The Key Tip For Adding Protein Powder To Your Smoothies

Not only is adding protein powder into your smoothie an easy way to get your daily dose of the macronutrient, which can help balance your blood sugar and keep you full for longer, but they also often come in fun flavors that can make your morning drink a tasty treat. The only problem? When whirled into the blender, protein powder can often create a big, foamy mess, filling your stomach with air as you drink your smoothie. But luckily there's an easy way to mitigate this: Add your powder in at the end.

Foam often develops with powders that contain whey, a type of protein that comes from milk. Whey is made up of amino acids held together by peptide bonds, which partially break down when you blend them at a high speed and result in the creation of bubbles. Because the intense motion is what causes the foam to form, first blend the rest of your smoothie ingredients sans protein powder, and then add your protein powder in for a few extra seconds of blending at the end. It will still have enough time to thoroughly mix into your smoothie, but you won't get all that extra air that can make your drink unpleasant.

Another way to avoid shaking up your protein powder so much that it creates bubbles? Add it in little by little. When you do it this way, as opposed to dumping in a full scoop all at once, you create less opportunity for a big cloud of foam to form. You can also try using cold liquids in your drink (like milk from the fridge) because air bubbles are more likely to happen when protein powder is combined with warmth. But if you have the time, you can wait for the bubbles to settle before consuming your smoothie, or just slice the foam off the top and continue drinking.

One of the easiest ways to ensure your protein powder doesn't create extra air, however, is to opt for one with stabilizers or a different type of protein base. Powders made from egg white or plant-based sources typically won't produce as much foam as those with whey. But if you are committed to whey, you can also look for a brand that uses a stabilizer like gelatin, which will contain less of the bubble-generating main ingredient.