Think out diet, needs before supplements

Have to confess here. I know I usually don’t do two consecutive question-and-answer pieces. But I got a few similar questions this week about nutritional supplements.

So, here are the questions and my take.

“Please tell me everything you know about creatine. My son was taking it, and looked bloated. He has stopped for three weeks, and looks normal now, and has lost 7 pounds.”

“Milo, I ask my son what he wants for Christmas and he says, whey protein, NO-Xplode, Animal Paks, Hot-Rox and all these other nutritional things. He says they’re to help him get bigger for football. What is this stuff?”

“What supplements would you suggest for a 17-year-old basketball player? I’m in great shape, but I get tired through the day. Vivarin is starting to give me headaches.”

Folks, that’s a mom, a dad and a 17-year-old girl.

And I’m sure there are many more of us just as confused as they are about supplements.

I told the first person that the bloating her son was experiencing is a common side effect of taking creatine, and it has been found in numerous creatine studies.

If that bloating is gastrointestinal, then there are some serious medical issues there and he should definitely consult a physician.

The second person was wary after I told him that each of those supplements is designed to help build muscle or help reduce fat. And one of them, the Animal Pak, is akin to a multivitamin for bodybuilders.

Dad quickly thought about steroids and wondered whether these were steroids or whether his son was taking steroids.

Let me be very clear about this. These are NOT steroids.

They are all pills, powders and liquids that make claims about helping folks build muscle or lose fat.

Some people say they work. Others say they’re a waste of money.

Check out this Web site, straightupsupplements.com, for a little more information and supposedly unbiased reviews about a lot of supplements.

Finally, the young lady laughed when I told her to buy a ton of this great supplement called sleep. She actually asked where she could buy it.

I smiled. Then it hit her.

“You’re not funny,” she said, just before walking into a supplements store.

Folks, I’m not anti-supplement. I don’t think anybody should be. But I do question why so many of us want to take supplements.

Is it because our friends are taking them? Some coach told us to do it? Great advertising? Wanting to take what might be the easy way?

Do we even know what we’re putting in our bodies?

Do we know our exact nutritional breakdown, meaning the percentage of carbs, protein and fat?

Do we know the simple versus complex breakdown of our carbs? When are we taking in this protein?

Do we know the right mixture of carbs and protein needed to have the most efficient workout?

How about our post-workout energy consumption, do we know the best breakdown for that?

I only ask those questions because too often folks want to take a supplement yet have no honest idea what they’re putting in their bodies and how well it’s working.

If we study our bodies, nutrition, workouts and how they all work together, we will have a better understanding of ourselves.

Remember, supplements are taken in addition to normal meals, not instead of normal meals.

If we take the time to eat the correct way for our desired activities, odds are good that we won’t need supplements.

However, if we’re eating the right way and we still need more energy, supplements can be good.

Then we can talk about what we should be taking.

Of course, that talk would come after a good night’s sleep.

Bryant has two National Strength and Conditioning Association certifications. Contact him at

milo.bryant@gazette.com or read his blog at milobryant.blogspot.com. He appears on KOAA’s Comcast Channel 9 most Wednesdays at 4 p.m.