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On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, we talk about our take on protein and vitamin supplements, as well as how to find the most trustworthy supplement brands.
This was a question from #AskLiveLeanTV Ep. 012.
Eric Kaminski from YouTube says: I hear that the FDA doesn’t regulate protein and vitamin supplements, and that a lot of supplements have fillers and a bunch of unnecessary and/or unknown stuff in them. My friend tells me to just get protein from a natural source such as meats, eggs, nuts, etc. What is your take on protein and vitamin supplements and what are your best tips on how to find the most trustworthy supplement brands? Thanks.
You are correct in being skeptical about the supplement industry.
I wouldn’t call the industry corrupt, as that would be a little extreme.
However, I would say certain aspects of the supplement industry can be shady, since there is a lot of money in it, yet it’s not regulated by the FDA.
This can lead to unethical practices where companies are only concerned about sales and marketing, rather than health.
I’ve even heard of cases where certain brands of supplements didn’t include what they said was in the product.
In other words, the ingredient labels and dosing quantities can be very deceiving.
I take protein and vitamin supplements, but I’m very picky about the supplement companies that I use and what I take.
It’s up to you to take it upon yourself to find the most trustworthy supplement brands.
When it comes to amino acids and vitamins, the supplements that I have used usually contain only one or just a few natural ingredients.
For example, vitamin E, D, and C.
For my protein supplement, I use a clean egg white protein from a company called Earth Nutri (use coupon code: LiveLeanTV25 to save 25% off).
I like this egg protein powder because it is sweetened naturally with stevia, and has minimal ingredients with no fillers.
It’s up to you to do a little bit of research on the supplement company and what it is you’re taking.
There are some third-party companies, similar to what the Better Business Bureau does, that rates the efficacy of supplements, and tests them for banned substances.
However, like you said, overall your best source of protein is from natural whole foods.
These high protein foods include:
I would say focus first on getting enough protein from food, then add in a whey isolate or egg white protein powder supplement for post-workout.
With practice, you’ll begin to learn what to look out for when supplement shopping and how to find the most trustworthy supplement brands.
For example, if you turn the supplement bottle over and the ingredients label looks like it is written in a different language, stop.
If you see a huge list of ingredients that contain a bunch of words that you can’t even pronounce, stop.
If the ingredients list just looks like a huge list of chemicals, just put it down.
In other words, we won’t even give it the time of day.
These are clearly signs of being a no.
I hope you realize how many sponsorship offers we get thrown our way from supplement brands, that we turn down.
When I was working with MyProtein, I liked the majority of their supplements, but not all of them.
For instance, I was asked to promote their MyProtein cookies on my Instagram for a contest giveaway.
However, I actually wrote them back and said no, I’m sorry I can’t do that because I don’t like the ingredients, plus I don’t like the taste of the cookies.
Based on this, I didn’t feel it was appropriate for me to promote them to my followers.
Especially since I knew they would see right through it.
I approved and thought MyProtein were doing well with the majority of their supplements.
However, this was an example that just because you like one supplement from a brand, it doesn’t mean you have to like everything they produce.
Simply focus on the supplements that meet your guidelines, and stick to those.
When Jessica and I first met and started working together, I told her this.
If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.
It’s really important for us to stick to what we believe in, instead of getting swayed by all of these sponsorship offers.
Integrity is a belief that we feel strongly about.
So even though companies are wanting to work with us all the time, if we don’t authentically like their stuff, we’re not going to sell out and promote it.
This is important because this is a lifestyle and we’re in it for the long run, for years and years to come.
Therefore we’re not going to take these cheap quick fix sponsorships here and there just to make money.
It’s just not a part of our overall vision for this company.
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Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.