Fifty Plus (50+) - Chocolate Milk as a recovery drink...

OK guys, I do not take medical advice nor training suggestions from newspaper articles, BUT this article caught my eye. Especially the carbohydrate-to-protein ratio, and the calories and amounts of Na and K in both the chocco and Gatoraide..

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/Good+news+chocolate+lovers+Chocolate+milk+good+sports+drinks+replenishing+female+athletes/6406052/story.html

Anyone ever read anything similar? Or is this just a slow-news-day article?

Very old news and discussed extensively before. Yes, chocolate milk works as a recovery drink although I prefer Muscle Milk.

Seems to work for me.Look foward to it at the end of a hard workout.Also i don't seem so hungry after i drink a recovery drink such as chocolate mike,that is what i have been using.Easy to make and usually stuff is right there at home to make it.

Regular milk works well and is what I use.

NOT for the lactose intolerant though. Ouch!

Although I'm not lactose-intolerant, the taste of regular milk makes me sick! I come from an Asian heritage, so there likely is a small measure of lactose-intolerance, and although my parents fed me milk as a kid (dad was American), I never liked it. I still find it strange that adult humanoids would drink the milk of another species, but who am I to argue with tradition or results?

Chocolate hides the taste of everything (at the food processing plants where they make cake mix, any powder that gets accidentally dumped onto the plant floor becomes chocolate), so I must admit I really like taste of chocolate milk, and I can eat ice cream with no problem. And you can't argue with the calcium content. But a large part of the effect is due to the high sugar content, which you need to increase your glycogen storage capacity during the short carbo-load window after the ride. I think the secret is to have chocolate milk plus Coca-Cola (good for creatine-phosphate system), and to LAY OFF THE BEER until a couple hours later when you have dinner.

Works for me. I can't bonk now if I tried.

Luis

http://www.gotchocolatemilk.com/

Regular milk is good for protein but recovery requires carbs too, best consumed in the 30 minutes after a ride. It's the sugar in chocolate milk that provides carbs. If you want to kick it up a notch, add some whey protein powder. I use vanilla flavored whey isolate with stevia sweetening. Only do this if you believe you need the extra protein. It's recommended that 50+ athletes get 0.7 to 0.9 gm of protein per pound of body weight, which you might not be hitting, especially if you're also restricting calories to lose weight.

Cycling past 50. J. Friel
Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes. M. Ryan.
Racing Weight. M. Fitzgerald

I'll also mention that a good alternative chocolate milk is kefir, which is kinda like drinkable yogurt. Most supermarkets carry it.

Here's one brand: http://www.lifeway.net/Products/Kefir.aspx

Chocolate milk has all four food groups: sugar, salt, fat and caffeine (okay to substitute alcohol). what could be better, besides ice cream?

A good slug of water, followed a little later by a glass (or two) of orange juice (real orange juice, not the immitation stuff). I've always found the biggest concern to be simple dehydration, and never been too concerned with all the electrolytes/minerals/salts/proteins/carbs gobble-de-gook thats pushed in the media.

Chocolate milk works for me.

I'm actually a bit more fond of a Dairy Queen German Chocolate Blizzard as a recovery drink. About four times a year, I make sure my ride ends in a DQ parking lot with my wife waiting for me with the bike carrier and we each get one. ;)

I have rides that take a lunch break at Tim Hortons (iconic Canadian donut//bagel chain), and given that I hate donuts, don't like Tim Hortons coffee, muffins or cookies, chocolate milk is the perfect mid-ride snack for me. In fact since I discovered it, I don't even mind stopping there rather than at one of the other places. Works post-ride as well.

Still drinking Chocolate Milk for recovery. Didn't we just do several pages on this one? Oh well it still tastes great and makes me feel better, but only in 2% or no fat versions.

Bill

Old school recovery drink = chocolate milk

Old school energy bar = peanut butter & jelly sandwich

I have rides that take a lunch break at Tim Hortons (iconic Canadian donut//bagel chain), and given that I hate donuts, don't like Tim Hortons coffee...

Ah, a Canajun after my own heart! Off topic, but I've always thought that there are two kinds of coffee drinkers in Canada: Those who prefer Starbucks, & those who detest Starbucks & prefer Tim's.

And the corollary is that those who prefer Tim's tend to have rather bland tastes, prefer their steaks well-done and with potatoes EVERY night, etc. Starbucks people tend to prefer micro-brewed beer, a good scotch served neat, medium-rare steaks burnt on the outside in a reduction served with grilled vegetables, Thai and Italian cuisine, etc. You get the idea.

Luis

I luvs me some chocolate milk; I "recover" even when I don't need to (couple times a week)!

V8 Fruit Smoothie (Strawberry/Banana) is comforting, too.....

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. . .PB/J. . . . . . . . . . .

Ah, a Canajun after my own heart! Off topic, but I've always thought that there are two kinds of coffee drinkers in Canada: Those who prefer Starbucks, & those who detest Starbucks & prefer Tim's.

And the corollary is that those who prefer Tim's tend to have rather bland tastes, prefer their steaks well-done and with potatoes EVERY night, etc. Starbucks people tend to prefer micro-brewed beer, a good scotch served neat, medium-rare steaks burnt on the outside in a reduction served with grilled vegetables, Thai and Italian cuisine, etc. You get the idea.

Luis

You forgot to mention gelato, organic salmon (just a little translucent in the middle, please) and raw milk cheese.

:)

I don't drink a lot of milk, but I have found chocolate ice cream works well after a ride, too.

When I started riding brevets a veteran gave me this post-ride guidance: chocolate milk, cookies, and sleep. That's some of the best advice I've ever heard.

NOT for the lactose intolerant though. Ouch!

http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/04/13/83/09/0004138309601_500X500.jpg

beautiful, isn't it? :)

not relevant, but maybe someone would be glad to know:
http://www.breyers.com/handlers/imagehandler.ashx?id=18&type=large

Regular milk works well and is what I use.+1 I used to drink a glass of chocolate milk after a ride but I am cutting sugar out now so it is regular milk.

Lactaid tablets (and generic copies) completely eliminates all symptoms of lactose intolerance, and allows me to be the ice cream addict I am :-)

I like the V-Fusion fruit/vegetable drinks for an after-ride drink.

Protein. I do 1/2% milk. Chocolate milk is nice for certain snacktimes and especially well along with a peanut butter on whole wheat sandwich prior to a long distance ride.