Do You Need Vitamins and Supplements?

Next time you are out and about, walk through the ‘nutrition’ section in the grocery store, stop by the local ‘health’ outlet, or visit the nearest GNC/Vitamin World. It’s a whole new world if you haven’t ever done so. Or, maybe you have wandered down that aisle pretty frequently, but don’t know what is real and good vs what is bunk.

On the shelves, you’ll find: Bars, Powders, Pills, Capsules, Tablets, and Chews, all of them with different purposes and each product aimed at various end goals.

The supplement world is an ever growing, ever changing exhibit of the newest scientific research on fitness and athleticism.

It’s a magical world where clinical trial results are mixed with pretty good marketing, and the supplement creators, in adherence with FDA regulations, make enormous huge claims for most of their products.

  • ‘200% Increase in Strength’
  • ‘Increase your Endurance in days’
  • ‘Destroy Unwanted Body Fat Without Any Effort’
  • ‘Major Pump, Anabolic Based!’
  • On and on and on

Vitamins and supplements are enormously popular, but you will find other substances that you may have never heard of. Creatine. Beta-alanine. Carnitine. Glutamine. Glucosamine. Magnesium. Fish Oils.

You have no idea what it all means or if they even work, but they all sound fantastic and the labels sure make it seem like you would be able to go lift a house as soon as you take anything in those aisles.

Supplements are meant to be add-ons to your diet, helping you to reach new plateau’s, but what exactly do they do?

How can you tell the legitimate products that work from the ones that might actually hurt you? Can you avoid those that do nothing more than take your money? Unless you have been around the fitness world for awhile, reading supplement labels and picking through various claims can be tricky. Don’t even start on trying to guess which ones will help you reach your goals. The little nuances aren’t always clear, but that’s why I am here. To help you weave through the nonsense and figure out what works for you. I want you to succeed, after all, and if that means you save money in the process, awesome!

Who Actually Uses Supplements?

Blue pills spilling

Supplementation is an occasionally hot button issue in the fitness community with very passionate arguments made for or against it. Ask one person their thoughts and they might tell you to stay away. Ask their gym buddy and that person might rattle off a list of all of the things they believe you should be taking.

Bodybuilders prefer some supplements, while endurance athletes stick with others. Recreational athletes and fitness minded folks often just pile in as much as they can in the hopes of getting some sort of benefit.

Stick around long enough and you will find that many disagreements are based on dreaded ‘bro science.’

If you happen to find the one person in the gym who knows what they are talking about, they will more than likely have varying degrees of support behind them in the form of clinical trials and research. Find those people, stick with them, and pick their brains. They can save you literal thousands in wasted costs.

Why, is it like that though? And how come virtually no one agrees on what’s ‘best’? Often, that’s because they don’t know, or they only know what is good ‘for them.’

Truth is, to answer that question as honestly as possible, you need to consider overall goal, body type, and genetics. All these things lead people into one of four crowds.

Anti-Supplement Crowd

There are those who believe that you shouldn’t take any supplements at all. They don’t agree with taking even the smallest, most accepted vitamin and mineral type products. Instead, they believe that proper diet should cover the entirety of their nutrient needs. They aren’t completely wrong to think so, either. Your diet SHOULD cover the overwhelming majority of your dietary needs, but it doesn’t always.

Moderate Users

Other people believe that responsible supplementation is a good thing. The majority of people fall into this camp for one reason or another. Either they have learned what works and doesn’t, or they don’t have the funds to spend more.

The mindset in this crowd is that things like multivitamins, fish oils, protein powders, and other well known, mainstream vitamins and supplements don’t hurt you; that they can actually help you progress on your journey. These moderates tend to stay away from most of the ‘fringe’ supplements like anabolics (steroids) and untested, unproven supplements with little history or clinical backing.

You should be here!

Heavy Users

Some folks fall into the ‘heavy supplement users’ category. People who believe that they absolutely need to use supplements for any type of progress fall here, as do some professional/elite athletes who take a LOT of supplements because they simply cannot get the right nutrition any other way. Some heavy users tend to try everything on the shelf at the store in search of miracle products, while others are guided by necessity for their sport.

Abusers

Finally, there is the abusive category. These people are the ones who tend to purchase supplements from sheisty online marketplaces and have them shipped from foreign countries in unmarked boxes/bottles. People who use what are commonly referred to as steroids fall under this category as do people who use any other type of non-prescribed injections, patches, or pills that are considered illegal or fall under a banned substances list somewhere.

What Makes A Supplement, Good?

A ‘good’ supplement is one that has a lot of ingredients in it which have been studied and proven to do something positive for you. Examples here might include:

  • Multivitamins full of Vitamin A/B-12/C, Magnesium, Calcium, Iron, Chromium, Glutamine, or other necessary nutrients in safe and efficient levels.
  • A fiber supplement with an effective/safe amount of fiber.
  • Protein powders with a proper amount of well sourced protein, a few carbs, some fat, flavor, and little else.

