When I was playing soccer back in high school, I’d sometimes wake up with really bad leg cramps during the night, most likely thanks to a rigorous training schedule that included two-hour practices each day after class and a bike ride home because I didn’t have a car. Upon asking around, I was surprised to find out just how many of my friends (both athletes and non-athletes) had also experienced these nighttime leg cramps at some point in their lives.
Everyone wanted to give advice, which ranged from the commonplace: Drink Gatorade to replace electrolytes. Eat extra bananas for potassium… to the really weird: Sleep with a bar of soap at the bottom of the bed. I adopted the peanut butter and banana sandwich as my new favorite lunch and made different flavors of banana milkshakes each night.
The leg cramps did go away, but I’m not sure if I can thank all the extra bananas…
It might have been the soap! 🙂
This cookies & cream Oreo milkshake is full of potassium, as well as calcium, Vitamin C, and fiber. It’s also easy to make. (I figured it’d be good to post an easy recipe after the complicated ice cream recipe of a few days ago.)
Healthy Oreo Milkshake
- 2/3 cup milk of choice
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 Oreos or Healthy Oreos
- 1 medium frozen banana (140g) (See instructions below for a banana-free version)
- optional: sweetener of choice, to taste
- optional: 1 scoop protein powder
Blend all ingredients, except cookies, until completely smooth. Add the cookies, and pulse quickly until broken up. Pour into a glass, top with Vegan Cool Whip if desired, and serve. (Banana-free version: omit banana and use 1/2 cup Mori-Nu tofu or Thai coconut meat. Also add 1/8 tsp salt and 1-2 tbsp sweetener of choice. Increase vanilla to 1/2 tsp.)
View Oreo Milkshake Nutrition Facts
Question of the Day: Have you ever gotten nighttime leg cramps?
Do you have any tricks on how to get rid of them? If you ever do get them, you really should try the soap thing. I swear, it works! Another thing that works is standing on a cold floor until the pain goes away. And banana milkshakes… milkshakes make everything better.
Link of the Day: Starbucks-Inspired Cookie Dough Lattes
Ali @ Peaches and Football says
YES! I get leg cramps – and the ones in the middle of the night are the absolute WORST. Charley horses(?) that are sore and tender for days after. I have to be careful and potassium is always the answer for me. When I feel my calves tighten up, I take some potassium and it goes right away. I’ve never heard of the soap method though. 🙂 It’s fun to hear stories like that – if it doesn’t help with the cramps at least you’d have nice smelling feet right?
Christine says
I had leg cramps all the time especially when I was pregnant. They are extremely painful. Sometimes, they are even caused by dehydration. It is possible to stop them if you can feel them coming on. You have to point your toes upward toward your nose. I know it sounds funny but it works! They even sell a special boot to help hold your foot in this position! Just remember, “toes toward nose!”
Alice says
I usually have cramps because of a magnesium deficit (my body doesn’t absorb it well) which also causes chocolate cravings 🙂
I take supplements and eat a high-magnesium diet, so that I eat about four times the amount of magnesium that people usually need… ^^
Carol Trujillo says
What foods have that in them?
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries says
YUM! I LOVE cookies ‘n cream! Can’t wait to try this version out!
As for the leg cramps… I got them ALL the time when I was pregnant. I also noticed I used to get them when I wasn’t getting enough potassium and/or drinking enough water.
Erica { EricaDHouse.com } says
This shake looks like something you’d get at a retro malt stand!
Bianca says
Leg cramps are my deadliest enemy. I’m a dancer, and I get cramps sometimes. My tricks…? Don’t really have one, except for rubbing peppermint ointment on my legs. 😛 Not that it worked all the time…
The milkshake looks great! I’ll be going the tofu way tomorrow, since I’m not a big fan of banana-flavored drinks. But I do like to eat them whole. Maybe I’m just bothered by the texture of liquid banana.
Nikki says
I’ve never had leg cramps (fortunately!) but my husband does. To prevent them, he actually eats a ton of baked potatoes . . . Apparently they are a great source of potassium!!! But maybe instead of a cheesy, meaty potato I can convert him to this healthy great instead . . . 😉
Megan S says
I was so excited when I saw that it’s a milkshake recipe 🙂 ! My boyfriend loves milkshakes so I’ll be sure to make this for him. Your cookie recipes are so tasty – i’m addicted to them!
Michaeleen from JoshEWEa's Garden says
Ahhh, leg cramps! During pregnancy I got them all the time. My midwife suggested taking a calcium suppliment before bedtime and that did the trick – for all five pregnancies. If you were making your nighttime shakes with a milk which contained calcium (not sure if you were dairy-free back then) that may have been what solved it for you, too.
