How Do You Get Your Stuff Into Your System?
Good nutrition is essential for a strong, functioning body. But what happens when our poor diet leaves us feeling tired, moody, and unwell? Or when our taste buds rebel against the same old foods day in and day out? Many of us turn to supplements like protein shakes or vitamins to help fill that nutritional gap. But do they work as advertised?
It may come as no surprise that many supplements are little more than glorified snake oil—they don’t offer any advantage over food-based products and in some cases may even be downright dangerous. The scientific community has, for the most part, echoed this position for years. But a new study out of Mainz University in Germany just added another layer of nuance to the discussion. When analyzing several vitamins and minerals, as well as individual amino acids and protein extracts from food sources, researchers found that there’s more to a supplement than meets the eye.
The study used 8 different protein powders purchased off Amazon under names like “Xtend by BPI” or “ProGainer Ultra Rich Chocolate” or one with no brand name at all (the control). Each supplement was analyzed for total content of protein, fat, carbohydrates, and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) using a variety of methods. The results were compiled into a table and analyzed to see how the powders matched up.
First of all, the study found that most supplements contained more protein than their labels claimed—an average of 14.6 g versus 12 g per 30 g serving (when protein content is listed as 10 or 25 g per container). What’s more, this extra protein also came with a little extra fat: around 1 g on average compared to 0.9 g given in the label.
Secondly, the study found that some powders had more and some less of each micronutrient than their labels indicated. (Micronutrients are elements that are necessary in small amounts for normal function and growth. Vitamins and minerals constitute the bulk of these micronutrients.) For example, one powder contained less than half the amount of iron than its label claimed, while another had double the calcium listed on its label. The biggest difference was for vitamin C: one powder analyzed actually contained over 7 times as much vitamin C as it purported to have!
Finally, there were no significant differences between protein extracts from meat versus plant sources or between whey or casein supplements. It was concluded that certain categories of food supplements did not differ qualitatively from conventional food sources in terms of the nutritional value of their protein components.
The scientists ultimately answered their question: not only do supplements (some) work, but they can also give you a balanced nutritional boost. The average person takes a multivitamin for its nutritional value and because it’s meant to cover any potential dietary shortfalls; i.e., if you’re eating a nutritionally balanced diet but want to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients your body needs, then foods or pills containing those nutrients are fine. To say that they’re not more beneficial than, say, eating five eggs is a little like saying your daily cup of coffee isn’t better than one cup of tea. It’s true, but you might as well skip the caffeine.
Article: "Nutritional Quality of Dietary Supplements". March 2017. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5585135/.
Photo credit: Flickr/Eric Gurski
That's it for a 30 day sample meal plan from me. I hope you have found the content useful and that you will be able to apply all of this information to create your own. If you would like me to create a meal plan, check out my services here:
Seductive Six Pack
Seductive Six Pack offers six day per week, four hour per day, meal plans designed for men who want to gain lean muscle, lose fat, and get abs in record time. Seductive Six Pack is an affiliate of Bodybuilding.com and is the brainchild of Bodybuilding.com's former top male model and now CEO, Rich Piana.
Meal Planning Questionnaire
If you guys would like to be featured in a meal plan, I will set you up with a questionnaire where I will ask you:
How much weight do you want to lose/gain? What are your training goals? (i.e., getting bigger, leaner, etc. – whatever you'd like to achieve)
What are your dietary restrictions? (gluten free, vegetarian, etc.)
I would love to talk more about how I can help you. Would you like me to give you a call? Just leave me a comment below and I will try to get back with you as soon as possible!
Best of luck,
-Chris
Meal Planning Tools
I've got two tools I'd like to recommend that are helpful in meal planning.The first is my . These sheets will ask the questions above and then follow up by recommending menus based on your answers. There are currently three sheets on my website. The second tool is my . It's got a better interface, more features, and online access. If you go to , click the tab "Sheet" to see some of the older versions I made over the years.
So far so good. I'm up to six days of meals already. I think it'll be much easier from now on. I'm tired of having to think about what to make. And I'm tired of having to research the best foods. I'm just going to do this by memory, which is really all I need.I'm starting to wonder if it's even worth it for me to shop at GNC or have food shipped in. If a meal plan works out, why would I waste my time driving there when they have a better selection online? Why would I bother with shipping?
A month from now, let's put my meal plans through their paces and see how effective they are! Stay tuned for an update in October.
Conclusion
This article has been a quick and dirty guide on how to meal plan, but step one is always just to start.
From there, simply track your caloric intake using a simple journal in the same way you track your workouts (for example with ), and then take that information and experiment on how you like to eat. As I mentioned above, I suggest using goals such as caloric deficit, surplus or maintenance. This way you can adjust your food intake as needed without too much of a headache.