Chocolate milk is a beverage made from cocoa, sweetener, and either dairy or non-dairy milk . It is often promoted as a more appealing alternative to regular milk. Chocolate milk is popular around the world.
Chocolate milk is made by mixing milk with cocoa and such sweeteners as sugar or high-fructose corn syrup . The milk used may be cow’s milk or such plant-based alternatives as almond, oat, or soy milk. Chocolate milk can be bought in a store or made at home.
Chocolate milk is high in the essential nutrients calcium and vitamin D . Milk is particularly high in the amino acid leucine. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins . Leucine helps build and maintain strong muscles, leading many people to drink chocolate milk after exercising. Drinking chocolate milk also replenishes sugars and fluids lost during exercise. However, consuming too many sugary drinks can lead to cavities and contribute to such health issues as obesity .
No one knows for sure who invented chocolate milk. Some people credit the British physician and botanist Sir Hans Sloane. In the early 1700’s, Sloane lived in Jamaica . There, he was served cocoa to drink. Sloane added milk to the cocoa to improve the taste. Some historians believe the Jamaicans had been making a hot drink with cacao shavings boiled with milk and cinnamon since the 1500’s. Sloane brought the mixture with him when he returned to England. The beverage was originally marketed as a medicine.
