Bedtime Liquid Protein Diet

Although many people try to avoid night-time snacking, it's a practice often embraced by bodybuilders. In an effort to increase their bulk, some weightlifters drink liquid protein, such as a protein shake, immediately before going to bed. Defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "proteins are part of every cell, tissue, and organ" in humans. When you eat a protein source, such as meat or beans, the protein is digested into amino acids and used to replace the protein in your body.

Why Bedtime?

Bodybuilding.com stresses the importance of timing when increasing protein consumption. It says that bedtime is one of the best times to consume protein, because it will help your body rejuvenate itself as it rests. It also recommends keeping a protein shake by your bed in case you wake up during the night. Drinking protein in the middle of the sleep cycle reduces the amount of time that your body is deprived of food. The shake also delivers an ingredient that your body can use to build muscle.

Selecting a Shake

Ready-to-drink protein shakes, or the powder to make them, are generally sold at nutritional and grocery stores. There are also many online sites that sell them. The shakes can vary widely in composition. Some contain 100 percent protein and others contain carbohydrates and fat in addition to protein. Bodybuilding.com says that most weightlifters choose low-carb protein shakes. Find a shake with at least 20 grams of protein per serving and no more than 10 grams of carbs.

The source of the protein also varies from shake to shake. They can include such ingredients as milk, whey, casein, egg and soy. Choose a shake with casein--the main protein found in milk--before bed, because it is slow-absorbing, according to WebMD.

Your Protein Needs

The CDC says that about 10 to 35 percent of your calories should come from protein. So if you eat 2,000 calories a day, at least 200 should be protein-based. This isn't hard to achieve, considering that most Americans eat more protein than they need without supplementing their diet with protein shakes.

High-protein diets aren't good for everyone. People with liver or kidney disease are unable to get rid of the waste products of protein metabolism, according to the Mayo Clinic. However, high-protein diets, in the short term, do not generally harm healthy adults.