Low Fat Chocolate Milk for Recovery

I don’t know how many times I’ve read about LOW FAT CHOCOLATE MILK being a good recovery drink after a run. Experts say that the high protein and high carb combination make it the perfect drink to replenish tired muscles and replace lost fluids during an intense or long run. It’s been mentioned so many times all over the web and in Runner’s World I wonder what took me so long to try it after a workout.

Oh, for one thing, the only low-fat chocolate milk I knew of was Nestle’s Low-Fat Chocolate milk in the refrigerator section of supermarkets. I grew up with Magnolia Chocolait (yes, I reached the one in bottles before) and loved it. In fact, when I was pregnant, I drank it like water and my OB-GYNE advised me to quit it after I gained all my pregnancy weight in the first few months.

You don’t know how happy I was to find it’s low-fat counterpart in the market years ago. Although less rich in flavor, it still appealed to me. I would drink it at home, but never as a recovery drink because I worried about its portability. Even if I kept it in a cooler, I worried it would spoil easily after a 2 to 3 hour run.

I also regularly drink Holly’s Low Fat Chocolate drink whenever I drop by Saturday Market in Alabang Country Club.  Again, I never dared to bring this along with me for a long run and risk spoilage.

Last week, I finally chanced upon a low fat choco milk in tetrapak: Anlene Low Fat Chocolate Milk.  This solved all my portability and spoilage issues. For one pack, a 250ml serving, it contains 150 kcal and 2.5 grams fat. Not bad. I bought two packs to try.

I drank one pack after my 18k long run last Saturday. I didn’t experience any soreness all throughout the day.

The following day, I ran 12k including a 10k tempo pace at Fort Striders Run. My legs felt great. Again, I drank my milk 15 minutes after the run.  (It goes well with heated Tuna Pandesal from Starbucks. Drool drool.)

The results? My legs felt fresh after both runs. I felt fine come Monday morning—as if I didn’t run at all over the weekend. Why didn’t I try this sooner?!

Yesterday, I bought 6 more packs of Anlene. Yey to good and quick recovery!  But, boo to my long term promise to myself to never buy anything made by Fonterra, the makers of Anlene.  (Don’t ask me why, but I just don’t believe in the company.)

So, here’s a suggestion to Nestle or Alaska: Why not manufacture low fat chocolate milk in tetrapaks? You would make a lot of runners very happy, including this one.

Related articles:

Got Milk? Try Chocolate After Your Workout – Fitnessmagazine.com
The Advantages of Chocolate Milk as a Recovery Drink – The Running Planet
Chocolate Milk Refuels Muscles After Workout – WebMD