Chocolate Milk post workout?

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I have read from several sources that low fat chocolate milk is just as effective in recovering from a workout as a protein shake, smoothie, etc. Does any of you guys drink chocolate milk after workouts? If so what brand? I am trying to find a good one low in sugar. Or is it better to mix chocolate with regular milk? Any suggestions help :)

Any other religious post workout beverages?
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Replies

  • Kagard11
    Kagard11 Posts: 396 Member
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    I use 1 tbs. Hershey's syrup (50cals) in 1/2 cup 2% milk (50 cals).
  • amcoppins
    amcoppins Posts: 1 Member
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    I drink Dark Chocolate Silk Pure Almond Milk. It is super delicious!

    My dad is a marathoner, and he always drinks Nestle reduced sugar Powder mixed with milk after his runs.
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
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    I love chocolate milk. I like to drink it after a workout. As for the brand, I drink different kind. It depends on the sale.
  • CharlieLopez2005
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    You might try Silk's unsweetened almond milk (35 calories per cup, zero-net carbs) mixed with IsoPure vanilla (0 carb whey protein isolate). Of course, even the best protein shakes pale in comparison to real, whole meats like fish and chicken.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    For most people a pwo "recovery" type shake or drink is unnecessary

    Here's Alan Aragon's take on it
    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.
  • wsr94
    wsr94 Posts: 14
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    I have heard this too. I am wondering why chocolate milk? What makes it more special than regular milk??
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
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    I have heard this too. I am wondering why chocolate milk? What makes it more special than regular milk??
    Carbs.
  • JaimeBrown5
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    I use 1 tbs. Hershey's syrup (50cals) in 1/2 cup 2% milk (50 cals).

    pssst... 2% milk is 65 calories for a half cup. Search it in the database - it's consistent across all the brands.
  • bnice2every1
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    I think this became popular because 'they' wanted kids to drink milk after sports rather than sugary sports drinks and the thinking was that kids would more likely drink chocolate rather than white milk.
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
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    I think this became popular because 'they' wanted kids to drink milk after sports rather than sugary sports drinks and the thinking was that kids would more likely drink chocolate rather than white milk.
    Not true, do some research on the subject, it's the mixture of carbs and protein and the sugar content that makes it good.
  • Saezimmerman
    Saezimmerman Posts: 93 Member
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    Milk has plemty of potassium as well as protein and the sugars. For me, the electrolyte replacement is rarely necessary but my mom tends to have low potassium so she swears by it.
    The chocolate is just to make it yummy.

    Give Heshey's special dark chocolate syrup in Promised Land fat free milk a try. That's one of my new favorite deserts.
  • spartacus69
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    Interesting. And yet, as Acg67 points out above, Aragon himself says post workout drinks are largely irrelevant "unless you're an endurance athlete with multiple glycogen-depleting events in a single day." Most people here are not likely in that category.

    Skip the sugary stuff.
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
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    Interesting. And yet, as Acg67 points out above, Aragon himself says post workout drinks are largely irrelevant "unless you're an endurance athlete with multiple glycogen-depleting events in a single day." Most people here are not likely in that category.

    Skip the sugary stuff.
    Doesn't really hurt you, assuming you have the calories to expend. Only an issue if you're depriving yourself somehow or eating too many calories.
  • bnice2every1
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    I was just doing some reading - chocolate milk does have more carbs to replace glycogen stores. If your workout is high intensity such as a marathon, chocolate milk might be better for you. If your workout is more moderate, than white milk may be sufficient.
  • klbaierwalter
    klbaierwalter Posts: 309 Member
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    I do 8oz of the meijer 2% reduced fat milk, with a tablespoon of hershey's sugar free chocolate syrup. It's 138 calories. I measure my milk out in a cup on my scale and then add my tablespoon, mix and deliciousness ensues.
  • cjmas
    cjmas Posts: 63
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    I drink 6 ounces of organic 1% chocolate milk after long-ish runs (5+ miles) or Insanity workouts. The brand differs, depending on if I buy it at Vons or Trader Joe's, but I do always get organic.

    I don't know if, scientifically, it makes a big difference, but I'm typically not hungry after a workout.... until I get super hungry an hour or two later. This helps me curb ravenous feeling I'll get later, without forcing myself to eat immediately.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    I like Ovaltine with a cup of skim milk (and have found one brand that is 10 calories less than all the others - weird!). I don't always have it after a workout or run, depends on how I feel and how long before I'll get breakfast. During the school year, I workout early before I take my kid to school - the milk holds me until after I've dropped her off (and sometimes I'll go for a walk or run after that) until I can eat breakfast.
  • danikie
    danikie Posts: 1
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    I've started drinking the Cosco Kirkland Chocolate Milk after Zumba or Intense bike ride and I find it's been helping. I was finding that after a harder workout I couldn't really stomach much food but once I ate, I would have a huge drop in energy. Since I've started with the chocolate milk I don't have the crazy dip in energy and don't get ravenous a few hours later. Not sure how much of it is in my head but it seems to be doing the trick.
  • stephmo422
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    The main reason for chocolate milk is because it is the perfect 4:1 carbs to protein ratio, which is best for post workout. That comes out to like 50grams carbs to 12grams protein I think, so you can get this ratio in another way, or through food. Watch the calories though. I would suggest only drinking the chocolate milk after intense workouts, not just a stroll in the park - lol... It's good for muscle recovery, especially after an intense lifting session or after a long run.

    A couple other reason for chocolate milk - water replenishes water lost through sweat, but milk also provides a little sodium to help you retain water and it also has calcium.