Recover Like a Champion with Chocolate Milk

There’s no better feeling than crossing the finish line on race day. And after months of hard work, early mornings, aches, pains, sweat and pushing your body to the limit, there’s no better reward than treating your body to the best in recovery nutrition! That’s why I choose to refuel with chocolate milk. Not only does it have the ideal 3:1 ratio of protein and carbohydrates to help me to rebuild broken down muscles and refuel my glycogen stores, it also helps me to replace essential fluids and electrolytes (calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium) lost through sweat. It naturally contains 8 grams of high quality whey protein (the gold standard for recovery) per 8-ounce serving as well as essential nutrients (calcium, vitamin D, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, vitamin B12 and zinc) to keep me strong and help me to perform my best all season long.

Especially after hot races or training sessions, I find that a cold glass of chocolate milk hits the spot and brings down my core body temperature while giving me the nutrients I need to optimize recovery. I can drink it while stretching or driving home from the track or trail. Smooth, satisfying and delicious, chocolate milk removes the guess work when it comes to proper recovery nutrition. I never have to worry about expensive protein powders or smoothie combinations because chocolate milk naturally has everything I need in a convenient, ready-to-drink package.

This weekend, thousands of runners will gather in Virginia Beach for the Rock n’ Roll Virginia Beach ½ marathon. If you are one of those runners, look out for the BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK tent, where they’ll be passing out samples of chocolate milk from Maola Milk at the finish line. You train like an athlete, now it’s time to recover like a champion with chocolate milk!

Kristen Chang is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Specialist in Sports Nutrition and faculty member in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise at Virginia Tech. She is a competitive runner and triathlete and is passionate about helping athletes fuel their body for success and health.