Supplementation
Alongside the multi-billion dollar fitness industry is the even bigger supplement industry. With such a huge market for dietary and performance-enhancing supplements (not to be confused with Performance Enhancing Drugs; PEDs), it may make you question whether or not you should be involved, and if you are already involved, whether your money is being spent wisely or just being flushed down the toilet.
First of all, let’s clear some things up: supplements are so-called because their intended use is to supplement an already (hopefully) balanced diet. They are not intended as a plaster (or band-aid, if you’re American) to cover up any glaring holes in your dietary routine. Having four protein shakes, half a loaf of bread, and two cans of Monster Energy each day, then expecting a morning multivitamin to balance out the scales, is probably not going to work as well as you’re hoping.
If, however, you are doing everything within your power and you are still low in X, Y, or Z, then (at the recommendation of a professional, not me) supplementation can come in handy. For example, perhaps you’re extremely northern and cannot spend any time in the sun without rapidly resembling a land lobster; then you might consider a Vitamin D supplement.
Another thing to take into account is that supplements aren’t as magical as many companies will try to convince you. With supplements (again, discounting PEDs), the best you can hope for is an optimal version of you, which could very well be an improvement on where you are currently, but it will never make you a ‘super’ version of yourself.
We get it; new, fashionable supplements are a bit sexy and they promise some great things, but the boring stuff like a wide variety of foods and a balanced diet really is the best way to go. Focus on getting this in check first, then consider speaking with a professional about how you can optimize your health (please do not rely on the Encyclopedia of Instagram); they might recommend some supplements.
If you want to know what the research says about some of the most popular supplements on the market today, check out this:
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