Why Supplements?
The Average Person.
Real Grubbin understands that the whole idea of nutritional supplements doesn’t fall within the paleo way of eating. After all, if you’re chowing only on natural, unrefined, lean grub, you should have all the vitamins, minerals and nutrition you need throughout the day. But we’re also realistic and knows what’s up in the real world of everyday life. We’re pressed for time, we might not have the convenience of a kitchen everywhere we go, or maybe we just want to cover all of our bases. Everyone wants to lose fat or at least keep it off. Increasing your muscle mass through heavy resistance or just light toning is the best way to keep fat at bay. To help this effort, we highly recommend that you consider supplementing.
The Highly Active Person.
Now, if you’re involved in some form of intense training or even bodybuilding, you must supplement. It is nearly impossible to obtain all of the nutrition you will need from whole foods alone. Often times, the body will demand nutrients after a workout that just cannot be concentrated enough in your everyday meal. Then, your muscles can begin a process similar to cannibalization where all of the hard work you just did actually becomes detrimental to achieving results and performance. Luckily, many supplements have appeared in the past few years that are pure and very high quality. So, consider supplementation an absolute must if you want to gain lean mass and burn fat.
The list of supplements that we’ve compiled is a balance of quality ingredients, taste (if applicable) and effectiveness. As with anything you consume, use your own judgment to determine whether or not these supplements are beneficial for your own lifestyle.
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Proteins
Jay Robb’s Whey Isolate
This is a true premium isolate protein ideal for post-workout recovery. Fitness experts harp on what’s known as the “magic hour” which refers to the one hour of prime opportunity for your body to receive protein and carbohydrates following strenuous exercise. Within the magic hour, it’s best to take in about 25-30 grams of protein and a single serving of fresh fruit to provide you with healthy carbs. So, we usually accomplish this with a simple smoothie consisting of something like 12 oz water, 3 ice cubes, 2 scoops of protein powder (which is double the minimum intake) and a frozen banana. This is an excellent combination for either the chocolate or vanilla flavored powder. But any frozen berries will also provide the desired nutrition along with a great taste, too.
A great aspect of any whey isolate is that almost all of them are lactose-free. This is great for those with lactose digestion problems and just about everybody else as well. If you can avoid consuming lactose, do it. Lactose is known to be counter-productive to muscle growth and recovery. Jay Robb’s protein is also one of the few that naturally sweetened with stevia rather than sucralose (Splenda) or cane juice. The company also sources all of its milk from pasture-grazed, grass-fed cows. It is pricey, but you won’t find a better whey protein out there.
Favorite Flavors: Chocolate
Optimum Nutrition 100% Natural Casein Protein
When you’re training for lean mass gains—you’re going to need casein protein. When you’re embarking on a low calorie diet, your body can do funny things. One of which is consuming muscle tissue for energy. Thus, reversing the progress you’ve sweated for in those grunt-busting workouts. Casein can help you prevent losing that muscle mass. This product from Optimum Nutrition is the best one we’ve been able to find out there. It is sweetened with evaporated cane juice, which is basically a low-processed sugar, but we prefer that over all of the artificially sweetened ones out there.
Casein works by coagulating in your stomach and releasing small amounts of protein over an extended period of time. Ideally, casein should be consumed immediately before bed. Sleep is essentially an eight hour fast and your body uses this time to rebuild and recover, so provide it with the most beneficial fuel you can—protein. And with casein, you’ll have about 8 hours of support to retain your gain.
Favorite Flavors: Chocolate Creme
Vitamins & Minerals
Optimum Nutrition Fish Oil Softgels
The almighty omega-3 fatty acid is something we should all get more of in our diet. But foods with high omega-3 ratios aren’t quite as plentiful or even affordable as some would like. Therefore, opting to supplement fish oil could be the perfect way to get that crucial nutrient which amps up your metabolism, supports joint health, supports cardio health, and boosts circulation.
Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men Multivitamin
Multivitamins are more about just delivering all of the vitamins and minerals you need for cellular support and health. Most importantly, a good multivitamin has a well-configured ratio of those vitamins and minerals to give you the best results possible.
Optimum Nutrition Opti-Women Multivitamin
Specifically formulated for women, this multivitamin is great for energy levels, immune systems, and athletic performance. Opti-Women is packed with antioxidants and several other nutrients to support the vitality of active women.
NOW Foods ZMA Capsules
ZMA is important for men involved in training as it boosts free testosterone levels. Several studies have shown significant increases in strength from people supplementing ZMA versus others who were given a placebo. In addition to performance gains, ZMA is also helpful in getting better sleep. To maximize the effect of ZMA, it should be taken on an empty stomach within an hour of going to sleep. We here at Real Grubbin are among several others that have experienced a deeper state of REM (dream phase/deep sleep) after taking this supplement. After taking NOW Foods ZMA, we often wake better rested and recalling more vivid dreams. Of course, a quality sleep helps with overall health and training performance; so consider adding this as a part of your supplement regiment.
NOW Foods Melatonin Capsules
As we discussed with ZMA, sleep is crucial for healthy minds and bodies. The state of sleep is initiated by the hormone, melatonin. A long time ago, nature figured that it would benefit humans to release this hormone in higher levels when it was dark outside. That’s exactly what the pineal gland in our brain does. Of course, this doesn’t always function like clockwork. Some people might not have the melatonin production to get a consistent, worthy night’s sleep. It’s a common trait that develops as we get older.
So, if you’ve had difficulty sleeping or just getting enough sleep, a good pharmaceutical grade melatonin, like the one from NOW Foods might be for you.
Other Supplements
NOW Foods Beta-Alanine Powder
Beta-Alanine is the only naturally occurring beta amino acid. Beta-Alanine is created in body and boosts the level of carnosine in your muscles. This contributes to more energy, endurance and better performance while exercising.
NOW Foods sells a quality Beta-Alanine that’s easy to add to any pre- and post-workout drink. Consider it for a natural energy source over caffeine- and carbohydrate-laden energy drinks.
