What are the best 100 calorie protein shakes?

Looking for the best 100 calorie protein shakes? Discover which 100 calorie protein shakes belong in your diet, and which do not. 

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100 calorie protein shakes

What is a 100 calorie protein shake?

A 100 calorie protein shake is a protein supplement that contains 100 calories (or less) per serving.

You can buy ready-to-drink 100 calorie protein shakes, or make them yourself using low-calorie protein powder.

Note that although many unflavored protein powders contain less than 100 calories per serving, unflavored protein powders have to be mixed with other, often high calorie, ingredients to make a protein shake. If you are going to use unflavored protein powder to make a low calorie protein shake, you must therefore be mindful of the ingredients that you use. 

As mentioned, you can buy ready-to-drink 100 calorie protein shakes. Products like these are almost always made with a cocktail of nasty additives known to cause painful side effects and long term health problems, however.

If I were you, I would make my own 100 calorie protein shakes using low calorie protein powder.

How do you make a 100 calorie protein shake?

In order to make a 100 calorie protein shake yourself, you need to use a really concentrated form of dietary protein. It follows that making a 100 calorie protein shake from scratch is virtually impossible. Protein sources like peanut butter simply do not contain enough protein per gram to allow you to make a high protein, low calorie protein shake.

The only way to make a 100 calorie protein shake, it follows, is to mix protein powder with water or a low calorie milk alternative.

1 serving of most low calorie protein powders contain 80-100 calories, so if you are going to mix them with anything but water, it must be very low in calories (like almond milk).

Our vanilla collagen protein powder is perfect for making low calorie protein shakes. 1 serving contains 80 calories per serving, so mixing it with 1/2 cup of almond milk, which contains 20 calories, and 1/2 cup water will bring you right to the 100 calorie mark.

Again, if you would like to use unflavored protein powder to make a 100 calorie protein shake, you will have to be very mindful of what you mix it with. Here is a simple recipe that you could try:

100 Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Protein Shake Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 2 tbsp unflavored collagen protein powder (50 calories)
• 1/4 small banana (20 calories)
• 1 tbsp powdered peanut butter (20 calories)
• 1/4 cup plain almond milk (10 calories)
• 1 cup water
• 1 handful ice cubes
• zero-calorie sweetener (optional)

Instructions: 

Blend all the ingredients until smooth and creamy. For a zero-calorie sweetener, I recommend trying liquid monk fruit drops.

How should you use a 100 calorie protein shake?

A 100 calorie protein shake makes a great high protein snack. It can also be added to a meal to make it more filling. Protein is the most satiating nutrient, meaning it keeps you feeling full for longer than fats or carbs. By increasing the percentage of your calories that come from protein, you can reduce cravings and overeating.

A 100 calorie protein shake, although filling, should not be used to replace a meal.

100 calories is simply not enough to meet your nutritional needs. Drinking a high protein shake as part of a meal, on the other hand, is a great idea.

Why should you use a 100 calorie protein shake?

A 100 calorie shake is a great option for someone who wants to boost his or her protein intake while eating as few calories as possible. People who use 100 calorie protein shakes, it follows, are often on low calorie diets designed to help them lose weight.

100 calorie protein shakes can help with weight loss too because they contain a lot of protein per calorie.

As you just learned, increasing the percentage of your calories that come from protein can prevent cravings and overeating, which, in turn, helps you eat fewer calories.

You have to burn 3,500 more calories than you eat to lose a pound of body weight, and to lose weight at a safe rate (0.5 pound per week) you need to create a daily calorie deficit of 250 calories. This is where replacing part of a meal with a 100 calorie protein shake can make a big difference.

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What are the best 100 calorie protein shakes?

Many 100 calorie protein shakes and powders are made with ingredients that are not good for you.

To keep the calories down, protein supplement companies use artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. Similarly, instead of relying on high calorie healthy fats for texture, they use thickeners like gums.

Ingredients like these can cause painful side effects and long term health problems.

Here are the top ingredients to avoid when buying protein supplements:

Avoid food additives

Low calorie protein supplements tend to be full of food additives like emulsifiers and thickeners, which can not only upset your stomach (more about this later), but also alter the composition and function of your gut microbiome – the collection of microorganisms living in your gut. This can lead to gut dysbiosis, or an imbalance in your gut microbiota.

Gut dysbiosis is a leading driver of inflammation and contributes to wide range of chronic diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), obesity, type 1 diabetes, and colorectal cancer.

Avoid artificial sweeteners 

Of all the food additives to avoid, artificial sweeteners are at the top of the list. First of all, several studies have shown that they can increase cravings toward sugary and sweet foods, which can lead to binging and feelings of withdrawal. 

If you are trying to lose weight, you are probably better off just eating sugar. 

Research has also associated artificial sweeteners with a higher risk of glucose intolerance, which is a precursor for pre-diabetes and diabetes, and disruptions to your gut microbiome.

drink wholesome makes the best 100 calorie protein shakes

One of the reasons why we make the best 100 calorie protein shakes is that we do not use any food additives (including artificial sweeteners) whatsoever. 

Our ingredients

collagen

coconut

vanilla

monk fruit

NOT our ingredients

• acacia gum

• acesulfame potassium

• artificial flavors

• carrageenan

• erythritol

• guar gum

• inulin

• maltodextrin

• 'natural' flavors

• silica

• soy lecithin

• sucralose

• xanthan gum

• xylitol

In addition to being linked to long term health problems, food additives are hard to digest and feed your gut bacteria, which release gas as they eat. As you might imagine, too much intestinal gas can cause bloating, flatulence, and stomach pain.

Partially digested food additives also cause your colon to absorb too much water, which can lead to diarrhea.

Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein supplements:

• acacia fiber
• acacia gum
• acesulfame potassium
• artificial flavors
• ascorbic acid
• aspartame
• calcium carbonate
• carrageenan
• cellulose gum
• dextrin
• dicalcium phosphate
• dipotassium phosphate
• erythritol
• gellan gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• inulin
• locust bean gum
• maltitol
• maltodextrin
• mono- and diglycerides
• ‘natural’ flavors
• rice bran extract
• rice dextrin
• rice hulls
• rosemary extract
• silica
• silicon dioxide
• sodium alginate
• soluble corn fiber
• sorbitol
• soy lecithin
• sucralose
• sunflower lecithin
• tocopherols
• tricalcium phosphate
• xanthan gum
• xylitol
• zinc oxide

Made with a short list of simple ingredients, our 100 calorie protein powders are easy to digest and easy to use. They will help you eat more protein and fewer calories without upsetting your stomach. Order samples to see if they are right for you.

Note that we make 3 types of protein supplements: collagen protein powder, egg white protein powder, and vegan almond protein powder. Only our collagen protein powders and unflavored egg white protein powder can be used to make 100 calorie protein shakes.