Cherry Cheesecake Protein Shake

• Yield:1 serving
• Difficulty:Easy
• Time:10 minutes

Who doesn’t love cheesecake? If you don’t, then you simply aren’t human! This mouthwatering shake tastes just like you are drinking liquid cheesecake! I’ve included red tart pie cherries because they have one of the lowest glycemic indexes in the fruit kingdom, and they also contain some amazing advantages for athletes… in particular their pain-killing properties.

If you train hard in any sport, you are bound to appreciate that, whether you like cherries or not! The frozen red tart cherries I mention here are not always easily found in supermarkets. They tend to be in the frozen fruit or pie making section. I bought them canned, but those are nowhere near as good as the frozen ones.

Cherries lower C-reactive protein levels (an indicator of inflammation in the body), and they’ve been shown to help substantially with Gout and arthritis. Cherries also contain a natural form of melatonin, which helps you sleep, along with lowering inflammation.

One study published in the Journal of International Sports Nutrition concluded that “Athletes who consumed tart cherry juice prior to long-distance running experienced less pain than those who did not. It’s thought that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of tart cherries may have a protective effect to reduce muscle damage and pain during strenuous exercise.”

So drink up and train hard my friends!

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop EFX Sports Pure Whey – Vanilla
• 2/3 cup frozen tart red pie cherries
• 2 ounces of low-fat cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
• ¼ cup plain nonfat Greek Yogurt
• ½ cup water or unsweetened almond milk (add 40 calories for almond milk)
• 1 stevia packet
• 4-6 ice cubes

Directions:

Throw it all in the blender and blend until smooth! Easy as that.

Nutrition: