Did you know that nature’s sports drink is chocolate milk?
Chocolate milk can help you to refuel, rehydrate and recover after exercise. Top athletes such as the IRONMAN® Triathlon Champions Mirinda Carfrae, Craig Alexander, Luke McKenzie and US Women’s Soccer player Kelley O’Hara recover with chocolate milk. This power house beverage contains a combination of carbohydrates and protein to refuel and repair muscle, fluids to rehydrate and electrolytes to replenish the loss in sweat.
Let’s see what both white and chocolate milk provide:
- Milk is 90% water and a great tasting choice after workouts, practices and games. Milk’s fluids and electrolytes, including calcium, potassium and magnesium, rehydrate the body and replenish what is lost in sweat.
- Carbohydrates in milk refuel muscles and refills glycogen (energy) stores.
- High quality protein aids in muscle recovery and repair.
- Calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus build and maintain strong bones.
- Milk provides potassium to help ward off muscle
- B vitamins in milk help convert food to energy.
Improve your post exercise recovery with either white or chocolate milk. Chocolate milk does provide a great carbohydrate to protein ratio (3 to 4 grams of carbohydrate for every 1 gram of protein) necessary for optimal recovery. The essential nutrients that milk provides:
- Build and maintain strong bones and teeth (calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus)
- Promote normal blood pressure (calcium and potassium)
- Help convert food into energy (riboflavin and niacin)
- Play a role in the development and maintenance of the central nervous system (riboflavin and vitamin B12)
- Help build and maintain lean muscle (protein)
- Help build red blood cells (vitamin B12)
- Help regulate the balance of fluids in the body (potassium)
- Promote good vision (vitamin A)
- Promote healthy skin (vitamin A)
- Promote a healthy immune system (vitamin A)
Incorporating milk into your post-exercise regimen (within 30-60 minutes) could enhance your performance. For more information about proper nutrition for athletic performance please visit the Sports Nutrition page at Western Dairy Association.