Products that contain well studied, proven ingredients in levels that are acceptable, safe, and efficient make the best supplements. Look for items that contain tons of things you would find in your diet, not necessarily a ton of ingredients that sound exotic. If it has more ingredients that sound like they came out of a high school science class textbook than they do well known stuff, stay away.

What’s The Deal With The FDA?

FDA Logo

Before we go any further in explaining vitamins and supplements, we need to make something clear. The nutritional supplement market is just as controlled as the rest of the market is when it comes to things you consume. They are generally held to the same standards by the Food and Drug Administration, with minor differences. While it is true that the FDA doesn’t ‘approve’ supplements in the same way they approve medications, manufacturing process and labeling requirements still are the same.

If you buy them in a store in the US or Canada, you are more than likely going to be OK, barring any conflicting medical or prescription conflicts. If you have an ongoing medical issue, or an active prescription, your doctor can tell you what to stay away from.

Just like most food (whole foods, like produce, excluded, because they don’t have labels), you can find ingredient listings in the information panel on the back of the label in almost every case. Use this area to see if the supplement has what you need, and if it will conform to your goals. The key is to know what you are looking for!

Manufacturers are required to conform to certain practices in manufacturing in the US or before being legally shipped here, and they undergo auditing each year to ensure they are in compliance. It’s probable that supplement manufacturers are far more regulated than actual food producers, considering the amount of people who get sick from supplements vs from their everyday diet.

With that said, not all supplements are ‘safe.’ Some are indeed downright dangerous, especially if you buy them from less than reputable places on the web. Make sure that the ingredients don’t clash with medications or medical conditions, and that you consume them properly.

Who Is Actually Responsible For Supplement Usage?

Woman holding dumbbells at the gym

There are a ton of supplements out there being sold that make a lot of bold claims, but are completely useless, especially if they are marketed for goals you aren’t reaching for. Others will work for some people, but might not work for your specific bodily makeup. It is up to you, the consumer, to:

  1. Figure out if you are going to venture into supplements;
  2. Know what you are looking for in a supplement;
  3. Filter out the garbage stuff so you don’t waste your time, money, effort, or hope on something useless; and
  4. Determine if a supplement may impact any medication you may be on, or if it will negatively impact your own health.

Supplements vs DIetary Intake

When it comes to supplementation, you really should get the overwhelming majority of your daily nutrition from your diet. Vitamins and minerals can be found in nearly every natural food out there. A supplement (vitamins, minerals, and other substances full of things you may need) should be, as the name implies, supplemental.

Occasionally, you might not be able to get enough of certain nutrients in your diet. THAT is when you should consider supplements. Consider the following examples:

  • ‘Bill’ weighs 180lbs. He strives to consume 1g of protein per 1lb of bodyweight. This means he needs 180g of protein a day to reach his goal. Eating 180g of protein a day can be pretty hard to do with food, considering how full protein makes you. A protein supplement might be necessary in such a case.
  • ‘Sarah’ absolutely cannot stand fish. Because of her dietary problems with fish, she might not be able to consume enough Omega 3s in her diet. In this case, she would probably benefit from taking a fish oil supplement.
  • ‘Ted’ eats junk food all day. In his case, he is better off swapping up his diet to get better nutrition from it. Supplements probably aren’t the best course of action for him at this point.

If you maintain a proper diet, chances are you won’t need too many supplements, but keep this in mind: the more athletic you are, the more vitamins, minerals, metabolites, etc. you will need in order to maintain internal balance and improve performance.

Known Good Results

There are a few tried and true vitamins and supplements that have been used for decades without many, if any, side effects while providing actual benefits. Here is a list of some of the more popular, and useful, supplements that are available in the health section:

Multivitamins

Multivitamins are products that generally come in pill or capsule form, but can also be found in gummy and occasional powder form. A good multivitamin will have a good combination of necessary vitamins and minerals, proportional to daily requirements. Ingredient balance is key. There should also be a minimal amount of additional ‘filler’ ingredients, and more than likely no reason for sugar and artificial coloring if you find it.

Vitamins and minerals are a necessity for your body, so you can’t really go wrong with a supplement containing them. That is, as long as the ingredient list contains most of the required vitamins and minerals you need for your age, sex, and health requirements. Generally, a good multivitamin will contain something along the lines of:

Vitamins:

  • A;
  • B-6;
  • B-12;
  • C;
  • D;
  • E;
  • K;

Minerals

  • Calcium;
  • Zinc;
  • Iron

That is not an all extensive list, by any means.

One major thing to remember is this: Some manufacturers like to push as much into one pill as possible. Your body can only handle so much of any one nutrient. Add too much of anything and there has to be the potential for a safety issue there somewhere. Nutrients are no different.

Fat soluble fats are exceptionally difficult to manage, so keep them at proper levels and don’t go over. Vitamin D, for example, can cause calcium buildup which leads to nausea and weakness or worse, while too much Vitamin A can turn your skin orange. Not good things. Of course, you need a LOT of those vitamins to do those things (over 60k iu for Vitamin D and 25k iu Vitamin A, roughly). The nutrients in a multivitamin should remain within safe limits.

