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What supplements should i take?


Shelby
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I need to take some supplements... my workouts haven't been what they could be. I know that heavy activity increases the amount of Free Radicals in your body, so Antioxidants are a good thing to take. I also heard that L-Arginine/L-Ornithine complex is recommended, but I don't think there is a Vegan source of that. I also know that Iron is needed for female athletes in particular. So, what should I take? I went to Vitamin Shoppe and the manager recommended that I take Flax Oil (but I'm concerned about getting too much fat... I already have more than enough!), and ALIVE! Multi- protein powder. Is that all I need or would you recommend other supplements? Thanks!!!! )

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Do you have access to dietary analysis software at your gym? I'm hesitant to give a thumbs up to any supplement without someone first looking for actual deficiencies. Iron and calcium come to mind as generally appropriate for females your age... other than that I'm a little skeptical of supps. Even protein. (not that we shouldn't eat a bit extra protein if trying to gain muscle mass... just that we probably don't need huge supplements of it, at least not to my knowledge/understanding)

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I prefer to take whole food supplements rather than isolated or concentrated supplements, especially pills. Things like Maca root or Goji berries, that are high in antioxidants. Green tea to increase metabolism and help with fat loss, also high in antioxidants (though Yerba Maté is even better). Hemp protein powder (ground hemp) which has a very assimilable type of protein, as well as good fat (omega 6). Flax meal (fresh ground or kept in the freezer) rather than flax oil (which has been stripped of some of the nutrients in flax and is thus inferior to it, IMO).

 

Vega Energy bars (or Vega powder, if you can stand the taste, I have a hard time with it) are very nutritious, and contain some of the above nutrients.

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Warning:

 

On Flax oil:

 

Flaxseed oil turns rancid (might not taste it but toxins are there) very quickly (why it is only safe refrigerated - cold shipped and cold stored, in the store.) Either buy safe seeds and grind them or buy ground seeds, in vacuum sealed bags or with CO2 or another gas that preserves them (Spectrum ships them that way.)

 

On iron:

 

For women it might be safer but I had a bad experience with iron. I went to a doctor because of slight allergies and lightheadedness last Spring. She did like my diet (made weird, "why do you eat that way" comment.) She then suspected an iron deficiency and gave me a blood test. She called a day later and told me to take iron supplements (around 25 mg a day, our what ever is about 125 to 150% of US recommend allowance.) Lightheadedness went away (but likely would have anyway as it was seasonal allergy related.) I kept taking the iron supplement. I then had headaches every day. Why I did not suspect the iron, I do not know but I continue to take it, while I tried isolating everything else in my diet. Then when the bottle was empty, I went to a VitmanShoppe to get another. The lady asked, why do you want iron, it can be dangerous to men. Again I feel stupid for not realizing it sooner but the ah-ha, the headaches might be from the iron, idea went through my head. I thanked her and did not buy any. A day or two later, no more headaches. I then went to a good internal-medicine doctor.I told her and gave her the other doctor's test results. She said the test results (taken before taking iron supplements) just barely showed that I was anemic and that it was probably not responsible for the other doctor to tell me to take iron from that reading. She tested me later and said I had no iron problems.

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Well, after researching and talking to a nutritionist at Fruitful Yield, as well as gathering info from some of my lifting buddies at my gym, I decided to take L-Carnitine, L-Glutamine, ZMA, and ALIVE multi/protein powder with flax oil. So far, I haven't really noticed a difference except that my pee is very yellow after I take the multi (lol, too much info, right?!). Does this mean that I am overdosing or just not absorbing?

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You're probably passing excess b complex vitamins (i think it's riboflavin?) or you're dehydrated? My roommate says excess C does it to him. Water soluble vitamins just get flushed if you're not using them.

 

For whatever it's worth, I think supplements are - generally speaking - not worth the money. Especially if they haven't been reviewed and published in some appropriate peer review science journal. Not that there's not some good things to take (multivitamins, calcium, iron, b12, creatine, glucosamine... etc) just that unless your low on something as shown by dietary analysis or have a specific need (female athlete in period of bone development or otherwise at risk for osteoporosis, person suffering anemia, vegan...) I don't think you'll find them to be effective.

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  • 2 months later...
I prefer to take whole food supplements rather than isolated or concentrated supplements, especially pills. Things like Maca root or Goji berries, that are high in antioxidants. Green tea to increase metabolism and help with fat loss, also high in antioxidants (though Yerba Maté is even better). Hemp protein powder (ground hemp) which has a very assimilable type of protein, as well as good fat (omega 6). Flax meal (fresh ground or kept in the freezer) rather than flax oil (which has been stripped of some of the nutrients in flax and is thus inferior to it, IMO).

 

Vega Energy bars (or Vega powder, if you can stand the taste, I have a hard time with it) are very nutritious, and contain some of the above nutrients.

 

Vega powder does contain a lot of isolated and concentrated supplements.

 

I agree about the flax oil though. I haven't found any that doesn't burn my throat, esp Udo's Oil. I only do the whole flax seeds now, eaten fresh out of the fridge in a smoothie or something. I would never overdo the flax seeds though as they do have more phyto-estrogens then soy and also have a lot of cyanide and other slightly toxic compunds that are not deactivated unless cooked. I've seen many sources suggest not eating them unless throughly cooked first. But if you cook them you oxidize their fragile and heat sensitive oils, so they should always be eaten raw, just not too much of them (1-2TB a day tops).

 

Hemp seeds on the other hand need no grinding, are totally safe to eat and not toxic, don't estrogen, and also have GLA which flax seeds don't. They also have an ideal perfect omega ratio and complete protein profile. Also are much tastier and easier to eat. I sprinkle them on everything from oatmeal to salads etc. or just eat them plain. Very good.

 

I would also look into Rhodiola.

 

What ZMA supplement are you taking? The only vegan one I've seen is the Max Growth P.M. by IronTek.

 

For anti-oxidants, foods are the best choice. Berries are very high, esp. blueberries and pomegranates. Dark chocolate, tea (roobios is cafiene free and as high as green tea in anti-oxidants). Prunes are very high. Cloves are high (in many teas as flavoring etc). Of course you can also take a supplement that has like pine bark and grape seeds etc.

 

http://healthforce.com/antioxidant_supreme.htm

 

I wouldn't take isolated vitamin E or A etc. though. Read this article:

 

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06079/673520.stm

 

Gaba is a good supplement for increasing HGH, but I'm wary of high doses of any isolated chemical / nutrient. Most have side effects.

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Warning:

 

On Flax oil:

 

Flaxseed oil turns rancid (might not taste it but toxins are there) very quickly (why it is only safe refrigerated - cold shipped and cold stored, in the store.)

 

Do you know what toxins and how long it takes?

 

No, sorry. I have read many studies and reports stating it is a very usntable oil and breaks-down quickly (and the good brands, Spectrum etc. are shipped cold, for that reason.)

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