Milk, Chocolate -- Does a Body Goodby Heather Long | More from this Blogger 16 Mar 2006 08:00 AM When most adults think about exercise, they imagine working out in the gym on a treadmill or lifting weights. But for children, exercise means playing and being physically active. Kids exercise when they have gym class at school, soccer practice, or dance class. They're also exercising when they're at recess, riding bikes, or playing tag. There's a lot we can learn from our kids. Exercise doesn't have to be a grueling workout. It can actually be a lot of fun too. Another thing we can learn from our kids is to drink chocolate milk. That's right - chocolate milk. I read this news article on a recent research study that showed the benefits of drinking chocolate milk after a strenuous workout. Compared to a typical sports drink like Gatorade, they have high carbohydrate content and it helps restore the glycogen to the muscles. The replenishment between the two drinks is similar, however milk provides B vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus and bone-building calcium. Chocolate milk is an ideal restorative for our children and for teenagers because it provides them with the building blocks of growth while restoring the nutrients they need after intense physical workout. Unfortunately, it's a much higher calorie count than a sport's drink so for those interested in weight loss - chocolate milk is not the best thing to be drinking. The study took into account the fact that the first 30 to 45 minutes after a workout are the most crucial time to replenish your body and getting the carbs into your system. So as you encourage fitness in your family, especially in your children - remember that chocolate milk is a good idea for them. Learn more about Heather Long  Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago. Relevantfitness tags Kids | Food | family | parenting | children | holidays | relationships | weight loss | pregnancy | ideas User Comments  bluetree (2947) 16 Mar 2006 03:46 PMIf the chocolate has HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup) in it, it's not healthy in any way.  Carson Hopkins (790) 16 Mar 2006 03:49 PMI know many people who don't drink soft-drinks with caffiene but down chocolate like water. Too bad chocolate has caffiene in it.  Heather Long (16954) 16 Mar 2006 04:18 PMTrue -- chocolate does have caffeine, but this is a recent research study and the focus was for kids and teens -- especially those looking to be more active --chocolate has plenty of beneficial qualities for women as well, but no it's not what I would call a 'health' food -- just a good way to get nutrients into kids and teens who are being highly active.  Anna Glendenning (4234) 16 Mar 2006 08:51 PMI agree with the fact that chocolate milk is an excellent choice for children. Not all children need hyper restricted sugar intake. Our son in fact is hypoglycemic and some sugars are actually helpful to his overall moods. Something I never would have expected given all the down with sugar information. I have been giving him a cup of chocolate milk in the mid afternoon with a high carb snack and his moods are much more stable in the late afternoon because he is NOT having super low blood sugar. His Ped recommended chocolate milk and I nearly fell out of the chair hearing such a thing! But it has proven to be the thing he needs in that part of the day and He loves it. Heather Long (16954) 16 Mar 2006 09:35 PMAnna, Thanks for sharing that info. My daughter drinks chocolate milk in the morning before school. She hates eating food -- she's too much like me and doesn't want a meal that early. But when she skips chocolate milk she crashes and gets out of hand, whereas if she has it -- she maintains a great mood and she's very, very active in her mornings. Even more so than in the late afternoon when she will eat lunch and a snack. Community Tags chocolate, chocolate milk, kid's favorite, milk, nutrional values Discuss this article
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