A few years ago, I was the only girl I knew who drank protein shakes.
In fact, whenever I drank one, my friends would look at me aghast.
"But...won't you get muscles like Arnold? You'll look like a man!" they would say, open-mouthed and clearly horrified. "You'll lose your boobs, you'll get pecs!"
This was never the case - one look at me and you'll know this. I'm all boob and hips, whether I like it or not! J-Lo has nothing on the size of my bum.
Of course, things couldn't be more different now. Just a few short years later, and "protein" is the buzzword for all 'clean' eaters. Everyone is at it! I even have a Yoga Bunny friend who weighs out her protein on the scales, just like body builders.
However, if anything, I've started to cut back on my use of shakes. You see, a lot of protein shakes and drinks (bars, too!) may seem healthy and 'clean', but they are actually crammed with chemical nasties I have never even heard of.
I looked at the label of one of the well-known brands and its supposed "diet bar" was crammed full of sugar, glucose syrup, honeycomb (!), sweeteners and sugar syrups. Worse still, it had more than THREE teaspoons of sugar in it. Horrifying, right?
With all that in mind, I was delighted when Be Skinny Drink Me sent me some of their protein drinks to try. Created by the lovely Kathryn of Collagen Shots, every single shake contains 100% natural ingredients (including pea protein and plant-based Stevia as the sweetener) and comes loaded with over 20g of protein. How amazing is that?
The shakes also contain Glucomannan, a natural fibre that keeps you fuller for longer, Inulin for pre-biotic health and green tea extract to boost metabolism and fight free radicals. Pretty amazing, right?
Better yet, since they are dairy and gluten-free, they are suitable for everyone.
Anyway, these drinks are so filling that they are designed so they can be used as a meal replacement drink. However, I am happy with my weight and exercise a lot, so I have simply been using them to boost protein levels post-workout and to give me extra fuel in the afternoon.
They are delicious and keep me running for ages, making them the perfect treat for healthy eaters and fitness freaks. Not only that, but they come in an array of flavours (strawberry, banana and butterscotch) so they also happen to be scrumptious for use in baking!
I've been using the powders in my favourite Molten Chocolate Protein Cake, while the Banana and Butterscotch version has been used to make fabulous protein bars. It also comes in rather handy for this Banoffee Protein Pie by Think Outside The Cereal Box. Pretty amazing, right?
Be Skinny Drink Me costs £17.50 for 14 servings and is available to buy from here.
Sam x
