Do any of you make your own protein shakes? I got my Dad some weight gainer protein powder and it says on the side of the container "do not use if you have a medical condition." Is that written on all of them? You think this is safe for him?

My friends say it's a disclaimer they put on all those products and since he doesn't have any dietary restrictions it shouldn't be a problem. Agree?

I have used high protein whey powder for several years. Protein is very important when trying to heel and this will help your father get the protein he needs to speed his recovery.

I would see a doctor before adding any supplement. They can do blood tests too to see if his levels are deficient, and if any is needed or would be dangerous. Too much protein puts added stress on the organs, especially the kidney's to rid the ketones in the urine, and this can cause dehydration amongst other problems. Your body can only assimilate 23 grams of protein at a time anyway. Another factor, is some of these bodybuilding proteins, at least in the recent past, had steroids in them, and a bunch of other potential harmful chemicals, herbs, and my doctor had warning signs about creatine, a popular added supplement in many.

Paul is correct!

Sorry I should have said that in my previous post. Always ask the doc before making any changes or trying anything new like this. Never know how it could work with something the patient is already using or some medication they take.

Thanks Paul!

Paul, where is the Like when you need it. Good post. The other caution with protein is pancreatitis. Many people believe in minimum of 1 G protein/ lb of weight. That is good if you have enough activity to use it.

Ed

Definitely check with your dr. Or dietician. A higher amount of protein is usually needed during and after treatment or promote healing. Try to avoid protein powders that have a lot of chemicals and fake sugar substitutes. Best of luck,

A topic hitting my current bullseye, researching and making my own protein/carb powder mix.

Many comments here are familiar and generally what I am following to create my mix. What lead me down this path was all these added things added to commercial protein powders and sent me off sourcing the raw materials as much as possible.

Where i am right now is whey protein isolate is about as pure a protein powder you can obtain in the marketplace, in consumable quantities to us; that is, less than 50 pound bags. It is 80%-90% pure. One ounce (28.4g) then equates to about 23-26 grams protein and about 100 calories.

Carbo content is coming from starch based maltodextrin with a DE in the 20s so not much sweetness either. The powder is 100% so 28 grams of carb.

Now, last part to make get a bit more sweetness into the mix and that is where I am presently exploring various sweetening ingredients, from sucrose/glucose, to fructose and HFCS, as well as natural fruits and juices.

My current situation is I am week 5 of rads and still able to swallow, drink water, eat puree foods, smoothies, milkshakes, etc. There is definitely pain associated during swallowing when zero medications but quite acceptable with a low dose of hydrocodone.

The goal is to create something that has high caloric density yet still can be swallowed without being an overly thick mass and hopefully have some decent taste as well.

Second option is to allow less caloric density and less viscous and use the concoction as my regular sipping liquid all day, just keep a few ice cubes in there to keep things cool but not frozen. Or I guess I can use it for smoothies to if I need/want a frozen texture but that gets a bit harder to consume for me, cool is fine.

Wow, you've been busy! Why the maltodextrin? I could see it after a workout in some amount but rarely see the levels you are talking about. It has twice the glycemic index of sugar and runs through the system very fast. It could have benefit as a complex carb but unlike the whole grains, it is absorbed quicker. As a drink to sip on through the day I am not clear why you want it. Just basing that on my experience in the food industry. It is mostly used for a favorable texture or smoothness to the mouth.

Thanks for doing the work. I am trying to get 90 g or more protein beyond foods a day and looking for some weight gain without packing on visceral fat. I usually consume 2-3 shakes a day and try to bike an hr 3 x a week, walk 1-3 miles a day and try to hit the gym 2-3 hrs 2-3 x a week. If I don't pack on calories I can lose 1-3 lbs a day pretty easily. If I work in some complex carbs I can keep it in check.

Ed

Ed

Brandi,

I'm not a fan of the "weight gainer" protein mixes that have whey in them. They tend to have a crap ton of sugar in them and that's not conducive to keeping or maintaining lean muscle mass during treatment due to the effects on blood sugar and how high your father's cortisol levels must be.

I'd recommend an organic whey protein powder as whey has the fastest uptake and highest leucine content of the other forms of protein. As far as doseage I'd be looking at 1.15-1.5grams of protein per pound of bodyweight daily as his body is in massive demand of amino acids during and recovering from treatment/surgery