My thoughts on supplements and what I take.

I get asked a lot about what kind of things I eat, what supplements am I taking, how do you feel about XX supplement, etc. So, finally, I'm going to write up my thoughts on supplements and/or the industry.

First, let me explain something to the general reader regarding supplements - supplements are just that - a "supplement' to your normal diet. The human body is a very capable and smart organism and to give it things other than what it is designed to take in is dangerous and highly disconcerting to me.  It's gone through many 1000s of years without too many problems, so why is it in the last 10-20 years that all-of-a-sudden the human body is not good enough on its own and we need to supplement it?  Let it do what it needs to do, naturally, and it will be fine. I think that if you're doing things that 66% of this country doesn't do (exercise), you're OK to begin with. Most of America's health problems are from lack of exercise and poor diet. No supplement can fix that.

Second; taking anything that has unknown and/or trademarked name is downright silly. Why do you think they hide the ingredient list? Look at BSN's popular NO-Xplode. The main ingredient is "N.O.-Xplode™'s Proprietary Blend" and it's 18,000 mg. Sure, they hide it so people don't copy their product (we all need to make a buck, I get that), but taking something that you don't know about or have COMPLETE control over is a silly thing to do to one's body in my opinion. I don't trust any company to look out for what's best for me!

Third; I know what is best for me, not the other way around. Supplements are designed and advertised to make you better by fixing you, healing you, satisfying you, increase performance, etc. But if the human body is not the sole reason for that improvement, then is your body REALLY the one that you can say made you sprint that 400m, 10 seconds faster?  I can say 100% with my heart that me and my hard work, not some supplement, was the reason for my improvements in my exercises, times, weights, etc. Personally, knowing what I can do to the core of my physical ability is rewarding and makes me proud of myself and my body.

What do I take?

I want to note here that I do not completely hate supplements and the industry. I do believe it has done good in many things and many people have benefited from them. I err on the side of caution about anything that is NOT natural and 100% from nature, so that explains my wording above. But, like anything, supplements should be used only when you can't get it from your food.

The only thing I take is whey protein. I take EAS 100% Whey right now. I've also ordered from TrueProtein.com as well. I like this supplement because I know what is in it, I know where it comes from (milk), it's cheap, it's convenient to buy and it's a food, not a chemical.

It's a fast digesting protein that I use exclusively for post-workout nutrition, as well as a supplement for when I did not buy enough chicken, fish, beef, etc. to last me for all my meals. Protein, as you may/may not know, is not stored in the body, so it's needed to be brought in through the foods you eat. Once your body uses it up, you must eat it to get it back in your system. Protein is the building block of muscle tissue and in order to maintain or build my muscle, I need to eat it often (3-4 hours).

So there you have my thoughts on supplements and what I take. I hope this helps!

Best,
Tyler