Now, bakeries are offering delicious alternatives for your protein intake. But while these sugar-free goodies sound completely guilt-free, it’s essential that you watch what you eat, finds Moeena Halim
When she hit 90 kg, Mumbai-based Ankita Chawla decided it was time to work on her fitness. “Now, I’ve become a fitness fanatic and hate missing my gym sessions. I even make time to work out when I’m travelling,” she says. Although Chawla is extremely careful about controlling her diet, she can’t always control her cravings. Luckily, the Internet led her to the perfect cheat foods and forced her into the kitchen, a place she’d avoided for the first 23 years of her life.
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A protein-laden cheesecake by Fitness Bakery in Bandra
“I started making pancakes with whey protein and then advanced to baking cookies and cupcakes with whey,” recalls Chawla. She soon began getting requests from friends asking her to bake for them, and that’s how the one-month-old Eat-A-Whey was born. “My protein brownies, cookies and banana breads are guilt-free treats, with no fatty sugary carbs or starch. You can replace your regular protein intake with these goodies,” claims Chawla, who often wolfs down her favourite chocolate protein brownie instead of a protein bar or protein shake after a workout. It’s a great alternative for people over the age of 50. “As you get older, growth is slower, which is why whey protein is so good for people over 50,” says Chawla, who was pleasantly surprised by the response her food received from diabetics from an older age bracket.
Double Chocolate-chip Protein Muffins
Good option for vegetarians, too
Mustafa Ahmed set up the Fitness Bakery in Bandra with his wife last year. It offers fat-free, sugar-free, grain-free, gluten-free muffins, cupcakes and breads, which are great options for vegetarians. “The typical Indian vegetarians’ diet lacks protein. For them, this is a delicious way of making sure their body gets enough protein,” says Ahmed.
At the Fitness Bakery, whey protein is only added to cupcakes, muffins, cookies, breads and ice creams when the client requests it. “Most of them are pretty clued in to how much protein they need. A batch of our goodies would typically contain one scoop of whey, which is about 25g of protein,” adds Ahmed.
Orange Cranberry Protein Loaf by Eat-A-Whey
If you’re working out regularly and want to build muscle, these protein-rich goodies could well be the guilt-free solution to your cravings. But what happens if you’re not? “There’s really nothing bad in consuming whey protein, which comes from the residue of cheese, curd, or paneer. Unless the doctor has specifically told you not to, I don’t think it’s bad for anyone,” says Ahmed.
Protein Cupcakes by Fitness Bakery
Expert talk
Nutritionist Suman Agarwal, however, warns against this kind of protein intake for children. “It might affect their growth spurt as bone formation is crucial at that age. It should be consumed by 18 year olds and above,” says Agarwal, who also warns against too much protein intake for adults. “For those who aren’t working out, it’s essential to limit your protein intake to one gram per ideal body weight. Excessive consumption can lead to severe hair fall and bone loss (or calcium loss). Even those who are doing weight training must limit themselves to two scoops a day. Too much protein affects the kidney too, so get your kidneys checked regularly,” suggests Agarwal.
Although these goodies are healthy on the whole, bringing down carb value and increasing protein, always make sure you know how much protein the products contain, she adds.
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