Ovaltine as a recovery drink?

[Sweep]

Anyone use it?
Views on?


I stress that I am not a performance obsessed racing/sports cyclist and so don't usually use or have need of fancy recovery drinks.
But staggering in the door today after a longish cycling lay-off I needed something quick to bring me back to life.
Discovered an old half-full tub of ovaltine and sloshed it into some microwaved milk.
Seemed very good.

I suppose there are also Aldi/Lidl knock offs which are maybe as good, or as is sometimes the way with these things, even better than the "original" in some ways?

By the by, since haven't had any for decades, instantly transported me back to my council house childhood.

So any views ?

I do sometimes use "nesquick" type stuff but maybe not too keen on the flavours. And may not be better anyway?

[Nearholmer]

Odd you should say that.

I went out for a trundle yesterday morning, taking a flask of hot chocolate with me. It was so bitter out that in the end I decided not to stop and drink the hot chocolate, but to trundle on and drink it when I got back, by which time I was certainly in need of something. It worked as a “pick up” as it always does, wherever I drink it in a cold weather ride.

I think it’s no more than the fact that the drink is warm, has the food value of the milk, a bit of cocoa buzz, but above all that it is full of sugar, that does the job. Ovaltine seems to be 48% sugars; hot chocolate about 70%!

[rjb]

BBC did a recent sliced bread programme on protein supplements. It was advised as a recovery drink after exercise.
If ovaltine fits this category go for it.
Personally I would try it in my porridge to use it up rather than throw it away.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0026vsm

[deeferdonk]

Not sure about the Ovaltine itself, but the milk is a source of protein so will help muscles repair. So must have some similar effect to the manufactured protein drinks and powders advertised to people who take going to the gym too seriously.

Nesquik must be similar if added to milk but will have more sugar in it (unless they have started replacing it with sweetener) - so maybe better for mid-ride refueling. Although a bidon of ambient temperature milky drink doesn't sound that appealing when I think of it.

As a younger man I used to drink a strawberry Yazoo milkshake when I had a hangover and that seemed to help!

I find an alcohol free beer seems to help with recovery if i have worked up a sweat on a hot day, in Germany they give Erdinger Alkohol frei out to runners after marathons - and i'm not going to argue with German scientists (apart from the ones operating in the late thirties-early forties)

[pjclinch]

I find an alcohol free beer seems to help with recovery if i have worked up a sweat on a hot day, in Germany they give Erdinger Alkohol frei out to runners after marathons - and i'm not going to argue with German scientists (apart from the ones operating in the late thirties-early forties)

"Refreshing isotonic drink" according to the label, so it must be good!
(we usually have a few of these in the cupboard, low/no alcohol beer is getting pretty good these last few years).

Pete.

[foxyrider]

I find an alcohol free beer seems to help with recovery if i have worked up a sweat on a hot day, in Germany they give Erdinger Alkohol frei out to runners after marathons - and i'm not going to argue with German scientists (apart from the ones operating in the late thirties-early forties)

Krombacher 0% has been the default at events i've ridden in Eastern Germany and Austria both after and on course.

As for Ovaltine, what's not to like?

[Manc33]

Bovril for me.

A majority of forum members don't drink it, philistines!

Some have Marmite but it tastes like a plaster (antiseptic) as a drink.

Bovril has got a lot of salt, which can be a good thing or a bad thing, but it's my go-to as a pick-me-up. I've seen a GCN video where they reckon pro cyclists are consuming Bicarbonate of Soda before rides, with all the usual "science" to back it up. That stuff is going to make you even thirstier than you already are but they say it works. Somehow salt does help, or in their case Bicarbonate of Soda which is about 27% salt.

[djnotts]

My mid-ride refreshment, all-year, is nearly always "luxury hot chocolate" - the best being Nutella!
Does the trick on admittedly ever shorter rides - but chosen on basis that I LIKE chocolate and when in liquid form I don't have to worry about rubbish dentures.

Pleasure and fuel!

[Tangled Metal]

I used to do challenge walks and even when not doing one at the weekend I would be walking a decent enough walk (easy 15 miler). On very hot days water is sometimes insufficient for the teh activity. So I might end up with a headache as I am dehydrated. When home and with access to whatever drink of choice I found that water made me want more. I used to try a salty vegetable juice drink and thought that worked. Then one day I had no other drink and water was not working well for me. So I drank a large glass of milk. Absolutely worked.

So now I think that if I need a recovery drink then my choice is often milk. Simple semi skimmed milk.I once read that it has the right concentration to get into your system quickly and it carries enough nutrients to not wash you out. The proteins and other nutrients no doubt help with recovery too.

There was a tale about a marathon in the Uk who drank plenty of water after the marathon but took ill on the train home and they had to stop the train to take him to hospital. He had drank too much water and not enough salts and other nutrients. That caused nutrients to be washed out of his cells and system. No idea if that was true but I felt a few times that i did need to drink too much water. One very hot day in wales I drank 5 litres of water and still felt thirsty. Another trip in scotland I drank even more and was still thirsty. Both times I had the worst headache I have had without it being a migraine. That was all dehydration and it took a meal some beers and crisps in a pub afterwards to die down!!

Doing a challenge walk as a group once one guy was not drinking almost all the walk. Anyway he was starting to struggle so we got him to take his water out (he was carrying it but not really drinking it) and drinks some. Anyway he realised he was thirsty and drank it all and more from others. He started getting into a bad way so some took him to the B&B they were staying in. The people running it were Ultra or fell runners and recognises the signs of washout. They gave him loads of isotonic drink and he recovered. He said it was like the worst ever hangover. After he had taken on those salts and isotonic drinks he went to bed and slept for 15 hours straight I think. The next day he was the only one feeling great!! The rest of us were hungover from the celebratory meal and night of heavy drinking!! When I got home I was straight onto the milk!!