Take a look at the back of your supplements. Do you see a list filled with proprietary blends consisting of a multitude of ingredients, including artificial flavors, sweeteners, food dyes, preservatives, and fillers? It might be time to rethink about what you're actually putting into your body. As the world of fitness supplements has grown exponentially, so too has the amount of "junk" that has been additionally added in. Each day more and more research unveils the benefits to many of the supplements we take such as creatine, citrulline, beta-alanine, BCAAs, whey protein, etc. But we often don't realize that we tend to be taking in much more than just those ingredients in our pre-workouts and post-workout shakes.
Just recently we heard about the potential carcinogenic effects of sucralose (aka Splenda) and the CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) downgraded it's rating for sucralose from "Caution" to "Avoid."
See here for more info: http://www.cspinet.org/new/201602081.html
While occasional servings of sucralose are most likely safe, we may overlook the actual dosage of sucralose in some of the top preworkouts on the market. See this video from Kris Gethin for more info:
Just recently we heard about the potential carcinogenic effects of sucralose (aka Splenda) and the CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) downgraded it's rating for sucralose from "Caution" to "Avoid."
See here for more info: http://www.cspinet.org/new/201602081.html
While occasional servings of sucralose are most likely safe, we may overlook the actual dosage of sucralose in some of the top preworkouts on the market. See this video from Kris Gethin for more info:
Since labels often don't list the actual dosage of inactive ingredients, we have no idea how much of these artificial sweeteners and colorings are in our supplements.
As if one sweetener wasn't enough, most brands tend to add another sweetener as well, such as Acesulfame-Potassium. This also has been categorized as "Avoid" by CSPI:
http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm#acesulfamek
Beyond the sweeteners, many brands tend to value marketing gimmicks over your health and well-being and color their supplements with artificial food dyes such as Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Red 40. These ingredients have been found to pose risks such as hyperactivity in children as well as a potential risk of cancer (like Red 3) and allergic reactions. See here for more info:
https://www.cspinet.org/fooddyes/
When we consider the fact that we often drink down our preworkouts in less than 10 seconds prior to heading to the gym, is it really necessary to be adding such high doses of sweeteners and colors? Especially considering we take these products day after day, in addition to other workout supplements such as BCAAs or post workout drinks which also contain another high dose of artificial sweeteners.
Being aware of all of the ingredients in your workout supplements allows you to make informed decisions about your health. It may be wise to consider opting for supplements that naturally sweeten their products with stevia and use natural food colorings such as beet root. Or, consider purchasing unflavored supplements with which you can rest assured that the contents are actually the active ingredients and not just fillers and flavorings.
I'm proud to support Do Vitamins and their wonderful line of supplements.
PurePump Pre-Workout
PumpPulls
PostPump
Wonder Whey Organic Whey Protein
I encourage you to look at all of their supplements and rest assured knowing that all of the ingredients are stated on the label with their dosages and there are no other fillers. Each supplement is crafted with scientifically proven effective ingredients and has the certifications to prove the quality and purity. Your health should be a top priority so choose good nutrition and supplement wisely. And follow the matra of Do Vitamins:
As if one sweetener wasn't enough, most brands tend to add another sweetener as well, such as Acesulfame-Potassium. This also has been categorized as "Avoid" by CSPI:
http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm#acesulfamek
Beyond the sweeteners, many brands tend to value marketing gimmicks over your health and well-being and color their supplements with artificial food dyes such as Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Red 40. These ingredients have been found to pose risks such as hyperactivity in children as well as a potential risk of cancer (like Red 3) and allergic reactions. See here for more info:
https://www.cspinet.org/fooddyes/
When we consider the fact that we often drink down our preworkouts in less than 10 seconds prior to heading to the gym, is it really necessary to be adding such high doses of sweeteners and colors? Especially considering we take these products day after day, in addition to other workout supplements such as BCAAs or post workout drinks which also contain another high dose of artificial sweeteners.
Being aware of all of the ingredients in your workout supplements allows you to make informed decisions about your health. It may be wise to consider opting for supplements that naturally sweeten their products with stevia and use natural food colorings such as beet root. Or, consider purchasing unflavored supplements with which you can rest assured that the contents are actually the active ingredients and not just fillers and flavorings.
I'm proud to support Do Vitamins and their wonderful line of supplements.
PurePump Pre-Workout
PumpPulls
PostPump
Wonder Whey Organic Whey Protein
I encourage you to look at all of their supplements and rest assured knowing that all of the ingredients are stated on the label with their dosages and there are no other fillers. Each supplement is crafted with scientifically proven effective ingredients and has the certifications to prove the quality and purity. Your health should be a top priority so choose good nutrition and supplement wisely. And follow the matra of Do Vitamins:
Purity and performance; no pollutants.™