Powders, shakes and convenience
Casein on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 80 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), micellar casein powder, dry, for around 360 calories. One scoop, about 30 g (1.1 oz), gives roughly 24 g of protein for 108 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from casein alone you would need about 38 g (1.3 oz). On a small appetite that is often more than one sitting allows, which is why we pair it rather than chase the whole target from one food.
How casein sits on a GLP-1
Casein is the slow half of milk protein, about 80 g per 100 g (3.5 oz) as a powder, and it digests over hours rather than minutes, which is why it is sold as the protein to take before bed. It mixes thick, closer to a pudding than a drink. On a GLP-1 that thickness is a real issue: a thick shake at bedtime sits in a slow stomach and is a common cause of a bad night. Made thinner, or eaten as a small pudding earlier in the evening, it still does its slow release job without the weight.
When your appetite is small
Use half a scoop, about 15 g (0.5 oz), in 200 ml (7 fl oz) of milk an hour or two before bed rather than a full scoop at lights out. That is about 19 g with the milk, thin enough to drink, and it covers the overnight gap that leaves so many people waking hungry and flat. If reflux at night is already a problem, that is a conversation with your prescriber before you add anything at bedtime.
Three ways to prepare it
Half a scoop, thin, in the early evening
Casein and milk, shaken with extra liquid. Drunk two hours before bed rather than at bedtime, so it is well on its way before you lie down.
A small casein pudding
One scoop in just enough milk to make a thick pudding, left in the fridge for ten minutes. Eaten slowly with a teaspoon, it is a 24 g dessert.
Stirred into Greek yoghurt with cocoa
Half a scoop of chocolate casein through a tub of Greek yoghurt makes a mousse of about 27 g that eats like a treat.
What to eat it with
Milk, cocoa, Greek yoghurt, a little honey. Cottage cheese is the whole food version of the same protein, if a powder does not appeal.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casein | about 80 g | 360 kcal | this page |
| Whey isolate | about 90 g | 370 kcal | See the page |
| Cottage cheese | about 11 g | 100 kcal | See the page |
| Protein pudding | about 10 g | 75 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, micellar casein powder, dry, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Micellar casein in all three countries, sometimes labelled slow release protein or night time protein. Calcium caseinate is a cheaper, less creamy form. Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Casein in the US, MyProtein Slow Release Casein in the UK and Bulk Nutrients Micellar Casein in Australia are typical. Protein per scoop runs from about 22 to 28 g.
Questions people ask
Should I take casein before bed on a GLP-1?
A slow protein in the evening helps cover the long overnight gap, and casein or cottage cheese both do it. The caution is the timing and the thickness: a thick shake at bedtime sits badly on a slow stomach, so make it thinner and have it earlier. Persistent night reflux belongs with your prescriber.
Your number comes first
Knowing what is in a food only helps once you know how much you are aiming for. The target is 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of your goal weight, not your current weight, which for most people is 90 to 140 g a day.
Work out your protein targetMore on eating well when your appetite is small: high protein foods for a small appetite, how much protein on a GLP-1, and every food we have written up. The whole system in five documents is the Keep Muscle Kit, A$47 / US$29 / £23.
EverStrong provides nutrition and strength coaching and education. It is not medical advice and does not replace your prescribing doctor.