Chocolate Milk - Recovery Drink

[mimitabby]

my DH drinks chocolate milk on a long bike ride, but it isn't his ONLY drink. He also drinks fancy electrolyte drinks, water, and ensure. after a while you get sick of any one thing...

[Fredwina]

do you have something like the "Nutrution Facts" labels that are required here in the US? They bascially tell you the Calories in a Food, %from fat, carbs, and protiens, and any vitaman/mineral info. That should tell you if Choco and Strawberry milk are equals Re:recovery

[Thorn]

But isn't there something about the anti-oxidant properties of chocolate that also play into it? Or is it really just the protein and sugar values?

Personally, because I tend to believe that the only form of chocolate is in the solid, dark chocolate, I've learned to justify milk chai (iced or hot depending on the weather) instead of chocolate milk after rides. Protein from the milk, sugar from the chai mix and all those good antioxidant properties of tea...and I'm sure that the spices are also good for me somehow.

[alpinerabbit]

Actually tea with milk is less effective than tea alone. Have a piece of chocolate some other time.

I just don't know how important it is to always, always live healthily....
I also like a beer after riding, and a glass of wine with my pasta when I refill the glycogen stores. Beer has been shown to be an excellent recovery aid.

[Thorn]

Actually tea with milk is less effective than tea alone.

Sniffle...snifffle...bummer....and I thought it was such a great justification for the chai!

Oh, well, then I guess I'll have to agree strongly with your statement, "I just don't know how important it is to always, always live healthily...."

P.S. I loved the quote site...

[Bklynmom]

I think the whole point of the Chocolate milk recovery drink is that it's an excuse to drink something you love. If you don't love chocolate milk, maybe there's something you do really like that fills the bill (or you could make it fit the bill ).

I personally love the taste of Endourox R4 , which I usually use. My family think it tastes awful, and that I have lost my mind, but after a tough ride it's delicious to me. I find it also completely brings my appetite back to normal (from ravenous) and I don't eat huge ammounts of food 2 hours after a ride.

Beer sounds good to me too - someone once suggested a shandy which is half beer half lemonade (may only taste good if you are in the UK). I find a beer after a ride makes me fall asleep almost immediately, which can be a good thing.

[ehirsch83]

the carb to protein ratio in chocolate milk is what you need as a recovery drink. I drink low fat chocolate milk( i alternate between chocolate milk and hammer recoverite). The carbrotein ratio in lowfat chocolate milk is about 3:1

[RoadRaven]

But isn't there something about the anti-oxidant properties of chocolate that also play into it? Or is it really just the protein and sugar values?

Don't know how many antioxidants will be in chocolate flavoured milk, unless the flavouring is from chocolate/cocoa

Alot of the flavoured milks have a high sugar count but my guess is a low antioxidant count.

I think its more the milk as a key factor in recovery - and a hard ride being a good excuse to drink something you enjoy.

[Aquila]

Interesting! I'm learning so much.

What do you folks think of chocolate soy milk? It seems to really hit the spot after a ride, but I wonder what others find?

Thanks!

[Zen]

Alot of the flavoured milks have a high sugar count but my guess is a low antioxidant count.

That's why you drink it. It's been found to have the optimum carb (sugar) to protein ratio for recovery.

I drank half a quart of 1percent last night and it did indeed hit the spot.

The anti-oxidant properties you're thinking of are only found in dark chocolate, and only small amounts, like one baking square size, are needed.

[Reesha]

I love chocolate milk after my rides. It's refreshing and pretty good for me too! Generally though I try to avoid brands like nesquik that use a lot of high fructose corn syrup in them and look for those that use regular sugar. Hood and Stewart's brands are both good for that.

During, I'd rather keep my electrolytes up so no chocolate milk for me. But a gatorade will do it if I take a break.

[Tri Girl]

I'm sure I'm just repeating what everyone has said- but I agree with the chocolate milk recovery drink from a recovery viewpoint (and I don't especially love it- but I think it worked).
Last summer when I was training for an IM- I drank 16 oz of chocolate milk after every long Saturday (those were days when I swam, biked looong, and ran). In a training book I read, it recommended it for long endurance sessions because of the carb/protein ratio. It suggested (and I used) 16 oz skim milk, 2T chocolate syrup and 6T sugar (I only used 5T of sugar because 6 was too much- and I know it's a lot of sugar- but again- it's the ratio that's important and when I was burning 2500-3500 calories those days I didn't have to worry about the calories).
I was NEVER sore after any of my long workout Saturdays (the longest of which was a 9 hour day). Between that and the ice bath I took when I got home, I was able to recover quickly and go out on Sundays for my long runs with no problems.

Not saying it works for everyone, but it worked for me. I can't imagine that strawberry would be any different, but I'm not sure. I also used some Ensure drinks (or Boost) as a substitute somtimes.