The vending machines at the Mount Carmel and York Hill campuses’ Recreational Centers will include Muscle Milk starting this fall, according to the Student Government Association.
SGA made this change as part of its plan to provide students with healthier options in both the vending machines and bookstore, according to Vice President of Student Concerns Evan Milas.
Milas said that this is one of the steps towards the larger picture, which is to eventually have healthier options on campus.
Likewise, Sports Dietitian and Clinical Professor of Athletic Training and Sports Medicine, Dana White, had chocolate milk added into the vending machines near the gymnasiums last semester. However, White recommends chocolate milk over protein drinks such as Muscle Milk for college students.
The balance of carbohydrates to protein in Muscle Milk is not as good as what is found in chocolate milk, according to White. Chocolate milk has a much shorter ingredient list than Muscle Milk and will essentially do the same thing as Muscle Milk when used as a recovery drink.
“I really don’t think that the average college student needs to be drinking Muscle Milk,” White said.
Although some of the athletes on campus drink protein drinks, they drink a special Muscle Milk especially for college athletes, according to White.
Muscle Milk contains 33 grams of protein per serving. It also contains MCT (medium chain tryglicerides), which contains fewer calories than long chain fatty acids. The body absorbs these MCT’s faster which allows for the calories to act as fuel for the muscles.
The problem that exists in Muscle Milk is that it actually contains too little carbohydrates. Although there are many carbohydrates that are bad for the body, carbohydrates are important for the body post workout, according to White.
“The taste is decent compared to other protein drinks, but I like a lot of the other protein drinks much better,” freshman Zack Rodriguez said.
Like any other protein drink, Muscle Milk contains a high amount of vitamins and minerals and should be used only as a supplement, according to White. Certain vitamins and minerals are toxic and people, especially students, must be careful not to consume too much of the protein drinks.
SGA will be sending out surveys in the near future to see what other healthy options students would like to see in the vending machines and bookstore.
“I hope that all the options on campus are going to get improved within the next year,” Milas said.
