Muscle Milk is a supplemental protein drink marketed by the company CytoSport. It is intended for exercisers looking to add extra protein to their diets to support muscle growth, recovery and energy production. Muscle Milk is available in a powdered mix to be added to milk or water, as well as in ready-to-drink bottles and cartons. Understanding the nutrition information can help you determine whether to include Muscle Milk as part of your diet.
Products
Muscle Milk ready-to-drink products come in 14-oz. plastic bottles and 11-oz. or 17-oz. cartons. The bottles are available in five flavors: vanilla crème shake, strawberries n' crème, banana crème shake, chocolate malt and chocolate shake. The cartons come in eight flavors: café latte, chocolate, vanilla crème, cookies n' cream, banana crème, chocolate malt, strawberry and cake batter.
Calories and Macronutrients
The 14-oz. bottles contain about 240 calories each. They contain "functional fats," which bring the fat content to 9 g per bottle, 1.5 g of which are saturated. Muscle Milk has 14 g of carbohydrates and 25 g of protein per 14-oz. bottle. The 11-oz. cartons contain between 200 and 230 calories and 20 g of protein each, while the 17-oz. cartons contain 330 to 360 calories and 32 g of protein each.
Light Version
Muscle Milk offers a light version of its ready-to-drink product available in 14-oz. bottles. It comes in chocolate, vanilla and café latte flavors with 170 calories each. The light Muscle Milk has 4.5 g of fat per serving and 20 g of protein.
Vitamins and Minerals
The 14-oz. ready-to-drink bottles contain 25 percent of the recommended dietary allowance --- based on a 2,000-calorie diet --- for many vitamins, including vitamins A, B-6, B-12, C, D and E as well as niacin, folate, riboflavin and thiamine. Muscle Milk also offers 25 percent of the RDA for calcium, iron, zinc, iodine, phosphorus, copper and magnesium. The 14-oz. bottles also contain 60 percent of the RDA for chromium. The 11-oz. cartons provide 20 percent of the RDA for these nutrients and the 17-oz. cartons offer 50 percent.
Considerations
All Muscle Milk products are gluten-free and lactose-free. They do contain ingredients derived from milk and soy, so people sensitive to these ingredients might need to avoid Muscle Milk. Muscle Milk is designed as a supplement to support strength training exercise and is not intended as a weight loss drink. The International Society of Sports Medicine notes that athletes should consume 1.4 g to 2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight, which is more than the .8 g per kilogram recommended by the Institute of Medicine for average people.
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