Chocolate Milk: A Solid Post-Game Snack Choice

Looking for an inexpensive post-exercise or post-game snack that aids in muscle recovery, delivers several key nutritional components, tastes pretty good, and will make both young athletes and their parents happy with your choice?

Look no further than chocolate milk.

Now, some might say that I have an inherent bias towards chocolate milk due to my medical school and residency years in the dairy state of Wisconsin followed by work in California (another prime milk producing region).

However, when one looks at the science, chocolate milk carries a fair amount of support.

• Chocolate milk has about 26 grams of carbohydrate and 8 grams of protein for a carbo:protein ratio that is fairly close to the 4:1 figure touted by experts to provide necessary substrates for glycogen replenishment and muscle/tissue repair after exercise.
• Reviews comparing chocolate milk to other recovery drinks including water or sports beverages found that chocolate milk may be as effective if not superior in promoting post-exercise recovery specifically by increasing post-exercise muscle protein building with an increased time to exhaustion with exercise. 
• Chocolate milk can be viewed as a more accessible and more affordable recovery beverage for many athletes, taking the place of more expensive commercially available recovery beverages.

What's even more exciting is that not only does one get the benefits of post-exercise carbohydrate (this is one form of carbohydrate  intake that can be endorsed even by a low carb diet advocate such as me) and protein, but let's not fail to mention other essential nutrients found in chocolate milk:

• With about 150 milligrams of sodium and 425 milligrams of potassium in a typical 8 ounce serving. chocolate milk can replace sweat losses of these key elements.
• Chocolate milk also contains about 300 milligrams of calcium that is more easily absorbed that other forms of calcium in food or supplements. Given the importance of adequate calcium intake especially for teenage females (about 1500 milligrams/day), chocolate milk can provide a significant daily contribution.
• Vitamin D fortified chocolate milk can provide 100 international units of Vitamin D/8 ounce serving to acts as a  key component for bone health.

So when it comes time for your post-game snack duty, or if looking for a favorable post-exercise recovery beverage, again, look no further than chocolate milk and don't forget to take in a few final key thoughts:

• Best to drink chocolate milk within 30 minutes of finishing exercise.
• Low fat chocolate milk has been studied the most, though overall fat content should not affect carbo:protein ratio or amount of other nutrients.
• If cannot tolerate or allergic to cow-based milk, can try alternatives such as almond, soy, or rice milk products.
• Best if served cold to enhance enjoyment.

Debating the Low Carb Diet

If you read traditional sports nutrition guides, you will often find the following recommended distribution and amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats:

• Carbohydrates
  • Should be the majority (50-60%) of daily calories
  • Best sources are complex carbohydrates
    • Higher fiber multi-grain breads, pastas, and cereals
  •  Less emphasis on simple, higher sugar-based sources
    • Snack/dessert products, juices
  • Good pre-event sources, especially in higher amounts before endurance events (Carbo Loading)
• Proteins
  • Should be about 20% of daily calories
    • Meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, nuts
    • Dairy products
    • Cruciferous vegetables, tofu
  • Good data touting protein intake after exercise enhances muscle recovery
• Fats
  • Maximum of 30% of daily calories
    • Majority from unsaturated food sources
      • Nuts, fish, plant oils
    • Smaller amounts from animal-based sources
      • Meat and dairy products

However, there are now eloquent voices in the sports nutrition communities who are teaching a more low carbohydrate, higher protein and fat diet. I will ask you to review this podcast featuring the prominent exercise and sports medicine science expert Dr. Timothy Noakes.

Proponents of the low carbohydrate diet focus on the concept of carbohydrate intolerance where excessive carbohydrate intake (especially of processed foods) contribute to higher rates of snacking with subsequent increased risk of diabetes and overweight obesity.

Who is or might be at risk for carbohydrate intolerance?

• Anyone who is gaining weight on a high carbohydrate diet
• Family or personal history of diabetes 

What foods must be reduced/avoided?

• Carbohydrate-laden processed foods
• Breads, rice, pastas, oatmeal, grains
• High amounts of high-fructose fruits
• Juices, sodas, sports drinks,
• Crackers, chips, pretzels, cookies
• Potatoes and other starches

One would increase meats/poultry/fish and nut sources along with vegetables and dairy products. Concerned about the increase in cholesterol? Those who support the low carb/high fat and protein diet will argue that lowering blood sugar amounts is more beneficial to heart health and outweighs the risk of higher cholesterol amounts.

If interested in a low carb diet, what are recommendations to put it into place?

• Please discuss first with your medical professional, especially if you have diabetes or any other medical concerns
• Do you totally avoid carbohydrates?
  • Not recommended- rather reduce daily intake, perhaps from the usual American diet intakes of 300+ grams of carbohydrate/day to maybe 100-150 grams of carbohydrate a day
• Start reading labels- use the Carbohydrate gram amount (not percentage numbers) to guide you
• When starting, reduce eating outside the home to control content of food choices
• Monitor weight, hunger, and energy levels in the first few weeks

I post this to encourage thoughtful consideration about the on-going debate of appropriate carbohydrate intake and how each individual can best adjust their intake to optimize long-term health and athletic performance.