Supplements

Here are 24 Reasons We Need Supplements as cited in “Fitness – The Complete Guide” written by Fred C. Hatfield of the ISSA.

1. Poor Digestion – not chewing well, eating too fast.

2. Hot coffee, tea, and spices – beverages that are too hot as well as spicy foods cause inflammation of the digestive linings.

3. Alcohol – Liver and Pancreas damage

4. Smoking – irritant to digestive tract

5. Laxatives – poor absorption of vitamins and minerals from food.

6. Fad Diets – disgarding whole groups of food causes vitamin deficiency.

7. Overcooking – destroys heat susceptible vitamins.

8. Food Processing – freezing food reduces Vitamin E levels.

9. Convenience Foods – excessive refined carbohydrates causes unbalanced diet and deficiency in B-group vitamins.

10.  Antibiotics – fight off friendly bacteria.

11.  Food Allergies – omission of whole food groups due to allergies causes deficiencies.

12.  Crop Nutrient Loss – soil on farms is deficient in trace elements.

13.  Accidents & Illness – causes deficiencies depending on the injury.

14.  Stress – increases requirements for certain vitamins causing a deficiency.

15.  P.M.S. – women benefit by supplementing Vitamin B-6

16.  The Teen Years – deficiencies due to rapid growth.

17.  Pregnancy – higher demands for nutrients.

18.  Oral Contraceptives – decrease absorption of folic acid and increase need for B Vitamins.

19.  Light Eating – not enough nutrients taken in throughout the day.

20.  Aging – generally have a low intake of vitamins and minerals.

21.  Lack of Sunlight – insufficient amounts of Vitamin D for invalids, shift workers, etc.

22.  Bio-individuality – Wide fluctuations in individual nutrient requirements from the official recommended daily intake.

23.  Low Body Reserves – some vitamins have low reserves in the body.

24.  Athletics – additional stress of the body requires additional vitamins.

In general, there are many, many different supplements you’ll find in the stores.  The best guidelines is to be sure that you are getting 100% of your daily recommended. If you have questions you should speak with your Physician regarding the addition of extra supplements to your diet.

As a rule I recommend the following to my clients:

Multi-Vitamins – Be sure to take a good multivitamin everyday, especially while training, because physical stress can lower your resistance initially and allow your defences to break down.  No need to get “Mega-Vitamins”.  Use something that has 100 RDA that you can buy at Walmart or your grocery store.

1. Vitamin C – I strongly recommend taking an additional Vitamin C tablet each day.  Again, this is because your defences are lowered due to the physical stress you are placing on your body.

2. Protein Shakes – You can substitute protein shakes for portions of your meal plan but do not have them every single meal.  Try to find a low carb shake somewhere in the range of 5 grams of carbohydrates.  I recommend MRM low carb whey or MRM Low Carb.

3. Digestive Enzyme – These are helpful when you start adding additional vegetables and fruit into your diet.  I recommend MRM Digest-All and take one tablet with each meal.

4. Adding fish oil to your diet provides your body with healthy Omega’s.  I suggest one to two tablets per day of MRM Smart Blend.

5. Fat Burners – I do recommend fat burners but many people I know have had great success with them.  There have been too many different types on the market and then removed due to health issues.  I would suggest you seek your physicians advice when it comes to taking these.

6. Amino Acids/Glutamine – Taking a Glutamine Powder before bedtime helps your muscles to recover more quickly and assists in the re-building process.