Shakes, Powders, and Potions

Pep Talk

I've gotten a lot of questions lately about shakes -- ranging from protein shakes, to full meal replacement shakes...even the scary "weight loss" shakes that arguably can be a poor long-term fitness decision (more on this in a bit).  So I'd like to use this week's Pep Talk to talk about shakes and fitness supplements, provide you with the pros and cons, and give you my take on the whole matter.

What is a Supplement?
A supplement is just that...a SUPPLEMENT to your daily diet.  This can be anything ranging from daily multi-vitamins, individual vitamins (i.e. Vitamin D), minerals (i.e. Calcium), electrolytes, protein powder, meal replacement drinks, or energy drinks. 

Are You Really Getting What You Pay For?
An important note about ALL supplements is that they are NOT regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the same way our food is.  Unless the supplement is independently tested by a third party, there is no guarantee that you are actually getting the vitamins or nutrients that are on the label.  For all you know, your fish oil capsules could be full of corn oil.  Or your protein powder can consist of 60% corn starch as a filler.

In addition, supplement companies -- in particular protein powder companies -- can hide the exact ingredients by using the phrase "proprietary blend" in their ingredients list.  If you buy creatine powder, your "proprietary blend" could be 10% creatine and 90% powdered sugar for all you know.

How Does Your Body Use Supplements?
There is conflicting research about whether or not your body can actually use supplements in the same way it can when it gets vitamins and other nutrients from food.  For example, you may drink some milk and use about 80% of the calcium you get from it.  You may take a calcium supplement and your body can only utilize 60% of the calcium (I am just throwing arbitrary numbers around to make a point).  The jury is still out on whether or not nutrients obtained from supplementation are as good as nutrients from food.

Things to Think About When Considering Supplementation

• They are meant to fill gaps in your diet, not FIX your diet.  All the best supplements in the world will not fix a crappy diet.
• Check the ingredients list for artificial sweeteners, sugars, or other ingredients that you normally wouldn't think to look for.
• Is it worth the expense?  Are you better off spending your money on healthy whole foods?
• WHY are you considering using a supplement?  They can be great time-savers for convenience purposes, but again they will not fix your bad diet.
• Are these supplements a crutch, or will they help you with eating healthy over the long term?

My Take on Supplements
I don't want to project the image that I'm anti-supplement.  I use supplements myself, but I don't "over"-supplement.  My cautionary notes above come from my experience as a trainer, during which I've found most people look to supplements as a cure for their poor eating habits.

In my opinion, there are two circumstances when supplements can be useful:

1. If your healthy eating plan is about 90% dialed in, and you are just looking for that extra little vitamin or nutrient kick to take you to 100% (this is a very small percentage of individuals), or
2. For pure convenience purposes (i.e. drinking a shake rather than stopping to cook a meal).

I'm not a fan of using supplements such as meal replacements to "kick start" healthy eating habits.  In reality, they are not teaching you how to eat correctly over the long term.  They are actually creating dependence on the supplement.  Think about it: supplement companies that peddle Slim-Fast-like solutions WANT you to keep buying their supplements.  Otherwise, they would be out of business.

Personally, I take a daily multi-vitamin and fish oil capsules.  I only use them as an "insurance policy" in my diet -- to fill the gaps I might be otherwise missing.  When I am pressed for time, I eat the occasional protein bar or drink a protein shake.  During heavy triathlon training, I will drink an electrolyte drink during my workouts, or eat some PowerBars or energy gels, but these are only consumed during extended workouts.  I try to focus on REAL food for 90% of my daily diet.

In Conclusion
I hope you've found this discussion about supplements helpful for determining whether they're the right choice for you.  Always be a skeptical consumer (remember that everyone is always trying to make a buck), read ingredient labels, try to buy from companies that do third-party quality testing, and ask yourself why you are considering buying supplements in the first place.  If you do all of these steps, you will be a savvy supplement consumer and ensure you are making the best use of your money.

Challenge Workout

Complete 3 rounds, taking breaks as needed, of:

• 10 Burpees
• 20 Squats
• 30 Crunches