Refuel, rehydrate and recover
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.
