Supplements

The excitement over supplements

There are so many supplement companies that love to feed on our insecurities in order to sell us their products. When it comes to fitness related supplements, none of them are 100% necessary to make progress. I’ve personally made progress with and without BCAA’s (branched chain amino acids), creatine, and protein powder. Of all the fitness supplements, protein powder is my favorite and the most widely used. It’s a great way to get high amounts of protein in immediately after a workout. Adding it to smoothies is how I prefer to drink it but mixing it with water, almond milk, etc. is totally fine as well! I tend to stay with certified organic powders so I can avoid proteins with filler/junk ingredients. There is research showing BCAA’s may improve muscle mass and recovery time but there are many other factors required for muscle development as well so it’s tough to gauge how effective BCAA’s truly are.

What you need to know before taking a vitamin or mineral supplement.

The average American diet leaves a lot to be desired. Research finds our plates lacking in a number of essential nutrients, including calcium, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, and D. It’s no wonder that more than half of us open a supplement bottle to get the nutrition we need. Many of us take supplements not just to make up for what we’re missing, but also because we hope to give ourselves an extra health boost—a preventive buffer to ward off disease.

Getting our nutrients straight from a pill sounds easy, but supplements don’t necessarily deliver on the promise of better health. Some can even be dangerous, especially when taken in larger-than-recommended amounts. Please consult your doctor to help decide which nutrients you are deficient in before introducing new supplements to your diet. (Harvard Health Publishing)