Your shakes look so creamy and delish – can’t wait to have one for breakfast 🙂
Jaime says
I don’t get leg cramps as much as I used to – maybe because I eat many more bananas than I used to! But I need to push it against a hard surface (like a wall or the floor). Most of the time that doesn’t help because the leg cramps up again, so I have to walk around for a few minutes.
Drinking water also helps.
I’ve never heard of the soap thing!! I don’t think hubby would approve though…
Rachel says
Yes!! I used to get leg cramps all the time in the middle of the night. For me it was always related to a potassium deficiency. They were so painful!! So I went right for the Swiss chard (much more potassium than a banana!).
Claire Elizabeth says
I got a TERRIBLE leg cramp in my left leg the other night. I loathe when they’re so bad that they wake you up and you have to get up and try to stretch it out. Ouch! 😛
P.s. This recipe sounds really great! 😀
Bridget says
How funny! For the past week I have been experiencing a quite bothersome leg cramp in my left calf! I plan to start eating sweet potatoes every day to boost my potassium and get rid of the cramp.
Rebecca says
Hi, if your getting weird cramps in your calf, maybe speak to a doctor as they can be consistant with blood clots.
Jessica says
I’ve been experiencing leg cramps for ages but since I’ve been using a foam roller for about 15 minutes after my workouts, they’ve been almost entirely eliminated. I’d still drink a “milk”shake just as a precaution.
bella says
I put my leg on a pillow and that sort of works.
Susan says
This sounds nice, but I’d have to sub cocoa powder for the cookies, add protein powder, & use a small banana or tofu to get it (possibly) into my range of calories for snacks.
I’ve had the leg/foot cramps problem for years, and there was a time when I tried eating more bananas, to no avail. I’ve been trying to figure out why I get them currently, and I think it’s when I do stuff that uses my muscles in an unusual way, like walking on sand or scrambling around on large rocks. The only real solution I’ve found is to stand on them, and sometimes to sit up in a chair for a while to give my leg or foot time to relax. I might just have to try the soap thing, since I know bananas don’t work for me (and my electrolyte levels test out normal). 🙂
Eating 4 Balance says
I eat a few bananas everyday and still get painful calf cramps multiple times every month. I’ve been told it can be from lack of exercise, too much exercise, dehydration, not enough potassium, etc. I also read that it could be from a lack of magnesium so I’ve been taking a magnesium supplement every night and I swear I haven’t had any charlie horses since.
As far as your oreos… Have you had anyone comment back with using almond flour or maybe a combination with another grain-free flour like coconut? I looked through the comments, but there are so many so I might have missed one 🙂
Suzanne says
I love drinks like this in the summer; they are very refreshing on a hot day. How do you think this would turn out with the new Watermelon Oreos? 😛
Jessica says
Might be just the thing to use up the last of the frozen bananas I’ve been ordered to get rid of…
I only get cramps on days I eat badly. So it’s a little extra incentive to not do that 🙂
Rachel@schaafhouse says
I’ve been reading your blog for so long now, I’ve just never commented. I love your recipes and I come here often for dessert inspiration. Thanks for making the best part of the day healthy! 😉
TheJoyfulKitchen says
This milkshake looks MOUTHWATERING!!! (At least my mouth was watering!!)
I used to get leg cramps ALL THE TIME at night. I would wake up nearing screaming, and try to jump out of bed in attempt to stand up, as that usually relieved the pain. Sometimes it didn’t work though, and I ended up on the floor!! I’ll try the soap idea, though!!
ren says
my husband swears by a spoonful of yellow mustard for leg cramps. he even keeps a little packet on his nightstand. a nurse recommended it to him. i’ve tried it, and it seems to help, but i can’t bear to gulp down a spoonful of mustard in the middle of the night.
Shirley @ gfe & All Gluten-Free Desserts says
I stopped getting leg cramps once I went gluten free. 🙂 So did my son. We started absorbing the vitamins and minerals that are a factor with leg cramps so they went away. It’s been wonderful! This shake looks fantastic, Katie!
Shirley
vegantester says
leg cramps like that are usually caused by dehydration
Sunnie says
That looks delicious! For leg craps, I put on a pair of tight knee high socks. This would apply pressure to my legs and they would feel so much better. Now that I am old though, I just take Magnesium before bed. It is great for sleep and leg cramps.
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
That just looks so delish! I could use one right now! And I can make it vegan!
Danielle says
You had me at 4 ingredients! Now I wish I had my Newman’s Os in the house!
http://www.keenbeauty.com
Carol Trujillo says
Danielle, what are Newman’s “Os”?
Michele aka Raw Juice Girl says
Oh that looks amazing!
