can someone tell me why chocolate milk?

chinadolly

I've been getting into weightlifting pretty seriously. I'm lifting 4 days a week, 1.5 hours and cardio 3-4 a days minimum of an hour. All my research on after workout eating suggests chocolate milk as a recovery drink. I'm not interested in protein shakes, or whey powders or the like, i'm looking for an all natural way to go that is affordable. But why choc milk? why not just plain old white milk? does the added sugar from the choc make that much difference? anyone have the answer?

PedalHound

Good for you on the healthy lifestyle! I was curious, why do you feel that protein shakes are unnatural? The protein available in whey protein powder is highly bioavailable, and is the remnant product of making cheese (after the curds are removed). The liquid is then dried and voila, you have whey powder. If you're considering drinking chocolate milk (which is higher in carbs than regular milk and is therefore touted by many as a great post-workout snack), whey protein powder is certainly a more natural option (when you consider the sugar, other additives and frequently even artificial colour found in commercial chocolate milk). Just my two cents but I thought I'd throw it in there

sandy429

When you exercise anaerobically (weight training, high end of intervals, etc.), you burn blood sugar and glycogen. If you give it your all for about an hour, you'll probably deplete both of those resources. The carbs rush in to replenish that blood sugar & glycogen, and the protein gives the muscles a head start on resynthesis.

The carb:protein balance should be between 3:1 and 5:1 to work optimally. If you take in more protein than that or you add fat or fiber, it slows the absorption of the carbohydrates and you miss the post-workout window of about one hour during which nutrients are absorbed readily.

Another alternative is apple or grape juice (not orange juice -- too much acid interferes with the absorption), and a couple of tablespoons of vanilla protein powder.

staceyw37

thanks sandy! my dh and i were just talking about this.
:flowerforyou:

visiologist

Yes it's important to replenish the glycogen you've burned in your workout with carbs, but the REAL magic of a proper recovery drink is this:

Your muscles need protein immediately after a workout to start repair/rebuilding of damaged muscle fibers. Protein can only be utilized by your muscles when there is a high level of INSULIN in the bloodstream - insulin facilitates uptake of amino acids by muscle fiber cells. The 4:1 carb (sugar, really) to protein ratio of a recovery drink is the perfect combination for this. The sugar creates an insulin spike and the protein can then rush in to rebuild your muscles.

Chocolate milk is not bad as a recovery drink I guess, but make sure it's nonfat. Fat will slow the absorption of the carbs and protein. You want immediate absorption.

Mike

Nich0le

basically, you want to eat something within 15 minutes to a quick recovery and to start fueling for your next workout. LOWfat or nonfat chocolate milk are recommended because it has carbs and protein and it is FAST. You can chug a glass on the way to the showers, basically.

for more you can watch this video
http://www.runnersworld.com/video/1,8052,s6-22-0-6,00.html?bcpid=2884342001&bclid=1515735608&bctid=13474015001

or log onto runnersworld.com/fastnutrition

chinadolly

Thanks all for the info you were all very helpful. As far as the protein and whey powder go, I don't feel the need to yet add tha to my diet regime just yet, in fact the chocolate milk as it is will be a huge step, since I usually don't eat or drink anything but water for at least 2-3 hours afterwards. I'm slowly learning, my trainer at the gym, who was a pro bodybuilder told me that i'm not on a level of fitness that would require me to take any kind of supplements just yet. I decided on 1% chocolate milk, can't handle the non fat one, makes me gag..lol :laugh:

HealthyChanges2010

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