Oberweis Low Fat Chocolate Milk
This past summer it seemed like every sports magazine or nutrition blog carried an article about using low-fat chocolate milk as a sports recovery drink. The articles were based upon several recent studies, including one from the University of Connecticut’s Department of Nutritional Sciences and two from the University of Texas at Austin. The University of Texas study was the most interesting since it dealt specifically with cyclists. The bottom line for cyclists is that if you drink a 16-ounce glass of low-fat chocolate milk within 30 minutes after a strenuous ride your muscles will recover faster, you will build more muscle and shave off more fat during training.
For distance cyclists finding something that will speed up recovery time is like finding the Holy Grail. I am 52-years old and the last time I drank chocolate milk was in high school, however, after reading the aforementioned studies I decided to give chocolate milk another try. The only part of the studies that made me hesitate a bit was the emphasis on low-fat chocolate milk. When I hear the phrase “low-fat milk” I immediately think of something like “milk-flavored water.”
My first three attempts at finding a good brand of low-fat chocolate milk were not successful since all I could find were bottles of 2% or 1% low-fat. Even a bottle of 1% low-fat milk has far too many calories from fat for me to even consider drinking. I was finally able to find a fantastic product at a local dairy store that suited my needs perfectly: Oberweis Low Fat Chocolate Milk. I believe this product is only available in Oberweis retail stores, but it is certainly worth the effort it might take to find one (sorry, but they seem to only have stores in the upper Midwest).
In addition to great tasting chocolate milk, here is what you get in a 16-ounce glass: 180 calories, 450mg of sodium, 16g of protein, 26g of carbohydrates, and a boatload of vitamin D and calcium. This product has no added sugar. To avoid selling milk that reminds you of water, Oberweis adds carrageenan to this product (carrageenan is a vegetarian alternative to gelatin). I don’t know if you will ever find a low-fat chocolate milk as good as Oberweis at your local dairy, but you owe it to yourself to try to find out! I also realize that my personal experience with using low-fat chocolate milk as a recovery drink is highly subjective, but it really does seem that I am able to recover after a long ride faster since I switched from protein bars to chocolate milk (though I still use the protein bars when I forget to stop at the dairy).
Tracy Wilkins
October 7, 2011 at 11:05 AM
I’ve been drinking chocolate milk as a recovery (or even in the middle of a long ride) for years. You’re right, however, in that you can consume a lot of calories very quickly if you’re not paying attention. Sometimes, however, that’s not a bad deal…..
All Seasons Cyclist
October 7, 2011 at 11:12 AM
I’m not sure how I’d react to drinking milk during a ride, but I feel like a kid again when I have a glass at the end of a ride!
Bike Souls
October 7, 2011 at 11:38 AM
Hysterical! I just participated in the Big Dam Bridge 100 in Little Rock and they had chocolate milk at the end of the ride. Riders were laughing and mocking the chocolate milk stand. Perhaps the BDB 100 was onto something!
All Seasons Cyclist
October 7, 2011 at 11:54 AM
I don’t usually associate Little Rock with being on the “cutting edge,” but I might have to reconsider!
jenkakio
October 8, 2011 at 8:39 PM
How interesting. I would never thought of low-fat chocolate milk as a way to recover my body. Like you, the last time I drank chocolate milk was in high school, so the likelihood of it being in my house is very slim. I’m going on a bike ride tomorrow, so I’ll be sure to pick some up tonight.
All Seasons Cyclist
October 8, 2011 at 10:10 PM
The sad thing is that you probably weren’t even born when I was in high school (back when the globe was still cooling and dinosaurs roamed the earth).
jenkakio
October 9, 2011 at 3:08 PM
HAHA, true, but high school is timeless. What happened in your high school, probably happened in mines.
russ sage
May 15, 2013 at 8:58 PM
One high level cyclists that touted chocolate milk as a good recovery drink was Kristin Amstrong, top U.S. finisher in the 2004 Summer Olympics in the women’s road race in Athens and winner of a gold medal in in the 2008 Summer Olympics in China in the women’s road time trial.
If it’s good for her it’s got to be good for me…..