Some great tips for leg cramps are:
epsom salt baths
drinking organic apple cider vinegar with Mother (lots of potassium)
increased B vitamins
calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement before bed
These things work for me. 🙂
Ellen says
I heard a couple different things about leg pain at night. One was that it was lack of calcium, the other was that it was simply growing pains, which made sense since I got plenty if calcium and grew a lot in my teens…
Tianna says
this looks amazing!
Nessa says
Looks so creamy!
Lorraine says
This looks delectable!! I have a question for you Katie, is the Banana-for-Tofu substitution only for this recipe, or do you think it could work for most of your banana recipes? Basically, I just don’t digest banana at all (it makes me sick, does it happen to anyone else?), so I’m always supersad when I see a recipe with banana.
Like with vegan ice-creams. Do any of you know of any subs for that?
Can’t wait to see another recipe, hope you’re having a good time! 😀
Jenni says
I don’t know where your leg cramps were, but I sometimes get gnarly leg cramps in my calves at night. I just stretch the muscle out or rub it as fast as I can because I don’t know what else to do! The pain goes away pretty quickly but, damn, leg cramps are awful! Luckily I don’t get them very often.
Katy @ Katy's Kitchen says
I used to get wicked leg cramps and I always found the best trick was some long stretching before bed. Really helps! I love this milkshake, anything with bananas is a win for me because it creates such a thick shake!
lil deli says
I have a friend who got prescribed milkshakes by his doctor. SO LUCKY 🙂 this looks great!
lil deli says
I have a friend who was prescribed milkshakes by his doctor. SO LUCKY. This looks great, I’ll have to give him the recipe 🙂
trajayjay says
I have gotten foot cramps before, like if I bend my foot the wrong way, it starts to put a lot of strain on it.
On another unrelated note, I have something that’s been really disturbing me. It’s when people try to make vegetarians feel bad and stuff, when they say stuff like “There are still animals killed in combines that harvest grains, so don’t think that you’re making a difference in this world”
and then people say stuff like this. This was actually said to me.
“Vegetarians are still contributing to the torture and murder of millions of animals in the egg and dairy industries, so for them to attempt an ethical argument against meat eaters doesn’t make sense. The only ethical way is Vegan. ”
I’m not a vegetarian, but isn’t that just snobby. She’s basically saying that vegetarians aren’t good enough. I disagree that it is the only “ethical way,” if you’re trying to stop animal cruelty, that’s sufficient, even if you’re buying organic, locally raised meat, that’s still something. Something is always better than nothing, and this girl seems to think that vegetarians are cruel beings. They should be commended for at least trying.
I know that this is unrelated, but it has been disturbing me and I need to get it out to someone whom I know will feel what I’m feeling.
Macy says
Awwww, who would say something like that? I’m vegan, but I don’t look down on vegetarians or meat eaters! As you said, every little bit helps!
Tami@NutmegNotebook says
I never had leg cramps but growing up my son who is now 6’4″ had them so bad when he was going through major growth spurts!
As usual I love your recipe!
Pooja @ Running the Body says
As a dancer in the past and now marathon runner, I wake up with charlie horses allllll the time if, IF I don’t eat at least a few bananas a week. Months ago, I had a horrible twitching muscle in my thigh that twitched relentlessly for 10 days…I couldn’t figure out what was going on until I realized that I hadn’t had a banana in that entire 10 day span. Ate a banana and took a vitamin–the next morning, the twitch was completely gone! I learned my lesson…but bananas are a must in my diet!
bee says
Mmm, cookies and cream milkshake. I’ll try this out tomorrow after I bake carob cookies with my almond pulp.
Btw, your last ice cream post was not complicated at all! And it was good =) I’ve been putting nutbutters in my ice cream to help stop them freezing so solid (no sugar), but soaking the nuts sounds easier to digest (and won’t use up my nutbutters so fast!). Like you, I’m making up for lost ice cream, so since I eat it quite regularly (even in winter now), soaking the nuts isn’t too bothersome to think ahead. Thanks for the time spent on the recipe to get it to ‘great’!
Erin says
The soap method is actually for restless leg syndrome. It probably won’t work for leg cramps. 😉
Potassium can help, but a lot of leg cramping is due to dehydration, so any extra fluid is going to help a LOT!
Makayla says
hey Katie,
I have a healthy makeover suggestion for you that I would love to see sometime. Those Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies. 2 soft, gooey oatmeal cookies in between a layer of vanilla cream. I LOVE them, but don’t eat them anymore because they are full of disgusting ingredients. Just a thought. 🙂
Christi says
I used to eat those oatmeal creme pies too! Please do a healthy makeover Katie! 🙂
Karen says
Ditto on the Little Debbie oatmeal pies! Actually, I used to love almost all of the Little Debbie snack cakes until I went dairy-free..so if you’re looking for a challenge Katie, you could makeover those yummy Swiss rolls, too.
