I saw this big box of shakes at my parent's home one day. Naturally, I figured they purchased it at Costco since everything they buy comes from there. I was wondering if these premier protein shakes were low-carb keto-friendly, and here's what I found.
Premier Protein shakes, clear protein drinks, and protein powders are low enough in carbs for those following a keto diet. All Premier Protein products range between 1 and 3 grams of net carbs per serving except for the protein shakes with oats and protein bars, which should be avoided.
In this article, I'll cover the different Premier Protein products and let you know which ones are keto-friendly and which are not. I'll then cover protein on the ketogenic diet and how most people have it wrong so you can get started on the right foot with keto.
Are Premier Protein Shakes And Powders Keto Friendly?
Premier Protein shakes and powders are keto-friendly. However, the protein shakes with oats and their protein bars contain too many carbs for those following a standard ketogenic diet. Therefore, it's best to avoid the protein shake with oats and the Premier Protein-protein bars.
For many of you following a keto diet, you're generally trying to stay between 20 and 50 grams of net carbs per day. Reducing your carbohydrate intake to this level, for most, will allow you to achieve and maintain a state of ketosis, making your body rely on fat for fuel.
Think of your carbohydrates, almost like a budget that you get to spend each day. If you get to spend 50 every day, you have more “leeway” in what you get to spend it on versus someone who only has 20.
Therefore, when you think of the term keto-friendly, one item may be more keto-friendly for person A and not for person B. Just know that there are no foods that inherently kick you out of ketosis because it's the total number of carbs you consume and not the food itself.
How Many Carbs Are In Premier Protein Shakes?
Premier Protein shakes range between one and three net grams of carbohydrates per serving depending on the flavor, except for the shakes with oats.
Below is a list of different shakes in their lineup and the amount of net carbs per serving. In general, they are all equal in terms of carbohydrate count.
Premier Protein Shakes
Serving size is per 11 fl. oz shake (1 container)
| Flavor | Total | Fiber | Net Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chocolate | 5g | 3g | 2g |
| Vanilla | 4g | 1g | 3g |
| Caramel | 4g | 1g | 3g |
| Cinnamon Roll | 3g | 1g | 2g |
| Caffe Latte | 5g | 2g | 3g |
| Cookies & Cream | 4g | 1g | 3g |
| Strawberries & Cream | 4g | 1g | 3g |
| Bananas & Cream | 4g | 1g | 3g |
| Peaches & Cream | 3g | 1g | 2g |
| Pumpkin Spice | 4g | 1g | 3g |
Every flavor is 160 calories, contains 3 grams of fat and 30 grams of protein.
Main Ingredients: Milk Protein Concentrate, Calcium Caseinate, Cocoa Powder, Vitamins and Minerals Blend.
Premier Protein Clear
Serving size is per 16.9 fl. oz (1 container)
| Flavor | Total | Fiber | Net Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peach Clear | 2g | 0g | 2g |
| Tropical Clear | 1g | 0g | 1g |
Both protein flavors have 90 calories, 0 grams of fat, and 20 grams of protein.
Main Ingredients: Filtered Water, Whey Protein Isolate, Natural Flavors, Salt, Sucralose
Premier Protein Powders
Serving size is two scoop (40g)
| Flavor | Total | Fiber | Net Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Milkshake | 3g | 1g | 2g |
| Vanilla Milkshake | 2g | 0g | 2g |
| Cafe Latte | 3g | 1g | 2g |
All three flavors have 150 calories, 2 grams of fat, and 30 grams of protein.
Main Ingredients: Whey Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Concentration, Cocoa Powder
Are Premier Protein Shakes Good For Weight Loss?
Premier Protein shakes can be an integral part of a good weight loss program whether you're following a keto diet, low-carb diet, or even a moderate to high carb diet. Here are a few reasons you may want to consider Premier Protein shakes or another protein shake.
May Help You Lose Weight
Protein, protein shakes, and protein powders can all help with satiety, the feeling of fullness. High protein diets have been shown in studies to aid in satiety despite being in an energy deficit (eating less food).
As anyone who's attempted to diet knows, hunger almost inevitably gets the best of you. By increasing your intake with a low carb protein, you can increase your odds of success. 1
May Help Prevent Weight Regain
Too low of an intake in the diet drastically increases the odds of bodyweight regain. Research shows that it's not losing weight itself that's hard, but it's keeping the weight off. 2
May Help Build and Maintain Muscle
When most people say they want to lose weight, what they mean to say is they want to lose body FAT. While dieting, your body will lose both fat and lean body mass if you don't consume adequate protein.
By increasing protein, you decrease your body's chances of burning amino acids for energy, which will also decrease your metabolism and increase your chances of weight regain. Having more lean mass when you diet will also give you the desired shape and look you're probably looking to obtain.
