How Many Shakes a Day Should I Have?

The Recommended Dietary Allowance has historically been 0.8g per kilogram of body weight, but studies using a more accurate method put healthy adults at about 1.2g/kg (1).

How many meal replacement shakes can I have a day?

We recommend up to two HLTH Code Complete Meal shakes a day. It's a full meal, built to replace breakfast, lunch or dinner, not to sit on top of them.

Each serve has 400 calories, 27g protein, 27g healthy fats, 9g fibre, 25 vitamins and minerals, probiotics and digestive enzymes, and its protein comes from whey, egg whites and grass-fed collagen.

To make one, add two scoops to 350ml of cold water or milk and shake. Have it for breakfast, after a workout, or whenever real food isn't on the table.

If you're using shakes to lose weight, read Can Meal Replacement Shakes Help with Weight Loss?

How many grams of protein do I need a day?

Healthy adults need about 1.2g of protein per kilogram of body weight a day, according to studies using the indicator amino acid oxidation (IAAO) technique, a more accurate way to calculate protein needs (1). As with most questions in nutrition, though, it depends.

Recent findings suggest the Recommended Dietary Allowance of 0.8g/kg may have significantly underestimated how much protein we need (1). Many factors come into play, and Examine.com's protein intake guide is a helpful place to start (2).

These figures are grams per kilogram of body weight a day:

• Healthy adults: about 1.2g/kg (1)
• Athletes, to maximise strength and lean mass: likely 1.6 to 2.2g/kg (3)
• Muscle growth after resistance training: around 1.6 to 2.4g/kg (4)
• Weight loss while keeping muscle mass: 1.2 to 1.5g/kg (5, 6)

Needs also differ in pregnancy, while breastfeeding and in older age. For example, at 1.2g/kg a person who weighs 70kg needs about 84g of protein a day.

One serve of HLTH Code Complete Meal has 27g, so two serves give 54g.

Why your body needs protein

Protein is one of the three macronutrients, with fat and carbohydrates, and it provides the nine essential amino acids humans can't live without. It helps build bones, tissues and muscles, helps digest food, supports immunity and is involved in almost every aspect of how cells function (7).

Thousands of different proteins make up the human body, each with a specific job, and throughout life the body constantly repairs and replaces them in a process known as protein synthesis. To keep up with the constant demand for amino acids, we must get protein from our diet, especially when demand is higher, such as in pregnancy, breastfeeding, childhood and adolescence (8).

How much protein do I need when pregnant or breastfeeding?

More than the Recommended Dietary Allowance, which is likely an underestimate for mother and baby (8). Needs change as pregnancy progresses: 1.66g/kg a day is encouraged in early gestation and 1.77g/kg in later gestation (8).

There is a lack of research on breastfeeding, but the general consensus seems to be that breastfeeding women should have no less than 1.5g/kg (9, 10, 2).

A review of balanced protein-energy supplementation in pregnancy found a 34% lower risk of babies being small for gestational age, a 32% lower risk of low birthweight and a 38% lower risk of stillbirth, and a larger effect on birthweight in undernourished women (11). If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to your doctor or midwife about your protein needs.

How much protein do older adults need?

Recommendations for older adults range from 1.0g/kg a day for healthy older people to 1.5g/kg for those with an acute or chronic disease (12). Sarcopenia, low skeletal muscle mass in older people, is linked to functional impairment, physical disability and a greater risk of premature death (13).

In a large US survey of adults aged 60 and over, 45% of men and 59% of women had class I sarcopenia, the milder of the two classes it measured (13).

What are the best sources of protein?

Animal proteins rank higher than plant proteins on several measures of quality, but an optimal diet contains a good mix of both. Animal protein has been a staple of the human diet for thousands of years.

It has a higher bioavailability, is easily absorbed and is nutrient dense, and on several scales, including the digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS), animal proteins consistently rank higher. Their higher levels of essential amino acids make them complete proteins: a complete protein has enough of each essential amino acid in proportion to its overall amino acid content (2).

Plant proteins are considered incomplete (14).

