The importance of Vitamins and Minerals (POST4)
January 31, 2012
99% of the people that come into my shop are there to buy Whey Protein or Weight Gainer but never consider taking vitamins & minerals, why? God only knows as I can’t figure it out.
I’m not about to bore people with the use or importance of individual vitamins & minerals but would urge people to look it up.
Think about it, now that I’m dieting and training hard my body needs all the help it can get both to replace the losses of any of the substances and for repair and growth.
One example: When you sweat you lose vitamin C from your body but it doesn’t seem to be part of the nutritional supplements that many people who come into the shop consume. Vitamin C is a water based vitamin that cannot be stored in the human body so it is required every day.
A male with no physical activity needs around 1,000mg a day so an athlete needs at least 2,000mg
I use a strong multi vitamin supplement from Vitasure because they have all you need in a single tablet. I also use a mega b complex that gives me 100mg in a single tablet. In addition I also take omega oils & an anti-oxidant. Anti-Oxidants are another supplement that are over-looked but are essential especially after exercise, smoking, drinking as they kill off the “free radicals” that the things cause at that what prematurely ages us. Heavy smokers, heavy drinker & drug users always look much older than they are & it’s the free radicals that cause.
You can also combine your own antioxidant by using the vitamins a,d,e together this is as good as buy any off the shelf product.
I also use glucosamine, calcium & magnesium along with apple cider vinegar & brewers yeast. The vinegar helps with fat loss & the brewers yeast helps the skin tighten after weight loss. Take zinc to boost you immunity system + it’s an effective anti oxidant ( better if taken with copper as it help absorb the zinc )
Vitamins & minerals are not only important when on a calorie reduced diet but also if you are on a bulking diet as you are stressing the body with a heavy training programme & you need these substances for you grow & repair.
I don’t just worry about whey protein this is a science and if we don’t fuel our bodies correctly we won’t get the results that we seek.
The Vitamin and Minerals I am consuming at the moment are
- GLUCOSAMINE
- ZINC
- VIT C
- MULTI VIT
- MEGA B COMPLEX
- BREWERS YEAST
- OMEGA OILS
- COD LIVER OIL
- LIV 52 / MILK THISTLE
- BCAA’S
- GLUTAMINE
Milk Thistle or Liv 52 are products that you should be taking daily as they help with liver and kidney function. Many bodybuilders only take these products when training hard OR when using a strong pro-hormone or other substances, however a daily dose is recommended.