Chocolate milk as a recovery drink

You might not need that high priced sports recovery drink after your next climb or hike.  Some recent research indicates that chocolate milk is an ideal post exercise recovery beverage.

- Caveat Emptor:  The study was partly financed by . . . you guessed it, the Dairy and Nutrition Council, Inc, a dairy industry marketing group.
- Try a Google search on

to see for yourself.
- If you want to give it a try, get chocolate soy milk at Trader Joes in convenient no-refrigeration-needed single serving containers.

From one web site:
“Feb. 27, 2006 — Chocolate milk is an effective postexercise drink that improves recovery, according to the results of a small, randomized trial reported in the February issue of the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.”

“Our study indicates that chocolate milk is a strong alternative to other commercial sports drinks in helping athletes recover from strenuous, energy-depleting exercise,” coauthor Joel M. Stager, PhD, from Indiana University in Bloomington, said in a news release. “Chocolate milk contains an optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio, which is critical for helping refuel tired muscles after strenuous exercise and can enable athletes to exercise at a high intensity during subsequent workouts.”