Got Chocolate Milk? An Alternative to Sports Drinks

Need to replenish what was lost after a workout? Try a glass of chocolate milk. While often thought of as a kid’s drink, low-fat chocolate milk has the nutritional benefits to help you recover after a marathon run, according to a story in The Tennessean, which reports that the St. Jude Country Music Marathon & Half-Marathon in Nashville will be offering low-fat chocolate milk for the first time in its 13-year history, alongside water, sports drinks, fruit, and energy bars.

Many nutritionists and fitness mags are advocating chocolate milk for post-workout recovery, and you’ll find plenty of chocolate-flavored protein shakes. “Chocolate milk after a workout or after a run has got protein in it for replenishing muscles and more carbohydrates in the lactose,” said Jimmy Burkhard, a licensed nutritionist interviewed in the story.

Another expert quoted, Tracy Noerper, recommends drinking eight ounces of chocolate milk within two hours after a training run or after completing a marathon or half-marathon. She says chocolate milk has the right mixture of protein to carbohydrates.

Of course, the thought of drinking several glasses of something thick like milk might turn off a lot of people, but who doesn’t enjoy chocolate?

The Tennessean: Chocolate Milk Does Marathon Runners Good