Milk.... The Perfect Recovery Drink?

Athletes of all abilities are looking for marginal gains, for the added extras that will improve their performance. When exploring marginal gains, diet is one of the first areas to look at. And athletes who are spending lots of time training, travelling and competing need to ensure they have a diet that is meeting their nutritional demands. They often turn to supplements as a quick fix to filling any nutritional gaps. Trying to fill these gaps with a natural source will not only be a cheaper approach, but may also be a healthier one, and some natural foods may also provide nutritional benefits beyond those intended.

Milk is one of these foods and may well be a suitable alternative to many sports drinks on the market. In terms of recovery products, there is none better than milk!

What is milk made up of?

Milk is a nutrient dense food containing lactose, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins and water. Lactose, the major carbohydrate present, is essentially only found in milk. Milk contains a number of specific proteins, but the most common is casein, which compared to other proteins is very digestible in the intestine. Like eggs, milk also provides all nine essential amino acids. Calcium and phosphorous are the major minerals found in milk, and there are relatively small amounts of most other minerals required by the body, including zinc, magnesium, iron and copper. In addition, compared to other beverages, milk contains relatively large quantities of the electrolytes sodium, chloride and potassium. Milk contains varying quantities of many vitamins, including the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, found primarily in the milk fat.

Milk and performance

Due to issues relating to ease of consumption, the speed of release and the palatability of milk, it is less popular as a sports drink immediately before and during exercise and commercial sports drinks often become the preferred choice. But it's as a recovery drink that milk really comes into its own, and elite athletes often consume bottles of flavoured milk or milkshakes immediately after training or competition.

Post Recovery Nutrition

Many athletes will be familiar with the ‘golden window’, the period 30-60 mins immediately following exercise, during which nutrition can aid recovery. Refuelling correctly during this period is vital to those who may be training or competing more than once a day.

Recovery includes a number of processes, and milk can play a role in all of these:

1. Refuelling the muscle and liver glycogen stores (carbohydrate):

Athletes should aim for around 1g carbohydrate per kg of body weight to help refuel after exercise. Around 600ml of milk will provide 50g of carbohydrate, approximately the same amount as around 500-700ml of a sports drink (depending on the brand).

2. Replacing the fluids and electrolytes lost in sweat:
Athletes should aim to replace around 150% of their sweat lost during the 4-6 hours after training or competition. They should also replace the electrolytes lost in sweat, to ensure that fluids taken on board aren't just excreted in the urine. As well as being 87% water, milk is also a source of sodium, potassium and magnesium, all important electrolytes. Some but not all sports drinks contain electrolytes.

3. Manufacturing new muscle protein, red blood cells and other cellular components as part of the repair and adaptation process:
Early intake after exercise (within the first hour) of essential amino acids from good quality protein foods helps to promote protein rebuilding. Though research into the optimal type (e.g. casein versus whey), timing and amount of protein needed to maximise the desired adaptation from the training stimulus continues, most agree that both resistance and endurance athletes will benefit from consuming 15-25g of high quality protein in the first hour after exercise. Adding a source of carbohydrate to this post exercise snack will further enhance the training adaptation by reducing the degree of muscle protein breakdown. Around 300ml of milk contains 10g of naturally occurring protein and amino acids.

4. Allowing the immune system to handle the damage:
Ensuring adequate carbohydrate stores before exercise and consuming carbohydrate during and/or after a prolonged or high intensity workout has been shown to reduce the disturbance to immune system markers. The carbohydrate reduces the stress hormone to exercise, thus minimising its effect on the immune system, as well as also supplying glucose to fuel the activity of many of the immune system white cells. Milk provides a good source of protein and carbohydrates as well as a number of key vitamins and minerals to enhance the immune system and support overall health.

Milk can play a role in all the key recovery processes, is a naturally occurring product, supplies a number of key nutrients, and is cheaper than many sports drinks and recovery supplements. It could well be the best sports drink available!

Helping recovery from late training and competition

With more and more clubs struggling to get time in sports facilities, many athletes are face training, competition or matches late at night. I've known many swimming clubs have pool time 9-10pm (and then followed by a 7am morning session), and was recently expected to be on court for a match for 9.15. This provides an athlete with a few challenges- Motivation, fueling, and then recovery so that the athlete is able to train again efficiently the next day, especially if it is an early start.

So how can athletes best fit their preparation and recovery at this time at night in order to be able to train or compete at the best, and be able to recover quickly and effectively?

1) Be prepared- You will have a time table or schedule which will give you notice when these late sessions may be. Make sure you are aware of this, especially if its not frequent so you can get ready. Plan your day, and meals so that there is one less thing to think about.

