Summer has just begun, but it already feels like it’s flying by too quickly. Between work, sports, camps, going to the gym, and finding time to squeeze in some fun, my family is always on-the-go. We stay super active, so it’s important that we find time to eat healthy meals and snacks — especially after exercise — to keep our bodies fueled throughout the day.

I’ve found that having a recovery drink after my workouts has made a huge difference in how I feel the rest of the day. It restores my energy levels and reduces the amount of muscle soreness I have the next day. I’ve always heard that chocolate milk is a great recovery drink — after all, many world champions and Olympians claim that chocolate milk is their favorite go-to recovery drink — so I’ve been encouraging my teen son to drink it after his workouts and basketball games.

What Makes Milk a Great Recovery Drink?

After chatting with Leslie Bonci, owner of Active Eating Advice By Leslie and author of Sport Nutrition for Coaches, I learned that chocolate milk provides two recovery solutions: it helps restore fluids lost during exercise and it provides the ideal combination of carbs and protein to promote muscle protein synthesis.

After exercising the goals are to replace, restore and resynthesize. Replace the fluids and carbohydrate used during exercise with TruMoo Chocolate Milk, restore carbohydrate to the muscle and liver by providing foods that will replace glycogen, meaning foods such as low-fat chocolate milk, grains and fruits, and resynthesize protein stores with protein. TruMoo brings the protein to the glass to help with the recovery process. – Leslie Bonci

My kids love chocolate milk, especially my teen son. He drinks a glass just about every day, and now that he’s learned that chocolate milk is a great recovery drink, he has been drinking a glass after working out or playing basketball.

When it comes to chocolate milk, I want to make sure that I’m serving my family the best, which is why I love TruMoo Chocolate Milk. Made with low-fat white milk and brought to you by your trusted local dairy, TruMoo contains no artificial growth hormones, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial sweeteners and no artificial flavors or colors. It is the perfect option for the entire family, and with their single-serve bottle, it’s great when on-the-go.

TruMoo Chocolate Milk is the perfect post-workout replenishment and tastes great with no prep work required. It can also help kids meet their nutritional score by providing the protein, vitamins, minerals they need to thrive. Find it in a store near you.

I was curious what Leslie would recommend for a complete post-workout meal for someone who is looking to build lean muscle and she provided this helpful advice:

For added value especially after a strenuous weight workout and to build lean muscle, the recommendations are for 20 grams of protein post-exercise along with carbohydrate. An 8-ounce glass of TruMoo provides 20 grams of carbohydrate and 8 grams of protein so one could add a whey protein isolate (about 1/2 scoop) to the TruMoo to boost protein and also accompany with a small banana to expedite muscle protein resynthesis. – Leslie Bonci

I took her advice and made a protein shake with TruMoo Chocolate Milk the other day and it turned out great! It was super easy to make too. All you need is lowfat TruMoo Chocolate Milk, chocolate protein powder, half a banana and ice. Combine it all in your blender and blend until smooth. Then enjoy as a post-workout meal. Easy peasy!

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Chocolate Banana Protein Shake

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Refuel after your workout with this simple & delicious Chocolate Banana Protein Shake made with chocolate milk - the perfect recovery drink!

Print

Ingredients

• 1 cup low-fat TruMoo Chocolate Milk
• 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 1/2 banana
• 1 cup ice

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
2. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 316Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 178mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 4gSugar: 31gProtein: 21g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

TruMoo Twitter Party

Join us for a fun TruMoo Twitter Party on June 22, 2017 at 1 PM ET. We’ll be chatting with registered dietian Leslie Bonci (@lesliebonci) and giving away prizes, including $50 gift cards + TruMoo product coupons! RSVP here and use hashtag #TruMoo to join the conversation. Make sure you also follow @theMotherhood, @TMChatHost and @CooperMunroe. See you there!

Have you tried chocolate milk as a recovery drink?