Every athlete and fitness addict has their favorite post workout snack or drink–maybe it’s a protein shake, a sports drink or a granola bar. I was always partial to cottage cheese or a handful of almonds, but now I’m going to put another item on the list–milk.
Milk helps rebuild muscles. In fact one 2007 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared the effects of three different drinks on building muscle and burning fat after weight lifting workouts. Milk drinkers saw the best results after training five days a week for 12 weeks. The moo juice helped them build 60% more muscle than the carbohydrate drinkers and 40% more than the soy drinkers. And they lost almost 2 pounds of body fat.
So the next time you need to nosh after the gym, reach for a muscle-building glass of milk. Or mix up a smoothie. Try this recipe filled with antioxidant-packed acai juice, green tea, blueberries and more.
Hey there,
Because I’m a fan of this site, thought I’d share a teensy disagreement about this particular post. While I’m not addressing the muscle building aspects of milk, per se, I do want to point out that milk is not a recommended source of calcium anymore. In fact, countries with high dairy — milk — intake also have the highest incidents of osteoporosis. Here are two links to some articles on this topic — the first is from the Harvard School of Public Health’s web site (where my brother got his doctorate in nutrition, which is why I have even a passing interest in this) and the second is from a much more biased source. That said, the second article quotes John McDougall, Neal Barnard, T. Colin Campbell and Benjamin Spock (Dr. Spock), and they’re all, I think, pretty reputable sources on this topic.
Keep up the great advice!
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/calcium-full-story/index.html
http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/print.asp?ID=147
I’m with Hisao on this one. I’m not a huge fan of dairy at all. There are tons of other sources of calcium and protein that don’t slow your digestion to a halt. Most people have some adverse effects from dairy in general. I’m sure it’s a great way to build muscle, but so is eating chicken.
Hi, hope this comment works I’m still somewhat new to this whole blogging thing.
great post! I stumbled on your blog while
looking for other people’s weight loss stories. I’ve actually just started blogging about
my weight loss success story – I lost over 30 pounds in a month
with a diet I developed!
I would love it if you could visit my weight loss blogand tell me what you think.
Warmest wishes,
-Joan
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