Fish Oils

Omega 3’s are oils that you can consume in either fish or fish oil supplements which may help with a ton of cool functions in your body, such as:

  • Reduced inflammation.
  • Supporting healthy skin.
  • Lowering blood pressure.
Oil capsules on counter
Image from Healthline

Fish oils often come in either capsule or liquid form, so they are easy to take. Swallow a few fish oil capsules with your vitamins to help your body digest the ingredients in the multi, or add a few drops to a shake. Makes it easy to take in, even if you hate the taste of fish.

If you decide to take a fish oil supplement, look for ‘clean’ product lines. The higher quality the line, the fewer problems (like the dreaded fish burps!) you could encounter.

Also, be sure that whatever you go with has a good combination of EPA and DHA within them. This is usually a 2:1 ratio.

As with multivitamins, take only what you need to fill gaps. Anything more than 3g a day has been shown to potentially cause some side effects.

Protein

Protein. The old standby. Protein supplements come in many forms: powder, bar, and pre-mixed beverage are among the options available.

What exactly does protein do, and why do you need it? Well, for starters protein helps to rebuild tissues (including muscle) and helps build up your immune system. If you want a quick run down of what your body uses it for, what happens if you don’t have enough, and what are the most common types of protein available at the store, click here.

Each of them has their own benefits and drawbacks, mostly having to do with how they are digested but also encompassing flavor, overall calorie count, texture, goals, and in general preference.

Creatine

Creatine is by far one of the least understood supplements by beginners. Entirely too many people think it is a steroid, but that is pretty far from the truth. In reality, it is a substance your body naturally produces, and can also be found in animal muscle meats (although it morphs into creatinine as it heats up, so it becomes nearly useless the longer the meat cooks).

When you look at what is available in stores, you can find creatine for sale in tons of forms: pills, chews, powder, liquid, and even going so far as to appear in some foods and pre-mixed beverages.

Some forms of creatine are easier to digest than others, with these being the most popularly available for purchase:

Supplementing with this compound is actually very useful. It helps to build bigger muscles by:

  • Increasing ATP production, which leads to higher energy levels
  • Raising the levels of some hormones
  • Increasing how much water is in your muscles
  • Reducing muscular breakdown.

Creatine has very few, if any side effects, mainly involving cramps, liver or kidney problems, or bloating when too much is taken in or not enough water is consumed.

Endurance athletes and those looking to lose weight probably won’t make too many gains from creatine. If, however, you are a strength athlete, or have strength/size centric goals, creatine would probably work fantastically for you.

Final Note On These:

Most people really don’t need much more than these few supplements. The more motivation and consistency you have in the gym and kitchen, the more effective they will be.

Restricting how much you buy and put into your body is always a good practice. Your organs will return the favor, and your wallet will thank you. Supplements can get expensive!

Pro-Tip: Most of what you find in health and fitness stores or aisles make remarkable claims that don’t even come close to reality for most people. Read past the clever marketing, turn the package around, and look at the ingredient lists. Compare to your goals, and see if it fits.

Things To Look Out For

In general you want to avoid buying vitamins and supplements from sites that seem a bit ‘off.’ You also probably don’t want to be buying any supplements from third world countries, and then have them shipped to you.

Quality Test labeling
  • Read the label. Does it outline manufacture facility, manufacture/expiration dates, and ingredients?
  • Does the bottle indicate third party vouching for safety and labeling?
  • Do the claims seem too good to be true?

Dietary Requirements

Don’t forget to always double check with your doctor before you start taking any supplement. They may be able to point you towards items that could potentially help you with your goals. Your doctor might also be able to steer you away from anything that could conflict with a medical problem you have or a medication you are on.

Keeping a journal of everything you are taking could be useful in the event that you have an adverse reaction. Additionally, a record would be useful so you can refer to it if you will be undergoing any type of surgical procedure. Of course, your doctor will probably tell you to stop taking any supplements before you undergo any surgical procedures to be on the safe side.

You should never use supplements as a substitute for real food and nutrients. Use them to fill in nutritional gaps. They are meant to be supplemental, not alternatives. A broad diet with a large range of foods that are rich in nutrients should take precedence over supplements any day.

Let Us help You Out

At CONDITIONerd we are here to help you achieve better physical and mental health through exercise. Check out the plans we offer to our customers and see if you could benefit from working with our team. And if you have questions, you can always contact a CONDITIONerd team member

Personal trainers, like those found here, can help guide you on your pathway towards reaching your fitness goals, whether that is getting bigger, stronger, faster, more lean, or just generally feeling better.

We can get you setup with a periodized workout plan, supplement information, and advice on nutrition to help you reach your goals.

The only thing you need is some motivation and a willingness to change some old habits.

Get into contact with us to find out what membership is right for you. In a CONDITIONerd program, you’ll be surrounded by others who can help you to get where you want to be.

Generally, our clients start to see some pretty awesome changes in 2-3 months time, some sooner.

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