2) Try to understand how long your body needs between a meal and training. Individuals will vary, but you should allow at least an hour between the meal and training time. If you know it will be an intense training session or match, try to have small snacks at regular intervals to top up energy levels. This would also apply to those who struggle to stomach meals before they have to train and compete, or those who suffer with nerves.

3) Be flexible with your meals. Perhaps have a larger, later lunch which is high in carbohydrate and then have smaller snacks closer to the game or training and after the match.

4) As its later, an athlete may struggle to replace their fluid needs before they go to bed. So athletes should try to ensure they start the match or training session hydrated as normal, paying more attention to taking fluid on board than they normally would. At the end of the match or training session, again attention should be paid to replacing fluid losses, taking a drink with them to bed that they can drink if they wake during the night.

5) Even though it is late, attention should be paid to a post recovery snack or meal. There may be little or no appetite, but in order to help recovery there should be something consumed immediately after which is high in carbohydrate to help restore carbohydrate used in exercise and a good source of protein to help muscle repair. This should be approximately 1g Carbohydrate per kg of body weight.

Some good choices for smaller recovery snacks before bedtime which are quick and easy:

• Healthy Breakfast Cereal and Milk 
• Milk and Banana
• Yoghurt and fresh fruit
• Wholegrain bread- as toast with jam. Or as a sandwich with a light filling
• Jacket Potato with filling- Tuna & Sweetcorn, Chicken, Baked Beans

Milk and Eggs: Nature's Best Recovery Foods

Over the coming months, as part of our nutrition theme, we'll be featuring some main food groups, outlining their role in sports nutrition, and sharing ideas of how they can be added to the diet. To kick us off, this week we cover milk and eggs, two of the best (and cheapest) sources of protein available.

Nature's best

Both milk and eggs contain all the essential amino acids in the correct proportions.  As the main food to sustain animal life before birth (eggs) and after birth (milk), it is unsurprising that both foods are nutrient rich.  In addition to protein, eggs are also a good source of vitamins B2, B12, D, E, folic acid, iron and a substance called choline which is involved in fat transport and in the production of phospholipids, an important component of cell membranes.  With a perfect blend of amino acids, as well as high levels of calcium (essential for bone health and the prevention of stress fractures), and other nutrients involved in metabolism and tissue growth, milk is the perfect recovery drink.

Unfortunately, despite their nutritional value, both eggs and milk have received bad press.  Eggs are high in cholesterol, though there is little evidence, if any, to link consumption of eggs with heart disease.  Milk is often advised against because of its high fat content, though a glass of full fat milk contains less saturated fat than a couple of biscuits.  Cow's milk is also, unfortunately, not tolerable by all, and dairy allergies and lactose intolerance is common.  Both foods do have important roles to play in the diet, and below we suggest some alternatives.

EGGS

The eggs of almost all birds, reptiles and turtles are edible, and most are eaten somewhere in the world.  Indeed, many are a delicacy.  The egg of the common hen, however, is by far the mostly widely available and commonly eaten egg in the West, and it is hen eggs that we will focus on in this piece.

The majority of the egg's nutritional value is found in the yolk, though the white is also a good source of protein, has no cholesterol, and contains very little fat.

Cholesterol and eggs

Eggs are high in cholesterol, but eating eggs doesn't usually contribute significantly to blood cholesterol levels; foods high in saturated fat have a much greater affect.  Egg are low in saturated fat, and egg whites don't contain any cholesterol, and can be used unsparingly in the diet.

Checking for freshness

Shops should only sell eggs less than 21 days old.  They are safe to eat up to 28 days, if kept in the correct conditions, though fresher eggs are better for certain dishes.  If you are unsure about the age of an egg, there are a number of ways of checking its freshness.  The simplest way is to place an unbroken egg in a glass of water.  Fresh eggs will sink straight to the bottom; older, but still safe to eat eggs will sit in the middle of the water, and old eggs, which should be thrown away, will float to the top.  The appearance of the yolk and white of the egg will change with age.  When broken onto a plate, a fresh egg will have two distinct layers to its white, and a rounded yolk.  The layers of the white merge and the yolk flattens with age.  The final test for freshness is the smell test.  Bad eggs have an unmistakable, unpleasant, sulphorus smell.

Storing eggs
The shell of the egg is porous, making it vulnerable to bacteria and odour contamination.  Storing eggs in their box, or in a special egg compartment in the fridge, away from fish, will help protect them from smells.  Fresh eggs can be stored in a well ventilated place, at less than 20°, for up to a week, or in the fridge for 3 to 4 weeks.  Refrigerated eggs should be brought back to room temperature before cooking.

