Tag Archive for Athletic Performance

Will Milk make you Fat or Skinny?

chocolate milkI’ve been meaning to do a post on milk for a while, and I got a great email this morning that compels me to do it immediately:

Debbie,

Am I insane to find this article absolutely absurd?!?!?! I don’t know what to believe anymore. I just don’t want to be fat. Apparently this is too much to ask for. Feeling very discouraged after reading this.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/10/30/benefits-chocolate-milk-after-your-workout/

You might have seen this article, or other articles referring to it, touting the fact that when they compared athletes who drank either chocolate milk, Gatorade, or water after a cycling workout, the ones who drank chocolate milk had better recovery.  Makes sense.  Milk has casein (long lasting) protein and whey (fast acting) proteins, fats for cell membrane repair, vitamins and minerals, and the sugar in the chocolate can be used for glycogen “refueling”.  Gatorade’s pure junk ( have you read those ingredients? ), and while water is great, and it’s all I drink after a workout (with some Apple Cider Vinegar added), it doesn’t have any fat, protein, vitamins, or minerals.  (ps, I workout a lot, and I’m fine without “recovery meals/drinks”)

Here’s the facts:  after a workout, your cell doors are more “open” to glucose/blood sugar.  Fact:  that’s only if you actually USED the glycogen/blood glucose that was stored in a muscle cell.  If you didn’t use it, it doesn’t need any more.  There’s a VERY FINITE amount of glycogen/glucose/sugar/blood glucose we can store.  VERY FINITE.  If you’ve eaten a big bowl of oatmeal, a banana, and a glass of orange juice for breakfast, you have about 81 grams of carbs/sugar/glucose in your blood.  (sugar/carbs, they all get broken down to C6H12O6 / glucose, whether they’re from grains, vegetables, beans, fruits, whatever, they all get broken down in the gut to glucose. That’s the guts job, break food down to it’s smallest component.)

Four grams of carbs = One teaspoon of sugar/blood glucose. ( I’m using these words over and over to drill in that a carb is a sugar is a carb is a glucose……) .  That breakfast yielded about 20 teaspoons of sugar.  20.  20 teaspoons of sugar.  Your blood ONLY wants about 2 teaspoons, your liver Only wants about 2 teaspoons. Blood sugar gets used to build NOTHING.  Everything else needs to be dispensed with.   If you just worked out, or just woke up, you have some empty muscle cells that can use the sugar/glucose.  Maybe your liver stores are a little empty too.  ALL THE REST OF THE EXCESS GLUCOSE GETS MADE INTO TRIGLYCERIDES AND STORED IN YOUR FAT TISSUE.

So what do I think about milk??  I think raw, unpasteurized, grass fed milk is a Super Food.  Organic milk from grass fed dairy is great; organic milk from grain fed cows is good.  Whole Milk is the ONLY milk you should be drinking, studies show that people who drink whole milk are thinner, and you can only absorb the fat soluble vitamins WITH FAT.  Google it.

Here’s my issue with the “chocolate milk”; undoubtedly, the kind used in these studies was junk.  Here’s the ingredient list for Hershey’s chocolate syrup:

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP; CORN SYRUP; WATER; COCOA; SUGAR; CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVE); SALT; MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES; XANTHAN GUM; POLYSORBATE 60; VANILLIN, ARTIFICIAL FLA VOR

There’s NO WAY anyone could think these chemicals and sugars could be good for ANYTHING.  Food’s either poison or medicine.  This is poison.  If you want chocolate, buy a good cocoa, and add a little stevia or honey.  There’s enough carbs in the milk (lactose) to refuel your muscle cells.

About the milk making the athletes perform better?  Absolutely!  What’s your activity level?  If it’s low, you don’t need many carbs.  If it’s high, you get to consume more.  Make them GOOD CARBS:  vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.   Still confused?  Test your blood sugar with a glucometer.  If your numbers are over 100, STORAGE IS HAPPENING; unless you’re working out, then some of your muscle cells can use the blood sugar for fuel.  ***** If blood sugar is high, fat doesn’t get used nearly as much for fuel,( hence, the reason for weight loss on a low carb diet – the low blood sugars increase fat burning).  And the whole “you need carbs for energy – like bread and pasta” OMGOSH NO.  Do you know how many athletes now shun bread and pasta and thrive?  It’s becoming more normal IMG_2751than ever, thank goodness.  Check out professional triathlete Ben Greenfield if you’re interested.  Here’s a pic of my 49 year old hubby, who drinks a half gallon a day of raw milk.  ( it does his body good!)  I consume at least a quarter to a third of cup of raw cream every day.

Back to the milk question.  Everyone’s body is different.  These studies showed improved athletic improvement. Other studies show that whole milk drinkers are thinner than skim milk drinkers.  Bottom Line:  NO ONE GOES WRONG WITH REAL WHOLE FOOD.