Even without trying to lose weight, there is no question about the importance/need of taking food grade vitamin/mineral supplements. The fact is, the foods from which we are supposed to get all our nutrients are nowhere near the same as they were 30 years ago. GMO foods, over-cultivated soils, and pesticides are creating products with far fewer usable nutrients than we used to use to get our vitamins. There are numerous fruits and vegetables that develop most of their vitamin and mineral content during the last 7-10 days of vine ripening. Unfortunately, unless you live on a farm and eat straight from the garden, you get your produce from the supermarket. In order for fruits and vegetables to be fresh and last long enough to buy at the store, they must be picked well before this time. This means that much of the produce we buy in grocery stores finished its ripening process in dark boxes or under fluorescent lights and never fully developed its full nutritional profile. With all of this in mind, even if you’re getting all 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day, you still need to take some sort of vitamin/mineral supplement to fill in the gaps that your food can’t provide.
On a reduced calorie diet, the need for nutritional supplements is even greater. If your weight loss diet is properly balanced and well planned (which most are not), food is taken in smaller amounts while the exercise demand is considerably higher. Compared to a normal (non-diet) diet, a good weight loss nutritional program should contain much more vegetables, as they are less calorie-dense, cleanse the body, and are supposed to provide necessary nutrients. While the increased volume of these foods should make up for the vitamin deficient foods, the increased demand from increased exercise will cause the body to require more. Do not choose vitamin/mineral supplements based on price and stick with the cheapest you can find, as they may not be the best for you. Do your research before you buy and look for vitamin supplements that are more absorbable rather than affordable. The most absorbable vitamin supplements are colloidal (liquid) and/or those closest to food sources (minimal processing) possible.
As important as good quality absorbable multivitamin/mineral supplements are to your health, these products should be the foundation of every nutritional supplement program. However, they will not make a noticeable difference in weight loss if they are the only supplements you are taking. There are many other products specifically designed to help you lose weight and build healthy muscle. Just like a good multivitamin, these too need to be chosen carefully so that you get the best possible results at the lowest price. When used correctly at the right times and for the right reasons, there are many nutritional supplements on the market today that can help you reach new levels of fitness and health very quickly, no matter your age. When shopping, the number of different supplements available will keep your mind spinning; This market is huge and there are many good companies offering an amazing number of great products. However, there are also an equally large number of ineffective junk products if you’re not careful. For the sake of simplicity, you can classify most weight loss nutritional supplements into three groups; macronutrient replacement, fat burner/energy pills and performance based products.
Macronutrient replacement supplements are available as protein drinks and meal replacement powders. The goal of these nutritional supplements is to support your diet with more macronutrients like protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Meal replacement powders are a cheap and easy way to get great nutrition on the go in a very convenient way, a drink you can quickly mix and consume on the go. These products make dieting much easier and tastier! Whey protein drinks and meal replacement powders are sweet, tasty, come in many delicious and interesting flavors, and are great for satisfying those sweet cravings everyone struggles with on a diet. For weight loss, protein drinks and meal replacement powders make it easy to get all the protein you need every day to prevent muscle loss. When taken directly after muscle building or a strenuous workout, liquid protein drinks are the fastest and best way to get the nutrition you need for both growth and recovery.
If you don’t fancy breakfast, a delicious meal replacement protein drink can be easy to swallow and a great way to get a good dose of vitamins with balanced, easily absorbed nutrition to start your day. These supplements are not expensive, especially when you consider that they are replacing food, however, cost-wise, they are about the same. Macronutrient replacement supplements can also be found as pocket protein bars that are also very convenient. While these products are popular, they are harder to digest and won’t be absorbed as quickly as liquid drinks. It can also be hard to find a protein meal replacement bar that is tasty enough that you want to eat it more than once. Compared to the taste and ease of liquid protein meal replacement drinks, bars are simply a fallacy for most dieters.
Perhaps one of the most important supplements to lose weight are fat burners. These are pills and/or powdered drink mixes specifically designed to help boost your metabolism and target fat burning. They work well, however they must be used in conjunction with rigorous exercise; in fact, most of these products work best when taken directly before. Fat burner type supplements are also great for adding energy to your day. These products often contain caffeine or natural substances such as herbs that cause a stimulating effect. While macronutrient replacement supplements are considered very safe for most people, fat burners should be looked at a bit more closely if you have a history of certain health conditions such as heart problems, etc. If you are prone to certain conditions that are sensitive to stimulants, we recommend that you consult your doctor before taking a fat burning supplement. Along those lines, be careful asking any doctor about nutritional supplements, exercise, or nutrition advice if you’re not an athlete. In general, fat burners are helpful for weight loss, but they are secondary to how much exercise you get and good nutrition. If you barely exercise and your diet isn’t geared toward weight loss, fat burners won’t do much for you. If your program is good and you exercise hard and regularly, fat burners can make a big difference.
In addition to meal replacement powders and protein drinks, the following most usable nutritional supplements are performance based. These products are powdered drink mixes to aid you in your workouts. Performance supplements include pre-workout energy drinks that give you more energy for your workout, but also contain ingredients to help with other aspects. For example, some pre-workout drinks also help your muscles pump better and help them expand more to make you bigger. Some pre-workout supplements are combined with fat burners and also long-term energy ingredients that are best used for endurance sports. Performance supplements also include drinks designed to be consumed during and after training. Intra-workout supplements are great for delivering nutrients and amino acids to your muscles while you train. These not only improve performance during training, but also help you recover faster for the next set. Post-workout drinks are primarily designed to aid recovery and are perhaps the most valuable of all. These products are best consumed directly after training or just before bed and greatly help the body to recover faster and more completely.