Chocolate Milk: The Ultimate Sports Drink

Elizabeth Karides

Chocolate milk. Most people like it for its rich taste and sweet flavor. However, what if I told you this chocolaty beverage could do more for you than just satisfy a sweet tooth. Well, you might be surprised to hear that chocolate milk offers a wide range of health benefits — especially to athletes!

With the Green Hornets and high school basketball season underway, athletes all over are in need of a great drink to fuel up with after a strenuous day on the court. When you play hard, you lose essential nutrients like calcium and protein. These nutrients are critical for the development of strong muscles and healthy bones. Fortunately, they can be restored in the body with a helping of low-fat chocolate milk 30 minutes after your workout. However, strengthening your muscles is not all that chocolate milk is good for. The potassium it supplies combats muscle cramping and it being a source of Vitamin A means chocolate milk improves your eyesight and helps your body fight infection!

At this point, you might be wondering, how does chocolate milk compare to the other sports drinks out there? Well for one thing, popular sports drinks contain far more sugar, which can contribute to tooth decay — especially in children. In comparison, the righteous combination of the muscle-building nutrients available in chocolate milk does wonders for the health of your pearly whites. But don’t take all these benefits of chocolate milk from me; take it from NBA star Klay Thompson: the face of the Built with Chocolate Milk campaign. This Golden State Warrior believes this rich dairy product is essential when it comes to taking your recovery routine seriously and has partnered with the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) to send out this message.

So, the next time you're looking for a drink to refuel with after a tiring day of playing hard, consider supporting Maryland’s dairy farmers by picking up a bottle of chocolate milk!

Elizabeth Karides
2021-2022 Maryland Dairy Princess
Severna Park High School student