Casein is one of the main types of protein supplements available on the market, however, one could argue that it’s actually underrated.
Many of us are so infatuated with the quick gains and short-term muscle building potential of whey protein that sometimes we just don’t give casein the love it deserves, and the fact that casein is also a bit more costly doesn’t help, but it’s certainly worth those few extra dollars.
Many people love to take supplements as a way of improving their health and staying healthy. There are many types of dietary supplements available in the market today. As such, one needs to know exactly what is available and how useful it is to their bodies. You need to know that supplements come in different forms and they can be used for a number of health benefits. The fact that no side effects from Nerve Renew have been reported does not mean that all supplements do not have side effects. One should do research and know exactly what certain supplements do to your body. We shall learn a number of tips about supplements in this article.
The only thing that makes me cringe more than people who don’t squat properly is ridiculous recommendations when it comes to supplements. We’ve talked about this, mostly through social media, time and time again but it seems to be an endless cycle that might only be getting worse. Why? Because more people are using it.
(This post was written and the computer deleted it, so good luck to our memory to write the exact… same… thing. We keep it real over here.)
30 years. I think you’d have a hard time convincing a lot of people who modern-day supplement companies have existed for over three decades, but that wasn’t the case at the 2016 Olympia when Optimum Nutrition, the gold standard in the industry, threw a huge party in Vegas. Although I grew up in gyms and around fitness, I really didn’t start taking any supplements until 2007, but for the last decade as I’ve grown both personally and professionally in the fitness industry, there have been very few standards that have remained constant. Optimum Nutrition has been one of them, and they’ve done so by taking a smarter approach than any of their competition.
Back in January, we (probably) introduced you to Trusource and had some happy giveaway winners. [Do you want more giveaways?!] If you remember, we were blown away by their protein water product. Fast forward a few months and we find out that Optimum Nutrition (arguably our favorite supplement company) has their own protein water. What do we have to do? Obviously, we had to try it and let me just say that we were NOT disappointed. In fact, we even fought over it!
The supplement industry can be a huge, intimidating monster for many. Think along the lines of that dark and scary maze at the end of the Triwizard tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Yes, it can be that bad for millions of people who are overwhelmed by the flashy labels, crazy names, and exhaustive ingredient lists of thousands of brands. Thousands of powders, hundreds of flavors, and yet, they only aim to accomplish a few things. Mostly, they help you get ready for your workout, assist you in getting through your workout, or benefit you in recovering after your workout. Some companies like to put them in separate products that you buy and combine while some combine them into one proprietary blend for you, but what if you’re perfectly content working out without supplements?
While in Petco tonight, I was questioning my normal choice for dog food and needed assistance. Under great duress due to my indecisive nature and love for our animals, I decided to head over to a reliable website. While we might look to Amazon and Yelp for reviews or thumbs up on YouTube for that matter, we often forget that anyone can contribute to those ratings. The result is something far more subjective and far less consistency.
When I need to make a more important decision, I might head over to Cnet or review.com because I know that they are professionals, getting paid for what they are doing, and therefore to a certain degree, their lives depend on providing high quality and far more objective reviews. While I don’t know them personally, their reviews seem to be extremely in-depth and considerate of more than just, “we’ll give you some money to recommend our product.” Sadly that happens far too often, especially in the fitness and nutrition industries!
Gotta get our protein on to stay hungry and fit!
Well, I’ll tell you one thing, they won’t do anything if you don’t! Performance enhancing drugs enhance… performance but they don’t magically give people biceps bursting out their sleeves and eight packs. Now, it’s up to you if you want to spend a part of your hard-earned paycheck on some powders with artificial flavors and food dye to make them actually look like “fruit punch.” Obviously, just like any other consumer good, there are better and worse products based on the principles and practices of the companies that create them. Without naming any names, I’ll say that companies that constantly talk about the science behind their products and are more transparent are safer bets. If a company relies on using sex, popular people, flashy labels, and other marketing tricks to sell their sub-par products, save your money. And, if you have any specific questions, feel free to send me an email!
I have a friend at work who struggles to get enough protein as a kind-of-vegan (she just doesn’t eat cheese and milk by itself) and who also can’t eat soy. I can suggest all the protein powders in the world, but they usually end up having either milk proteins or soy in them! It’s been a tough case to try to find one that would work for her. As fitness professionals, we run across a lot of people who are soy or dairy limited, so it can be a struggle to provide enough options for good protein. Here at Hungry and Fit we finally found a one-fits-all product! Enter Sunwarrior (epic name, right?).
Every day we hear something new in the media about different supplements. This one can stop Alzheimer’s and this one can prevent you from getting fat! It’s hard to know what to trust or what to believe in. You become hesitant with everything OR you simply start trying everything. Recently, my coworker showed me this incredible infographic on supplements and correlating studies. I got really excited about it because I am a firm discourager of fads. Most often, many supplements (I’m talking health supplements so things like coconut oil and garlic extract are included here), are popular fads without real grounding. Take a look at the Interactive: Snake Oil Supplements (no it’s not about snake oil, it’s just the title).
Screenshot
So how does this infographic work? It’s hard to understand at first. If you’re starting from the top, you’re looking at supplements with the most studies behind them which make them “Strong.” And if you scroll to the bottom, you’ll find “Slight” or “None” meaning there are very few studies behind it. This provides a wonderful foundation for the infographic–it’s all based on research. In addition, to keep this infographic fresh, the bubbles are all tied to a google doc. So when more studies come in, the infographic gets immediately adjusted. Pretty freaking cool, I think!
There’s also the size of the bubble which–at first–could be misinterpreted. We usually think big is better, but not necessarily. You’ll notice garlic high at the top in the “Strong” field yet its bubble is smaller than, say, copper, which is at the lower end of the spectrum. The bubble simply represents the popularity of the supplement. So even though egg shell membrane is a tiny bubble, it is backed by many strong studies.
I love infographics. I love health and fitness. And I love when they come together to provide free information to the masses. What do you think of this infographic? Are you going to start taking garlic extract now? Don’t forget your probiotics or B3! It’s always fun to learn more about supplements and I believe this infographic is a great way of doing so. Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below! And as always, stay hungry and fit!
BONUS ANIMAL PIC
Nymeria keeping an eye on Noke
