High Protein Smoothies That Keep Women Over 50 Full For Hours

I make smoothies pretty often. They’re tasty, filling, and I can throw one together in 4 minutes, blending and scrubbing the blender included.

However, it took me a bit to perfect my morning smoothies. At first, no matter what I made, I’d be starving again just a couple of hours later. It turned out that I needed more protein, fat, and fiber. Now that I nail the ingredients, smoothies are one of my favorite options for breakfast.

The key to making smoothies more filling is making sure you’re getting enough protein, fat, and fiber. If you do that, they’re plenty satisfying.

Why protein deserves a place at breakfast

Protein is especially important for women in midlife because we’re more susceptible to muscle loss as we get older, which may be accelerated after menopause. Maintaining muscle helps us stay active and independent. Muscle supports our metabolism, stabilizes our joints, and allows us to perform everyday activities.

Strength training tells your muscles to stay strong, but protein is the building block your muscles need to grow and stay strong.

Many women in midlife aim to get 25 to 30 grams of protein at each meal. Some days that’s easier than others. Adding protein to breakfast is often tough unless you’re eating eggs. Most common breakfast fare, such as toast, fruit, and cereal, makes it challenging to hit your protein goal unless you’re thinking ahead and choosing wisely.

The formula I use

My morning smoothie recipes include protein, usually protein powder, fat, and fiber. Fat comes from ingredients like avocado or nut butters, and fiber comes from things like fruit, veggies, chia, flaxseed, and cauliflower.

• Protein: Protein powder, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or a combination.
• Fat: Nut butter, chia seeds, flaxseed, or avocado.
• Fiber: Fruit, greens, or oats.
• Liquid: An unsweetened option to bring it all together.

All of my smoothie recipes feature protein. Depending on the recipe, it’s a protein powder, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or some combination thereof. Most protein powders have 20-25 grams of protein in a scoop.

Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are also high in protein. Blending the Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, which have a grainy, curd texture, gives a creamy base for your smoothie. Cottage cheese in particular provides slow-digesting protein which may help you stay full longer.

If you’re interested in whey protein powders but are lactose intolerant, consider a plant-based protein powder instead. Whey powders blend up the smoothest in my experience.

Five smoothies to try

1. Peanut butter banana

Still not believing that a protein smoothie can be both satisfying and delicious? Try this one. It tastes like a milkshake and provides about 30 grams of protein.

Peanut butter makes this delicious, but you’ll be reducing the taste and satiation factor if you use less.

2. Chocolate cherry

Chocolatey and fruity, and great post-workout, as there’s some inconclusive evidence that tart cherries help muscle soreness.

Note that the studies on tart cherries and muscle soreness used specific types and amounts of tart cherries or tart cherry products, so it’s unclear if making a smoothie with tart cherries will help muscle soreness. Still, this smoothie tastes great after a workout. Each serving has 25-30 grams of protein.

3. The green smoothie

You won’t really taste the spinach or avocado. It provides 25-30 grams of protein per serving, plus a ton of folate and potassium from spinach.

4. Berry cottage cheese

Many people aren’t crazy about the idea of cottage cheese in their drinks because they associate it with eating curds, but once blended up it’s fine. It’s an improvement over protein powder for me.

The cottage cheese blends up really smooth in this recipe. Fruit-forward, with about 25-30 grams of slow-digesting protein to keep you full.

5. The coffee smoothie

This one tastes like coffee, has the buzz of coffee, and provides about 30 grams of protein.

If caffeine near bedtime interferes with your sleep, enjoy this as a breakfast.

Small additions that can make a difference

Chia seeds provide fiber and plant-based omega-3s. Add them to pretty much any of the recipes above, or create your own. They won’t change the smoothie’s flavor at all but do pack a nutritional punch. Ground flaxseed is an alternate source of plant-based omegas if you prefer.

Rolled oats are another fiber-packed ingredient that won’t impact smoothie flavor much, but can help you feel more satisfied.

I’ve been adding cauliflower rice to smoothies lately. Use frozen or thawed cauliflower rice and blend it up with fruit, protein powder, and the rest. It won’t affect smoothie flavor but adds volume and creaminess. It’s a sneaky way to add a veggie to your morning.

Make the version you’ll want again tomorrow

Some people will be satisfied with this till lunchtime, some will not, and it depends on your portion sizes and how hungry you are when you wake up. Pay attention to how hungry you are after drinking one and adjust portions to satisfy your body’s needs.

If you find yourself still hungry after a smoothie breakfast, double-check your protein intake and consider adding a source of fat like nut butters, chia, or avocado.

I started drinking protein smoothies in the morning because they’re delicious and, most importantly for me, contain enough protein so that I’m not hungry after drinking them, allowing me to get on with my day. That’s what has made them a sustainable part of my routine.