We are aware that consuming protein drinks helps build muscles. The solution is simple and easy to understand—workout, take a protein shake, and build muscle.
On the other hand, drinking protein shakes on a rest day without working out won’t adversely affect your body.
Can you drink protein powder without working out?
The answer is yes & no.
Yes, you can,
- To enhance the taste of your shake if it has some flavor.
- To increase protein consumption, but it will not give you any visible improvement in your body.
No!
- Consuming protein without any workout can store excessive fat in your body. It is because protein contains calories that can lead to excessive weight gain.
- Protein might get drained out without providing any benefit.
- Unnecessary cost.
Should You Drink Protein Without Working Out?
Drinking protein without working out is safe, as protein provides immunological support, tissue regeneration, and general well-being even if you don’t exercise frequently. But consider your individual protein needs, dietary habits, and possible side effects of protein powder.
Protein shakes are best taken as workout supplements. This helps your muscles receive essential amino acids to create building blocks of protein. People who indulge in lifting weights in the gym require more protein than those who do not.
Therefore, most people prefer to drink protein shakes after a workout to switch the body from a catabolic state to an anabolic state.
They are a good way to deliver protein to your body quickly. Protein shakes average about 25 grams of protein per serving, anywhere from 101 to 120 calories per serving.
Unlike meal replacement shakes, protein shakes are not designed for weight loss but for building the body. They help to build and tone muscle fibers.
They can help improve protein intake if you eat a vegan or vegetarian diet. They are also good for women because they tend not to get enough protein. Good protein shakes are high in protein but low in the ingredients you don’t need, such as carbohydrates, sugars, and fats.
Protein Shakes also contain performance-boosting vitamins to help round out your workout and improve your overall energy, endurance, and recovery time.
How much protein does our body need without a workout?
Healthy people not lifting weights or exercising should aim for 0.36–0.6 grams per pound (0.8–1.3 grams per kg). Average males consume 56–91 grams per day. The average female consumes 46–75 grams daily.
If you are not into any physical training or workout, your protein intake should be lower than those in the regular workout zone.
Will you build your body by drinking protein?
If you have whey protein shakes in your diet without doing any physical training, you will not be able to gain muscle tissue. Protein shakes only work when your muscles are under stress from working out. Otherwise, a protein shake without a workout can cause damage to muscle fibers.
That’s why your body needs high-quality protein after a workout to repair the muscle fiber. After this process, the body needs rest, allowing the muscle to rebuild stronger and healthier.
So, if you think you can have whey protein powder and not work out, it is like taking medicine when you are not sick. It will either get washed out of your body or cause damage to it by converting it to fat.
3 Important Protein Shake Considerations
High protein intake is probably not bad for your health unless you are dehydrated or have pre-existing kidney problems. Below are some aspects to remember while adding additional protein to your diet.
- Indulge in Whole Food
It would help if you didn’t use protein shakes as your staple food for meals. Eat a diverse diet of whole foods to get the nutrients your body needs.
- Intake of a Balance Protein Daily
There’s the sweet spot for benefits. Then you hit a point of diminishing returns. Try eating 20–30% of your overall calories from protein for the most benefits.
- Focus on Essential Nutrition before diet and exercise
Supplements alone are not enough to help you reach your goals. Focus on the fundamentals of nutrition and fitness first.
Is protein powder only good for workouts?
Absolutely yes! You can build muscle without consuming whey protein supplements in your diet. It can be possible to indulge in a proper training program and good nutrition simultaneously.
In such cases, you must add adequate protein-rich foods rather than a protein supplement. Through your diet, you get various other micro-nutrients and vitamins, too. Missing those micronutrients or vitamins can cause fatigue or tiredness after a strenuous workout. So building muscle is not only about protein but varying amounts of several essential nutrients.
Protein supplements act as an add-on nutrient if you are not getting enough protein from your daily diet. It is less likely to happen if you are non-vegetarian and more likely when you follow a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle.