Animal foods are also higher in a few key nutrients, including vitamin B12, vitamin D, DHA, haem iron, zinc, beta-alanine and taurine (15 to 19). That doesn't mean plant protein can't be nutritious.

Choosing and cooking protein

Most importantly, try to meet your daily needs. Choose proteins that have been sustainably raised, such as grass-fed beef and free-range chicken and eggs.

Cooking softens tough fibres and makes meat more absorbable (20). Roasting and baking at a lower temperature can help preserve some of the nutrients; serve the meat with its drippings to keep any B vitamins that may have been lost.

Take care when grilling or barbecuing: some studies have linked the toxic compounds that form when fat drips onto the cooking surface and seeps into the meat with several types of cancer (21 to 24). High-heat cooking also forms advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which have been linked to heart disease, kidney disease and advanced ageing (25 to 27).

Is a protein shake a day healthy?

It can be. Protein supplements may help with weight control, have been shown to benefit people building muscle mass and strength with resistance training, and can aid recovery (28, 3, 29).

The weight-control finding comes from a systematic review of whey protein supplementation in overweight and obese adults (28). If you use a supplement, choose one with high biological value, such as whey or egg whites, that is lower in carbs and has no unnecessary additives (14, 30, 31).

Protein has other health benefits too. It is linked to a healthier body composition (32).

It reduces the blood sugar response after a meal and helps curb overeating with its high satiety (33). A higher intake of protein from plant foods and certain animal foods is linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, although some animal protein foods show the opposite (34).

In a school feeding trial in Kenya, children whose snack had meat added showed the steepest rise in cognitive test scores (35).

Frequently asked questions

How many shakes a day should I have?

For HLTH Code Complete Meal, we recommend up to two a day. For protein shakes in general, the better question is how many grams of protein you need in a day, which depends on your body weight, stage of life and goals.

How much protein do I need a day?

It depends. The Recommended Dietary Allowance has historically been 0.8g per kilogram of body weight, but studies using a more accurate method put healthy adults at about 1.2g/kg.

Athletes likely need 1.6 to 2.2g/kg, and people losing weight while keeping muscle 1.2 to 1.5g/kg.

Is HLTH Code a meal or a protein shake?

A full meal. It's built to replace breakfast, lunch or dinner, not to sit on top of them.

Each serve has 400 calories, 27g protein, 27g healthy fats, 9g fibre, 25 vitamins and minerals, probiotics and digestive enzymes. Have it after a workout or whenever real food isn't on the table.

What protein is in HLTH Code Complete Meal?

27g per serve, from three sources: whey protein concentrate, egg whites and grass-fed collagen peptides, including 6.5g of collagen. Whey is fast-absorbing and rich in leucine, the amino acid that triggers muscle repair.

How and when should I drink HLTH Code?

Add two scoops to 350ml of cold water or milk and shake. Have it for breakfast, after a workout, or whenever real food isn't on the table.

We recommend up to two a day.

Can protein shakes help build muscle?

They can. Protein supplements have been shown to benefit people trying to build muscle mass and strength while resistance training, and they can also aid recovery.

For muscle growth after resistance training, protein needs may fall around 1.6 to 2.4g per kilogram of body weight a day.

Do I need more protein when pregnant or breastfeeding?

Yes. About 1.66g per kilogram of body weight a day is encouraged in early gestation and 1.77g/kg in later gestation, and the general consensus seems to be no less than 1.5g/kg while breastfeeding.

Talk to your doctor or midwife about your own needs.

How much protein do older adults need?

Recommendations range from 1.0g per kilogram of body weight a day for healthy older adults to 1.5g/kg for those with an acute or chronic disease. Sarcopenia, low muscle mass in older people, is linked to physical disability and a greater risk of premature death.

Is animal protein better than plant protein?

Animal proteins rank higher on several measures of protein quality, including DIAAS, and are complete proteins, while plant proteins are considered incomplete. Plant protein can still be nutritious: an optimal diet contains a good mix of both.

This article is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice.