What are dietary supplements?
Dietary supplements include vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and protein supplements
meant to provide additional nutrition to the diet. These products are available in a wide variety of
formulations including liquids, powders, drinks, energy bars, tablets, and capsules.
Why do people take dietary supplements?
People take supplements for several reasons. Some people take supplements when they think
they are not eating properly. These people may benefit from a multivitamin or nutritional
supplement if they are not able to get enough nutrients in their diet alone.
It is important to remember that dietary supplements are not meant to prevent, treat, or cure
diseases. They can be beneficial to your health when taken with your pharmacist or health
provider’s guidance.
Dietary supplements are intended to supplement the diets of some people, but not to replace
the balance of the variety of foods important to a healthy diet. While you need enough nutrients,
too much of some nutrients can cause problems.
How to choose dietary supplements?
Seek out Certified Products
Watch for Drug Interactions
Check the Label
Take Heed of Side Effects
Safety Not Guaranteed
Check for Allergies
Most popular supplements
1. Protein powder
Is protein powder necessary?
The short answer: no. You can easily get the protein you need from natural sources, such as
eggs, chicken breast, fish, beans, milk, cottage cheese, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
Athletes rely on protein powder because they typically need more protein, plus it’s convenient.
Most people don’t need protein powder, but if it works for you, have at it.
There are numerous types of protein powders made from a wide variety of sources.
Most popular are:
-Whey protein
-Casein protein
-Egg protein
-Pea protein
-Hemp protein
-Brown rice protein
-Mixed plant protein
2. Creatine monohydrate
5 Reasons why Creatine Monohydrate is the best supplement
1. Has the Best Safety Record
Many studies have shown that creatine monohydrate is very safe to consume (5g/daily).
2. Has the Most Scientific Support
The vast majority of the more than 1,000 studies on creatine have used the monohydrate form.
3. Improves Exercise Performance
Creatine monohydrate exerts a variety of effects on health and exercise performance, including
increased strength, power and muscle mass.
4. Is the easiest to find
5. Is the Cheapest
3.BCAAs
BCAAs — Have You Been Throwing Your Money Away?
Need? No, but does that mean there is no use for BCAAs? Certainly not - like most any other
supplement, you need to determine the cost-to-benefit ratio and find what suits your goals.
Bear in mind that you should not be using BCAAs as a replacement for lack of protein intake
from complete sources like animal and dairy proteins. Get your diet in check first, and then
consider using BCAAs to see if you notice an improvement in recovery and performance.
Do I think they essential, “must-have” supplements on the same level as a creatine or quality
whey protein when it comes to building muscle? Absolutely not.
In my eyes, BCAA supplements are a luxury. They’re nice to have, but not having them won’t
hold you back from getting to where you want to go.
Omega 3
It's simple - If you don’t eat fish or other seafood, you might benefit from a fish oil supplement.
but if you do - do not buy omega-3 supplement.
You should eat at least two serivings a wee k of fatty fish,such as salmon, tuna, or herring.
Aim for fish that are high in two different omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), each of which provides unique health benefits.
Getting your omega-3 fatty acids from food is always preferable to a supplement. Not only do
you get the marine omega-3 fatty acids from the fish, but you also potentially replace less
healthful foods in your diet, such as red meat, processed foods, or refined grains.
4.Vitamin D/D3
Vitamin D is absolutely essential for good health.
Also known as the sunshine vitamin, it is made in your skin when exposed to sunlight.
In spite of that, vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies in the
world.
Vitamin D is particularly important for bone health and immune system function.
How much vitamin D you need depends on many factors.
These include age, race, latitude, season, sun exposure, clothing and more.
If you are not exposed to the sun ofter , a dosage a daily vitamin D intake of 1000–2000 IU
should be enough to ensure optimal blood levels in most people.
5.Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an essential vitamin, meaning your body can’t produce it. Yet, it has many roles
and has been linked to impressive health benefits.