Taste Is Good and Convenient
Ok, not an actual item, but kind of actually is. Premier Protein shakes are a keto-friendly source that tastes pretty good relative to many other whey protein shakes and protein powders I've tried. The ready to drink containers are also a convenient option for anyone on the go.
However, you're more than welcome to use any other source or keto-friendly protein shake if Premier shakes don't suit your preferences. Any whey protein, protein powder, or protein shake is perfectly acceptable; just stick to low carb protein sources.
Another great brand in the “ready to drink” category is Muscle Milk, another recommendation of mine in the flavor department. Give my article down below a read to determine which ones are low carb and which ones are high in carbohydrates and should be avoided.
Read: Is Muscle Milk Keto Friendly?
Are Premier Protein Shakes Healthy?
Protein shakes can be a part of any healthy diet, especially if you lack protein in the rest of your diet. When it comes to protein, it's better to eat too much than too little.
Can I Drink Protein Shakes On A Keto Diet?
Drinking protein shakes and using various protein powder on keto is acceptable as long as it's low carb. Protein shakes can be a convenient and sometimes more tasty way to consume an adequate amount of protein.
Read: Can I Drink Protein Shakes On Keto?
All whey protein or protein powder are liquid forms of solid proteins, a.k.a. liquid food. While not the prettiest picture (or tastiest), it would be like blending a piece of chicken or steak in the blender and drinking it.
Just make sure whatever keto protein source you choose suits your lifestyle and preference.
Just remember, it doesn't have to come from whey protein or a protein powder; any source will be sufficient. A protein shake or protein powder is just a single way of increasing your intake.
Can Too Much Protein Knock You Out Of Ketosis?
Too much protein will rarely knock someone out of ketosis. It's more likely that if someone cannot achieve or maintain a metabolic state of ketosis while following a keto diet, they are likely eating too many carbohydrates.
A ketogenic diet is a keto diet because of the lack of carbs. Meaning, how much protein you eat AND the number of fats is not factors that determine if you can enter or get kicked out of ketosis.
Many people in the keto community tend to be UNDERconsuming protein. This leads people to experience many undesirable effects, such as brittle nails, hair loss, lack of energy, and a reduction in metabolism.
You would have to go out of your way to overeat protein, as in WAY out of your way.Again, it's better to eat too much protein than too little, ketogenic diet or not.
How Much Protein Should You Eat On A Keto Diet?
There's often this weird logic in the keto space that when following a keto diet, overeating protein will cause it to turn into chocolate cake magically, a.k.a. get converted to sugar via a process called gluconeogenesis.
In short, it kind of does, and it kind of doesn't. Gluconeogenesis is a metabolic process by which your body creates glucose (sugar) from non-carbohydrate sources, of which one of them could be protein.
However, most people fail to realize that this process is demand-driven, in that it happens ONLY when necessary. Additionally, this process is happening all the time, and we just don't realize it's happening, high protein or not, and especially while on a keto diet.
That being said, instead of a fancy equation or having you do the math, an easy way to figure out how much protein is to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. This means if you weigh 150 pounds, you will consume 150 grams.
If you are severely overweight and have a lot to lose, consume 1 gram per pound of DESIRED bodyweight. For example, if you currently weigh 200 pounds but wish to get down to 160 pounds, you would consume 160 grams.
Or if you want to be exact, uses this little chart or read how much protein to eat on keto.
Different Ways To Use Keto Protein
If you're looking for different keto-friendly ways or uses, here are a few ideas.
Coffee Creamer
Pour some in your morning cup as a coffee creamer replacement. A recipe I often used is coffee with a splash of the vanilla milkshake and a tablespoon of MCT oil or coconut oil.
For a mocha version, you can use the chocolate flavor and top it with some cacao nibs, and for the holidays, the pumpkin spice or caramel is my recommendation.
Pudding
This works better with the protein powder, where you just add a little bit of water, but it can also work for the pre-mixed shakes by mixing in a thickener like guar gum or xanthan gum and letting chill in the fridge for a bit.
Mix in a bit of coconut oil or peanut butter for some added flavor and additional fats.
Brownie
I like to make chocolate brownies with the powders (but the shake can work here as well). Mix a bit of water with one or two scoops of your favorite powders with a teaspoon of baking powder.
Just use enough water to make it turn into sludge and then microwave it for 30 seconds at a time until it forms into a cake. I usually let mine go for about a minute total, just don't warm it up too long, or it dries out.
Top it off with some heavy whipping cream or reddi whip and you've got a delicious dessert.
In Conclusion
Premier Protein products are keto-friendly and may be consumed by those following a keto diet. They are very low in sugar, the flavors taste great, and are very convenient for those on the go.
They get my recommendation for being an excellent keto-friendly meal replacement.