Chocolate milk for recovery?

twinmama1987

I have heard it is good.. (& we all know its delicious!) .. However, its HIGH in carbs AND sugar! -- Should that sugar even count against you ? Thoughts?

brittanyjeanxo

Yes. Yes it should. I'm sure there are some low-sugar and/or low-carb chocolate protein drinks you can try. Chocolate milk, for me, is just too artificial and sugary to drink on a regular basis. And if I did use it for recovery, I would most definitely count it. Especially the sugar.

twinmama1987

But the whole point of the high carb/sugar is the 4:1 ratio .. i duno..

killagb

It is good for you because of the ratio of carbs to protein, typically a 3 or 4 to 1 ratio is great for recovery, post workout. I personally enjoy a product called Refuel from Darigold, it's a lactose free drink that is just like chocolate milk and has 20g of protein. Also, you expend sugars when you exercise, so it's not the end of the world to replace those. Sugars don't make you fat....eating too much makes you fat.

twinmama1987

It is good for you because of the ratio of carbs to protein, typically a 3 or 4 to 1 ratio is great for recovery, post workout. I personally enjoy a product called Refuel from Darigold, it's a lactose free drink that is just like chocolate milk and has 20g of protein. Also, you expend sugars when you exercise, so it's not the end of the world to replace those. Sugars don't make you fat....eating too much makes you fat.

Awesome... So, could you potentially mix it with whatever protein shake you have? i know mine has like 1 carb or would that mess with the ratio?

AiryM

My husband is an avid runner. He swears by chocolate milk after a race or if he's put in lots of miles.

I tried a few times, going with low fat chocolate milk. Definitely tasty and helps me not crash afterwards. I find myself ravenous after a heavy workout, so the fat, protein and sugar help so I don't binge. I definitely stick to a measured amount (1/2 cup) so I don't ruin what I just finished.

killagb

It is good for you because of the ratio of carbs to protein, typically a 3 or 4 to 1 ratio is great for recovery, post workout. I personally enjoy a product called Refuel from Darigold, it's a lactose free drink that is just like chocolate milk and has 20g of protein. Also, you expend sugars when you exercise, so it's not the end of the world to replace those. Sugars don't make you fat....eating too much makes you fat.

Awesome... So, could you potentially mix it with whatever protein shake you have? i know mine has like 1 carb or would that mess with the ratio?

I personally drink it as it is from the bottle. I'm sure you could mix it with other things, but that would mess with the ratio. One bottle of this is about 360 cals, which is the whole 16 oz., not too bad. It comes in a a chocolate peanut butter flavor too, which is very tasty!

twinmama1987

I have just regular 1% chocolate milk i have been using 1 cup = 170 calories. Since I burn 250-450 per workout (doing Turbo fire) .. previously finished 2 rounds of p90x and 2 rounds of insanity.. I just started with the choc milk, and i know people who swear by it, i amk just trying to find out what works for me.

chrissyv1024

Nesquick makes smaller bottles that are 100 cals.

staceyseeger

Try Shamrock Farms Rockin' Refuel Low-fat Chocolate Milk. It really helps after a hard run!

Lesa_Sass

I use Premier Nutrition- Net Carb - High Protein Chocolate Shake 160 calories -30g protein.

76tech

Truemoo chocolate milk is a staple for me after runs. It's awesome, you put that sugar to good use

candykay0605

I have heard it is good.. (& we all know its delicious!) .. However, its HIGH in carbs AND sugar! -- Should that sugar even count against you ? Thoughts?

a good friend of mine who just got out of the marines swears by chocolate milk. He said thats what they always had to drink after working out

candykay0605

Truemoo chocolate milk is a staple for me after runs. It's awesome, you put that sugar to good use

truemoo= awesome

gaberieger

Chocolate milk is very good for recovery. I was skeptical at first but I have read a few articles that prove otherwise. The one that comes to mind is from Alan Aragon (Men's Health). He was censored in a discussion thread where he was saying milk was better than Surge (or some product), so that prompted him to scribe a detailed comparison.
...
Went and found the link. It's detailed but a very interesting read nonetheless.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/an-objective-comparison-of-chocolate-milk-and-surge-recovery.html

Acg67

You don't even need a "recovery" shake/drink right after you work out

i'll defer to Alan Aragon on this

The postexercise "anabolic window" is a highly misused & abused concept. Preworkout nutrition all but cancels the urgency, unless you're an endurance athlete with multiple glycogen-depleting events in a single day. Getting down to brass tacks, a relatively recent study (Power et al. 2009) showed that a 45g dose of whey protein isolate takes appx 50 minutes to cause blood AA levels to peak. Resulting insulin levels, which peaked at 40 minutes after ingestion, remained at elevations known to max out the inhibition of muscle protein breakdown (15-30 mU/L) for 120 minutes after ingestion. This dose takes 3 hours for insulin & AA levels to return to baseline from the point of ingestion. The inclusion of carbs to this dose would cause AA & insulin levels to peak higher & stay elevated above baseline even longer.

So much for the anabolic peephole & the urgency to down AAs during your weight training workout; they are already seeping into circulation (& will continue to do so after your training bout is done). Even in the event that a preworkout meal is skipped, the anabolic effect of the postworkout meal is increased as a supercompensatory response (Deldicque et al, 2010). Moving on, another recent study (Staples et al, 2010) found that a substantial dose of carbohydrate (50g maltodextrin) added to 25g whey protein was unable to further increase postexercise net muscle protein balance compared to the protein dose without carbs. Again, this is not to say that adding carbs at this point is counterproductive, but it certainly doesn't support the idea that you must get your lightning-fast postexercise carb orgy for optimal results.

To add to this... Why has the majority of longer-term research failed to show any meaningful differences in nutrient timing relative to the resistance training bout? It's likely because the body is smarter than we give it credit for. Most people don't know that as a result of a single training bout, the receptivity of muscle to protein dosing can persist for at least 24 hours: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21289204

Here's what you're not seeming to grasp: the "windows" for taking advantage of nutrient timing are not little peepholes. They're more like bay windows of a mansion. You're ignoring just how long the anabolic effects are of a typical mixed meal. Depending on the size of a meal, it takes a good 1-2 hours for circulating substrate levels to peak, and it takes a good 3-6 hours (or more) for everythng to drop back down to baseline.

You're also ignoring the fact that the anabolic effects of a meal are maxed out at much lower levels than typical meals drive insulin & amino acids up to. Furthermore, you're also ignoring the body's ability of anabolic (& fat-oxidative) supercompensation when forced to work in the absence of fuels. So, metaphorically speaking, our physiology basically has the universe mapped out and you're thinking it needs to be taught addition & subtraction.

kelseyhere

First of all, yes, sugar always counts against you, even if it's after a workout.

The reason people say chocolate milk is a good recovery drink is because of the protein. After a hard workout your muscles need protein to re-build. If you use low-fat milk (or substitute unsweetened almond milk), add just a little bit of cocoa powder (no hershey's syrup!), and a teaspoon of natural sugar or a substitute like Truvia, you can keep it relatively low calorie and more healthy. Just don't get the premade milk at the store, that will not help you recover, just set you back.

Sp1nGoddess

Works for me but a protein shake is better IMO.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20482784

See 'CONCLUSIONS'

sjtreely

I think it depends on what you consider "recovery."

I often drink chocolate milke after a half marathon or longer training runs. But I don't on short runs.

I do drink more than chocolate milk after long runs, though. I eat a hamburger or some other kind of protein as well.

killagb

Once, I smashed my finger when my anabolic window slammed shut on it.

Meraai82

LOL, Love it! :laugh: