Because I am a figure competitor most people assume that I take many supplements. I get questions about supplements all the time or people list off what they are taking expecting me to know exactly what they are talking about.

Today I will let you in on a little secret: I usually have no clue what they are talking about, and I generally do not like taking supplements.

I believe that my nutrition should come from my food, not from the lab. However, this is my personal opinion and I do not condemn or condone the use of supplements for others. I believe that they can be useful in certain situations.

For example, right now and for the past ten weeks I have been taking two supplements. The first is a simple whey protein powder that I mix with water and drink once per day. The second is a multivitamin. The reason for their use is that in this stage of my training I am following a high protein diet and have a hard time getting in enough protein without the shake. As for the multivitamin, I want to make sure that all of my micronutrient (vitamins and minerals) bases are covered due to a lack of variety in my current diet.

I do believe that on a regular basis when I am eating a varied diet of high quality, whole foods, I get the nutrients that I need from my food and therefore do not need to use supplements. If for some reason you are not eating a high quality, whole foods diet, then it may be necessary to use supplements.

Please know that is possible to gain muscle without using creatine and pre-workout supplements and it is possible to get good post-workout, recovery nutrition with whole foods rather than a powder or a bar. I feel that a lot of supplements are just a racket. They are purely money makers and don't do anyone any good (other than those making the money off of them, of course!).

If you are a healthy adult without any special dietary concerns, be selective about what supplements you choose to use and choose a whole foods diet as the base of your nutrition plan. Remember that supplements are just that, meant to supplement a good diet.