows the rate of which the protein is absorbed. When you wake up, your body needs protein, as well as food to put it back in an anabolic state. You want to get it back in this state asap. Same case with post-workout.

There is nothing wrong with wanting maximum gains, but I have seen people on this site get so technical about nutrition they lose sight of the basics. The biggest priority is getting your protein. You know what you need to do and even said it yourself.

You will make your best gains when you find what works for you and your body. It takes time and trial and error.

cheers hardgnr, realism is always much appreciated.

I have never heard of eating two types of protein and one slowing the absorption of the other. Can you cite this? Otherwise I am not inclined to believe it.
A lot of people purposely mix their proteins so that they have an evenly distributed income of protein so that none of it gets oxidize burnt in the blood.

Hi Forevenade

As with any good debate I have found two varying arguments, I can’t find the original link and soruce from T-Nation though so these are random articles from various nutrition sites

so here goes, first is Against mixing at certain times and second is to keep them together

(1)WHEY TOO FAST: SLOWING DOWN ABSORPTION
All that being said, whey protein seems to be the most popular choice on the market today. A lot of people combine their whey isolates with milk to slow down the absorption. Sometimes they mix their whey in water for a fast anabolic response after training and milk at other times. Some mix it in milk at all times or water at all times. The evidence is very varied. However it stands to reason that a whey isolate in water followed an hour later by a slow releasing protein is a good idea. Whey isolate in water in the morning may also be beneficial but avoided at night or at least added with milk before bed to slow the absorption down a little. A better choice protein like cottage cheese or micellar undenatured casein would probably serve a better choice before bed. Even a whey concentrate would enter the system slower and seems a better choice at times other than after training. A further argument then takes place where athletes such as bodybuilders whom consume 6 or more meals a day, often more frequently then every three hours and sometimes even more frequently than every two hours, don’t require a slower releasing protein and should go for the one with the best makeup of amino acids and highest in BCAA’s - being whey protein. The protein wars are typcally opinion based, or commercially fueled, with very little major concern for too much scientific fact. It is this fact that probably leads many health enthusiasts and trainers to actually experiment to find what they feel works best for them.

(2)
Milk Proteins: Whey and Casein Work Better Left Together!
by Editor
Some things are best left together. Like milk proteins.

Milk is a mixture of two major proteins, whey and casein. Whey protein is frequently sold as a stand-alone supplement or used as the sole protein source in meal replacements. Not surprisingly, however, research is beginning to suggest that leaving casein and whey together (as in a “protein blend”) may have multiple benefits for your body.

Whey is commonly described as a “fast” protein, meaning it is quickly digested and absorbed. Casein is considered “slow” by comparison. Thus, by supplementing your diet with a blend of casein and whey, presumably you can receive the benefits of both “speeds” of protein (i.e., rapid yet sustained delivery of protein building blocks to your growing muscles).

There may be other benefits to combining your whey and casein. Whey protein is a source of a number of biologically active peptides (i.e., short chains of amino acids). Some of these peptides may provide healthful properties (i.e., lower blood pressure, improve mood). Casein helps to preserve the functions of such peptides. This effect appears to be unique to casein.

Casein seems to block the breakdown of whey peptides in your intestine. It can increase the lifetime of some peptides by over 15 times. That gives the peptides a greater opportunity to do your body good. In the same way, casein may also render your whey protein more useful to your muscles by slowing down its digestion and absorption.

To sum it up, a protein blend supplement containing casein and whey may give you not only the bodybuilding benefits of “slow” and “fast” proteins, but also a host of other healthful properties that might be absent when consuming either protein on its own.

If you tolerate milk well apart from postworkout get in loads of it while bulking

I’ve never, ever had a protein shake with water.

I have eliminated all plain milk from my diet and been better for it. I find that milk and other milk products tend to give a soft look and I feel that I look more cut or drier on a milk free diet. I also dont handle lactose very well. So gas and soft stool are common when I go heavy into milk products.

That said all my shakes are with water. I add in some other goodies like creatine, alcar, idebenone, oats, olive oil and fish oil. The protein is a mix of isolates and Caseins. It tastes like rotting whale blubber going down but it works really good, lol.

I also find that shakes work better for me when there is a mix of good fat, low gi carbs, and various proteins.

But isn’t milk highly insulingenic?

Whole, raw milk, while bulking especially. Even have it PWO.

Throw in a handful of blanched almonds and blend; extra calories. Quit worrying.

[quote]espndude21 wrote:
But isn’t milk highly insulingenic?[/quote]

Nope.

Drink as much milk with any protein as you want when your trying to gain muscle i have had good results by drinking 2-3 litres a day

I’ve been mixing my whey into whole cottage cheese lately.

I go about a cup cot.cheese, 2 scoops of whey, some milled flaxseed, and I slowly add water while stirring just enough to dissolve the powder.

It tastes great. So, not milk per se, but liquidy cottage cheese. The brand cottage cheese I buy has live pro-biotic cultures as well (for anyone who is into that).

[quote]SteelyD wrote:
I’ve been mixing my whey into whole cottage cheese lately.

I go about a cup cot.cheese, 2 scoops of whey, some milled flaxseed, and I slowly add water while stirring just enough to dissolve the powder.

It tastes great. So, not milk per se, but liquidy cottage cheese. The brand cottage cheese I buy has live pro-biotic cultures as well (for anyone who is into that).[/quote]

This is a good idea. The cottage cheese slows down the digextion process so you get a more steady and even supply of aminos. I do very similar to this, which helped me get my bodyfat into the single digits. The steady and slow digestion helps alleviate hunger pangs as well, when on a cut.

mixing protein shake with water alone tastes lousy, but if you already got the mass and need to cut some, or just want to maintain your size without getting fatter it’s the way to go.
mixing your shake with milk or yogurt adds too much sugars, carbs.