Low-fat chocolate milk after a workout

Whether you are an endurance athlete or just interested in better health, new research supports drinking low fat chocolate milk after your workout. Chocolate milk can replace carbohydrates (“carbs”) and fluids that you lose when you exercise.

Chocolate milk has a near perfect balance of the nutrients you need in order to recover after a workout, including protein, carbs, calcium, vitamin D, potassium and riboflavin. Each nutrient plays a role in your recovery.

Chocolate milk and your workout

Adding chocolate milk to your diet is good because milk is a whole food. Many endurance athletes do not eat whole foods. Instead, they fall into the habit of living on carb and protein bars, drinks, and solutions. When you do not eat enough whole foods, your body misses out on all the other nutrients that protect your health and improve your athletic performance.

This NetWellness column was reviewed by Steven T. Devor, associate
professor of sport and exercise sciences and physiology and cell
biology, School of PAES, The Ohio State University.

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If you are an endurance athlete, you should take in a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein. This means for every four grams of carbs you eat, you should eat one gram of protein. You should do this within an hour after training, when your body is best able to absorb recovery nutrients.

You want a higher amount of carbs (the “4″ part of the 4:1 ratio) because that is what gets stored in your muscle as glycogen. Then, if you have some protein (the “1″ part of the 4:1 ratio), it starts the production of insulin. More insulin helps to bring sugar into your muscles to replace the glycogen you use while exercising. Protein also gives the necessary building blocks (amino acids) to fix damaged muscles.

Taken alone, carbs or proteins are not as effective. If you take in just carbs, they will refuel your muscles, but they will not help to repair them. Protein will help repair your muscles, but it will not refuel them.

Benefits of chocolate milk

Chocolate milk is also a source of other nutrients. For example:

Vitamin D and calcium in chocolate milk help build strong and healthy bones.

Calcium also helps muscles contract properly; aids in blood pressure management; may be helpful in losing body fat instead of muscle mass.

Riboflavin, which is a B vitamin found in milk, releases energy from protein, fats and carbs during metabolism.

Potassium helps with muscle contraction and aids in fluid and electrolyte balance.

When you exercise, you sweat. And when you sweat, you lose essential nutrients. But, you can replace all of these nutrients easily and for low cost. Drinking 16 ounces of low fat chocolate milk within an hour after working out will give you about 320 calories, 52 grams of carbohydrate, 16 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fat.

So next time you go that extra mile, help your body recover with a glass of low-fat chocolate milk!

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