Protein drinks are so sweet.. thoughts on how post surgery to pick on that does not take so...

HI

I have been trying different protein powders.  They all taste so sweet and just fake.. I have thought that perhaps I would mix a unflavored powder + soy milk with a very small amount of banana??

How have others gotten around this??

Thanks for any help.

Bananas = calories and carbs. I would stay away. It may be that you have to suffer with fake tasting overly sweet stuff for a little while in order to meet your health goals. It's hard to know what to recommend since you don't state what you have tried.

For non-sweet, try Unjury Chicken Soup flavor or Celebrate Tomato Soup flavor. For lighter, less overwhelmingly sweet, try the citrus-type flavors from Syntrax Nectar like Fuzzy Navel, Roadside Lemonade, or Lemon Tea (they mix with water rather than milk-based drinks, which also makes them lighter and less sweet).

You could also try all-natural protein powders like Jay Robb (I like it a lot) and About Time (meh, but everyone has different tastes).

If you want to use unflavored protein powder, try mixing it with diet cranberry type juices (diet cran mango, diet cran cherry), with V-8, or G2 or Powerade Zero.

Bananas are not your wls friend IMO.

If you like chicken broth you can warm up a cup and put unflavored powder in it.  I like the Nectar brand, it will still remain clear/slightly cloudy once the power is in.  I have done as many a 3 scoops and there is no chalky or weird texture when mixed with a large coffee mug of chicken broth.  On a side note the scoop in their protein powder is small so you can add 10gs of protein at a time.  

I found that adding plain Greek yogurt can really help cut the sweetness.  One of my favorite recipes in the early days was one 11.5oz Chocolate Premier Protein, 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt and 1 or 2 Tbs PB2 (powdered peanut butter).  I would then split it into two "meals".

So what helped me most when I was feeling sick from the sweetness was crystal lite mixed with water and unflavored protein powder. I did the lemonade or pink lemonade because it's more tangy and sour so it helped cut the sweetness factor and I like sour flavored things too. Yes most shakes taste gross and sweet and fake when you're getting the chocolate and vanilla ones, yes it sucks, but it is the sleeved life somewhat. Other than that, and this depends on whether you are pre or post op and what your dietitian/nutritionist's plan is for you, you could try putting unflavored powder is like chicken broth, or soup, it will change the texture some and don't add the powder til the soup/broth has cooled it bit because it will cook the powder and that is a whole lot of nastiness for sure. I'm sorry you're struggling, it does get better. 

For chocolate protein powder (I use Syntrax Nectar Chocolate Truffle), I mix in a little bit of cocoa powder or instant decaf coffee which I find cuts down on the sweetness. I struggled big time to drink protein drinks after surgery because of the sweetness but I forced myself to do it and after awhile I just got used to the flavour. Just keep trying! You can do it!

Stay away from bananas.  Too many carbs.

I added a tablespoon of sugar free Jello pudding mix to many of my shakes.  Banana cream and pistachio rocked my world.

Thanks guys & gals! I will try a bunch of these. I am experimenting now as my surgery is scheduled for 3/21 and I want to be prepared..

I have bought small portions of protein powder brands.. I will try some of these suggestions over the next week and play with it. I know my tastes might change after surgery..

I liked the Premier Protein shakes that you purchase at Sams/Costco. Vanilla and Chocolate were my goto's.  I also like the Unjury powder proteins chocolate and used the PB2 peanut butter powder tasted like a Reese's very yummy!.... I didn't add anything to the shakes if I was sick of the mix with water I would use the 30cal. Almond milk unsweetened and that made them creamy.

My favorite one now are the coffee varieties- but those do tend to be sweet. I used to add unflavored Jarrow whey powder to a lot of food like plain fat free yogurt with Torani SF syrup to add flavor and sweetness. The vanilla options work great as a substitute for coffee creamer and sweetner, but without it being overly sweet- perhaps that may work. Kellogs special k brand used to make an additive to water bottles that had protein without a ton of sweet. Not sure if they are still on the market though. I used to make smoothies a lot (no banana, only fruit that was low on the glycemic index, yogurt, ice, and whey powder) but those will be pretty high in calories comparatively speaking. There are soup mixes out there that are high protein, such as cream of chicken- nothing sweet there. The hot chocolate mixes are also very good if you like hot chocolate.