Its not unusual for me to review my diet and decide that there is an excessive proportion of carbohydrate in the fuel mix.
Then I’ll embark on a period of clean living where the bread, potatoes and pasta are rejected in favour of lean meats, eggs, fish and vegetables. If I want to stick a label on the new eating plan I might call it Paleo but the aim is to have a balanced plate of protein and veg for each meal.
I always find that breakfasts are the hardest meal to slot protein into. Of course there are eggs, with enough cooking options to add interest to every day of the week, but I rarely fancy cooking when I’ve just got up, I’m just too used to the ease of cereal or toast.
I’ve recently taken to whizzing up a protein shake first thing in the morning. It’s a great way to get a perfect balance of carbs and proteins and if you are lucky with your brand choice it can even taste pretty good. Since my days trying out the Body for Life program I’ve been a fan of Myoplex Diet. It comes in 200 calorie sachets and makes a pint of very tasty (chocolate or strawberry) shake. The texture doesn’t appeal to everyone though, I’ve tried to encourage the teenage vegetarian to take a sip and risk a dose of protein but it is greeted with grimaces as the consistency has a slight similarity to raw egg white.
I was happy to be sent a few samples of the latest health drink Upbeat to try out last week. These come ready mixed in small bottles and have about 150 cals for a 250ml bottle. They have two flavours, strawberry and mango. Mango is my favourite and tastes likes a fresh smoothie – you wouldn’t really know you were drinking protein and there is no texture issues.
Upbeat have achieved something quite impressive in making such a tasty shake in the convenience of a ready made chilled drink. My experience with assorted powders is that they don’t last well after you’ve mixed them, they tend to separate and turn lumpy so if you want to take a shake for later you’ll need to have access to a whisk or one of those shakers that marks you out as a bodybuilder, so Upbeat could corner the market in tasty, whey based, protein drinks.
I can see myself buying these Upbeat protein shakes as a convenience snack when I’m desperately in need of sustenance but want to avoid the lure of high carb treats.
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) and consist of a pack of hard screws and device for inserting them into your shoe. It took me about 10 mins to get them all set up and screwed in. You could technically remove them from your shoes after use as they only result in a smal puncture hole but really its a bit of a faff. I’ve instead chosen to sacrifice an old pair running shoes to become my permanent snow shoes. They will spend most of their remaining life in the bottom of a cupboard but on their annual outing they’ll become the star of the show.
) and at £16 they are cheaper than I remember.
I opted for the rather classy black and lime green version of the Cloudsurfer which inspired whoops of delight from one of the teenagers in the house who wanted to try them on immediately. My 
