You heard it here first!

While reading some new journal articles today I came across one that left a big smile on my face.

In the Journal of The International Society of Sports Nutrition, an article entitled “Cereal and nonfat milk support muscle recovery following exercise validated my stance on cereal as fantastic post-workout recovery food. (I have several boxes of cereal in my apartment, but haven’t had it for an actual “breakfast” since I can remember.) In this case, the researchers compared whole grain cereal and skim milk to a carbohydrate-containing sports beverage, using cyclists as their subjects. In sum, the cyclists worked out for 2 hours and then either ate whole grain cereal with skim milk, or a sports drink (like Gatorade, Powerade or similar.)

This study measured parameters of glycogen replenishment and protein synthesis after the workout. These are both important issues for athletes and recreational fitness enthusiasts. Glycogen is your fuel- without it, you can’t run your fastest, lift your strongest, or feel awesome during workouts. Replenishing glycogen as quickly as possible is a goal of most sports nutrition programs, because it’s essential to maintain and improve performance over subsequent sessions. In other words, if you don’t recover you glycogen stores, you’ll start your next workout already at a disadvantage. Over time, deep depletion of glycogen contributes to immune system suppression and overtraining syndrome.

Protein synthesis is also vital, not only to those who are seeking bigger muscles for aesthetics, but also because remodeling and repair of muscle in response to training is what produces training effect. The workout itself doesn’t make your stronger, it’s the subsequent repairing and bolstering of the muscle fibers that bring you to a higher athletic capability. So both glycogen and protein synthesis are measures of how well any given treatment helps post-exercise recovery.

Back to the cereal eaters. Glycogen replenishment was equivalent using cereal and milk vs. sports drink, and several aspects of protein synthesis were better in the cereal group. This agrees with existing research that carbohydrate is essential for post-exercise recovery, but the addition of protein (or at least of the essential amino acids) enhances protein synthesis as well. Cereal and milk provide a great ratio of carbohydrate and protein, while most sports drinks are exclusively carbohydrate. Best yet, cereal and milk is a more affordable, more nutrient-rich, and in my opinion, more enjoyable meal than a bottle of glorified sugar water.
Hungry for more? Check out the full study here.