Cereal is the new sports drink
According to recent research, a bowl of whole grain cereal can help your body recover after exercise just as well as any leading brand of sports drink. Cereal is both readily available and cheap, so it could well be a serious alternative if you want to keep the costs of your exercise to a minimum, although it obviously isn?t as portable as a bottle of sports drink.
The research was conducted at The University of Texas and led by exercise physiologist Lynne Kammer. Kammer?s team studied a twelve trained cyclists; four women and eight men, in order to complete the studies. The studies tested the athletes under normal exercise conditions, requiring them to cycle for two hours at a comfortable rate, rather than standard tests which are often completed until exhaustion.
Kammer explains the experiment: ?We wanted to understand their relative effects on glycogen repletion and muscle protein synthesis for the average individual. We found that glycogen repletion, or the replenishment of immediate muscle fuel, was just as good after whole grain cereal consumption and that some aspects of protein synthesis were actually better.?
The study has concluded that cereal may be a better option than a sports drink due to price, although both will have similar effect, post exercise. Of course, the cereal needs to be whole-grain and consumed with skimmed milk. Eating a sugar coated cereal with full fat milk won?t have the same effect and is likely to negate any exercise that has been completed.
“Cereal and non-fat milk are a less expensive option than sports drinks,? said Kammer. ?The milk provides a source of easily digestible and high quality protein, which can promote protein synthesis and training adaptations, making this an attractive recovery option for those who refuel at home.?