Chocolate milk

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A glass of chocolate milk

Chocolate milk is a flavored milk drink. It can be purchased pre-mixed or made at home with either cocoa powder and a sweetener (such as sugar), or with melted chocolate, chocolate syrup, or chocolate milk mix. Other ingredients, such as starch, salt, carrageenan, vanilla, or artificial flavoring, may be added.

A lactose-free version may also be made using lactose-free milk and flavoring.

When not intended for immediate consumption, chocolate milk should be refrigerated or kept cool like plain milk.

1 Health benefits
2 Heated chocolate milk
3 Culture
4 Companies which sell chocolate milk products
5 See also
6 Notes

[edit] Health benefits

Chocolate milk has been suggested for use after intense workouts for its "magic ratio" of carbohydrates to protein, among other nutritional properties.^[1]

Chocolate milk is often thought to contain chemicals which interfere with the body's ability to absorb calcium. However, this is untrue. Chocolate milk does contain oxalic acid, which binds with calcium and prevents it from being absorbed, but it is in such a small amount that it should not cause any worry.^[2]

[edit] Heated chocolate milk

Though it should be bought and stored cold, chocolate milk can be heated to produce a beverage similar to hot chocolate. Some brands of pre-mixed chocolate milk display labels with messages such as "Try Me HOT!" to encourage consumers to use the product as both a cold and a hot milk drink.

[edit] Culture

In Israel, a popular way to drink chocolate milk is out of a small plastic bag. Like a juicebox, shoco-bi'sakit is portable and convenient. However, shoco-bi'sakit does not require a straw; instead, it is drunk by biting a corner of the bag and sucking through the small tear.

In the U.S., most school lunch programs provide both white and pre-mixed chocolate milk as beverage choices, sometimes in plastic bags.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin used chocolate milk as a metaphor for racial integration after his Chocolate City speech.

In a recent study done in schoolboards across Canada, chocolate milk was the most popular drink among children between the ages of five and nine. The next closest drink was Pepsi.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Companies which sell chocolate milk products

Beatrice Foods Canada Ltd.
Bravo! Foods International Corp.
Cadbury
Chocomel (Friesland Foods, The Netherlands)
Dairyland Canada
Hershey
Nestlé Milo, Nesquik, and Carnation
Ovaltine
Lucerne
Vindija (Croatia)

In addition, several supermarket chains offer their own versions of chocolate syrup for sale, often alongside more recognized national brands such as Hershey or Nesquik.

Other Ways to Drink Chocolate Milk Some companies have created a straw in which stirring is not necessary. You simply place the straw into plain milk, and when you drink it, it will taste like choclate. Unfortulately, in 2003, this method was recalled because the flavoring pellets were toxic. However, the original prototype was improved and the pellets are now relatively safe. You must proceed with caution however, because the true effects of the pellets are not completely validated. In a recent study of 475 Californians, 52% had some type of negative feedback associated with the pellets, most noticeable stomach pain. MARCS GAY