It’s water-soluble and found in many fruits and vegetables, including oranges, strawberries, kiwi
fruit, bell peppers, broccoli, kale, and spinach.
While it’s commonly advised to get your vitamin C intake from foods, many people turn to
supplements to meet their needs.
The recommended daily intake for vitamin C is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men.
Here are 7 scientifically proven benefits of taking a vitamin C supplement.
1. May reduce your risk of chronic disease
2. May help manage high blood pressure
3. May lower your risk of heart disease
4. May reduce blood uric acid levels and help prevent gout attacks
5. Helps prevent iron deficiency
6. Boosts immunity
7. Protects your memory and thinking as you age
6.Fat burners
Fat Burners are a COMPLETE waste of money.
Almost every person I know who has lost weight with fat burning supplements feels TERRIBLE
when coming off of them,
and they re-gain the weight they lost—AND THEN SOME.
Fat burners are nothing more than pills full of stimulants,
and if you stay on them your body will adapt and create a physiological dependency,
setting yourself up for a massive rebound.
This is why I never recommend fat burners to any of my clients.
7.Caffeine (best preworkout supplement)
And you've probably heard experts suggest that you drink coffee or other caffeinated beverages
to help you lose weight. All of this begs the question, can caffeine really help you lose weight?
The answer is yes. And it primarily helps you lose weight in two ways:
-By Boosting Your Metabolism
Ingesting caffeine jumpstarts the process of lipolysis, which is when your body releases free
fatty acids into the bloodstream. This occurs when your body is breaking down your fat stores to
convert it into energy. In other words, caffeine boosts your metabolism slightly and helps you
burn fat.
-By Giving You An Energy Boost
If there's one thing that everyone knows about coffee and similar beverages and pills, it's that
caffeine is a stimulant. It increases alertness and wards off drowsiness temporarily, which
means that you can perform certain tasks for longer.
However, this isn't just limited to mental tasks. This includes physical tasks as well, such as
running or lifting weights. This means a little shot of caffeine can give you the energy you need
to give 100% during your workout. And giving 100% in the gym means you'll get the results you
want more quickly.
You can get your caffeine in various forms, including:
-Pills
-Energy drinks
-Coffee
-Tea
I recommend getting caffeine only in Coffee "form", but be CAREFUL
Too much caffeine is harmful to your health. It can make your heart race, make you feel jittery
and give you a whole host of other symptoms like nausea. If you don't normally ingest caffeine,
then just start with small amounts to see how your body reacts. And even if you're used to it, be
sure that you don't overdose.
So, drink 1 to maximum 3 coffes a day, and mainly in mornings/lunch time, so it cannot affect
your sleep quality. (really important)
7.The Truth About Testosterone Boosters
Testosterone boosters are for people who want the effect of taking steroids without actually
taking any and dealing with the side effects. If only they worked like that. Newsflash…THEY
DON’T!
Most Testosterone boosters out there in the market sport “proprietary blends” which mostly
contain herbs/herb extracts or other ingredients which have little to no actual effect on your
testosterone levels.
Some of them may contain stuff like Vitamin D and Zinc which technically have a contribution
towards testosterone production BUT…
That’s only when you are DEFICIENT in those specific nutrients. And if that’s the case, you can
directly supplement with a Vitamin D and/or Zinc supplement with the RIGHT DOSAGE and at
MUCH CHEAPER cost than a Testosterone booster and WITHOUT the extra bogus ingredients.
Your major focus should be on making the simple diet and lifestyle changes that will allow your
body to function more optimally.
All in all, Testosterone boosters are absolutely useless and they DO NOT WORK.
Before you consider buying any of the
supplements above, you should FOCUS firstly
on:
1. Get Enough Sleep
2. Keep a Healthy Body Fat Weight
3. Stay Active
4. Eat Healthy nonprocessed foods
5. Take Control of Your Stress
6. Being patient and consistent