Beaten eggs, in a container loosely covered with cling film, can be stored in the fridge for 1 to 2 days.  Whole, shelled eggs can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days.  Egg whites can be frozen in an airtight container.  They should be defrosted in the fridge and used immediately.  Cooked eggs can only be stored if they are fully cooked.  Shelled eggs can be loosly wrapped in cling film and stored in the fridge for 1-2 days.  Hard boiled eggs which are left in their shells will develop an unappetising blue-grey ring around the yolk.

Egg safety
Some eggs may contain the salmonella bacteria, which, if not completely cooked or pasturised, can cause serious illness resulting in abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Mayonnaise, ice cream and mousse are based on raw eggs.  While commercial versions of these product use pasturised eggs, home-made versions may carry a salmonella risk. At-risk individuals (children, pregnant women, the elderly), as well as athletes in the run-up to an important competition, should minimise their salmonella risk, and avoid raw or undercooked eggs.

Cooking eggs
Eggs' real value comes in their versatility.  They can be boiled, fried, poached or even baked on their own, mixed with some milk and seasoning (and optional other ingredients) and scrambled, or simply turned into an omelet.  They can be eaten hot or cold, and used to increase the protein content of a number of dishes.  They also form the basis of quiches, frittatas and tarts.  Egg-based recipes such as quiches and omelets are also a great way to use up leftovers, though beware of the high saturated fat content of any recipe using pastry.

While frying is the simplest way to cook an egg, it's also the least healthy option, because of the fat involved in the cooking process.  Poaching or boiling are much better options.  Poached egg on toast makes a simple, cheap and nutritious recovery snack, while cooked hard boiled eggs are a great addition to salads and sandwiches.

The Bord Bia (Irish Food Board) website has a range of great egg recipes that you might like to try.

MILK
Cow's milk, with its slightly sweet, mild and subtle flavour is the most popular form of milk used for human consumption, though the milk of other animals, including goats and sheep, and milk made from plants such as soya, rice and almonds can also be consumed.  Commercially available milk usually comes from Frisian cows, though the milk of Jersey and Guernsey cows, richer in flavour, higher in fat and darker in colour, is also popular.

Recovery food
As mentioned previously, milk's perfect balance of protein makes it an ideal recovery drink.  It also contains some sugars for refueling, and a lot of water and the electrolytes sodium and potassium to help with rehydration.

Read more: http://stronglifts.com/milk-post-workout-build-muscle-gains/

Milk makes a tasty recovery drink on it's own, as part of a banana or chocolate milk-shake, or added to a fruit smoothie.

Milk and saturated fat
Full fat milk has gained a lot of bad press, particularly in relation to it's saturated fat content.  While it is true that whole or full-fat milk contains just over twice the fat content of semi-skimmed milk, it's worth putting the fat values into context.  A 200ml glass of full fat milk contains 7.8 g of fat; approximately the same as two chocolate digestive biscuits.  Semi-skimmed milk is a good choice, as it has approximately the same protein, carbohydrate, vitamin and mineral content as whole milk, with half the fat, but those who prefer the taste of full fat milk shouldn't get hung up on it's fat content - just skip one of the chocolate digestives instead!

Skimmed milk typically has half  the calories, a fraction of the fat and most of the vitamins and calcium of full fat milk, but is low in the fat-soluable vitamins A and D.  It is therefore not suitable for young children.

Alternatives
Goat's milk is a good alternative for those with a diary alergy.  It has a stronger flavour and is less widely available, but has a similar nutritional content, is easier to digest and contains less lactose than cow's milk.  Soya milk, made from pulverized soya beans, is suitable for vegans and those with lactose intolerance.  It has a thicker consistency than cow's milk, and has a slightly nutty flavour.  It curdles in very hot coffee and tea.

Buttermilk, traditionally made from the thin, unstable liquid left over after making butter, but more recently made from fermented skimmed milk and milk solids, is particularly low in fat.  It is, however, not to everyone's taste.

Storing milk
Milk should be stored in the fridge.  It usually lasts no more than 3-4 days in the fridge after opening, irrespective of its use-by date, and can quickly sour when the weather is very warm.

Calcium and iron - not the perfect mix
Calcium is one of the substances which can affect iron absorption.  To maximise absorption, avoid drinking milk at the same time as you take iron supplements or eat iron rich foods.

Do you have any milk or egg-based recipes that you'd like to share?  We'd love to hear from you.  Just add suggestions as comments below.