Is chocolate milk really a good recovery drink?

I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of 14 year old athletes and there parents last weekend.  It is amazing how what we view on television or in magazines influences us to make decisions about our diets. When it comes to post workout nutrition, many athletes have jumped on the band wagon of choosing chocolate milk as there recovery drink.  Great carbohydrates and protein right?  I love that these young athletes are thinking about how to fuel there bodies as a whole because what we eat before, during and post exercise really does make our health. So, how do I respond to chocolate milk being a good recovery drink? 
Just because a product has one or two ingredients in it like protein and carbohydrates which are important after a workout, we have to look at the whole product. Chocolate milk contains protein, carbohydrates and water but at what cost to our health?  Water is needed for hydration and the best form of water is plain old water!  Look at the amount of sugar in chocolate milk.  Whenever our body consumes this amount of sugar we produce a lot of insulin which sends our body into fat storing mode.  So if you are a 17 year old skinny kid that is trying to pack on the pounds for football, chocolate milk will give you the extra calories for sure!  This is why it has gained popularity as a post recovery drink.  It is geared towards quick weight gain.  When looking at the ingredients, chocolate milk has many artificial ingredients and it is acid forming.  This actually pulls calcium from our bones!  Young athletes need to be supplementing properly and encouraging healthy pH levels and the acidity from chocolate milk does not promote health.  The caffeine is a stimulant we want to avoid post workout.  We need our bodies to slow down and begin recovery.  Caffeine does just the opposite and basically takes the place of other healthier choices we could be consuming.  Focus on real foods, water from water, electrolytes found in coconut water, carbohydrates and minerals in bananas and other fruits and vegetables, protein in nuts and seeds, eggs and lean meats.  Whenever you are thinking of how to fuel your body, the closer we can stick to eating foods that have little to no processing, the healthier they are for us and our bodies will breakdown and absorb the nutrients efficiently.  Remember, nature gets it right.  The closer we stick to real food, the easier our bodies can breakdown and absorb before, during and recovery nutrition.  

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