If you’re training hard and are looking to squeeze in an extra meal before bedtime but can’t face another plateful of food, try this nutritious nut milk shake. A scoop of slow-release protein will help your muscles repair and grow while you sleep. This soothing milky drink sweetened with dates and bananas will help prepare you for a restful night.
The walnuts and almond milk are full of important fatty acids – here’s a reminder of the importance of eating healthy seeds and kernels. Almond milk is also high in calcium, crucial for maintaining bone strength.
Find more deliciously drinkable combinations among our protein shake recipes and best smoothie recipes, as well as healthy recipes to support your training in our nutrition section.
Nuts, Banana and Buckwheat Protein Shake Recipe
Ingredients (Serves One)
- 1-2 bananas
- 2 dates, pitted
- 4 walnuts
- 500ml almond milk
- 50g buckwheat groats (soaked for at least an hour)
- 1 scoop of casein
Nutrition
We used Myfitnesspal, one of the best weight-loss apps for calorie counting, to crunch the numbers for us, giving approximate nutritional values for this bedtime smoothie. It contains 622 calories (using two bananas in the recipe), and provides 104g of carbohydrates, 34g of protein, 13g of fat and 12g of fibre.
Bananas contain vitamin B6, which helps to regulate mood, calm your mind and relieve stress.
Dates are high in tryptophan, an amino acid that helps your body to produce the soothing hormone serotonin.
Walnuts are a source of calcium, which relaxes your mind and prepares it for sleep.
Almond milk is rich in fatty acids that regulate melatonin, a hormone that improves sleep quality.
Buckwheat groats are packed with vitamin C, which improves your body’s ability to absorb and use B vitamins.
Casein provides a slow-release overnight protein hit that keeps your muscles repairing and growing while you sleep.
More About Nutrition
- What to eat after a workout and when to eat it to get the most from your training session
- Prepare a healthy meal in minutes with these simple protein-rich salad recipes
- These high-protein foods are essential for building muscle and aiding recovery
- Take the hassle out of eating healthily with the UK’s best healthy meal delivery services
