Everyone who works out knows the importance of a post workout shake, but a juice might actually be better.
If you are a member of a popular gym, then you’re sure to see protein shakes for sale. Some gyms have their own smoothie station, whereas others simply sell premixed drinks like muscle milk or something else.
What I wanted to do with this article was to discuss the benefits of a green juice as opposed to a protein shake.
Protein is important, there is no doubt about that. And if you’re doing resistance training (weight lifting or even bodyweight exercises to build muscle) you will want protein. However, you don’t need to have that protein immediately after your workout (there’s a lot of discussion about this—I’ll link to a few podcast at the bottom).
You can add protein to a fresh green juice if you want to. The idea here is that you don’t have to stick to only a protein shake when you’re finished your workout. You can have a green juice (with or without protein) and it’s going to provide quite a few benefits that you won’t find with a simple protein shake.
Let’s break down a few of the main reasons why you should skip a protein shake and instead choose
Green Juice For Electrolytes: Better Than Sports Drinks
One of the main reasons why I like green juices over protein shakes is that you can get electrolytes from green juices. And electrolytes are needed after you exercise.
If you look at any “sports drink” you’ll see that they are all advertised as being full of electrolytes. These are things like sodium, potassium, and magnesium.
Most protein shakes are just protein with minimal electrolytes. If you want to make sure you don’t get sick after a long workout, be it weight lifting or a heavy workout, then you’re going to need to to replenish the electrolytes that you sweat out.
Water alone won’t have this. An energy drink might, but it might not. Sports drinks like Gatorade do, but these aren’t as good as a fresh green juice.
A nice drink like a spinach, kale, and apple juice with some ginger would be a perfect way to finish a workout.
Anti-Inflammatory Benefits Of Green Juice
Exercise is good for you, but it causes inflammation. This can be problematic, especially for people who are prone to health issues.
One of the best things about green juices is that they are anti-inflammatory. This is especially trye if you’re going to add things like dark cherries, ginger, or pineapple to the greens. Green juices have many, many benefits —I covered some of them in a recent article.
A regular protein shake isn’t anti-inflammatory. The only thing a protein shake is good for is the ability to help build muscle.
A green drink, on the other hand, can help with inflammation. This in turn can make you rest easier, recover faster, and hit the gym sooner. So, if you want to move from twice a week workouts, to a 3 day split or even a 4 day workout schedule, green juice can fast track that move.
Appetite Control: Green Juice And Fiber
This one’s simple, so it will be short. A protein shake will fill you up, but it can cause bloating. There are many people who simply get bloated and gassy after drinking a protein shake.
But green juice has more digestible fiber that not only won’t cause bloating, but it will fill you up. Protein satiates, but it causes bloating. Green juice won’t do that.
So, if you want to control hunger, and not get the gas that protein shakes cause, then my suggestion is to stick with a fresh green juice.
Muscle Recovery: Natural Sugars and Protein
Here’s the section where we get to protein, because I know it’s what everyone was waiting for.
So, you’re right, green juice by itself doesn’t have protein. It does have natural sugars, though, which are important for that “post workout” window—it’s better than eating candy (which some bodybuilders do).
But you can certainly add protein to a green juice. I discussed this at length in a prior article.
Simply put, you can add protein powder to a green juice. And if you’re someone who is doing heavy weight lifting, then it’s certainly a good idea.
I would recommend that you add a vegetable protein powder—you could get a plain pea protein such as Naked brand, or you could even add a bit of Greek yogurt to your drink.
If you want to take Greek yogurt and add it to a green juice that was made with pineapple, then you’re going to get a super healthy drink. It will be thicker than a regular green juice, but richer than a smoothie in terms of nutrients.
You can simply add your green juice to a blender bottle, add in a few tablespoons of Greek yogurt, and then shake up and drink.
Notes & References
Hi there everyone!
My names Jason (Jay for short). You can find out more about me and why I started this website here.
Stay healthy and I hope you enjoy the information!