According to a study done by Vanita Khetan, a BCC Analyst, an estimated 31.2 billion dollars were spent on nutritional supplements in 2008. It is predicted that by the year 2013 this number will triple! This data is amazing, as it shows people are willing to spend their hard earned dollars on items like protein powders, vitamins, minerals, energy drinks, and herbal concoctions. All of which are designed for the consumer to attain a higher level of health, wellness and overall athletic performance.
Why the sudden interest in nutritional supplements? It all comes down to the fact that the average person desires to be at their healthiest and strongest. Many people are willing to pay to take a pill, use a powder, or apply a lotion if they believe it will assist them in attaining higher levels of performance, a quicker recovery and increased endurance. The high school athletes, college athletes and weekend warrior type of athletes are all being targeted by those making and selling the products. The promised benefits for athletes paired with the availability and simplicity of using supplements led to the outstanding financial statistical findings.
Do these types of products hold any value to the claims made in their promotional advertising? Some do BUT many do not. The consumer should take caution before purchasing any nutritional supplement. While many nutritional supplements work for the majority of the public, some products can cause issues when taken by people who have pre-existing health conditions and/or are also taking certain medications. The bottom line is that great caution should be taken to avoid any negative consequences from supplement use.
Now, don’t get me wrong-many nutritional supplements hold to their claims quite well and provide enormous benefits to their consumers. Whether it is the ready-to-go nutritional shake, a protein bar or endurance based recovery liquid, these products do wonders when ingested by a healthy person. I am not sure about you, but trying to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat pita while competing in a bike race could be quite difficult. On the other hand, ingesting an energy gel pack with a liquid recovery drink made of carbohydrates and protein would be much easier to carry and consume. So you can see that there is a purpose behind these nutritional products. It is also more convenient to carry a protein bar in one’s training bag rather than a carton of milk or slice of cheese.
However, I do have an issue with the amount of money that is being spent on supplements. Here is my hang up-protein powders, bars, and related products. Discussion about these products come up almost every time during my interaction with high school athletes, their coaches and parents. Supplements are advertised everywhere, but are specifically geared toward the impressionable high school athlete of today. The athlete tells mom and dad they need brand “x” protein powder to get bigger and stronger. Hey mom, “I will lift more weight, run faster and become better at my sport.” However, this leads young athletes to believe that a better performance comes from the pill, bottle, container, etc and not in hard work…Not true!
Allow me to explain why this is the case. What is in that supplement, though it may be of high quality and value, is not going to be the answer to increasing the athlete’s overall performance. Better training behaviors, nutritional eating habits, sleep patterns and the natural progression of growth contribute more to the athlete’s overall performance. Also, that of what is found in most nutritional products today can be found in a more natural form of what most would call food! Yes, I said food.
Two of my biggest attention grabbers when presenting to my various high school athletes is that of the pint of chocolate milk and the banana. If I am without the banana, I may also discuss the benefits of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich made on whole wheat bread, tortilla wrap or pita. These products are made from naturally occurring foods and contain within them the same products that many of the protein powders contain today. Though hard to believe and very little advertised, it is a fact. On top of this, we discuss how many sandwiches, bunches of bananas and gallons of milk can be purchased for the the price spent on protein powder. Oh, and let me add that the protein powder often times requires milk to be added to it. I share this due to the added costs. I think you get my point. Natural is cheaper and just as effective as the powder-it is ready to eat or drink immediately.
I could go on about vitamins and how we can get them naturally in our foods by eating a variety of fruits and vegetables too. I also would be able to touch on the fact that drinking water and eating bananas and/or yogurt can have the same effect on replenishing the human body in relation to hydration too. However, I will save this for a future topic.
The bottom line is that nutritional supplements do work and are both effective and efficient. There is a proper place and time to utilize them while in training or performing. However, the majority of money spent on these products would be better spent on natural foods or better yet saved for other things of value. Advertising today focuses in on the emotions of those vulnerable to believe that the answer and solution comes from a product when truly this is not the case. Also, one must remember that nutritional products are designed for those that are without illness and or are taking medications. One must practice caution and contact their qualified medical doctor before ingesting any nutritional product be it a vitamin, mineral, herb, energy drink, protein replacement etc.
I wish you the best and look forward to sharing with you more health based data soon!
Coach T
Education, Motivation, Inspiration!