Leaving off from last week, my teeth are still in need of repair, and I am still facing a wall in terms of what to drink. Now in no was my blog refuting what Gatorade claims to provide. I am a huge believer that it rehydrates and replenishes what the body loses from physical activity. What I am looking for, is something that provides the same things that Gatorade does, but will not make me worry about the harm that I will be doing to my teeth.

Before I get into my findings, I shared my results with a few of my teammates from Team XO and Oregon Track Club Elite last week after writing my blog. One of my teammates admitted to "drinking Gatorade immediately after brushing his teeth", which I found amazing. Another one of my teammates, a rather close friend of mine admitted laughingly to actually using Gatorade as a mouth wash substitue for bad breath. I can't make fun of him too much because I actually have done the same thing many times. Rushing out of hotels during college and not having enough time to brush, Gatorade was a huge help and it tasted splendid!

So I did some research. I first anticipated finding flavored waters, or even other low calorie sports drinks to top the list. This was not in fact the truth, as even many other flavored waters are packed with sugar! Just this past week I tested some out including Sobe Life Water, Snapple antioxidant water, and even the very popular Vitamin Water. They actually are pretty good, but thinking that these are waters, one wouldn't think that they have a tremendous amount of sugar in them. In fact they almost the same amount of sugar as the regular Gatorade flavors themselves.

So the Vitamin Enhanced waters were out of the question. I then thought of the waters the type of waters that Gatorade and Powerade and other sport beverage companies produced, and even included the G2 which Gatorade has which cuts the sugar in the sports beverage tremendously. In terms of sugar, these beverages are tremendous and offer very low calorie and low sugar solutions. I was very impressed by Gatorade's line which includes Propel, which I am drinking around the clock just because I like the taste. I found Propel Calcium on the shelf the other day which not only includes Calcium for bone health but also a good amount of B Vitamins for energy. Here is the problem with Propel though. Even though it is low on sugar and has tremendous benefits of calcium and B vitamins, it doesn't seem to do what I want it to do, which is act as Gatorade would. Propel is good at hydrating and giving you a boost of energy, which means to me that it would be an excellent during workout beverage, but it doesn't replenish and refuel the way that the traditional Gatorade does with its electrolyte advantages.

The problem with G2 is that it tastes like watered down Gatorade. It also doesn't taste all that great to begin with. Bevnet.com likened G2 to the vitamin water category. Which is something that I am not looking for. So after Propel and G2 I still am stuck with something to replace, refuel and rehydrate the way I need it to, but also with the added necessity of low sugar. I thought I was asking for a miracle until I came across something I never thought about, Chocolate Milk.

It actually wasn't hard at all to find information that supported these findings. A quick search on google yielded dozens of results supporting these claims from research.

Fox News - But a group of scientists recently discovered that one of the most effective drinks to help athletes recover after exercise is the same thing moms across America have been giving their kids for years. A simple glass of chocolate milk.

CBS News - The study, published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, was small in scale; it was partially funded by the dairy industry. But dietitians say the study should help to counter the notion that high-tech, expensive supplements are better than whole foods when it comes to athletic performance. They also note that milk contains key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, in quantities that sports drinks can’t match.

Chocolatebytes.com - Just as periwinkle is the new blue, chocolate milk is the new Gatorade. Sports nutrionists are now saying chocolate milk provides many benefits for endurance athletes. The proteins and carbohydrates found in chocolate milk help athletes maintain their energy levels and recover after events. In fact, a 2006 study in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism reported that cyclists who were given chocolate milk 30 minutes after a workout recovered more quickly than those who were given a sports drink.

Slashfoods.com - The article cites a study set to be published in International Journal of Sports Nutrition in which researchers compared the effects of sports drinks like Gatorade and Endurox R4 with chocolate milk when given to “elite” cyclists. The milk was as effective as Gatorade and twice as effective as Endurox.

Now here is where I challenge you to take this test. I have not yet tried the experiment myself yet, though I suppose I should. I have been working out twice a day and have been feeling quite fatigued at the end of the day. This past week we had two workouts in one day on the track, and I know that this experiment could have been a good test there. So this week, I will drink Chocolate Milk in between workouts and see what the big fuss is about. You try it too. Make sure to give yourself enough time for your body to digest the milk and take it in, which means don't try back to back workouts in a half hour, but rather let a few hours set in between that first and second workout. Let's see if this thing works!