Imagine a totally healthy dose of cupcakes, ice cream sandwiches, rocky road, and cinnamon buns… Daily.
Can’t?
Well let us help you. These are just a
few flavours belonging to a new entrepreneurial business amidst the protein
shake industry established by local Toronto business woman Aesha
Karunakaran. Protein Milkshake Bar is a gourmet protein milkshake line that Karunakaran
invented in an effort to curb her insatiable sugar cravings and move towards a
more active and healthy lifestyle.
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“I wanted my protein
to be like the Baskin Robbins of protein shakes.” - Aesha Karunakaran |
Karunakaran explained that what she ultimately
wanted was to satisfy her sweet tooth while not feeling guilty for consuming
those quick and easy snacks that we all love to devour once in a while (or more
often than not!). As a digital
consultant, her volatile schedule made it difficult to keep up the healthy
home-cooked routine until a new personal trainer introduced her to a regiment that incorporate the ever-so popular protein shake. When her trainer mentioned she was looking for a roommate, Karunakaran jumped on
the opportunity, hoping she could potentially pick up some new and better
habits. She dove into a healthier lifestyle head first, sparking a sort of pay-it-forward pathway for herself.
What did she learn? First: eat a
protein rich breakfast.
“Once you wake up, your blood sugar
is really low. You need to stabilize your blood sugar in the beginning of the
day so you don’t get sugar cravings," she said. “I started to eat such big, protein-rich
meals at the beginning of the day that all I wanted to do all day was snack. It
decreased my appetite and I had a lot less crashes and sugar cravings.”
Second: incorporate a protein shake
into your diet.
“I thought [consuming a protein
shake] was just what body builders did and then I started looking at personal
training, fitness models, bikini models, and health professionals because they have
that ideal body type – toned, natural, with little or no body fat… You need the
protein to hold on to the muscle mass but without the calories.”
With a new regiment in place, her
clients in the digital consultation world began to notice and, as people began
to ask more questions, Karunakaran
saw a marketing gap in the protein shake industry.
“There’s a huge hole in the health
food and supplement industry as it mainly focuses on fitness and modeling.
They’ve ignored the 35-40 year old ‘soccer mom’ who doesn’t have time to make
breakfast because she’s getting her kids out the door,” Karunakaran explained. “I wanted to reach out
to this market.”
But she learned very quickly that the protein
powder regiment alone wasn’t a tasty enough treat to interest her clients in
adopting the new regiment. After noticing the change in herself and with a growing interest to help others feel the same, she said her inability to recommend a product that was quick, easy, and tasty brought Protein Milkshake Bar to the the table.
“Today’s generation is about having
your cake and eating it too. Everyone works so hard and with today's technology and
product opportunity, why should health be a struggle?”
Karunakaran's product is not just for soccer moms. She boasts her product is a perfect fix for the average busy body with a sweet tooth and is an ideal treat to those who get that 3 o'clock craving.
With 10 flavours based on her clients biggest cravings, this vegetarian supplement could be right up your alley (and it was up mine when I tried a cinnamon bun shake at the Zumba event they were at!).
Check Karunakaran out on pinterest where she shares a tonne of recipes and healthy ideas, and here are some examples of things you can do with her product:
How it's made:
1/4 cup coconut oil or butter melted
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup Protein Milkshake Bar Naked Protein
5 eggs
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
For an "everything" bagel: 1/2 tsp dried dill, 1/2 tsp dried chives, 1/2 tsp dried parsley, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4tsp granulated garlic
1) Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F
2) Blend eggs, coconut oil/butter, salt & spices
3) In a separate bowl blend together the coconut flour, whey & baking powder
4) Grease a donut pan (I found them at Homesense) & bake for 15 minutes
Smear with your favorite cream cheese or avocado & enjoy!
How it's made:
1 scoop Protein Milkshake Bar Premium Blend Ice Cream Sandwich Whey Protein
1 cup almond milk