On his Podcast, LinnFit Coaching, Coach Caleb recently discussed his thoughts on supplements. He speaks about when he would recommend using supplements as part of your nutrition and when it could potentially be a waste of your money. Be sure to check out the podcast either on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDZuo7TdBuE&t=8s or on Spotify by searching LinnFit coaching. This article will revisit some of the ideas he talked about surrounding supplements and hopefully answer some questions you may have.
Be sure to leave Caleb and myself a comment or review and let us know what future Podcast topics you would like to learn about.
A Supplement is not a Replacement
Supplements are not to be your main source of nutrition. They simply cannot replace a healthy, well-rounded diet. If you want to be the healthiest, strongest, fastest, best looking version of yourself no supplement you can take will replace a balanced diet that includes protein, carbohydrates, and fats from quality sources.
So why do so many of us assume that we need to take supplements?
A lot of this has to do with the marketing around elite level athletes. These athletes, whether it be Body Builders, Football players, or CrossFit competitors, often times need to supplement their diet because without them it can be difficult to bring in enough fuel to build muscle and power them through their workouts. But for many of us that just want to improve ourselves this can leave the impression that to get in better shape we must take supplements.
Do you actually need supplements?
Maybe. The truth is most of us probably do not need any supplements at all. With a focus on a healthy diet, complete balanced nutrition is possible for many people. However, there are some instances where supplements can be useful, for example.
· Your lifestyle is busy and preparing a whole meal sometimes is not a possibility; a meal in a blender could be a good option to help you stay on track.
· You are vegan or vegetarian. This can make it difficult to have enough protein in your diet especially if you are trying to gain lean mass. A protein supplement could be useful.
· Depending on your budget using supplements can help fill in any nutrition gaps caused by the expense of buying lean proteins, fresh produce, and quality carbs and fats. Depending on where you are at in the world these items can put a dent in your wallet and be difficult to find.
· You are training at a high volume and intensity throughout the week, and potentially competing in a sport that requires lots of training and practice.
These are some situations where supplementing your diet could be useful and help you pursue your goals. Focus on getting your nutrition from food first to avoid wasting your money and consuming unnecessary calories.
Personally, I take a daily multivitamin because I know that I am not always the most consistent with eating a variety of colorful vegetables. I take this as an insurance policy to ensure that I am getting enough micronutrients. From time to time, I will use creatine, but only in seasons when lifting heavy several times throughout the week.
In an upcoming podcast, Caleb has an interview with LinnFit client, Jeff Underhill, who is a strongman athlete who really does need to supplement to meet his nutrition needs as a competitor but also asks a lot of good questions that you may be asking yourself about nutrition. Subscribe to the podcast and our YouTube page to make sure you don’t miss it!