chocolate milk for recovery ? yes or no

Chocolate milk for recovery, yes.  Chocolate milk anytime, yes.   I guess I am one of the few who is older yet shows no sign of being lactose intolerant.

The interesting thing I found was that the study draws the line at those who drink 3 glasses of milk daily.

Here's the breakdown of nutrition for 3 cups (8 ounces...what I assume is a "glass") of fat free, 2% and whole milk.  Daily value based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Skim - 258 calories, 0 fat, 0 saturated fat
2% - 366 calories, 15g fat (21% daily value), 9g saturated fat (45%) daily value
Whole - 438 calories, 24g fat (36% daily value), 15g saturated fat (69%) daily value

So think of it that way as far as the study pointing out those that drink a lot of milk being more at risk to cardiovascular disease.  If you drink that much milk everyday, and intake that many calories and fat...are you compensating the rest of your diet to make sure you're still balanced?  And if not (the rest of your diet being equal)...should you be surprised that if you take in an extra 100-150 grams of fat in per week than the guy who drinks water that you are the one that ends up with heart disease?

Everything in moderation...3 cups of milk per day is a lot unless you're adjusting the rest of your diet.

Nectar of the gods when things start to go wrong in a longer race.

I enjoy low-fat chocolate milk after a long workout.  Admittedly more of a guilty pleasure or 'reward'  than anything else.

Mark

At a ph of 6.5-6.7, it's only mildly acidic.  To put it in perspective, aloe vera (ph 6.1), white bread (ph 5.0-6.2), and sweet potatoes (ph 5.3-5.6) are all more acidic.  In any event, being acidic doesn't make something unhealthy.  Pretty much all fruits and vegetables are considerably more acidic than milk.

Low fat chocolate milk tastes good, is very convenient, and at between 3:1 & 4:1 carb to protein ratio, it provides close to the optimum macronutrients to support recovery.  That article won't deter me from using it occasionally for recovery.  It would take an accumulation of additional studies to develop consensus to change my mind.

I didn't say it was for everyone.  You're citing specific issues for specific individuals' sensitivities.  Many people can be lactose sensitive without being lactose intolerant.  I don't make blanket statements about something being good for everyone.  Instead, I encourage individuals to learn what their sensitivities are, and adjust their diet accordingly.  Consumption of milk products in the ways we're discussing here are the perfect example of something that can work well for one person, but cause issues for another.

as far as acidity goes, you need to look at the process that you body uses to break down proteins, not just the acidity of the milk in its undigested state.

Funny story about that.  My son and I are type 1 diabetic.  On a road trip we stopped at McDonalds and got hot chocolate.  We asked the manager if he could tell us how many carbs were in the hot chocolate so we could give insulin accordingly.  He said just a minute -- he had to find the carbs for the chocolate milkshake. The McDonald hot chocolate is simply a heated chocolate milkshake.  Wow.

But to answer the chocolate milk question.  For me, no, it's a calorie issue, chocolate milk has way too many for me.  If I need that many calories, I'd rather just eat a meal with protein and carbs, I don't like to drink them.

Can you provide references to back up this statement?