consumer reports is saying protein shakes and powders have dangerous levels of metals and other bad stuff. This is my breakfast! Wondering what others have read about this and if any of them are in fact OK to use. Really upsets me.

I have not heard this one. My protein is made by a company called Syntrex. This is a Whey Protein and I have been on it since Sepember 2007 and no problems and everything is listed on the ingredients and well no ehavy metals of any kind. I was a chem major so I know what to look for.

Google this because it is not something listed on the label. It is what they found when they tested. It is in consumer reports this month. Shocking and I hope not true. I use BSN and it is my go to breakfast every day. Ugh!!

They didn't say ALL protein shakes. They only have data on the ones they tested which were the Jillian Michaels protein shake, which if I remember correctly, had the least about of cadmium, lead and cyanide out of all the ones they tested but don't quote me on that. And I think the Muscle Milk was the worst. I don't remember the other ones they had tested. I think they were 4 or 5 others.

I read it on line and yes Muscle Milk was a biggie. Thanks. I may try Jillians ;~)

Dang, I just discovered Muscle Milk and liked it. Anything on Unjury? That's my gold standard.

Wow don't remember. I like muscle milk lite as well. Myoplex made the bad list as well. I hope we get some clarification.

I drink Myolplex lite everyday..I am meeting with my surgeon next week for my normal check up and will see what his thoughts are about this. Not sure what I will do since I am addicted to it now. Never tried the muscle milk for fear of another addiction.

Here is the breakdown.... I drink EAS Myolplex Lite and it is not listed..so I am still not sure.

Here are the average amounts of metals we found in three servings of these Protein drinks. The maximum limits for them in dietary supplements proposed by the U.S. Pharmacopeia are: arsenic (inorganic), 15 micrograms (µg) per day; cadmium, 5 µg; lead, 10 µg; mercury, 15 µg. Amounts at or exceeding those limits are in bold. Experts said three servings a day is common.

Oh and please note that it is for THREE servings..not for ONE..

I have some great recipes to share with you! I went on vacation with my kids to Sanibel and met Tim, who is the owner and trainer of Sanibel Health Club. He is also a bodybuilder and he definitely worships his body on a daily basis without steroids. Tim gave me so many great tips but of all the tips I loved his Protein recipe shakes. I swear they are better than any restaurants shake and will actually help you build muscle and lose weight. Here is his strategy on working out: warm up 5 minutes on the treadmill, then decide if you are going to do upper body weight training or lower body weight training. It is too stressful to do both in one day. So say you are gonna work your upper body (chest,back,arms, etc). IF you want to tone up muscles, work up to 3-5 sets of 10-12 repetitions at a moderate rate. Then on the next day work your lower body (gluts, legs, etc) with the same amount of sets and reps. You can and should do abdominal exercises on a daily basis. OK, after you have finished your weights, go back to your cardio (walking, elliptical, treadmill, running, etc ) for 30 minutes minimum. The reason you have to work out weights before cardio is because you need all the energy you can get for the weights. When you finish , and begin the cardio or aerobic, your body will burn carbs and fat, and not much muscle. You don't want your body to eat away muscle! For all these years, I have been doing it the exact opposite!

Then within 1-2 hours your muscles, from being used in weights, have been torn and in order to rebuild these muscles you must have protein pronto! Now how you get it is up to you, but I prefer to have a sweet Protein Shake and not feel guilty. These really fill me up and what is great about these shakes is that you can modify them according to your caloric intake. Remember, if you are working out properly, there is no way you will gain and Tim told me you can have these shakes in addition to your daily caloric count and still lose weight! I am living proof! I lost 06lbs in 2 weeks and this is the first time I ever lost weight on vacation. One of the motivators I told myself was, no work out, no shake! And that worked and kept me full! You can also use as a Meal Replacement 1x a day. I tried to keep the shakes under 300 calories.

The best and cheapest sight for whey protein isolate is Whey protein isolate powder at deep discount.. There are tons of flavors, but I just order 5lb of vanilla and 5 lbs of chocolate. You save more money if you buy in bulk and TIM says this is the product he buys for his club.

The next "staple" I always have at my home is sf pudding mixes, sf chocolate syrup, coconut extract, miniature marshmallows (that's right!), and lowfat graham crackers (the kind that comes 4 to a square). Also, depending on what kind of shake, you may need blueberries,strawberries (frozen), any kind of berries. Some shakes require fruit juices . I find it convenient to fill up an empty tray of ice with concentrated orange, pineapple, banana-orange-pineapple juice, or any juice, just so long as it is pure juice. Then last but not least 1 1/2-2 cups of ice and and 6-8oz of Water.

'SMORES

1/2 cup miniature marshmallows (this is the standard amt)

1 large sheet of graham crackers (should have 4 miniature sheets)

1/4 packet sf vanilla pudding (Pudding really makes it rich!)

