Easy Peasy Refreshing BCAA Popsicles
Looking for BCAA recipes? Want to find a way to make you how to make BCAA taste better? Check out this refreshing recipe for BCAA popsicles and find out how to enjoy your post-workout recovery a little more. This recipe uses premium Supplement RX IntraEdge BCAA’s, which you can find affiliate links for below. You will also see links to the popsicle molds I use.
If you’re not already including BCAAs in your fitness routine, you should consider starting! But what to mix BCAA with? Below is a simple BCAA recipe for you!
Admittedly, until I did my own research and became a personal trainer, I didn’t know what BCAAs were. I’d heard of them, but thought that they were only for elite athletes and body builders. And of course I had no idea that you could make BCAA popsicles.
Learning about BCAAs and later making the popsicle discovery made me so happy! When I tried BCAAs the first time, I wasn’t really impressed.
I didn’t know what I was supposed to feel (or if it even worked) and I didn’t really care for the flavor I tried. Luckily, I’ve found a way to make taking BCAAs painless and delicious!
What Does BCAA Stand for?
BCAA stands for “Branched-Chain Amino Acids,” which admittedly, sounds very science-y… 😉 But actually, essential amino acids are things we all need to consume! This is a tasty way to get this dietary supplement in.
The name is a bit intimidating, so I’ll break it down as simply as possible. For those of you who want ALL the science, I suggest reading this article. But beware, it’s HEAVY on the science.) Anyway.
When you’re on a diet that involves a calorie deficit and/or you’re doing a lot of strength training, your muscles need to recover and repair themselves constantly. If your body doesn’t get what it needs to repair itself, it will start to “eat” away at your muscles. This is bad news if you want to gain muscle mass and lean out.
But how can you lose weight, get lean, but avoid losing muscle? It seems kind of contradictory.
That’s where BCAAs come in.
Amino acids are necessary for many functions of the body, including protein synthesis. However, there are many amino acids that the body cannot produce on its own, or can only produce in tiny amounts.
Related Reading: 7 Amazing PB Fit Cookie Recipes
Taking amino acids via supplement can help your body use the protein you ingest (eat) instead of your muscles for repair & recovery. (Most BCAA supplements provide the body with leucine, isoleucine and valine, three important amino acids that aid with protein synthesis in the body.)
So the takeaway is: BCAAs help your body recover more efficiently, retain/gain muscle mass, and they can help you have more efficient and energetic workouts.
(This is not meant to be an article all about the science and benefits of BCAAs, but here’s a helpful article if you’re interested.)
When To Take Your BCAAs
Note: I’m not a doctor or dietician. As a personal trainer, I am only able to encourage you to research your own supplements and share basic information with you. Talk to your doctor before adding supplements or making major dietary changes. I do not offer medical advice and if you have any medical condition, you should consider that first!
I’ve read conflicting information about when to take BCAAs, and I know that different athletes take them at different times. I consider myself conservative when it comes to supplements, and I only take the best OF THE BEST stuff.
So personally, I take BCAAs only on a rest day or the day after a big strength training workout. (So if I’m just doing cardio or haven’t exercised in a few days, I don’t take them.) However, it’s recommended that this BCAA be taken throughout a workout. You can do that, too.
The goal is to help your muscles rebuild (yey muscle growth!) so do what you will with that information.
Not All Supplements Are Created Equal
I am that girl who went through years of trying supplements and meal replacements thinking they’d help me lose weight. (So I’ve tried a LOT.) I didn’t know how absolutely disgusting they all were until I tried Supplement RX products.
I’m completely serious – I thought that supplements were meant to be gross no matter what – and I just had to tough it out. But a few years ago my very first personal trainer (the one I had before I became a personal trainer myself) gave me a sample of the supplements my gym sold. Let’s just say this was a game changer.
Oh. My. Goodness.
If you are taking gritty, chemical, chalky-tasting stuff, STOP. This will be a game changer for you, too. (I only recommend things that I use and fully back, so this is kind of a big deal.) Supplement RX products are the highest quality, best-tasting, smoothest-going-down products I’ve ever used. If you don’t already know this, the FDA doesn’t regulate these kinds of supplements. So manufacturers can do almost anything they want and use any ingredients they want. There’s pretty much no real set of standards for health/fitness related supplements.
What makes Supplement RX different is that even though they don’t have to, they choose to hold themselves to a higher standard by using only the best ingredients and manufacturing processes. They are pharmaceutical grade, meaning that they are manufactured as if they are required to be held to the same standards as pharmaceuticals. (Read more about the quality here if it interests you.) Anyhow, I’ve used their meal replacements, protein powder, BCAAs, vitamins, and superfood boosts. (Do yourself a favor and try them – my top recommendations are the chocolate Building Blocks protein powder and the Vanilla Ice Cream meal replacement.)
I do love to mix them with things to make smoothies and other things (like these BCAA popsicles) but they are great alone, too. This recipe features Supplement RX’s grape flavored BCAAs. It mixes smooth and is very grape-y on it’s own with water, but these popsicles make them feel like a treat. A delicious treat to beat the summer heat! So let’s get to the recipe, shall we?
Refreshing BCAA Popsicles
This is a SIMPLE, EASY, CAN’T MESS UP RECIPE. It can likely be modified for any flavor of BCAAs that you have (and any brand), but I used Supplement RX’s Arctic Grape BCAAs. I simply mixed the supplement as directed (but with warm water for better mixing), doubling the recipe. Then I added one cup of prepared grape juice and stirred. This gave them more grape flavor and a nice color. The result was delicious BCAA’s popsicles for post-workout recovery.
If you have another flavor of BCAAs, you can simply find a complementary juice flavor to add in, using the same 2:1 ratio of water & juice. I’m sure just about any kind would make some great healthy popsicles that will go great with your exercise program. BCAA’s Popsicles Directions:
Refreshing Grape BCAA Popsicles
Ingredients
- 2 scoops Supplement RX Arctic Grape BCAAs
- 16 ounces Water
- 8 ounces Prepared Grape Juice
Instructions
- Mix BCAAs with water in a large bowl or beaker.
- Stir in grape juice.
- Add combined mixture to popsicle mold.
- Freeze 4+ hours.
- Enjoy!
Notes
How do you take BCAAs? Tell me you favorite BCAA snacks and recipes below!
Another recipe you might like: Healthy Blackberry Frozen Yogurt Recipe
