With the great variety of bodybuilding supplements available nowadays, you could find it difficult to decide what is suitable for you and what is not. On your path to building muscle, you will find that there are a number of supplements that will benefit you. However, one which you might have overlooked takes the form of meal replacement shakes. These are convenient and deliver great benefit. But there is one disadvantage to using these as a supplement…

But first, let’s deal with the positive side of meal replacement shakes as a bodybuilding supplement.

They provide all the protein that your body requires. In addition, they provide you with good carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. You would already know that protein is the single most important nutrient for building and repairing muscle tissue; if you don’t consume sufficient protein, you will not see efficient muscle growth.

Your protein intake needs to be as much as 30-40% of your caloric intake for optimal muscle growth. Although your normal diet should provide this quantity, to maximize your muscle gains, protein supplements would be the ideal answer.

Among the best protein bodybuilding supplements is whey protein. It’s really good and not very expensive. You should, therefore, choose a meal replacement shake that contains whey protein as its protein constituent.

That said, the disadvantage of meal replacement shakes is that they are often very expensive. But don’t be too discouraged about the cost — you can make your own equivalent for a fraction of the cost in your own kitchen. Here’s the recipe:

Take 1-2 cups of milk and add whey powder, one banana and some oatmeal. Pulse in your blender and enjoy!

You can conveniently replace one or two of your 5-7 small daily meals with a shake, or just add a shake to your meals as an extra nutritional source.