Supplements are no replacement for a balanced diet and quality food, but they’re a smart way to hit your fitness goal. For somebody serious about their health and fitness, supplements give you a chance to get more nutrients than you’d otherwise be able to without drastically altering your diet.
Even when you’ve used a macro calculator, shopping and preparing food containing all five food groups is not practical for most–especially if you’re a gym rat and need lots of protein.
The Basic Food Sources and Why They’re Important
To feel and perform at your best, counting calories is not enough. You need a balanced diet, which typically consists of the following:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Whole grains
- Legumes
- Nuts
- Oil
- Lean protein
Aside from the energy and muscle-building benefits these food sources provide, they are also a bountiful source of essential vitamins and minerals.
Some of them, like Vitamins A, B, C, and D, are crucial to living a healthy and comfortable life. Deficiencies can lead to illnesses over time. And that is also true for minerals like Zinc, Calcium, and sodium.
Now, let’s go over some critical food sources and discuss why they are important. We’ll also go over some amazing products to help meet your supplement needs.
Protein
Protein is the fuel for muscle growth; you’ll need lots of it if you want sustained muscle growth. If you don’t have a massive appetite for meat, legumes, dairy, or eggs, you can turn to protein powder and other supplements to hit your macronutrient needs.
Most coaches advise that you hit at least 1 gram of protein for each pound of muscle mass. But as you get bigger, getting the protein you need becomes harder.
Protein powders, shakes, and snacks get you high-quality protein without worrying about prep time or spending a lot on meats, fish, and dairy.
Here is the top protein supplementation we recommend based on their biological value/how easily they can be absorbed:
1. Whey Protein isolate: 159
2. Whey Protein concentrate: 104
3. Egg protein: 6.3 grams of protein
4. Casein: 77
4. Pea protein: 65
How to Meet your Protein Supplement Needs
MyProtein provides top-quality Protein bars, pre-workouts, and snacks and has a track record in the fitness community. The good news is that MyProtein also offers pre workouts and vitamins. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Use our discount code MYPGYM for 38% off on your order. Head over to the MyProtein website now to claim your 38% discount.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates or carbs are the lifeblood of every athlete and are essential to maintaining a healthy diet. They supply energy for workouts. Depending on your diet, it should consist of 45-65 % of your diet.
Sweet potatoes and whole grains like wheat and brown rice are great sources of carbohydrates and fibre sources. However, if you’re gunning for maximum performance, you’ll likely have to supplement with carb powder, pre-workouts and post-workout supplements that combine essential macros and micronutrients.
Electrolytes
Electrolytes are substances with positive and negative electrical charges when dissolved in water. Since the body is about 60% water, we have lots of electrolytes. Electrolytes are useful for regulating our internal chemical reactions and balance, and supplements that provide electrolytes do more than provide athlete energy.
They help with dehydration, prevent muscle cramps, and contain minerals like sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
Vitamins
Vitamins are an often undervalued class of food that can provide some amazing health benefits. From improving your heart health to strengthening your bones and regulating blood sugar, Vitamins are a diverse and invaluable part of maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Vitamins, for the most part, cannot be manufactured by the body, making them immensely valuable and critical to a healthy and balanced life.
For most bodybuilders and athletes, vitamins are the trickiest food group to get just right. They come from vastly different sources and require you to eat foods you might have difficulty finding or simply do not enjoy.
And that’s why there’s a massive market for Vitamin supplements. You will find dozens of businesses that sell pills packed with specific vitamins for people who want a balanced diet.
The problem is, buying multiple pills often means you might be overpaying for vitamins. And that’s where personalised Vitamins come in.
How to Meet Your Vitamin Supplement Needs
Vitl Personalised Vitamins take things in the right direction for anyone looking for a healthy daily dose of vitamins. They provide consultation services and give you curated vitamins based on your specific needs; which means excluding everything you’re allergic to.
Use our discount code FREE14GF to get 2 weeks of membership free on the VItl Personalised Vitamins website.
Nourished 3D printed Vitamins are another high-quality alternative, but with a flavourful spin. They produce personalised 7-layer gummies that contain all of your vitamin-related nutritional needs. They are yummy and nutritious, and you can get up to 50% off on your order if you visit their website right now.
Health Tracking
Even though health tracking isn’t technically a supplement, it’s just as important. Think about it – when was the last time you took precise measurements of your sleeping and diet needs? If you’re like most people, the answer is almost never!
That’s where Lumen comes in. It’s a smartphone-linked device and app subscription that helps you track your sleep, nutrition, fat loss, and recommends food, provides insights and recommends a personal nutritional plan.
Our discount code GYMFLUENCERS will get you £50 on your plan and help you lay the perfect foundation for reaching and smashing your health goals. Visit the Lumen website now to learn more and claim your £50 discount.
Superfood, Greens and Protein
I know we already covered proteins. But what if there was a way to gain healthy nutrition, proteins and green from the same supplement? Well, you can with Hux Superfoods.
Think of it as an all-in-one nutrient packet for your protein, carb, vitamins, and mineral supplement needs. You also get a healthy dose of prebiotics and probiotics for your gut health.
All you need is some water, and you can enjoy it on the go. Our discount code AFF15 will get you 15% off on your purchase.
Visit the Hux Superfoods website now to claim your 15%.
Gut Health
When you use so many supplements and eat different foods, something is bound to not agree with your stomach. From ice cream and pizza cheat meals to guilty pleasures, we put a lot in our stomachs every day.
But guess what? You can bullet-proof your stomach by investing in a gut health supplement. It provides Live bacteria support that ensures your stomach works even harder to digest and process your food.
Symprove is one of the best options on the market and certainly one of the most delicious. It is available in a Fruity Strawberry and Raspberry cocktail, and our discount code GYMFLUENCER15 will get you 15% off on your order. Visit the Symprove website now to get started.