If you are a vegetarian or vegan and want to avoid protein supplements, mixing various foods to get all essential amino acids is important.
Various vegetarian foods rich in protein are Bengal grams, milk, soy, pulse, chickpeas, buttermilk, beans, etc.
Effects of Drinking Protein Shakes without Exercise
- Reduce Appetite
It is considered one of the positive effects of consuming whey protein shakes. Whey protein shakes fill you up for longer, so you don’t binge on unhealthy snacks between meals or have any food cravings.
This happens as protein acts as a satiating nutrient that kills your hunger for a prolonged period. So, when you are indulging in a high-protein diet, it is giving you a high level of satiety.
Therefore, if you want to take it as a meal replacement or stick to a low-carb diet rather than eat any additional meal, protein shakes can effectively help in weight loss.
Next time, if you are worried about your sudden weight gain, switch to a protein shake to manage your weight efficiently.
- Increase the Risk of Some Health Conditions
Drinking too much protein when not coupled with a workout can increase the risk of some health conditions. It can be dangerous for the body. Excessive drinking of protein shakes can lead to cancer and osteoporosis.
So why risk it?
- Promote Body Aging
Excessive drinking of protein shakes can promote acidity in the body. This can cause or develop hyperaminoacidemia. The condition associated with the body can cause nausea and diarrhea.
Also, excessive acid formation can promote the body’s aging process. As a result, it will make you age faster.
- Increase in Nutrient Deficiency
Drinking too many protein shakes can also increase nutrient deficiency in the body. Your body might face a loss of essential nutrients.
Several studies have shown that whole food has more nutrient benefits to the body than a protein shake.
If you drink protein shakes without a workout, it will keep you fuller for a longer time. As a result, you might avoid consuming whole food. This will all the way lead your body to nutrient deficiency.
- Promote Fat to the Body
As we already know, protein contains calories. So, eating too much without a workout can store fat in the body, leading to excessive weight gain. Also, if you top up your protein shakes with added bananas or peanut butter, it will eventually increase the calorie count.
This shows how much extra fat or calories you consume or store in the body when you are not exercising or in any physical activities.
In such cases, you can switch from protein shakes to solid foods, which work better than protein shakes. Protein-rich foods include eggs, fish, chicken, or soy if you plan not to work out.
- Promote Unhealthy Ingredients
As we know, protein powder is a healthy food supplement for the body. But few protein powders today contain unhealthy ingredients that might hurt the body.
These unhealthy ingredients include added sugar, gluten, preservatives, additives, artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners. These kinds of substantial ingredients or flavors are used to make it taste better for the user.
So, review the products’ nutritional facts to prevent ill health or unhealthy weight gain.
- Disturb pH level in the Body
The pH level should range between 7.3 and 7.45 for a healthy body. This range is slightly on the alkaline side. Similarly, protein shakes can create an acidic environment in the body without working out.
As a result, an acidic body can lead to several diseases and illnesses or damage your organs and kidneys.
- Adverse effects on Kidney
Too much protein powder alone can lead to kidney problems, especially if you have an earlier condition. This is because protein metabolism takes place in the kidney tract. So, excessive protein in the body can tax those organs.
The accumulation of protein metabolism in the kidney can result in uric acid and creatinine. The kidney purifies the waste products before they are released through the urine. Therefore, whenever you are on a high-protein diet, it can cause stress to the kidneys.
Conclusion
Protein supplements, powders, or protein shakes with a resistance workout can help build muscle mass. Without incorporating exercise with protein powder, it is of no use to the body. Besides, it might cause adverse effects on the body. So, there is no use in drinking protein shakes if you are not into a fitness program.
In such cases, you can incorporate solid food into the diet instead of protein powder to receive essential nutrients and protein from the body. Otherwise, you need a daily fitness program to start your protein supplement journey.
Drinking a protein shake without a workout is like adding a food group to your body and expecting the results to be great.
