Selling a savoury high protein soup in a market full of sweet dessert flavoured diet and protein shakes may seem like a crazy idea, until you read how they came to be…
The original Eat Clean Diet Whey & Broccoli Soup Mix was developed by me (Steve, Gainsmith’s founder) to meet my higher protein dietary needs and suit my fast-paced lifestyle.
I was finding following a higher protein diet a challenge. Maybe you’ve experienced this too? It feels like you’re constantly scratching around, looking for something high protein to eat. You need a quick lunch that doesn’t contain lots of sugar or nasty additives. Food you can have at your desk, because work gets in the way of eating properly.
A Healthy Higher Protein Diet
I wanted to gain a little muscle mass, without surrendering my principles of eating healthily. I’m not fanatical – my body is certainly no temple – but it’s not for landfill either. I never want to feel like I’m filling it with junk. After struggling to eat enough protein, I gave in briefly and started chugging protein shakes twice a day. I say ‘briefly’, because it made me feel so bloated and lethargic – not to mention windy and loose in the bowel department – that I had to quit that particular ‘easy’ route. It was enough to make me wonder what was in my protein shake.
Clean, Low Fat, Low Carb Source of Protein
The trouble is, products with a substantial protein payload, but without unsavoury levels of fat, sugar or salt aren’t so common. And, even reaching for the tuna everyday, may expose you to unhealthy levels of poisonous heavy metals like mercury. Our busy lifestyles make matters worse: lunch is usually ‘on the go’ and who wants to spend their precious evening prepping food for tomorrow? Shortcuts like protein bars typically contain plenty of added extras you don’t really want: sugars, sweeteners, stabilisers, preservatives, flavouring additives, etc. It really pays to check the wrapper first but, often, your gut will let you know you that ‘food’ was ‘dirty’.
Any Meal’s High Protein Companion
Racking your brain everyday for a way to maintain your nutrition goals is a chore. I decided what I needed was some kind of universal accompaniment. Something that would go with lots of simple meals – like a sandwich or jacket potato or pasta salad or noodles. It should eat well alongside any preferred carbohydrate or whatever fibre source you’re going to fill up on. Providing a meaningful amount of quality protein (20g seemed a sensible goal) was a must. And, it was essential that this food stuff doesn’t add much in the way of carbs or fat. Otherwise, it could clash with whatever else you’re eating, pushing carbs or fats to excessive levels. Finally, this edible something had to be genuinely healthy. Not loaded with salt or sugar nor contain loads of additives. And, that’s when the idea of soup popped into my head.
Protein Soup – the ‘Souper’ Solution!
Soup is a wonderful solution. You can make soup from dehydrated contents – just add hot water – and in a mug! What could be easier to store, transport and make? Soups are savoury, which means no need for all that sugar or artificial sweetener found in shakes. There are plenty of vegetable-based soups, which means we can add lots of vegetable goodness. And, we can celebrate vegetable flavours, rather than trying to mask them with artificial ones. Soup is often a starter in a meal; it’s quite normal to drink it before whatever else you’re eating. Likewise, soup and a sandwich are a match made in heaven to eat together.
It was clear that a high protein soup drink would be a great asset in my dietary options. I set about developing one in my own kitchen, trying masses of ingredients and recipes. My steadfast commitment to not adding any salt or sugar or anything artificial increased the challenge. But, after 12 months of constant tweaking and testing, the first two Diet Whey Soup Mix recipes were finalised. They’re now available in store here and on Amazon.co.uk. Please do give them a try – you’ll be amazed at the difference compared with sweet protein shakes. No bloating or wind or irritable bowel symptoms. They make getting extra protein easy and, well, normal…