Here’s What a Nutritionist Says:
It’s probably thought of as a childhood drink, but chocolate milk might actually be able to help you recover after a workout.
The following written content by Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD
Most of my clients think of chocolate milk as a kid’s drink. But even adults may occasionally crave it as a comfort food. As you go to take a swig of the childhood favorite, you might wonder if chocolate milk can offer more than just nostalgia—perhaps some health benefits, too? Well, it’s tricky. Here’s the lowdown on the drink’s nutrients, as well what research says about how chocolate milk may impact your health.
Chocolate milk nutrition
Just like unsweetened, unflavored milk, chocolate milk is available in the forms of whole (3.5% fat by weight), 2%, 1%, and skim. Single-serve chugs of chocolate milk are often sold in the form of 1%. One 8-ounce container of Organic Valley’s 1% chocolate milk supplies 150 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 23 grams of carbohydrate with about 10 grams as added sugar, and 8 grams of protein. The portion also contains 20% of the daily value for calcium, 30% for the B vitamin riboflavin, 10% for potassium, and 15% for vitamins A and D. In short, while chocolate milk does provide some key nutrients, it also delivers a third of the recommended maximum daily intake of added sugar for women, based on guidelines from the American Heart Association. According to the USDA database, each 8-ounce cup of low-fat (aka, 1%) chocolate milk also provides 7.4 ounces of water, which contributes to hydration.
What if you use chocolate syrup to make your own chocolate milk: Is that any better or worse than drinking ready-made chocolate milk? It depends how little or much syrup you squeeze in, but probably not. That’s because one tablespoon of chocolate syrup (probably what most people would add to 8 ounces of milk) contains 10 grams of added sugar, same as what’s in 8 ounces of the pre-sweetened chocolate milk.
Chocolate milk and health outcomes
Really, when it comes to studies on chocolate milk and health outcomes in adults, research is lacking. So what we have to look at is research on the main ingredient of milk itself—not chocolate milk—and those findings are mixed. Read more from Health.
