SUN VALLEY Youd never guess what came out on top of all the energy drinks, energy bars and other products that weekend warriors and professional athletes reach for to refuel after a workout.

Plain old chocolate milk.

Chocolate milk provides both carbohydrates and protein, whereas Gatorade does not, said Nancy Clark, a sports dietitian whose clients include Olympic athletes as well as members of the Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics.

In one study those who drank chocolate milk after one bout of exercise where able to perform an additional 32 minutes to exhaustion versus 23 minutes for those drinking Gatorade, she said.

I had no idea chocolate milk was so good for you, said Tasha Bradshaw, who teaches Pilates at the new Mind Your Body in Twin Falls.

The virtues of chocolate milk were one of the surprising revelations that Clark listed as she addressed 160 dietitians and others attending the Idaho Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics meeting last week at Sun Valley Resort. The meeting, organized by Magic Valley dietitians, featured some heavy hitters in Clark and Evelyn Tribole, author of Intuitive Eating.

Clark is the word in sports nutrition she walks the walk, said Dr. RoseAnna Holliday, adjunct professor at College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls. And the eating disorder and weight loss clinics are beginning to base a lot of their work on what Evelyn Tribole has to say.

Shes had 29 years of helping people create healthy relationships with food, said Becky McCarver, a registered dietitian with St. Lukes. Her book completely changed my career.

Tribole said shes having trouble getting on board with the idea that food or sugar can be addictive an idea thats making the rounds at shows like The Dr. Oz Show.

Animals had to be starved to induce the sugar addiction in one of the few studies thats been done on the subject, she said.

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Nutrition’s Heavy Hitters Speak to Magic Valley Dietitians