I’m not a dietician or a nutritionist—just a woman in her late 50s trying to age as healthily and strongly as possible. Like many of us, I’ve been sifting through a sea of health advice, conflicting opinions, and diet trends. What I share here is based on what’s working for me right now, especially around getting enough protein and fibre to support strength training, gut health, and energy.

This high protein, high fibre shake recipe is one of my go-to breakfasts—and it doesn’t involve any protein powder.

Some of the links in this post are Amazon affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission—at no extra cost to you. It helps support the blog and keeps my dogs in treats. I only recommend products I genuinely use and love.

Jump to Recipe

Why I Created This High Protein, High Fibre Shake

Ever since I started strength training regularly, I’ve become a bit obsessive about how much protein I can eat—without adding loads of extra calories.

I also developed post-infectious IBS a few years ago after what was likely a bad case of food poisoning. I was practically housebound for months, and recovery has taken time, proper medical tests, and a fair bit of trial and error with food.

As well as doing resistance training at least twice a week, my friends at Be Mobile Physiotherapy also recommend upping protein intake as we get older. You can read more on why in their blog post here.

I aim for about 100g of protein a day and over 30g of fibre. And while I do use an organic whey protein powder and fibre supplements like psyllium husk and Sunfiber occasionally, I prefer to get as much as I can from whole foods.

Eating for Strength, Energy and Gut Health

We’ve always eaten fairly healthily as a family—though that wasn’t always easy when I was running a B&B, surrounded by leftover breakfast muffins and cake!

Lately, I’ve also been focusing on:

• More protein
• More fibre
• Healthy fats
• Complex carbs
• Less refined sugar

This shake has become a go-to breakfast for me. It’s packed with protein, fibre and probiotics, and I usually eat it slowly with a spoon before my morning workout.

A Great Addition to Your B&B Breakfast Menu

Guests used to love the smoothie I had on the breakfast menu, and this one’s just as good. If you want to offer a healthy option to your guests, this could work well.

What Makes This a High Protein Shake Without Powder

While I do use an organic whey protein powder now and then, I prefer to get my protein from whole food wherever possible. I get plenty of fat through the day—thanks to our regular deliveries of organic Spanish EVOO—so I’ve made this one with zero-fat quark.

Quark is a cultured dairy product, similar to thick yoghurt or soft cheese. I’ve liked it ever since trying it in Switzerland as a child.

Best Dairy for Protein

I now use Biotiful Protein Original, available in some Sainsbury’s and Tescos. It has 12g of protein per 100g and is made with kefir, which I try to eat daily.

You can also swap it for:

• Greek yoghurt (full fat or fat-free for fewer calories)
• Cottage cheese (I like Longley Farm with 10.8g protein per 100g)

Whatever you use, check the label—some "Greek-style" yoghurts are low in protein and high in sugar. Brands such as FAGE and Yeo Valley Greek Recipe Strained Natural Yoghurt are best.

Why This Shake Is Also High in Fibre

Fibre is just as important as protein—especially for gut health and hormone balance. This shake includes:

• Ground flaxseed
• Oats
• Raspberries (which are one of the highest fibre fruits)

Why This Shake Is Considered High Protein and High Fibre

If you're wondering, under UK nutrition guidelines:

• A food is considered high in protein if at least 20% of its calories come from protein
• It’s considered high in fibre if it contains at least 6g of fibre per 100g

This shake easily ticks both boxes. Depending on the base you use, around 38–40% of the total calories come from protein, and it contains over 12g of fibre per serving. So yes—it’s very much a high protein, high fibre option.

Recipe: High Protein, High Fibre Shake (No Powder)

Ingredients for one person:

• 250g Biotiful Kefir Protein (or full-fat/fat-free cottage cheese, or fat-free Greek yoghurt)
• 100g frozen raspberries
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 2 tablespoons oats
• 4 tablespoons water or ice cubes if you're using fresh fruit

Method:

Pop all the ingredients into a blender. I put the water in first so everything else blends properly without sticking to the sides.

Optional Tweaks:

• You can also add in psyllium husk for extra fibre ( start with a teaspoon if you're not used to it )
• I sometimes add nuts such as almonds or chia, hemp or pumpkin/sunflower seeds
• Add half a banana or a drizzle of honey/maple syrup if you prefer it sweeter
• Use leftover fresh fruit from your B&B breakfast—just freeze it
• Mix it up the night before and eat it as a breakfast bowl
• If you're using cottage cheese or Greek yoghurt, you can add in a few tablespoons of dairy kefir for more probiotic goodness

I use a Nutribullet for ease—it’s much quicker to clean than a big blender. Here’s the one I use on Amazon (affiliate link).

Nutrition Breakdown

I’ve run the numbers in MyFitnessPal—here’s a rough idea depending on which base you use:

Take these numbers with a pinch of salt—they can be up to 20% off depending on brands and how your body processes the food.