a bottle of protein shake & a dumbell | What Happens if You Eat Protein Powder without Working Out

Is Protein Powder for Women Good?

Protein shakes are a pre-and post-workout drink. Many bodybuilders and athletes very well know the importance of these shakes. But the question here is, how healthy is drinking protein shakes without working out or exercising?

Protein shakes mainly act as muscle repairers by helping the body’s muscle protein synthesis process.

Additionally, taking these shakes comes with other various health benefits. With these things in mind, certain people get compelled to take more protein shakes.

Benefits of protein shakes

Before knowing about this further, you must have an idea of some of the benefits of drinking protein shakes.

Whey protein is the most studied and researched supplement used worldwide.

According to the various studies done, this protein offers high nutritional value.

It provides various health benefits like it is a good source of high-quality protein, which can be easily digestible and absorbable.

It also boosts muscle growth and maintenance and helps in reducing blood pressure.

Moreover, it gives you satiety, which is a feeling of “fullness,” thus minimum hunger.

If you want to put on some healthy weight, increased consumption of protein shakes will help you get there.

Effects of drinking protein shake without working out

Increases energy

It is not recommended that you consume protein shakes without working out. However, there are some positive benefits linked to it.

Research conducted by the University of New Castle shows that taking shakes as a diet pro meal lower insulin spikes.

Therefore, you will have more energy and improved focus during your daily activities.

Satiety

Satiety is the feeling of fullness, sometimes even when you have not consumed any food. Drinking enough protein shakes gives you satiety, which as a result, curbs hunger.

Beneficial for elders

Human studies conducted on the elderly show that they have an issue of decreased appetites. They, however, need more proteins than younger people.

Shakes are flavourful compared to solid foods. So it becomes easier for them to consume these protein shakes.

Therefore, older people will benefit more from drinking protein shakes without even exercising.

Source of fibre

Your body needs lots of fibre, and it’s already hard to find foods that are high in fibre. The high protein content is a good source of fibre.

According to an article, the more proteins you intake, the more fibre your body gets.

No quality mass gain

Protein shakes are usually taken to help your muscles recover after workouts. They also boost muscle protein synthesis, which reinforces muscle growth and repair.

You gain muscle mass only by challenging your muscles and the way to do that is by working out.

So if you take these shakes without working out, you won’t have any substantial muscle growth.

Unwanted weight gain

Usually, most protein shakes have about 110 calories, which is above board. Thus, if you take these shakes together with other whole foods, you will be increasing your belly fat as well as body weight. So avoid blindly trusting these protein shakes without working out.

Developing kidney problems

One of the main roles of the kidney is to metabolize excess proteins. By taking excess protein shakes that you need even without exercising, you will be slowing down your kidney’s metabolism.

Increased risk of some health conditions

Too much of everything can be dangerous for overall health. More so, when it is not being taken with workouts.

Taking excess protein shakes without working out might cause osteoporosis and cancer.

Speeds up the body ageing process

Excess proteins in the body can be acidic, which is harmful to the body in two ways.

You might develop hyperaminoacidemia which is a condition associated with uncomfortable symptoms like diarrhoea and nausea.

Excess acids in the body impact your body’s ageing process which will make you age faster.

Nutrient Deficiency

If you become too obsessed with taking these protein shakes, you will not be providing your body with the essential nutrients it needs as protein shakes don't have the essential nutrients that whole foods contain.

Once you drink a protein shake without exercising or working out, you stay fuller for most of the time. Due to this, you won’t be able to consume whole foods. Eventually, you will be lacking your body of nutrients.

Can You Drink Protein Shake Every Day?

Depending on the goals you want to achieve, you can consume protein shakes every day. If your goal is to add some weight, then you can consume the shake every day, though working out will produce better results.

However, if your plan is to gain muscle, drinking protein shake without any exercise will be of no benefit. The ideal recommended consumption rate is 56gms for men per day and 46gms for women. Therefore, you can have a protein shake every day but ensure you don’t go over the recommended intake rate.

Take Away

Protein shakes are an excellent way of building strong muscle. They are a strategy, but it only works when you stick to a certain plan.

The best plan to build the muscles is to drink your protein shakes regularly and work out properly.

Drinking shakes and not working out is just like adding certain food to your system and expecting the outcomes to be great.