New Post-Workout Drink Helps with Sleep

Nutrition
1

I have just concocted a new post-workout drink. Some of you might be interested. Here goes:
2-3 tbsp Gelatin (I use Great Lakes brand and you should use something comparable)
2 parts coconut milk
1 part Orange Juice
A bit of salt.

One can of coconut milk is 750 calories. Lots of high grade fat there.
Gelatin has a different amino acid profile than muscle meat. It is chock full of glycine.

It’s very tasty. One other side-effect. If you take 60+ grams of gelatin per day, it will help your sleep big-time. I have had sleep problems my entire adult life and was pleasantly surprised to see how much this helps. I got the idea from here:

2

I thought gelatin was considered a crap protein source?

3

^^ i’ve been under the impression that gelatin itself is not easily absorbed, but it prompts the body to better absorb other proteins

4

Its very high in glycine - very good for relaxation/sleep! =D

5

It depends on what you consider a crap source of protein. Sure, the above formula does not give the number of grams as a regular protein shake, but it does have a different amino acid profile, some of which is better. You could, for example, dump a couple of tbsp of the gelatin into your Surge.

6

From what I can tell:

Coconut milk: source of MCT’s - not so sure about the reasoning for this but I know its been a popular addition to PWO shakes recently
Orange juice: replenishing glycogen and a source of vitamin C - to also kill off cortisol.
gelatin: A source of protein but in this instance is primarily used for its high glycine content for driving down cortisol.
Salt: flavor/electrolyte replenishment?

I would prefer to see a more sound protein source such as whey isolate/concentrate in there however.

7

What might be quicker/cheaper:

…and also taking into consideration the recent trend of not using carbs PWO:

Shake made of:
whey isolate/concentrate
Coconut oil (alternatively you could mix coconut milk in?)
10-15g glycine (very cheap in bulk)

Along with a 1000mg vitamin C tablet.

8

So, I’m familiar w/ glycine spiking insulin w/o carbs due to some of CT’s old low carb pre and post workout stuff. Is this the mechanism of effect of the drowsiness, i.e. a blood sugar swing making you a bit drowsy?

So, maybe adding a couple scoops of casein or whey to get some nutritional protein in with everything else wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

9

While gelatin alone is poor protein source, consumption of some gelatin along with meat protein has been shown to give an increased biological value compared to meat protein alone.

I don’t know of a study that looks at combination with milk protein but suspect that the same thing would be found.

10

This sounds terrible (health wise). It’s also extremely sugary/fatty and doesn’t seem to have much protein. Seems like a bad combination post workout.