THE TOP FOOD SUPPLEMENTS FOR EVERY PURPOSE!

Supplementation! Some swear by it, others swear at it! It’s a multibillion dollar industry that has everything; in fact you could write a soap opera with all the drama and hype surrounding supplements. I am a bit of a junkie when it comes to food and body building supplements and I can tell you that I have seen everything, from the totally overhyped and ineffective crap to the downright dangerous crap! I have also seen the mildly effective and the dynamite that delivers exactly what it promises and then some extra!

Honestly I am promoting supplements today, I honestly believe that they do help you get from where you are to where you want to be, whatever your goal from muscle building to weight loss or even maintaining your male virility, there is something for you. Today I am going to pick on the seven most common reasons people take supplements and best supplements to help get you there.

Right off I should say that supplements are no magic bullet, you can pop all the pills and powders you want, but if you don’t train and watch your nutrition, you will not get the best result. Also if you have never ever worked out or watched your food intake, then address these issues first before thinking about supplements.

Last but not least, all the supplements pictured in this post are just there for illustrative purposes, I am not endorsing any particular brand of supp (have to get paid for that!)

So if you are ready, let’s delve into the murky world of nutritional supplements!

Do have a great weekend!

1.      WEIGHT LOSS/FAT BURNING: CLA

CLA stands for Conjugated Linoleic Acid, it is a fatty acid that helps you burn fat, it is present naturally in red meat and dairy products and if you eat a lot of beef and dairy products you might not need to supplement. The reality however is that most of us do not eat enough red meat, milk and cheese as they are prohibitively expensive in Nigeria, and CLA is only present in little quantities anyway, so to bridge the gap, I would suggest investing in some CLA, I have personally tried it and I know it works. How? A number of studies have shown that CLA reduces fat mass in the body and promotes lean body mass at the same time. Please not that some supplement marketers out there can be crooked and mix their CLA with plenty of empty fillers, so make sure you review the product thoroughly online before buying.

2.      MUSCLE/LEAN MASS BUILDING: WHEY PROTEIN

Whey is one of my all-time favourite supps, it comes in all sorts of delicious flavours! Jokes aside, whey protein is your number one sup when your goal is to build muscle, it has been around for years and never fails. Its really hard to find a critic with anything bad to say about it. Whey, and specifically whey protein isolate is derived from dairy and is considered to be one of the most complete forms of protein containing all the essential amino acids needed for muscle growth and development. Whey helps you to build lean muscle mass, lose fat, build size and strength , reduce hunger, manage stress and improve immunity, whey comes in a flavoured powder form and like CLA it is available in beef and dairy and like CLA you can hardly get enough in your diet naturally. If you want to get lean and muscular whey will get you there quickly! Please note when buying whey, some marketers fill their products with disguised sugar and other junk as fillers, so be careful and scrutinize labels carefully before buying. Also any whey product that does not have at least 24grams of whey protein per scoop is not worth it .

3.      MUSCLE RECOVERY/STAMINA: BCAA

BCAA stands for Branched Chain Amino Acid and there are three of them that are essential ; leucine, isoleucine and valine. They help to easy muscle soreness , fatigue and aid muscle recovery after a painful workout. BCAA’s are well known in bodybuilding circles as a “maintenance” supplement, in that it helps restore your muscles after they have been damaged during exercise and helps to prevent loss of muscle mass if you cut your food consumption to lose weight. While BCAA’s are present in whey protein, it would be a good idea to take them separately as the ratio in which they are found in standalone BCAA supplement mixes ( Ratio 2:1:1) will give you the best results. Finally, when shopping for BCAA powder, look out for those that include: Beta –alanine, L-glutamine and L-citruline.  A good BCAA should contain at least 20grams per scoop and last at least 30 workouts, and like whey look out for hidden sugar and other fillers.

4.      MAINTAIN HEALTH/BOOST IMMUNITY: MULTIVITAMINS

Let’s agree right now, if you eat a wide variety of different fruits and vegetables raw and only slightly cooked with every single meal, you can skip this one. If not read carefully! We need vitamins to function normally and optimally from vitamin A to Z( just kidding folks) vitamins help regulate all our body function from our brains to our…..( you get the idea!) they regulate our hormones, and deficiencies can lead to many adverse health conditions. Our modern city lives are filled with chemicals, pollutants and free radicals that keep our bodies in a constant battle mode requiring quality nutrition and what do we provide it? Processed foods, hydrogenated fat, excess sugar, I could go on and on. A good multivitamin supplement is not a 100% Substitute for whole foods but it will help bridge the gap in your defenses. Multivitamins are relatively inexpensive, the trick is to get the best value for your money. When shopping look out for those that have between 2 and 3 months’ worth of vitamins and those that also have other herbs and immune boosters in them.

5.      SEX DRIVE: HORNY GOAT WEED

I bet this one will get your attention! Looking for something to get the A back in your action? This is the sup for you; unashamedly I vouch for its efficacy. Horny goat weed or Epimedium as it is scientifically known is a herb that has been used for centuries in china to treat such conditions as low libido, erectile dysfunction, fatigue pain and other conditions. Horny goat weed works by blocking the effects of an enzyme that restricts blood flow to the penis, similar to some drugs used for erectile dysfunction; however unlike drugs it has few side effects. Horny goat weed helps to improve blood flow to the arteries and can be taken by both men and women (no discrimination folks!) however, buyer beware; horny goat weed is NOT ADVISED  if you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure or a heart condition. For natural remedies to improve male sexual health, tune in next week!

6.      HEART HEALTH/REDUCE CHOLESTEROL:OMEGA 3 FISH OIL

Omega 3 fish oil is wonderful stuff; it contains two major fatty acids, DHA and DPA and they help to keep your heart healthy. There are two types of cholesterol present in your arteries LDL (Bad Cholesterol) and HDL (Good cholesterol), if there is an imbalance between the two i.e too much LDL, it will lead to a buildup of plaque in your arteries, high blood pressure and the attendant risks of heart disease. Fish oil helps to mitigate this by giving you more HDL, good cholesterol in your system, HDL help scrub your arteries clean of plaque that can lead to blood clots, fish oil can also act as a blood thinner to help prevent blood clots. If you do eat a lot of oily fish like mackerel, salmon etc you might not need fish oils supps, but if you don’t like fish, it’s the way to go! My tip for you when buying is to look out for good fish oil with at least 1000mg per dose.

7.      STAMINA: CAFFEINE

Last but not least, if you are looking to build stamina for an aerobic workout like, jogging, walking, cycling etc then caffeine boost might just be what you need. Caffeine supplements help boost your cardiovascular endurance by reducing the effects of fatigue on your body. Some reports even have it treating low blood pressure, boosting brain function and focus and fighting some forms of cancer. Unlike my other supplement picks I would advise that you don’t pop caffeine pills just yet, most pills are made for people with a high tolerance for the stuff. If you are just starting out, I would advise that you just take 2 cups of Nescafe a day, with about half a teaspoon till you develop a tolerance. I have even used caffeine as an appetite suppressant when struggling with weight loss and it worked. The most important thing is to know your sensitivity level and never take caffeine supps less than 5 hours to your bed time, trust me I’ve been there and insomnia is not fun!

I hope you got some valuable information out of our top supplement picks to enjoy the best out of life; this article is just a general guide to supplementation that anyone can follow, try it out and feel the difference in your efforts to lose weight, build lean mass or just to lead a healthy life.

Thanks and do have a wonderful weekend!