| "Don't eat anything your great-great grandmotherwouldn't recognize as food"--M Pollan Student athletes are bombarded with a new "ultra mega power shred" formula every time they open a magazine or tune into a game and most of that "supplement magic" is more hype than help. Luckily a lot of these "magic supplements" don't pose tremendous health risks, but athletes do need to know: - Some supplements have great labels that don't match what's on the inside of the bottle. Since this industry is not monitored by the FDA some companies skirt the lines. Especially if the athlete has allergies, be very careful with supplements, you can't necessarily trust the ingredients on the label.
- Especially dangerous is when a company fails to list every ingredient that is in the product and one or more of these ingredients is on a banned substances list. Remember, this is an unregulated industry. If an athlete get drug tested he or she may fail even though they didn't know they were ingesting a banned substance. And there is a reason that substances are banned; they're not helping a developing body.
- Supplements don't replace training. Anything that implies it will replace hard, consistent work, that athletes will get results without the reps, is playing with your mind.
- Supplements don't replace proper nutrition. This may be the most dangerous psychological ploy. The marketing for a lot of products suggests that the kids can make up for proper nutrition by a "magic" regiment of supplements. Our bodies just don't work that way.
Students athletes, in general good health, can safely use "nutritional insurance" in the form of a good quality multi vitamin/mineral which has been third party tested and made by a facility that follows Good Manufacturing Practices (GPMs).
They can also safely use a protein supplement for additional calories for post-workout nutrition or when a meal isn't possible. A whey, milk, egg blend is great or straight whey or straight casein can be used depending on the goal / time and ingredients added to it.
The majority of athletes under 18 don't need anything else. They do need hard work, rest, and performance eating.
Glen Tobias: Glen is the nutritionist for the New York Jets. He holds a Masters Degree in Clinical Nutrition, is a Registered Dietitian, a Certified Dietitian in multiple states, a NASM certified personal trainer and holds certificates in Adult Weight Management. As a Sports Nutrition Consultant, his experience in developing both institutional and personal nutrition programs combined with his work with sports performance nutrition is utilized by elite programs, such as the Yale University Athletic Department, the NY Jets and Parisi NFL Combine Training, and also training programs for young, aspiring athletes. |