1 level scoop of vanilla whey protein isolate

2 tblsp sf chocolate syrup.

Ice and water

Remember, this is how all shakes begin in the blender .

First 1 cup of ice, 2-3 oz of water, then ad protein, syrup, crackers,marshmallow,pudding. NOW BEGIN PULSING ON THE BLENDER. If you need, it is ok to use a spatula. SLOWLY, add more water and ice, to fit your needs.

Get ready to be surprised after poring it into a big tall glass! Then please taste and tell me what you think!!!

Here so some more recipes:

ORANGE DREAMSICKLE:

1-2 ice cubes of OJ

1 scoop vanilla protein

1/4 pkt sf vanilla pudding mix

1/2 cup miniature marshmallows (optional)

ICE and WATER (see above for standard amounts)

Same as above for blending!

CHEESECAKE SHAKE:

1/4 pkt of cheesecake pudding mix

1/2 cup marshmallows (opt)

1 scoop vanilla whey protein isolate

1 large sheet graham crackers

1/2 cup frozen strawberries,blueberries, or any berries (opt)

ICE and WATER (Standard)

banana CREAM PIE SHAKE:

1/4 cup sf banana cream pudding mix

1/2 banana (frozen or fresh) (Optional)

1 large sheet graham crackers

1 scoop vanilla protein whey isolate (You can use chocolate too)

1/2 cup miniature marshmallows (optional)

ICE AND WATER

Prepare the same as the above shakes

Cookies AND CREAM SHAKE:

1 reduced fat oreo cookie

1 scoop protein whey isolate (Vanilla or Chocolate)

1/2 cup marshmallows (optional)

1/4 cup sf vanilla pudding mix or cookies and cream pudding mix

ICE AND WATER (standard amounts)

blend and prepare as the shakes above

PINA COLADA SHAKE:

1 scoop vanilla whey protein isolate

1-3 frozen ice cubes of DOLE PINA COLADA JUICE (Dole has some really yummy 100% juice mixes you may substitute)

1/4 pkt of sf vanilla pudding mix

ICE and WATER

You can try adding 1/2 banana or 1/8 coconut extract

Prepare same as above

FRUIT SHAKES:

1/2 cup any fresh fruit (use your imagination)

1 scoop whey protein isolate (vanilla or chocolate)

1 large sheet graham crackers (OPT)

1/2 cup miniature marshmallows (OPT)

ICE and WATER

Prepare same as above

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA WHITE CHOCOLATE MINT SHAKE:

1 scoop of whey protein isolate (vanilla or choc flavor)

1/4 tsp mint extract

14/ pkt sf vanilla pudding mix

1 large sheet of graham crackers (OPT)

1/4-1/2 cup miniature marshmallows (OPT)

ICE AND WATER STANDARD

Prepare same as above

I am trying new shakes everyday. Once you get the hang of it, experiment, and if you find a keeper, please post it here and let me know how it goes!

BON APPETIT!

__________________

I have some great recipes to share with you! I went on vacation with my kids to Sanibel and met Tim, who is the owner and trainer of Sanibel Health Club. He is also a bodybuilder and he definitely worships his body on a daily basis without steroids. Tim gave me so many great tips but of all the tips I loved his Protein recipe shakes. I swear they are better than any restaurants shake and will actually help you build muscle and lose weight. Here is his strategy on working out: warm up 5 minutes on the treadmill, then decide if you are going to do upper body weight training or lower body weight training. It is too stressful to do both in one day. So say you are gonna work your upper body (chest,back,arms, etc). IF you want to tone up muscles, work up to 3-5 sets of 10-12 repetitions at a moderate rate. Then on the next day work your lower body (gluts, legs, etc) with the same amount of sets and reps. You can and should do abdominal exercises on a daily basis. OK, after you have finished your weights, go back to your cardio (walking, elliptical, treadmill, running, etc ) for 30 minutes minimum. The reason you have to work out weights before cardio is because you need all the energy you can get for the weights. When you finish , and begin the cardio or aerobic, your body will burn carbs and fat, and not much muscle. You don't want your body to eat away muscle! For all these years, I have been doing it the exact opposite!

Then within 1-2 hours your muscles, from being used in weights, have been torn and in order to rebuild these muscles you must have protein pronto! Now how you get it is up to you, but I prefer to have a sweet protein shake and not feel guilty. These really fill me up and what is great about these shakes is that you can modify them according to your caloric intake. Remember, if you are working out properly, there is no way you will gain and Tim told me you can have these shakes in addition to your daily caloric count and still lose weight! I am living proof! I lost 06lbs in 2 weeks and this is the first time I ever lost weight on vacation. One of the motivators I told myself was, no work out, no shake! And that worked and kept me full! You can also use as a meal replacement 1x a day. I tried to keep the shakes under 300 calories.

