And now for one of the most controversial, money making, overcomplicated, deceitful, and all around entertaining diet topics of them all… dietary supplements.
While this billion dollar industry built primarily on lies and deception is easily the least important part of your overall diet plan, it’s probably the area with the most questions in need of answering.
For example:
- What supplements are the best? Which are best for fat loss? Which are best for building muscle? Which are best for overall health in general?
- Which should you take?
- What are their benefits?
- What do they do?
- Do they REALLY work?
- Are they safe?
- Are there any side effects?
- What brand is the best?
- How much should I take?
- How often should I take it?
- When should I take it?
- How should I take it?
See, told you so.
The thing is, before I can answer those questions, we need to get some important facts straight…
NO Supplements Are Truly Required
You know that goal you have? Losing fat, building muscle, increasing strength, improving performance… whatever it is. Remember it?
Well, there is not one supplement that is required in order for you to reach that goal.
Truth is, everything that is truly needed in order for your goal to be reached can be provided through a combination of a proper diet and workout program.
So, before we go any further, the first thing you need to know about dietary supplements is that none are actually needed. No matter what you’ve heard or read, you don’t need to spend a cent on anything.
Whatever it is you want your body to do, it can be accomplished without using any supplements of any kind. That’s a fact.
95% Of All Supplements Are Pure Crap
It’s true, and 95% may actually be an understatement.
Like I mentioned a minute ago, supplements are a billion dollar industry built on lies. The claims, the benefits, the reported results, the testimonials, the before and after pictures… it’s all lies and deception and often times just flat out bullshit.
Why? Because supplement companies want your money, and they are willing to say and do just about anything in order to trick you into buying their crappy products.
The truth is, no matter what it says on the bottle, no matter what it says in its description, no matter what it claims in the advertisement, no matter what you overheard in your gym, no matter what you may have read online somewhere, and no matter what the idiot in the supplement store tells you… 95% of all supplements are useless wastes of money.
Some are just useless, some are just unnecessary, some are just dangerous, and some are a combination of all 3. Whatever it is, this describes the majority of the dietary supplements on the market.
Are there any that actually ARE useful in some way? Sure, and I’ll tell you about them in a minute.
However, the point I’m making here and the second important fact you need to know about supplements is that most of them are complete and utter garbage that don’t do anything no matter what they claim.
NO Supplements Will Make Up For A Poor Diet Or Workout Program
Despite the infinite number of lies supplement companies are willing to tell and the amount of pure bullshit they are willing to present (as well as the hopes and dreams of many lazy people), there is no such thing as a magic pill or powder that will produce results by itself or somehow “do the work for you” or even “do some of the work for you.”
There is no legal supplement that will cause fat loss. There is no legal supplement that will build muscle.
ONLY a proper diet and workout program are capable of making these things happen. Once you’ve set up both and effectively put them into action, supplements can, at best, only help at that point.
That’s help… not do.
And before that point is reached? Nope, supplements won’t help at all. Even the ones that I’m about to explain are useful. The lack of a proper diet and workout will make them useless.
Why? Because no supplement will work in the absence of a proper diet and workout, and no supplement will make up for a poor diet and workout.
The truth is, the key to losing fat, building muscle, or just improving your body or health in any way is a combination of a proper diet and workout program. The best supplements in the world won’t do a thing if you don’t get that important stuff right first.
So, the third important fact you need to know about dietary supplements is that the few that are useful won’t actually DO anything. They can only HELP once you are already doing everything else (diet/workout) correctly.
Are There Any Supplements Actually Worth Taking?
Now that you’ve learned the basics of supplements and the supplement industry in general, you’re just about ready to learn about the few supplements that can (and in some cases, should) be taken.
However, before we get to those specifics, there’s just one more point I want to make perfectly clear.
And that is, any supplement I ever take or recommend MUST meet the following 2 requirements:
- They must be scientifically proven to be useful or beneficial in some way.
I don’t fall for stupid marketing crap and bullshit claims. I only believe science, facts and real world results. You should too. - They must be safe.
I am WAY overly cautious about supplements and what I put into my body in general. So, if it’s even remotely dangerous or unsafe when used properly, then I’m not interested at all.
Having said all of that, let’s get down to it.
Here now is a list of the most commonly used dietary supplements that meet my two requirements…
- Protein Powder (Whey and Casein)
- Fish Oil
- Multivitamin
- Creatine
- Calcium
- Vitamin D
- BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids)
- Beta-Alanine
- Caffeine
- Glucosamine
Are there others? Maybe, but these are the major ones. I personally use the first 6 supplements on that list and have done so for years.
Which should you use? Good question…
Which Supplements Should You Take?
The only way to answer this question would be by breaking down the full details of every supplement on that list. The problem is, doing that would quickly turn this into a whole separate supplement guide.
In the future, I definitely plan on doing something like that, but for right now, I just want to tell you about my current 4 favorite supplements:
- Protein Powder
- Fish Oil
- Multivitamin
- Creatine
These are the 4 supplements that I (and most others) will most often recommend.
Which are right for you? What do they do? Why, when and how should you take them? How much should you take? Which brand is best? Are there any side effects?
Let’s find out.
First up, let’s cover everything you need to know about protein powder…
Protein Powder – Whey vs Casein, Benefits, Side Effects & Best Brand
(This article is part of a completely free and amazingly awesome guide to creating the absolute best diet plan possible for your exact goal and preferences. Check out the entire guide here: The Best Diet Plan)