Are Protein Shakes Healthy?

Depending on how you stay fit, your favourite post-workout drink may be doing you no favours

- Lucy E Cousins

You’ve finished a lunchtime yoga class and your core is burning. But before you change back into work clothes, you smash a vanilla protein shake and forget all about lunch. Sound familiar? Well, according to dietitian and Dietitians Association of Australia spokesperson Lisa Donaldson, your shake might be doing more harm than good.

“For the general healthy population, protein shakes shouldn’t be used as a meal replacement or snack,” she advises. “They should be saved specifically for after a training session to repair muscles, replenish muscle glycogen [the storage form of carbohydrates] and rehydrate.”