Fitness, Nutrition, Health and Sports Blog In the HSNstore Blog you will find tips about Fitness, sport in general, nutrition, and health – HSNstore.com 
The answer to this question depends on what your sporting goals are:
- If you are training to gain muscle mass, mixing protein with milk may give you better results for growth;
- If you are looking to lose weight, the best option would be to mix it with water.
To give you a clearer idea, here are the differences between protein shakes with milk or water:
| Table of differences between protein shakes with milk or water | ||
| Protein Shake with… | Milk | Water |
| Calorie content | Higher | Lower |
| Protein content | Higher | Lower |
| Digestion | Sequential | Very fast |
| Flavour | More intense | Less intense |
| Texture | Creamier | Less creamy |
| (General) Nutritional Objectives | Weight gain | Lose fat |
Index
Protein shakes with milk
In general, mixing the protein shake with milk brings you important benefits. However, there are also some disadvantages, as we will explain now.
Benefits
- More protein: Milk increases the protein quality in your shake. A cup of whole milk contains 8 grams of protein and if you use semi-skimmed milk, it would be approximately 7.2 grams of protein.
- Higher calorie intake: Semi-skimmed milk and low-fat milk add around 83-112 calories per cup, while whole milk is around 149 calories. If you are in a bulking phase, protein with milk will provide your diet with more calories.
- Boost the nutritional value: The addition of semi-skimmed milk to your protein shake can add 8.6 grams of carbohydrates per cup. Likewise, semi-skimmed milk adds 3.6 grams of fat and 9.6 grams of sugar. In addition, by using milk, we will enrich our shake with an extra of calcium, vitamin D, phosphorus and potassium, although this may vary depending on the brand.
- Slower digestion and absorption: Drinking the shake with milk can help minimise catabolism, as you get two types of protein: a fast protein (whey) and a slow-absorbing protein (casein). While whey amino acids reach the muscles quickly, casein will take a little longer, just long enough to ensure that we have amino acids and protein available for longer.
- It increases satiety: Apart from the quality and nutritional value, mixing the protein with milk provides a creamy texture and sweet taste that increases the feeling of satiety.
Disadvantages
If you are lactose intolerant, it is best to avoid using milk to dissolve the protein powder, although you could use lactose-free milk.
On the other hand, milk slightly increases total daily calories.
When is it recommended to drink protein shakes with milk?
It is advisable to drink protein shakes with milk when you want to gain muscle, as milk is a good source of carbohydrates.
In addition to aiding muscle gain, carbohydrates also aid muscle recovery after endurance sports training and provide the energy needed to cope with heavy weight training.
On the other hand, milk increases muscle protein synthesis.
If you train endurance sports, your protein intake will need to be high, so mixing your shake with milk is ideal because you are adding nutrients and increasing its protein content.
Protein shakes with water
Mixing protein powder with water is the easiest and simplest way to prepare a protein shake. There are also benefits and disadvantages to doing it this way, as we explain below.
Benefits
- Calorie-free: The main benefit of drinking your protein shake with water is better body weight management, as you won’t have extra calories.
- Fast absorption: The purpose of taking protein shakes with water is to speed up the supply of amino acids to the muscles for their recovery.
- Food tolerance: If you suffer from lactose sensitivity, having shakes with water instead of milk can reduce stomach discomfort and bloating.
Disadvantages
Water does not add nutritional content. So the nutritional values you see on the label are what you will exactly get when you drink your protein shake with water.
Remember that we need carbohydrates and fats both to gain muscle and to maintain overall health.
When is it recommended to drink protein shakes with water?
If your goal is to lose weight, ideally you should drink your protein shake with water, as it does not add calories.
In general, it is recommended to consume the protein shake dissolved in water for maximum effectiveness when doing bodyweight sports and at the end of physical activity, about 30-40 minutes post-workout. This is done to recover from the damage done to the muscles by the sport more quickly, thanks to its rapid absorption, although if your post-workout meal is close by this may not be necessary.
The best protein supplements for your shakes
Hydrolysed lactose-free protein
Related Entries
- When to take Protein to Increase Muscle Mass?
- Top 10 protein shakes from HSN
- Protein and baldness: debunking the myth
