SPORT-LOVING SOUTH AFRICANS CAN ENJOY BENEFITS WITHOUT SACRIFICING TASTE
First Choice, manufactured by Woodlands Dairy, has launched High-Protein Recovery, scientifically formulated to give elite and amateur athletes rapid muscle recovery following intense workouts or competition.
First Choice – The Good Choice!
Says Marisa Maccaferri, Marketing Manager for Woodlands Dairy and First Choice:
High-Protein Recovery is aimed at the individual who does high intensity training and needs to recover fast to be ready for the next gruelling session. South Africans love sport and spend a lot of time and money on their favourite discipline. Often, the difference between good and great is what you fuel your body with.
She explains that repeated exercise or long activity sessions decrease energy stores which lead to fatigue and a decline in performance. “Prolonged exercise also triggers muscle breakdown during and after training. Chocolate flavoured milk has long been touted as the go-to recovery drink. That’s because, post workout, you want a snack or drink that gives you a dose of protein to recover your muscles and carbs to boost your energy, fill up fuel stores and combat fatigue. Minerals such as potassium, sodium and magnesium replace electrolytes lost through sweating,” Maccaferri adds.
Research suggests that flavoured milk after exercise can help the body retain fluid, replenish glycogen and rebuild muscle to help your body recover. Milk protein consists of whey and casein, both of which help muscle rebuilding but in different ways. The whey is fast-acting and the casein slow-acting. The amount of milk recommended can be anywhere from one to two cups, depending on the size of the individual and the type of activity.
This product is specifically designed for the sportsperson, but can be enjoyed throughout the day as a meal replacement.
Although it’s been designed as a post work out recovery drink, High-Protein Recovery can be included in pre-exercise nutrition to supply carbohydrates and support hydration. It contains more than twice the protein found in normal milk and has been fortified with eight additional B vitamins. It is high in calcium, high in energy and Tartrazine free. It’s ready to drink (no powders and no mixing is required), only high quality ingredients are used, especially the milk, which is procured locally from predominantly pasture fed cows.”
The product is available in three variants including Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Banana Crème According to Maccaferri, “consumers want variety, so we looked into what’s available on the market in terms of flavours and challenged ourselves to improve on it. Banana Crème and Peanut Butter were the obvious choices as they’re familiar. Athletes already enjoy bananas and peanut butter as part of their diet because of their inherent benefits. A lot of the products athletes use are not tasty at all so our challenge was to make a highly sophisticated, functional drink that’s delicious without cutting any corners. Why should one sacrifice taste? With our High-Protein Recovery the reward is so much sweeter after a strenuous workout.”
Woodlands takes sustainability and their impact on the environment very seriously. “As with all our UHT products, we’ve moved to using bio based closures. Our green closures are partly made from sugar cane which is a natural resource that grows back once it’s harvested. We’re proud of the fact that we’re the first dairy manufacturer in South Africa to make this change. Furthermore, our chocolate variant carries UTZ certification, which means the cocoa is sourced responsibly. In essence, the goal of UTZ is to create an efficient sustainability programme with effective certification and traceability tools for socially and environmentally responsible cocoa production that meets the needs of both producers and markets,” Maccaferri concludes.
First Choice High Recovery drinks are now available at their brand new online store www.shopfirstchoice.co.za or at Dischem stores nationwide.
