There are a couple of supplements on my “take daily” list. After many years of reading this and that about health and nutrition, these supplements are what I personally deem to be beneficial. I’m not going to get into why I take them, or what benefits each has, but if you’re interested, pick up a copy of Men’s Health (or any health magazine/book) or do a quick Google search and you’ll soon have your answers. As always, you should consult your doctor before taking any supplements. For this post, I wanted to let you know what I find to be the best protein, fatty-acid (omega), and multivitamin supplements.
Best Protein:
Biotest - Metabolic Drive Low-Carb: I have been taking protein supplements since back in my college days and have tried many different brands and flavors. The Banana flavor of this protein is the best I have had to date. It mixes easier and tastes better than any protein I have tried. One of my favorite breakfast meals is a scoop of the banana flavor mixed into 3/4 cup of oatmeal with unsweetened raisins (mixed after cooking). I’ve also tried the vanilla flavor and it is good, just a little too sweet for me. This protein is a little on the expensive side at $34 for a 2 lb. container, but shipping is free, so that helps. As a side note, Biotest uses a mixture of Micellar and Whey protein which, according to studies, have been shown to give better muscle building results.
Best Omega:
Biotest - Flameout!: Yep, another product from Biotest. Let me start by saying that I am in no way affiliated with Biotest. I have only found that their products are, in my opinion, superior to the others that I have tried. The Flameout! fatty acid supplement is the only supplement I have found to have the correct ratio of DHA to EPA (about 3 to 1 respectively), and the correct amount (about 4000mg total) required for men. Every other Omega 3 type supplement, including the popular Nordic Naturals brand are better suited for women and have way less than the recommended values. Personally, I only take two of the four recommended capsules per day as I hope to get the rest from food intake. Again, like most biotest products, they are a little pricey at $30 for 90 capsules. Here you definitely get what you pay for. Take a look at any other omega type supplement’s DHA and EPA values and you’ll see what I mean.
Best Multivitamin:
New Chapter - Every Man’s One Daily: Multivitamins are controversial in many circles. I have read that our bodies cannot absorb the amount of nutrients put into a multi vitamin and are therefore mostly released as waste in our urine. My non-scientific thoughts are that we still absorb some of the nutrients, so why not? Enter New Chapter’s Every Man multivitamin. What I like about this product is that it is not full of synthetic, chemically isolated nutrients, but made of natural, organic products. They also have probiotics which are beneficial in many ways.
Vitamin D:
It doesn’t really matter what brand of Vitamin D you take, just make sure it is Vitamin D3. I currently take Now Foods Vitamin D-3 (5000IU) on an every-other-day regimen. For more information on Vitamin D, check out the excellent research done by Steve Gibson at grc.com.
Let me know if you have any experiences of your own. Also, I have tried Biotest’s Metabolic Drive protein bars, Superfood, and Surge. All are very good. I keep the protein bars stocked for long days at the office when I can’t have my usual daily snack. I don’t heavily lift so I don’t keep up with the Surge (and never really did). The Superfood seems great in theory and I may eventually make the switch, but for now it is easier for me to take a pill vitamin with my omega / D pills in the morning.
February 03, 2010 Comments