Thanks for a great blog!
Xai says
Mmmmm, those milk shakes look soo good! Oreo milkshakes just so happen to be my favorite kind!
audrey says
Do you mean coconut meat from fresh coconuts as a substitute?
I know there are some canned products but they always seem to contain syrup which I would like to avoid…
Mellissa says
Looks so good
Alexandra Barr says
i have nasty leg cramps for at least three years. if i eat a couple of bananas a week that eliminates the problem as it increases the potassium level. i get the cramps two to three times a week and i must stretch my legs to eliminate the pain.
Tanya @ Playful and hungry says
Yummy! I’d add more oreos though!
Robyn says
I love Oreo Milkshakes! I’m not sure wether these would taste very oreo-y though, I might have to put one more in! This definitley is a healthier alternative to the ones in my town though which use a WHOLE PACK ( like the big packs!) of oreos, a cup of whippy icecream, some milk. and chocolate sauce. Oh and extra cream on top! They are delicious though. But probably your whole calorie intake for the day and then some!
http://www.frankeisimone.blogspot.com
Paola Ysabel says
Hi there! Thanks for posting this delicious recipe 🙂
Yes, I used to get nighttime leg cramps back in high school because I used to train with the swim team every afternoon for about 2-3 hours. I managed to prevent them by making sure I stretch well prior to training, giving extra attention to my calf muscles. Our coach advises us to take lots of potassium (ie. bananas!) as well. 🙂
Alysa says
Calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement before bed helps.
roxanna says
I love the idea of this! I’ve seen a few recipes using frozen bananas as an ice cream replacement, so i was excited to try this out! Only, it just tastes like a banana smoothie. Did I do something wrong??
Trish says
It’s been a while since I’ve checked out your website and I’m wondering what the heck happened. How can you call a milkshake with oreos healthy? And, technically, once you add the oreos, it’s not just 4 ingredients. You’re not counting the first ingredient in oreos (SUGAR), or the soybean oil and canola oil (which are GMO), or the high fructose corn syrup, or the artificial color, etc. You offer a healthy version of the oreo – why not just go with that and don’t even mention regular oreos. No one should be eating that trash.
Maggie says
It’s from being dehydrated, so yes sports drinks like Gatorade will help replace electrolytes, and bananas contain potassium (an electrolyte) so that will help also. When you lack electrolytes your muscles contact but can’t relax, hence the cramps. I used to get them after a night of *ahem* consuming alcohol and not drinking enough water… Avocado also contains a lot of potassium, and if you lightly salt them you get sodium too (another electrolyte)! Yummy solutions!
Christine says
The funny thing is potatoes (regular or sweet) have three times as much potassium as bananas, and there are other wonderful fruits and vegetables that will beat bananas in the potassium realm any day. I suppose it’s easier to unpeel a banana than it is to cook a potato/swiss chard/kohlrabi/etc. (unless you are familiar with the kitchen).
A great technique I’ve found to thicken milkshakes is to add 1/2 tsp xantham gum before blending.
H says
Oh yes, i wkoe up screaming. I started to take magnesium pills, and it went away
Tinka says
Okay was that soap thing sarcastic because i cannot tell! 🙂
Cassie says
Ooooh, this sounds awesome! I don’t play soccer, but from what my sister says they’re not fun at all!
Carol Trujillo says
I use Tonic Water and it takes about a min. or two for the cramps to go away. It also puts to rest, “Restless Legs!” I swear by it! I buy the bottle of tonic water you use in the new soda machines (I don’t make soda out of it, I use it right out of the bottle it comes in) and just pour a teaspoon of it and take it right out of the spoon. Some times I need to go get more but most of the time, just that one teaspoon is enough. While visiting my sister in law one day, I had some very hard leg cramps and asked her if she had any tonic water. She told me she didn’t have any, but she said pickle juice took her’s away in seconds. She poured me about two tablespoons of it and I drank it and the cramps were gone as I put the cup in the sink! I swear by it too.
Tracey Brighton says
Ohhhhh… Oreo milkshake! I love OREO!!! I’ll make it right now!!! Thanks for the article.
Diana says
I loved how simple this was! I used generic store brand “Oreos” and added a packet of Truvia to the smoothie. It was delicious, especially with chunks of unblended Oreo! I might just add a tiny bit more sweetener next time.
Jan says
Wow very creative.And to think that I thought bananas and Oreos taste horrible together.This is now my go to healthy snack
Linda says
This is delicious! I actually added ice which thinned it out and used a whole cup of soy milk and processed the cookies and all until smooth. SO GOOD. I need the extra water since i tend to be dehydrated. My parents (in their 70s) really enjoyed this too. None of us eat vegan btw!