Powders, shakes and convenience
Ready-to-drink shake on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 8 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), typical bottle, per 100 ml, for around 55 calories. One bottle, about 330 g (11.6 oz), gives roughly 26 g of protein for 182 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from ready-to-drink shake alone you would need about 375 g (13.2 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 ready-to-drink shake sits on a GLP-1
Ready-to-drink protein shakes are milk protein, water, sweetener and flavour in a bottle or carton, usually 20 to 30 g of protein in 300 to 400 ml (10 to 13.5 fl oz), cold, and needing nothing but a fridge. On a GLP-1 they are the stop for the day when you cannot face the kitchen. The volume is the catch: a whole bottle is a lot of liquid for a small stomach, and drunk quickly it can sit. Sipped over an hour it goes down without trouble.
When your appetite is small
Buy a six pack, keep them cold, and treat one bottle as a scheduled stop rather than a snack: mid morning or mid afternoon, sipped over an hour at your desk or in the car. Half a bottle, resealed, is still about 13 g and better than a bottle poured away. Check the label for protein per bottle, not per 100 ml, and pick the ones at 25 g or more.
Three ways to prepare it
Sipped slowly over an hour, cold
The whole method. Cold, slow, and no decision required. About 26 g for a typical bottle.
Poured over a small bowl of oats
A chocolate or vanilla shake as the liquid for overnight oats. The oats soak it up and breakfast is about 30 g without any powder to mix.
As the milk in a coffee
A vanilla shake in place of milk in an iced coffee. The coffee makes it taste like a treat rather than a supplement.
What to eat it with
Nothing is needed. A piece of fruit or a few nuts alongside makes it feel more like a meal, and a bottle plus a boiled egg is a full 33 g.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ready-to-drink shake | about 8 g | 55 kcal | this page |
| Whey concentrate | about 78 g | 400 kcal | See the page |
| Milk | about 3.5 g | 64 kcal | See the page |
| Protein water | about 4 g | 15 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, typical bottle, per 100 ml, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Premier Protein and Fairlife Core Power in the US, Ufit and Grenade in the UK, Musashi and Rokeby Farms in Australia are typical. Most are UHT and can be stored unopened at room temperature. Protein per bottle ranges from about 20 to 42 g across brands and sizes; the figures here are a representative value, not any one product.
Questions people ask
Are ready-to-drink protein shakes good for you?
They are milk protein in water with sweetener, and a bottle is a real 20 to 30 g stop for around 150 to 250 calories. That is a useful tool on a small appetite, especially on the days after a dose step. Read the label for the protein per bottle, since it varies widely.
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.