I have been buying this for my husband. He is 88, not much appetite but will drink one of these every morning. Have been concerned that he is not getting adequate protein, especially for his age. We consume insufficient protein in our diets.
This product is Fairlife “CORE Power” protein milkshake. It contains protein from casein, obtained from highly processed milk plus a lactose enzyme,
acesulfame potassium, sucralose, carageenan, monk fruit.
In 14 ounces it contains 42 grams of protein and 230 calories. That’s the appeal, but the contents are offputting.
I really don’t like all the stuff they put in this, but I have weighed that against the potential harms of too little protein. After trying various strategies to get more protein into my husband, this, (plus adding powdered pea protein into his smoothies) seems to be one of the only options he will consume. (It tastes OK but I rarely consume any).
So --what do you think of this highly processed, but protein dense “food” for an older person who needs the protein? (I will say that he is quite strong and has good muscle, even compared to younger men, probably a legacy of having done a lot of lifting (on a farm, not a gym) as a young person.
Someone who knows more will chime in, but IMO, you do what you have to do, and it’s a very worthwhile trade off if he likes this in an otherwise very healthy diet. (While it’s not ideal, it doesn’t look that bad to me, fwiw).
I imagine you’ve tried the other higher calorie/protein shake options/meal replacements etc, but in the spirit of throwing ideas against the wall, I’ll share the only protein shake I really enjoy is Kachava Vanilla. It’s 240 calories and 25 grams of protein. It only needs water to be good, but in my effort to add more protein, I blend it with soy milk which then adds 120 calories and 12 more grams of protein, for a total of 37 grams. I add strawberries and bananas and it’s very ‘Erewhon Hailey Bieber-esque’
I’ll add that I’m vegan, so for all I know, finding whey based shakes that are yummy is easy.
From little research I’ve done and based on anecdotal cases, protein intake needs vary widely from person to person. I know people that consume mainly protein, more like 80-90% of their diet is protein (a 70-year-old hunter) and then on the flip side I also know people who consume mainly carbs 60-70% of their diets and are perfectly healthy and are in their 80’s and 90’s. I’m somewhere in the middle I need both but tend to do better on healthy carbs than just protein foods.
I did not jump the bandwagon of the protein craze/fad that has spread lately on the internet. I’m simply old enough to have known people who consumed very little protein and made it to over 100 and were healthy all their life. To me the quality (natural, whole foods and organic) and quantity (as in restricted calories) are more important than food categories themselves.
As for your specific case (your husband) I wouldn’t supplement his diet with anything unless he has no appetite and doesn’t eat much. For example, if he were to continuously consume only 1000 calories per day then I’d say this protein shake/beverage would be fine. Obviously, this is just my opinion, and a nutritionist would give a more qualified answer.
Just getting a basic whey protein powder from Walmart would be cheaper and you sort of know what he is ingesting that way. He is in a very difficult situation and you are doing everything you can for him. Perfect is the enemy of the good and I don’t think any of us should criticize your gallant efforts to help.
Two cups of yogurt should give you protein approaching 40g. Chobani’s high protein contains 20g protein per 6oz. Siggi’s has 16g protein per 150 g. I take Siggi’s. It is made from skim milk, but strained. So it is creamy thick.
Thank you for the responses. After reading them, and also reading the thread about Maria Branyes who had a very “young” microbiome when she died at 117 (she ate yogurt every day), it seems prudent to add in some yogurt as a replacement for the protein drinks, at least some days of the week.
Fairlife is a good brand in my opinion. I think that product you posted is good.
If you want to save money in the long run they do have larger size containers (1L, 2L etc) but I don’t think it’s as high of protein content than the 42g one you posted. Though some places do sell those single protein drinks in large boxes (bulk price).
Another idea is one could make your own highly processed (engineered) protein shake with a few more ingredients.
Now foods company in USA has tested very well in 3rd party testing. There are other good companies also. I just think Now has tested the best over the years, price to performance.
However, Now does have whey and plant protein powders(unflavored as well, and have there own flavor system packs), complex or simple carbohyrate powders, creatine powder, beta alanine, taurine, and maybe add something else such as probiotics since you mentioned Maria at 117 who ate yogurt.
Or add in some yogurt to the protein shake.
Yeah, a bit over the top but I felt the need to share.
Thank you for all the suggestions. Wanted to note that in addition to the Fairlife,my husband has a smoothie every morning – almond milk, pea protein, berries, honey. Also banana, which I know undercuts the value of the berries, but my husband does not want to give up the banana.
I mix up batches of “smoothie powder” that he adds in to each smoothie: creatine monohydrate, turmeric, lysine, taurine.
