Originally published August 15 2012
Olympic gymnast promotes chocolate milk riddled with HFCS as 'scientifically proven' workout recovery beverage of choice
by Jonathan Benson, staff writer
(NaturalNews) Alexandra "Aly" Raisman's gentle spirit and persistent attitude most certainly lit up the floor at the recent London 2012 Olympics, where she took home a gold medal for the floor exercise final, as well as a bronze medal for the balance beam, and another gold medal for her team finals. But where the inspiration stops is in Aly's recent endorsement of processed chocolate milk as the supposed best recovery beverage an athlete like her can drink.
During a recent interview with Yahoo! Sports, Aly is seen pouring a glass of chocolate milk while explaining to reporters how the sugary elixir has been a vital part of her rigorous workout routine for many years now. Without chocolate milk, Aly insinuates, it would be difficult for her muscles to recover after the seven-hour training sessions she regularly engages in roughly 10 times a week.
"Chocolate milk is important to me because it is scientifically proven to be the best recovery drink that you can have after your workout, especially for me because I train so many hours a day," says Aly. "It's really important for me to replenish my muscles. It has the best combination of carbohydrates and protein."
You can watch the complete Yahoo! Sports interview with Aly here: http://sports.yahoo.com
Aly's chocolate milk loaded with HFCS, artificial flavors, synthetic vitamins
What is particularly interesting about Aly's segment is that at about 0:38 seconds into it, the camera focuses in on the ingredients label for the young girl's chocolate milk of choice, which happens to be loaded with all kinds of processed sugars and chemicals.
If you pause the video at roughly the 0:38 mark, you will see that Aly's chocolate milk product is both pasteurized and homogenized, two forms of milk treatment that pose some serious health risks in the long term (http://voices.yahoo.com). The milk is also loaded with processed sugars and artificial flavoring chemicals.
Of particular concern is the second ingredient on the label, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which has been shown both to cause liver damage and to promote obesity (http://www.naturalnews.com). HFCS is also linked to destroying the brain (http://www.naturalnews.com/035935_HFCS_stupid_memory.html), and oftentimes contains low levels of brain-destroying mercury. (http://www.naturalnews.com)
Because it comes from corn, 88 percent of which is now of genetically-modified (GM) origin (http://www.ers.usda.gov), HFCS has also been scientifically proven to increase the risk of digestive dysfunction, infertility, organ damage, and many other serious problems (http://www.naturalnews.com/gmos.html).
Non-organic, processed chocolate milk also more than likely comes from cows that have been treated with growth hormones like rBST, a GM drug that is banned in at least 160 countries because it is highly toxic to humans (http://www.naturalnews.com/029169_livestock_chemicals.html). The chocolate milk featured in Aly's segment also contains low and non-fat milk, which has been shown to inhibit the absorption of vitamins, and even decrease fertility in women. (http://au.news.yahoo.com)
Then there is the artificial flavors, the carrageenan (http://www.cornucopia.org), and the synthetic vitamins, all of which are highly problematic for lasting health and vitality. When you really consider the facts, there is virtually nothing at all healthy about Aly's chocolate milk, and surely nothing that can be warranted scientifically as helping to improve recovery.
There is no reason to believe, of course, that Aly does not mean well with her innocent recommendation -- after all, she is just a young girl who likely does not realize the dangers associated with her favorite recovery drink. At yet at the same time, her endorsement of chocolate milk will encourage thousands of her fans and supporters to take up a chocolate milk habit so they, too, can become gold medal-winning Olympic athletes.
There is even a Facebook page, to which Aly now subscribes, entitled "Got Chocolate Milk" that is the official site of the "REFUEL: got chocolate milk?" campaign. This campaign actually encourages athletes to drink more chocolate milk to increase their post-exercise recovery. You can view the preposterous page here: http://www.facebook.com/gotchocolatemilk
Sources for this article include:
http://sports.yahoo.com
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