The best and cheapest sight for whey protein isolate is Whey protein isolate powder at deep discount.. There are tons of flavors, but I just order 5lb of vanilla and 5 lbs of chocolate. You save more money if you buy in bulk and TIM says this is the product he buys for his club.

The next "staple" I always have at my home is sf pudding mixes, sf chocolate syrup, coconut extract, miniature marshmallows (that's right!), and lowfat graham crackers (the kind that comes 4 to a square). Also, depending on what kind of shake, you may need blueberries,strawberries (frozen), any kind of berries. Some shakes require fruit juices . I find it convenient to fill up an empty tray of ice with concentrated orange, pineapple, banana-orange-pineapple juice, or any juice, just so long as it is pure juice. Then last but not least 1 1/2-2 cups of ice and and 6-8oz of Water.

'SMORES

1/2 cup miniature marshmallows (this is the standard amt)

1 large sheet of graham crackers (should have 4 miniature sheets)

1/4 packet sf vanilla pudding (Pudding really makes it rich!)

1 level scoop of vanilla whey protein isolate

2 tblsp sf chocolate syrup.

Ice and water

Remember, this is how all shakes begin in the blender .

First 1 cup of ice, 2-3 oz of water, then ad protein, syrup, crackers,marshmallow,pudding. NOW BEGIN PULSING ON THE BLENDER. If you need, it is ok to use a spatula. SLOWLY, add more water and ice, to fit your needs.

Get ready to be surprised after poring it into a big tall glass! Then please taste and tell me what you think!!!

Here so some more recipes:

ORANGE DREAMSICKLE:

1-2 ice cubes of OJ

1 scoop vanilla protein

1/4 pkt sf vanilla pudding mix

1/2 cup miniature marshmallows (optional)

ICE and WATER (see above for standard amounts)

Same as above for blending!

CHEESECAKE SHAKE:

1/4 pkt of cheesecake pudding mix

1/2 cup marshmallows (opt)

1 scoop vanilla whey protein isolate

1 large sheet graham crackers

1/2 cup frozen strawberries,blueberries, or any berries (opt)

ICE and WATER (Standard)

BANANA CREAM PIE SHAKE:

1/4 cup sf banana cream pudding mix

1/2 banana (frozen or fresh) (Optional)

1 large sheet graham crackers

1 scoop vanilla protein whey isolate (You can use chocolate too)

1/2 cup miniature marshmallows (optional)

ICE AND WATER

Prepare the same as the above shakes

Cookies AND CREAM SHAKE:

1 reduced fat oreo cookie

1 scoop protein whey isolate (Vanilla or Chocolate)

1/2 cup marshmallows (optional)

1/4 cup sf vanilla pudding mix or cookies and cream pudding mix

ICE AND WATER (standard amounts)

blend and prepare as the shakes above

PINA COLADA SHAKE:

1 scoop vanilla whey protein isolate

1-3 frozen ice cubes of DOLE PINA COLADA JUICE (Dole has some really yummy 100% juice mixes you may substitute)

1/4 pkt of sf vanilla pudding mix

ICE and WATER

You can try adding 1/2 banana or 1/8 coconut extract

Prepare same as above

FRUIT SHAKES:

1/2 cup any fresh fruit (use your imagination)

1 scoop whey protein isolate (vanilla or chocolate)

1 large sheet graham crackers (OPT)

1/2 cup miniature marshmallows (OPT)

ICE and WATER

Prepare same as above

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA WHITE CHOCOLATE MINT SHAKE:

1 scoop of whey protein isolate (vanilla or choc flavor)

1/4 tsp mint extract

14/ pkt sf vanilla pudding mix

1 large sheet of graham crackers (OPT)

1/4-1/2 cup miniature marshmallows (OPT)

ICE AND WATER STANDARD

Prepare same as above

I am trying new shakes everyday. Once you get the hang of it, experiment, and if you find a keeper, please post it here and let me know how it goes!

BON APPETIT!

__________________

oops! The website is Whey protein isolate powder at deep discount.

I use Protein mixes frequently (primarily the top 2 BSN products on the survey). BUT... protein powders are just expensive liquid food. They should by no means represent the majority of your daily caloric intake. They are best used in a pinch or for their convenience. Three shakes a day, IMO, is not a practical part of a healthy eating lifestyle.

scodwyer... Love the recipes! Will definitely try them out!

I can hear some people gasping at the mere sight of ingredients with simple sugars (marshmellows, chocolate syrup, etc). Fear not... Some simple sugars pre/during/post workout (particularly strength training) are useful in replacing lost glycogen stores from muscles during the workout. They also assist in pushing amino acids into cells.

Moderate simple sugars (:thumbup:) pre/during/post workout = :drool:

Simple sugars () at other times = :car:

Brad

Couldn't agree with you more bambam!

PS: ALL SHAKE RECIPES LISTED ABOVE CAN ONLY USE INSTANT PUDDING MIXES! I tried the cook and serve and it totally RUINED THE SHAKE!