Water or milk?

[Renyl]

How big is the difference between using water or milk in a protein shake?
Alot of people say water..but I prefer milk..what is the best type of milk to use? I usually use 2% or fat free..

[Bigm999]

Very little difference. Milk is typically around 90% water.

With milk you'll get a few grams of carbs (as lactose), a few grams of fat, a few grams of protein. You'll get a collection of vitamins and minerals, but only a few percent RDA of each.

If you find milk more palatable go ahead - but there's not a big difference.

Google "milk nutritional composition" if u want more details.

[Aielyn]

Originally Posted by Renyl

How big is the difference between using water or milk in a protein shake?
Alot of people say water..but I prefer milk..what is the best type of milk to use? I usually use 2% or fat free..

Many will say to use 2% or fat free, but I disagree with that. A fair portion of the beneficial components of milk are fat-soluble, meaning that fat-free milk won't have it. 2% is really just half fat-free milk and half regular milk (regular milk is about 3-4% fat).

The difference in fat content isn't big enough to justify going for the lower-fat versions.

As for milk vs water, it's mostly a matter of preference. If you assume one scoop (about 30g, which will be somewhere between 24-27g of protein if it's plain protein powder) of protein in your shake, and your shake is about, say, 750 mL (that's roughly how big a shaker is in Australia, at least), then the nearly 750 mL of milk will provide you with about 25 g of additional protein - almost as much as the protein coming from your scoop of powder.

On the flipside, you're also getting a fair amount of lactose in that milk, which may not be desirable, depending on what you're after. So it's a judgement call.

[inflated]

If you are not lactose intolerant and you are trying to put on weight, then I suggest mixing your protein with whole milk--you need the fat, to help your body digest the proteins. I find that anything less than whole milk also causes more gastric problems for me. If you are not trying to put on weight then water is fine--you actually may prefer the taste with water. If you use milk use whole milk its more digestible and higher in calories.

[cohzaku]

I go whole fat, or 2% depending on what's available. Yes, nutritional fat is very important to have in your diet whether bulking or cutting. Nutritional fat is important for hormone production. Contrary to popular belief, nutrtional fat does NOT equal body fat. So long as you're burning more than you intake, you won't gain weight, and bulking, you should be damaging your muscles enough that only a small fraction of your surplus goes to fat gain.

[Bigm999]

Whole fat milk is typically 4% fat.

Drink whole or 2% if you prefer the taste, but unless you're drinking litres and litres of it everyday you're kidding yourself if you think you're getting any substantial amount of fat from it.

[SJLowrence]

I think there is no much difference using water or milk. I prefer whole fat milk and I don?t like the taste of 2%.

[Oceanheart]

Both are quite healthy but I prefer water.

[brad6]

I keep it fairly straight. If I'm bulking I mix it in milk, if I am cutting I mix it in water.

[MarkHerry]

I use milk in protein shake because it has lot of protein and all important nutrition that are useful for our body. Anyway both are good to use but i prefer milk not water.

[ShaddyWorks]

I use both in the equal way because I want to get rid of both as well.

[Dr.B]

I like both because milk has health benefits and water is the need of our body. I prefer water mostly because it is good thing for health and is the basic need of our life.

[ashland]

I prefer using 2% milk, it makes the shake thicker and more palatable. I think the powder dissolves better in milk than it does in water, I dunno.

[RosettaWood]

Hi Renyl,
Water has less carbs so its better to use water if you wish to lose body fat. You can also use whey protein and mixed with milk. It is a slow releasing protein so its best used before bed with a low carb shake to reduce muscle lost during the night.
-Rosetta

[Cayden]

Well,I know that bot of the best for the health and fitness because milk has own importance and water has own importance.Milk is the best source for get energy and build the body muscles and water is so good for cure the different stomach diseases...

[aloramackenzie]

Yes, nutritional fat is very important to have in your diet whether bulking or cutting. Nutritional fat is important for hormone production. Contrary to popular belief, nutrtional fat does NOT equal body fat. So long as you're burning more than you intake, you won't gain weight, and bulking, you should be damaging your muscles enough that only a small fraction of your surplus goes to fat gain.

[JessieHill]

I prefer milk. It is rich in protein. Also I like its taste than using water.

[Ashley Berry]

Renyl, you are absolutely right and I agree with you. Actually milk contains several healthy ingredients like; vitamins, proteins, fatty acids etc. It increases the quality of protein shake as compare to water therefore we should always prefer milk for protein shake.

[andymark25415]

i think milk is best to add in protein shake.