Quite often, I get asked which supplements I use, or which supplements I’d recommend.
Rather than telling the story over and over again, AND seeing puzzled and confused faces after a huge info overload (I tend to do that), I thought it would be a lot easier to write all the info down, so you can read up on what you’d like to know and get back to it anytime you need to.
Let me state something important first. Supplements are exactly what they are called: supplements. They should never be a replacement for real food. This is for 2 reasons:
A healthy diet should always consist out of a large variety of unprocessed, fresh foods, like vegetables, fruit, meats, eggs & fish.- Supplements are often intended to provide a specific nutrient, for example a vitamin C tablet. However, eating a food that is high in vitamin C, also contains other healthy benefits, like fiber, antioxidants and minerals. You won’t get that in that tablet.
However, our lifestyles sometimes prevent us from being able to get all the nutrients we need. This varies from living in a country that gets cold & dark in winter (guilty!), working in an office with little access to daylight, lack of sleep (bad!), indulging too much in the weekend, sports (CrossFit!) stress (work, relationship, money, Tinder, friends (or lack thereof) kids, family, ok, you get the idea.
So in most cases, supplementation can be a good idea. But ALWAYS make sure your diet is as optimal as possible.
Since I lead an active lifestyle that demands a lot from my (aging) body, I supplement with a few products that help me with performance and recovery, but this info is not applicable to all of you.
That’s why I’ve split the post up in 3 categories:
- Vitamins & Minerals
- Joint Health
- Performance & Recovery
You can then move to the specific topic that interests you, and leave out the other info. If you are a desk-jockey with little exercise, supplementing with creatine would be quite pointless. If you are 22 years old, most likely there is no need to supplement with glucosamine. At least I hope so for you.
Before I begin, 2 more things:
- I am NOT a medical expert. If you have issues with your health like chronic pain, headaches, body parts falling off, allergic reactions or other serious shit, go see a fucking doctor. Self-medicating can be dangerous and sometimes make things worse. Use your head (if you still have it)
- All of the products below I use myself as well. I feel that if you advise on a product, you should believe in it and use it, so you can refer from your own experience rather than test results from lab rats.
Vitamins & Minerals
Omega 3 - In my opinion, the king of all supplements. Unless you eat fatty fish multiple times a week, it’s very likely your diet has an imbalance of omega 3 / omega 6. The ideal ratio of omega 3 & 6 should be 1:1, but the Western diet often has a ratio of 1:20 or even worse.
Omega 6 is found in a lot of processed foods. From vegetable oils (also olive) cookies, sauces, chips, pretty much anything packaged, to that crap called Becel. Needless to say, there is an overkill of omega 6 in our foods.
Omega 3 fatty acids are essential for the human body, and a very important for reducing inflammation in the body (heart disease) You can compare the intake of omega’s with a hot and cold water tap (omega 6 being hot, omega 3 being cold) With the right amount of each, the water should be lukewarm, but if you open the hot water tap full throttle, you’ll burn yourself.
Dosage: 2-4 grams daily
Vitamin D - Do you spend a lot of time indoors? Do you use a facial cream with SPF? Do you live in a country that has dark winters? Okido then. Vitamin D is your friend. Estimated is that about 80% of people are vitamin D deficient.
The most efficient & best way to get vitamin D, is still through sunlight. Your body works best this way, so even if days are darker, make sure you go outside as much as possible. But supplementing every other day with oil-based vitamin D is a good way to get the amount you need.
Dosage: 5000 IU every other day
Multivitamin - A good multivitamin will cover you for most essential vitamins & minerals and can be a great addition to your supplement intake.
Dosage: 1 tablet daily
Joint Health
Glucosamine - In my particular case, I have an early development of arthrosis (mostly in my knees) Most likely this is due to hypermobility in my joints and combining this with a lot of running in a past life, my knees are getting older at a faster pace than the rest of my body. Glucosamine doesn’t reverse arthrosis, but it does slow the process down, so I’ll take what I can get! I’ve also noticed my knees are less achy than before, so I take glucosamine religiously.
Dosage: 4 grams daily
Cissus Quadrangularis - Cissus-what??
Yeah I know, so I always call it Cissus Q to keep it simple. It’s quite an unknown supplement and I don’t understand why. Ciss Q is a plant used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat broken bones, heal ligaments and tendons. These Ayurvedic folks knew what the fuck they were doing already for centuries.
Taking this has made a big impact impact on my life, reducing aches and pains in my joints for about 60%
Taking this has made a big impact impact on my life, reducing aches and pains in my joints for about 60%
Dosage: 4 grams daily
Performance & Recovery
Whey Isolate Protein - Whey protein is a quick and easy way to add some protein to your diet, and it helps you recover faster and reduce muscle soreness. Personally I prefer an Isolate, since it contains almost 0% lactose and makes me less bloated. Look for a protein that provides the most protein per gram, that way you get a product that contains the least amount of crap and fillers. I get mine unflavored, so I can add any shit I want to it. BTW: taking protein alone will not build muscle. Lifting heavy things builds muscle.
Dosage: 40 grams post-workout
Creatine - Creatine is one of the few supplements that is actually tested and proven on humans. Creatine in short: it helps the muscles to store more ATP. ATP is a super fuel that allows your muscles to perform an explosive moment for just a bit more & longer, like a sprint or a heavy lift. This eventually helps to promote muscle growth. Muscle growth = good.
Dosage: 5 grams daily
Beta-Alanine - Supplementation with beta-alanine will promote muscle performance up to medium duration (over 60 sec) It has similar qualities like creatine, that’s why these 2 are often found together in pre-workout formulas.
In short: beta-alanine supplementation --> carnosine --> higher Ph levels --> less tired.
Warning: Taking beta-alanine causes a tingly/itchy feeling on your skin (face mostly) and is harmless (can be great to prank someone with though)
Dosage: 3 grams pre-workout
ZMA - ZMA is a combination of Zinc, Vitamin B6 & Magnesium and is used as a sleep enhancer. It is used as a recovery aid, helping the body achieve deeper levels of REM sleep. This stuff really is amazing. Various studies on athletes have proven a better recovery and increase in strength. ZMA is not just for athletes though, if you feel as if your sleep isn’t deep enough or you wake up often feeling like you haven’t rested enough, ZMA might be worth a try. And no, it doesn't put you into a coma.
Dosage: 3 tablets 30-60 mins before bed
Dosage: 3 tablets 30-60 mins before bed
Nutella - Undisputedly proven to provide all kinds of gains.
All kiiiinds.
Dosage: 20 grams daily
Supplements I’m currently trying/testing
GABA - GABA is used as a stress reducer and is often used as a sleep aid as well. At the same time there is evidence that GABA improves cognitive function. I really hope it will make me smarter too.
Dosage: 3 grams daily
Niacinamide - It’s a form of vitamin B3 and has a lot of benefits, but I’m particularly interested in the fact that it promotes clear thinking and promoting relaxation.
Dosage: 500 mg daily
Want to read more?
The most useful source of information on this topic for me is Examine.com
They provide independent information and research on a lot of the mainstream supplements, but also the lesser known ones. Never ever believe just what the label says, it's written by marketing people that know jack-shit about anything. Do your research.
Questions? Ask!
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