Adding protein to coffee, also known as "proffee," is a recent wellness trend gaining popularity among health enthusiasts. While the combination might seem unusual, many people claim it can boost weight loss, improve workout performance, and help meet daily protein needs. This article examines the science behind adding protein to coffee to help you decide if it's right for you.
Potential Benefits of Adding Protein to Coffee
Studies suggest that combining protein powder with coffee may offer several advantages:
May Improve Workout Performance
Coffee is rich in caffeine, a natural stimulant that can enhance muscle contractions and resistance to fatigue when consumed within 60 minutes before exercising. Likewise, protein powder provides your muscles with the building blocks they need to recover from exercise, grow, and become stronger. Research suggests that people who regularly perform resistance exercise benefit most from ingesting 0.7-1 gram of protein per pound (1.6-2.2 grams per kg) of body weight.
Many clients use proffee as a pre-workout. It’s perfect because it has caffeine, which adds that boost of energy, and protein to help maintain muscle mass and build your tissues and bones. Upping your protein before the gym could also help keep your energy levels stable and consistent all day long. If you just want the protein sans the caffeine, decaf coffee is totally fair game, too.
May Help You Meet Your Daily Protein Needs
One commonly cited benefit of adding protein to coffee is that it helps people who regularly skip breakfast meet their daily protein requirements. Protein is likely best eaten over several periods throughout the day, especially if you’re physically active and hoping to build muscle or increase strength. That’s because your body may only be able to use around 0.2 grams of protein per pound (0.5 grams per kg) of body weight at a time for muscle-building purposes. For someone who weighs 154 pounds (70 kg), this amounts to around 35 grams of protein per meal. Anything above this amount is either used to make energy or excreted through your urine.
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Thus, adding protein to coffee may help you spread out your protein intake more effectively. Protein coffee is a great choice if you're trying to consume fewer carb-heavy meals, snacks, and drinks while loading up on protein. With just one scoop, you’re instantly getting 25 to 30 grams of protein in the morning. If breakfast has never been your thing anyways, protein coffee is a good way to keep you full and energized until your first meal. A scoop of protein powder in your coffee plus two eggs is around 40 grams of protein, a great amount for breakfast.
May Help You Lose Weight
Adding protein powder to your coffee may aid weight loss. Given that protein reduces hunger and promotes feelings of fullness, adding it to your coffee may help keep you fuller for longer - and possibly slash the number of calories you eat later in the day. Protein may also provide a slight metabolism boost because it requires your body to burn more calories to break it down than do carbs or fats. Finally, proper protein intake may help you maintain muscle mass while losing body fat. Caffeine has potential weight loss benefits of its own. For instance, research suggests that it boosts your metabolism, lowers levels of hunger hormones, and raises levels of fullness hormones.
Proffee is also great if you have a desk job, as it suppresses your hunger so you’re not constantly snacking. Eating a high-protein breakfast can stabilize blood sugar and prevent glucose spikes better than a high-carb meal, which aids in weight management. Agyeman adds that protein coffee can help with your weight management goals because it keeps your metabolism boosted all day.
It Makes Your Coffee Flavorful
If you like flavored milks or creamers, using flavored protein powders in your coffee can have the same effect without the added calories and fat. Also, a lot of flavored creamers have zero benefits. Flavored protein powders, on the other hand, allow you to get that yummy flavor and boost your metabolism. Carmichael loves the brand Dymatize, as the powder easily blends into her coffee. They also have a caffeinated one that adds an extra boost of caffeine. So, instead of making two espresso shots in the morning, you can just have one plus a scoop of caffeinated protein powder (or feel free to triple up if that’s your thing).
It Decreases Anxiety
Black coffee alone can sometimes amplify anxiety and cause digestive discomfort. However, incorporating protein, often mixed with dairy or nut milk as well, can mitigate the impact of caffeine and promote better digestion. Ultimately, it boils down to how your body responds to the combination.
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Potential Downsides of Protein Coffee
While protein coffee offers some advantages, it's not without its potential drawbacks:
Not a Replacement for a Nutritious Meal
While mixing protein powder or a protein shake into your coffee may help nourish your body a little bit, it’s not the same as eating healthy food high in protein. It's super important to get your protein from whole foods, too. Foods like yogurt, protein pancakes, or eggs are superior. A complete and balanced breakfast is an even better strategy, as it helps fulfill your daily requirements for vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients, in addition to protein. Protein powders remain inferior to whole foods because whole sources of protein contain additional vitamins, minerals, and beneficial compounds seldom found in protein powders.
