Guest Blog by Mary Howley Ryan, MS, RD
Beyond Broccoli Nutrition Counseling, Jackson, Wyoming.

I thought I would contribute to the chocolate milk discussion. First, though I’m with Jannine in thinking one of the shakes she indulged in following her 50-mile ride sounds pretty darn good…especially at the Victor Emporium where I suspect she got it. The downside to a shake though is not the sugar. Sugar is easily absorbed and converted to glycogen following a long ride so that part is fine. Fat is the part that can mess things up in terms of filling you up before you can eat or drink enough carbohydrate to replenish your depleted glycogen (carbohydrate) stores. It’s like the spaghetti vs. lasagna thing. Lasagna is so high in fat that you often get full before you get enough carbs. If you aren’t planning to ride the next day it’s not a big deal but if you are doing a multiple day event or ride you may want to forego the shake or share it and supplement it with another source of carbs.

When I read about the small study that appeared earlier this year regarding chocolate milk as a recovery drink I couldn’t resist checking it out for myself. I play women’s recreational ice hockey and when we have tournaments we play 3-5 games during a weekend and it’s not unusual to play 3 games in one day. Depending upon the timing of the games, fitting a combination of carbohydrates and protein into the ideal post-game half-hour “recovery window” can be tough. I also know though, that fluid and carbs are most important to get ready for the next game so I try not to get too hung up on the fact that protein may not be as convenient. I have used yogurt drinks and bottled smoothies before and they seem to work well but chocolate milk just seems like so much more fun!

So, for the last two tournaments of this season I decided to test the “fun option.” Now obviously this was an uncontrolled experiment and I fully admit I wanted this to work for me, and I think it did. I suspect the yogurt drinks would work equally well for recovery if I were to be more scientific in my approach. Both beverages contain roughly 50 grams of carbohydrate and some protein as well as a smattering of minerals that can help stressed muscles. One nice thing about chocolate milk is that it’s easy to find. We often play in places where the closest stores to the rink and/or hotel are convenience stores. Also, if there are only large containers of it available I have no trouble finding a teammate that will drink the other half.

I love Monique Ryan’s (no relation) article about real food for recovery and fully agree that we don’t need fancy, expensive supplemental foods/bars/drinks for optimal performance. These products are convenient and some taste fine but despite what the advertisements would have you believe they are not magic. Of course, when you are reeling from and endorphin-induced high after a great ride, hike, climb, ski, or hockey game…even real food can feel like magic.