This might be the question I get asked most often.

And while it may be a “heated” topic of debate for some people, I see this less as a debate and more about teaching common sense.

And here is your dose of common sense for the day:

If you’re diet is crap, then why are you even bothering to ask me about the right kind of protein powder or post exercise recovery drink you should be consuming?

First things first.  It’s important to realize that a diet focused mainly on real, whole foods that your great-great grandmother would recognize as food is always the first step.  And even though there is a slew of research and evidence showing the connections to why we should eat what our ancestors ate, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist (or in Dr. Cordain’s case… a PhD and Professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science at Colorado State University) to figure this stuff out.

Because we are a product of our processed-food-laden society, it is very natural for us to search for something in a box to fix our nutritional woes.  I am even guilty of this.  As a young fitness professional, I would raid the protein bar and “fat-free” snack isles searching for the next “healthy” propaganda that savvy food marketers fed me.  And yes… I ate it up.  So much of it in fact that because of the dramatic amount of SUGAR in “fat-free” packaged foods, my blood sugar was always on a roller coaster ride.

I’ve learned a lot since then, studying nutrition, becoming a Nutrition Educator, and developing coaching programs that help my clients jump over (and clear) their own nutritional hurdles.

So back to that very important first step: Eat, Real, Food.

This includes (but is not limited to) lean and clean protein sources like organic chicken, turkey, fish and other seafood, grass-fed beef, and eggs, to name a few.  Top this off with insane amounts of veggies.  Add a few pieces of fruit (whole..not dried) to the equation, and top it all off with quality fat, like nuts, seeds, avocadoes, coconut, olive, and macadamia nut oils.

Now that you understand the importance of eating healthy foods, there are some great things that if added to your already clean diet can change your game from mostly healthy, to becoming a nutritional powerhouse!

I think everyone should use a quality whey protein powder.  It’s the most bio-available protein (with eggs coming in at #2), which basically means your body has a greater chance of utilizing this type of protein over all others.  Once you find a quality whey protein powder (read:  no added crap), then you are on your way to building healthy power-smoothies that you can load up with other great ingredients like green powders and ground up flaxseeds to make a delicious meal in a cup that’s so nutrient dense your body might just spontaneously do a cartwheel without your knowledge. : )

And then of course there’s the use of a quality multi-vitamin.  And here’s why.  Even with the cleanest of diets, you can’t argue with the dramatic amount of research coming out that proves mineral depletion in the soils that grow our food, herbicides, pesticides, and sewage sludge (yup… I just said sewage sludge) that are found in the fields that grow the foods we eat.  Even if you are a Hot-Organic-Mama claiming never to put sewage sludge in your mouth, the vitamin content in food today is not the same as it was when your great-great grandma was growing it in her garden.

When you pair a quality multi-vitamin with a mostly clean diet, you’ve successfully filled the nutritional gaps necessary for your body’s natural metabolic processes to occur.  This alone can sometimes make the difference between sitting on a plateau or finally dropping some weight.  It can definitely make a difference  (over time, of course) in your energy, vitality, and good ole’ spunk!

The other “biggy” that I consider essential is a balanced Omega, or fish oil.  The research is pretty clear that by adding quality Omega-3’s (probably more than you could get from food alone) it can drastically reduce free-radical activity in your body, thus decreasing systemic inflammation.  Inflammation is the root cause of all lifestyle dis-eases… from joint pain, to diabetes, to heart disease to cancer.  Killing the inflammation means killing your risk… now that’s worth living for!

The next “layer” of nutritionals that I get very excited about, especially as a trainer, an athlete, and someone who wants to benefit the most from my workouts, is post-workout nutrition. But that’s a topic for another blog post altogether!

So here’s a quick recap of how you can take your nutrition, thus body to the next level of health, wellness, and fitness:

1.     Eat. Real. Food.

2.     Use a quality protein powder that is void of extra “crap” (read:  SUCRALOSE is AN ARTIFICIAL CHEMICAL)

3.     Put green powder in every smoothie you ever make.  Period.  (My fa

4.     Supplement with a pharmaceutical grade (GMP) vitamin to fill in the nutritional gaps.  Food-based vitamins are the best and can be most assimilated and used by your body.

5.     Take fish oil everyday. ’nuff said.

Now for my dilemma:

Since becoming a Nutrition Educator, I’ve researched my fair share of supplements.  The truth is, most of the stuff on the market is complete crap.  The Supplement industry is completely unregulated.  So if your crazy neighbor decides he wants to sell Vitamin C, he can go sqeeze some oranges in his kitchen sink, pour it into a pill, and put it on the market.  (I wish I was exaggerating… I actually know a crazy neighbor who did this!)

The good news is I’ve also found some great companies who offer quality products that actually work.  The first thing you want to look for is that the company follows the strict requirements that govern the pharmaceutical industry, so look for “pharmaceutical grade” vitamins.  Also, make sure there’s no added crap in the food supplements you buy.  The biggest one I see is Sucralose (aka: Splenda) is added to every sports enhancing drink and protein powder out there.  This is an artificial substance and definitely does not do the body good.  And since the whole purpose of spending the money on supplements in the first place is to take better care of your body… why put that extra crap in your body?  Look for protein powders that are sweetened with Stevia, which is a natural herb.

The company that I am most fond of right now is ProGrade.  I take these supplements on a regular basis, I like the standards the company holds to, and their customer service rocks.  Yes, I do make a small commission if you purchase through my links, but if you want to go with some other company, that’s okay with me, too.  I just want to make sure that my clients are taken care of and they can rest assure that I’ve researched it, scrutinized it, and use it myself.  I’m essentially me putting my reputation as a Nutrition Educator on the line every time I recommend a product.  ProGrade is one of the few companies I feel comfortable putting my stamp of approval on!