Milk – a Superfood.

Milk is extremely Nutritious!

It is more hydrating than water due to its high water content (85%) and electrolytes Eg: Phosphate and Sodium, which we lose in sweat.
Milk is a source of all essential amino acids and up to 16 essential nutrients.

1 pint of milk:

• 20g of protein: Which is enough to stimulate your muscles to their maximum.
• 87% of our daily Calcium: Important for strong bones & teeth, muscle & nerve function
• 77% of our daily Phosphorus: Important for bone development & macronutrient utilization
• 100% of our daily Iodine: Important for thyroid health & cognitive function
• 93% of our daily Riboflavin: Which helps release energy from food
• 45% of our daily Potassium: Important for heart health, nervous system and kidneys
• If fortified: 100% of our daily Vit D & 85% of Vit E.

Some people get confused when it comes to sugar content in milk. The guidelines encourage us to reduce the “added sugars” in our diet. The sugar that is found in milk is a natural sugar called Lactose, it is a slow-release sugar and doesn’t fall into the category of ‘added sugar’, therefore, it is nothing to be concerned about.

If you are lactose intolerant, lactose-free cow’s milk is available to buy in supermarkets, which can be a great alternative.

Milk is not only great as a rehydration aid but also great post-exercise due to its 4:1 carb to protein ratio. It can help replenish glycogen stores and provides protein, which is important in repairing muscle damage caused by exercise. For these aspects of recovery, milk is at least comparable and often outperforms most commercially available recovery drinks, but is available at a fraction of the cost.

Chocolate milk- Both tasty and convenient, has been found to be at least as effective at promoting carbohydrate store rejuvenation as traditional sports drinks. Another study shows that drinking chocolate milk between workouts can increase your time to exhaustion.
In male weightlifters, milk ingestion post-exercise has also been shown to promote greater gains in muscle protein and a reduction in fat mass than drinking the equivalent amount of a soy beverage.

Be mindful that most plant/nut-based milks don’t have the same protein/ mineral content as cow’s milk, check out the nutrition labels before purchasing