Drinking chocolate milk after exercise can help you build muscle and lose fat? Nutritionist answers…

Friends who have the habit of exercising must have heard the saying: "A glass of chocolate milk after exercise is great for replenishing carbohydrates and protein, and can help build muscle and reduce fat." But is it really that magical to drink chocolate milk after a workout? Is it necessary to replenish carbohydrates and protein after exercise? Nutritionists say that the key to whether or not to eat after exercise actually lies in: what type of exercise do people do and what is the purpose?

Should I eat after exercising? For those who want to lose weight or do aerobic exercise, it is more important to supplement beforehand.

Nutritionist Ou Zixuan said that before formally discussing whether it is good to drink chocolate milk after exercise, it is better to first talk about whether you should eat after exercise and how to supplement. Generally speaking, if the purpose of people's exercise is to successfully lose fat, then it is recommended to choose aerobic exercise for at least 40 minutes. For those who want to lose weight, they need to pay attention to their diet. If they do not feel hungry after exercise, in addition to replenishing water and electrolytes, they do not necessarily need to replenish carbohydrates and protein. This is because studies have shown that aerobic exercise in a short period of time will not cause excessive consumption of amino acids, unless this endurance exercise lasts for more than 3 hours.

On the contrary, in order to increase endurance during training, it is recommended to supplement a moderate amount of foods containing sugar and beneficial for replenishing glycogen 1 to 2 hours before exercise, such as low-fat, carbohydrate-rich fruits and cereals, as snacks to avoid excessive consumption of glycogen and a sudden drop in blood sugar during exercise. It is also a good choice to help exercise longer and avoid hunger after exercise.

Is the purpose of exercise to build muscle? Protein and carbohydrates should be supplemented within 4 hours after activity

However, if the purpose of exercise is to increase muscle mass, that is, to build muscle, it is recommended to choose weight-bearing resistance training to stimulate muscle tissue so that it can grow through a process of destruction, repair and reconstruction.

If you want to effectively increase muscle mass, in addition to weight-bearing resistance training, you must also supplement nutrition after training. When the body's demand for protein increases, you must provide appropriate raw materials, such as well-absorbed protein, to effectively increase muscle mass.

If you want to effectively increase muscle mass, in addition to weight-bearing resistance training, you must also supplement nutrition after training. As the body's demand for protein increases, you must provide appropriate raw materials, such as easily absorbed protein (amino acid supplements, eggs, chicken breast), to effectively increase muscle mass. It is worth noting that the process of weight training will also consume a large amount of glycogen stored in the muscles. If it is not replenished as soon as possible, it may lead to reduced muscle endurance and affect the next exercise performance. Therefore, supplementing carbohydrates is also very important.

In fact, many foreign research materials have pointed out that after weight-bearing resistance training, nutritional supplements should be carried out within the golden time of 4 hours after exercise. If the period exceeds this period, the synthesis of muscle protein will be greatly reduced; especially if the nutrients needed by the body can be correctly supplemented within 1 to 2 hours after exercise, it can more effectively enhance the body's physiological functions for repair.

Is it important to replenish protein and carbohydrates after exercise? Human muscle synthesis is essential

However, why is it so important to properly supplement protein and carbohydrates after exercise? Nutritionist Ou Zixuan explained that in addition to protein being an important raw material for breaking down into essential amino acids for the human body, providing branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), and helping muscle synthesis, moderate carbohydrate supplementation can also help muscles replenish the glycogen consumed during exercise, preventing muscle endurance from deteriorating without affecting the next exercise performance.

In addition, moderate intake of carbohydrates after exercise can stimulate insulin secretion and help protein absorption and recycling. Therefore, based on the above two reasons, adequately supplementing protein and carbohydrates after exercise is absolutely essential for friends who want to gain muscle!

From a nutritional perspective, the ratio of carbohydrates to protein in the formula of commercially available chocolate milk is approximately between 3.5 and 4.5:1, which is similar to the formula of many commercial sports supplements.

Drinking chocolate milk stick after an intense workout? These reasons are key

As for chocolate milk, which is easily available and relatively affordable, is it a good choice for people to replenish carbohydrates and protein after engaging in resistance exercise? Nutritionist Ou Zixuan said that in the past five years, there have been many sports nutrition studies on endurance athletes (cycling, swimming, marathoning) in international journals, which found that drinking low-fat chocolate milk in moderation between two high-intensity exercises does have a positive effect on subsequent exercise results and physical fitness.

If we look into the reasons in detail, we will find that from a nutritional point of view, the ratio of carbohydrates to protein in the formula of commercially available chocolate milk is approximately between 3.5 and 4.5:1, which is similar to many commercially formulated sports supplements. In addition to the fact that milk itself is a good source of high-quality protein, the lactose in milk is a disaccharide; combined with other monosaccharide seasonings such as sucrose and fructose, it can help the human body's muscles replenish the glycogen they need.

Most importantly, in addition to protein and carbohydrates, chocolate milk can also help the body replenish the water and salt (electrolytes) lost after intense exercise. Therefore, based on the above reasons, a moderate glass of chocolate milk after resistance exercise is indeed a very convenient and suitable nutritional supplement for those who want to gain muscle. But for those who exercise to lose fat, it is relatively not suitable.

Nutritional supplements after exercise: less than 300 calories and less additives are preferred

However, nutritionist Ou Zixuan also reminded that although nutritional supplements are important after high-intensity exercise, it is still recommended that dietary calories after exercise should be moderately controlled. Generally speaking, the total calories of nutritional supplements after exercise should be controlled within 300 calories. Therefore, it is recommended that when people choose supplements after resistance exercise, it is best to choose products with lower lipid content and without excessive chemical additives.

In addition to chocolate milk, steamed sweet potatoes, potatoes and other grains and root vegetables commonly found in convenience stores, paired with tea eggs, boiled eggs, or a can of low-sugar soy milk, are also a good combination for replenishing carbohydrates and protein after exercise. The only thing to remind you is that in addition to protein and carbohydrates, it is equally important to moderately replenish the water and electrolytes lost by the body after sweating.