Consider skipping the sugary sports drink and instead refueling post-workout with a bowl of cereal and nonfat milk. Researchers at the University of Texas found in a small study that the breakfast favorite is just as good as sports drinks at aiding muscle recovery. They asked 12 trained cyclists to pedal a stationary bike for two hours at a comfortable rate and then to either swig a sports drink or down a bowl of cereal. An hour later, blood samples and a muscle biopsy revealed that the cyclists’ muscles had equally replenished glycogen stores and produced proteins, regardless of which post-exercise snack the athletes ate. In fact, some aspects of protein synthesis were better in the cereal-and-milk group than in the sports-drink set. Another bonus: Cereal and milk are cheaper—and a better source of protein—than the drinks.
Source: Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, published online May 14, 2009