Quality of Protein Powders
The type of protein powder or protein shake you use is important. Protein powders are sometimes laden with sugar, fillers, artificial sweeteners, and other additives. They also risk being contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides, and other ingredients not listed on the label. The added protein may change the texture of your drink. Depending on the type of powder you use, your blend may turn out grittier or thicker than you'd like. And if your protein powder is made with sugar substitutes like stevia, erythritol, or aspartame, you may experience stomach discomfort, bloating, or diarrhea. So, always read the label carefully and choose a powder without artificial sweeteners if they bother you. Try to select products without artificial sweeteners or a swollen ingredient list filled with gums and other additives. (Generally, the smaller the list, the better.) If you’re dairy-free, make sure the product you buy is made with dairy alternatives.
Caffeine Content
Caffeine is a drug that stimulates your central nervous system. Too much of it can leave you jittery, anxious and unable to catch good ZZZs at night. Given that, adding a proffee after a few coffees may be a bit much. If you’re not exceeding the caffeine limit of 400 mg per day and need help getting your protein needs met, then this is a great supplement. That said, those who are pregnant should check with their doctor before drinking protein coffee (or any kind of caffeine, really). They need to be careful of the amount of caffeine they consume daily, which is 200 mg, or about two six-ounce cups per day.
Excessive Protein Consumption
While protein is important, you can get too much of a good thing. Research links excessive protein consumption to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and kidney disease, among other issues. You can drink protein every day-just be mindful of how much you’re consuming so you don’t completely overdo it.
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How to Make Protein Coffee at Home
Making proffee is as simple as it sounds. Adding protein to your coffee is a simple process as long as you keep a few pointers in mind.
Preventing Clumps
Protein powders can clump, especially when added to hot beverages like coffee. To prevent this, try adding only a little protein powder at a time while stirring continuously. You can also use a blender, but to prevent it from cracking, make sure to remove the plastic insert on the lid to allow steam to escape. An immersion blender also works, but it’s best to avoid blenders that don’t allow steam to escape. Alternatively, cool down your coffee with creamer, milk, or ice beforehand, or simply add protein powder to chilled coffee. Protein powder blends the easiest when added to cold coffee.
Mixing Methods
All the experts agree that using either a blender or a frother is the ultimate way to thoroughly mix the protein powder into your coffee and get out any clumps. Linder-Moss’s preferred way to make it is in her frother, as it’s quicker and easier to clean than a blender. Simply add your preferred milk and a scoop of protein powder-she recommends whey protein powder, which is dairy-based, or vegan protein powder, which has no dairy in it-and froth until it’s fluffy. Carmichael, on the other hand, pulses her protein powder in the Nutribullet with a little bit of whole milk before adding it to her coffee like a creamer. You can also add your coffee and a scoop of powder to a blender bottle, “just make sure it has the little ball in it to break up the powder.
Experimentation
Play around with the protein-to-coffee ratio and find what tastes best to you. Less is more, and it really comes down to taste and texture versus safety. Start with just a few grams to one scoop, then sprinkle in more if you want more flavor. Customize your proffee to find what tastes best for you and experiment with the flavors, proportions, and temperatures. Want some extra creaminess (and protein, for that matter)? Add a splash of your favorite milk.
Pre-Made Protein Coffee
There are many brands that offer pre-made protein coffee, but always read the label before you buy. They can have a lot of additives like tons of sugar. A few brands Linder-Moss likes: Premier Nutrition Cafe Latte Protein Shake, Evolve Protein Shake, and Owyn Cold Brew Protein Shake. Both Carmichael and Agyeman recommend Super Coffee, which doesn’t have any added sugars or artificial sweeteners while still tasting delicious. There are tons of protein coffee options to choose from, so you can really make it your own.
Premier Protein and Coffee
You can use many different Premier Protein products to add protein to your coffee. Take your favorite Protein Shake of any flavor and use it as a protein-packed coffee creamer, by mixing with your favorite hot coffee or cold brew. You can use many different Premier Protein products to add protein to your coffee. Take your favorite Protein Shake of any flavor and use it as a protein-packed coffee creamer, by mixing with your favorite hot coffee or cold brew.
Enjoy our Café Latte Protein Shakes and Café Latte Protein Powder for an easy way to get 30 grams of coffee-flavored protein per serving. Our 11.5 oz. Café Latte Protein Shake is as smooth and creamy as your favorite latte, with a lot less sugar and a lot more protein. The shake makes a luscious treat on its own, and can also be used to make many other protein-packed snacks and coffee house-worthy concoctions. If mixing your own protein shakes and smoothies is your thing, you can become your own favorite barista with our Café Latte Protein Powder. Like our shakes, the Café Latte Protein Powder also packs 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar. Our Café Latte Protein Shake and Protein Powder are simple, delicious tools to combine protein and coffee.