Chocolate milk has been claimed as a great post workout recovery fuel and has even been researched to see if it lives up to the claim. Before getting into chocolate milk, let’s first review an athlete’s post workout needs in general. The below recommendations are general and you should work with your dietitian to get your specific needs calculated.
Fluids: American College of Sports Medicine recommends 23 ounces fluid replacement for every pound lost. If you are training in a hot climate and sweating more, you will be losing more weight via water losses during exercise than you would at more moderate temps or moderate intensity training. Not many people are weighing themselves to monitor fluid loss pre and post exercise, so as a general guideline we are looking for at least 32 ounces of fluid consumed 1-2 hours post exercise. If you know you are sweating more than normal, then you should be drinking more for adequate replacement.
Carbohydrates: It is recommended that you consume about 30 grams of carb per hour of moderate to high intensity exercise.
Protein: Looking for at least 20 grams of protein post workout for maximizing muscle protein synthesis. This does not need to be 20 grams all in one sitting, however should be done within a few hours of your workout. For example, 20 grams of protein can be 8 ounces of chocolate milk (providing around 8 grams of protein) and then your meal/snack that contains protein will complete your needs (a couple hard boiled eggs/cheese stick and almonds/peanut butter and jelly sandwich).
Electrolytes: Sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium are a few of the essential electrolytes that your body needs to maintain a healthy hydration level with adequate fluid intake. Your body loses electrolytes through sweat loss, urine, bowel movements, vomiting and through breathing.
Chocolate milk covers all the items listed above. One cup of chocolate milk (8 ounces) is typically 8 grams of protein, 29 grams of carbohydrates, and contains sodium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and more. It may not contain the ideal amount of each nutrient listed for every athlete, but it can be a great building block or initial re-fuel on the go or until the athlete is able to make something.
Chocolate milk has been studied as a recovery fuel and has been shown to be similar or more effective in recovery for endurance athletes when compared to conventional sports drinks. (A, B) There is also some research showing that chocolate milk may help decrease “delayed onset muscle soreness” but needs to be studied further. (C)
The purpose of workout recovery nutrition is to replace fluids, glycogen stores, and provide adequate building blocks for muscle protein synthesis. With that being said, “post workout nutrition” should be saved for moderate to high intensity exercise more than 45 minutes long. If exercise is less than 45 minutes or not at the “moderate” or above level, continue with your normal nutrition plan, nothing extra is necessary.
Many athletes like the routine and dependability of having something like chocolate milk as a starting point for post workout nutrition, able to mix and match their chocolate milk with whatever else they have on hand, knowing they have a great jumpstart to fulfilling their post workout nutrition needs. Start incorporating chocolate milk into your recovery nutrition plan to see how you respond to it.
Thomas K, Morris P, Stevenson E. Improved endurance capacity following chocolate milk consumption compared with 2 commercially available sport drinks. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2009;34(1):78-82. doi:10.1139/H08-137
Amiri M, Ghiasvand R, Kaviani M, Forbes SC, Salehi-Abargouei A. Chocolate milk for recovery from exercise: a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2019;73(6):835-849. doi:10.1038/s41430-018-0187-x
Cockburn E, Hayes PR, French DN, Stevenson E, St Clair Gibson A. Acute milk-based protein-CHO supplementation attenuates exercise-induced muscle damage. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2008;33(4):775-783. doi:10.1139/H08-057
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