It’s no secret that a lot of “workout” drinks and flavored waters are packed with unnecessary sugar. Some, like Snapple’s Agave Melon Antioxidant Water, pack as much sugar are two ice cream bars! (Click here for a horrifying list of the worst waters.) While plain old water is a healthy choice post-workout, a new study says that women might be better off reaching for fat-free milk.

According to CBS News, researchers from McMaster University in Canada found that women who drank two large glasses of milk after weight-lifting exercises gained more muscle and lost more fat than women who drank sugar-based energy drinks. The finding is published in the June issue of Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise.

“Resistance training is not a typical choice of exercise for women, but the health benefits of resistance training are enormous,” Stuart M. Phillips, a professor of kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, said in a news release. “It boosts strength, bone, muscular and metabolic health in a way that other types of exercise cannot.”

A previous study involving men showed that they also gained muscle mass and lost fat after exercising and drinking milk.  Phillips said he and his research team aren’t sure why milk is so magical, but more research is being done.

If you don’t like plain milk, you might throw in some fruit and protein powder and fire up a post-workout smoothie!