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More than 33% of America is taking supplements in some form or another. This over billion dollar industry is exploding and continuing to gain steam. But do you need them? What should you be taking? what brands should you trust? Let’s take a look.

Starting with things as simple as vitamins, the supplement industry has been around for a lifetime. More recently the sports supplement space has gained rapid growth with brands exploding all over social media and Ecommerce. But what’s all this mean? Do you need them to stay healthy, or to be fit? Well the short answer is no.

Let’s dive into the word “Supplement”. At its purest form, it tells you immediately its purpose. The idea of taking a supplement, is to supplement a part of your diet. Struggle getting your protein? Take a protein supplement. Cant get enough vitamin A,B,C, take a multi vitamin supplement. Don’t have the energy to get through your workout? Consider a pre workout supplement. The secret to supplements is just that, it’s meant to supplement the areas of your nutrition where you feel you fall short day to day.

Whole food is always the best place to get the nutrients you need to fuel your day. Paired with the key compounds your body needs to process macro and micro nutrients, food is the most natural way for us to get the things we need to be fully optimized. But, with the American western diet getting more and more processed, it is harder than ever for us to get the full spectrum of nutrients we need in a day. Thats where supplementation comes into play. It is always helpful to consult with a professional nutritionist, physician, or trainer to consider what supplements may be best for your specific needs.

With the barrier to entry being lower than ever in the supplement space, you also have to watch out for legitimate brands. With supplements mostly not being regulated, it is possible for anyone to put out a product today, which makes buying your supplements ever more complicated. Consider things like NSF certifications, guaranteeing the products being safe for sport and not having any banned substances within their products. Look for supplements with no proprietary blends, these are essentially a way for a supplement company to hide the exact formula for what they are putting into their products. This can be dangerous because you can either be over or under dosing on key things you expect from a product that you aren’t getting what you expect. Another key factor today to look for is artificial ingredients. With todays market ever changing, and there being no hard regulation on some of these companies, artificial ingredients can add fillers and unnecessary things into your products that aren’t going to ultimately benefit you, and could bring negative effects in the process.

In short, start by optimizing your diet. Getting your nutrients from whole food is always the best case scenario. Then fine tune what you miss in your daily diet, and supplement accordingly from highly reputable brands who seek third party certifications, use high quality ingredients, and have fully transparent labels. Do your research, ask the questions and purchase wisely.

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