Sports drinks: You find them in any grocery or convenience store, brightly packaged and promising nutrition in a bottle.

Try the dairy case, however, if you want the best sports drink, advises the Clemson Extension Service.

Milk contains nine essential nutrients, and it’s almost 90 percent water so it won’t weigh you down during workouts.

What’s more, milk has up to 10 times as much potassium as many sports drinks do. An 8-ounce glass has 11 percent of the daily goal for potassium, crucial for regulating the balance of fluids in the body.

Naturally, calcium comes to mind when milk is mentioned. Calcium controls vital parts of the body such as regulation of the heart.

If your body doesn’t get enough calcium, it will rob your bones, which can lead to osteoporosis. The USDA estimates that 9 out of 10 women and 7 out of 10 men don’t get enough calcium.

Fat-free milk also is one of the few nonfat sources of protein, the nutrient athletes strive to get into their diets. An 8-ounce glass of milk has 8 grams of protein with essential amino acids similar to beef, chicken or fish. Three glasses of milk a day will meet 50 percent of the daily value of protein.

In addition to calcium, potassium and protein, milk contains riboflavin, vitamin B12, niacin, vitamin A, vitamin D and phosphorus.