In a world where health and wellness are paramount, navigating the sea of dietary supplements can be both empowering and overwhelming. The key to making informed choices lies in the details, often found within the seemingly intricate labels adorning supplement bottles. These labels serve as a roadmap, providing crucial information about what you’re putting into your body.

Understanding how to decipher these labels can make the difference between a worthwhile addition to your health regimen and a product that falls short of expectations. In this guide, we’ll unravel the mysteries behind supplement labels, shedding light on the essential elements to scrutinize before making your next purchase. From nutritional content to quality assurances, embark with us on a journey through the fine print, empowering yourself to make informed decisions that align with your health and wellness goals.

Proprietary blends

Proprietary blends in protein products can be concerning for consumers because they don’t disclose the exact amounts of ingredients in the blend. This means you might get lower-quality proteins in the mix, even if the total protein content is claimed to be high. To avoid this, check the protein per serving relative to the serving size – higher protein per serving indicates higher quality. Be cautious of blends that provide less protein and more fillers if the amount of ingredients percentage is not specified. Also according to the FDA in the ingredientes section of a product label has to be in descending order of the items used, therefore the first  ingredient in the label is the most used one.

Amino Spiking 

Protein spiking typically involves using non-protein nitrogen-containing substances like creatine or glutamine to artificially increase the protein content of a product. To avoid falling into this trap, be wary of ingredient lists that include these amino acids as potential indicators of protein spiking. Choosing products with transparent amino acid profiles and third-party testing helps ensure protein quality and minimizes the risk of spiking.

Eg. MusclePharm Protein Spiking Lawsuit 2015

Serving Size

Apart from scientific data, some companies use subtle tricks to make their products appear more appealing to consumers. One such tactic is manipulating the serving size on the label. They increase the serving size (resulting in lower protein per serving) but prominently display this larger serving size on the label. However, they may include a larger scoop inside the container, not accounting for its weight in the measurements. For instance, the label may indicate a 30g serving size, but when measured with the included scoop (excluding its weight), it may actually be 40g. This can give the impression of higher protein per serving, but it reduces the number of servings in the container.

As a consumer when you are comparing two products, it’s essential to consider the total weight of the container and check the nutritional information based on 100g to make a fair comparison. This ensures that you’re comparing products accurately and not being misled by variations in serving size and scoop weight.

Got No Whey Protein? No Problem, we got the solution for you!

Here’s how to make a quick Natural Protein Shake, that you could easily make at anytime of the day!

Ingredients:  50g of oats, Peanut Butter or Peanuts (Crushed), 200 ML of Fresh Milk/Non Fat Milk, Cocoa, Hint of Vanilla Essence for taste.

Note: If you cant afford peanut butter, Here’s a small hack, just buy a couple peanuts of around 20g, crush and blend into a power form.

Directions:

Simple, Simply Add all the ingridients to a Blender! Blend! and Enjoy!

Nutritional Content: Consists of around 30 – 40g of protein per shake, the content depends on the amount of ingredients you use.

Consume this either Pre/Post workout, or anytime of the day to get a good source of Protein and Complex Carbohydrates.

Tip: If you are a samaposha fan, add around 30g for additional Protein and clean Carbohydrates

A carbohydrate-loading diet, also called a carb-loading diet, is a strategy to improve your athletic performance for endurance events by increasing the amount of fuel stored in your muscles.

Carbohydrate loading occurs when you eat a high-carbohydrate “training diet” at the same time that you scale back your activity level in the days before an event.

Any physical activity requires carbohydrates for fuel. For most recreational activity, your body uses its existing energy stores for fuel.

But when you engage in long, intense athletic events, your body needs extra energy to keep going. The purpose of carbohydrate loading is to give you the energy you need to complete an endurance event with less fatigue, improving your athletic performance.

The number of carbs you can eat ranges from 2.3–5.5 grams per pound (5–12 grams per kg) of body weight per day. If you weighed 154 pounds (70 kg), that would work out to 350–840 grams of carbs per day

For most athletes, 5 to 7 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight daily is right for general training. (Note that 1 kilogram equals 2.2 pounds.) Endurance athletes may need up to 12 grams per kilogram.

Types of Carb Loading

Classic 6-Day

During the first three days of this program, you exercise while consuming a low-carb diet that gets about 15% of its calories from carbs

The combination of exercise and low carbohydrate intake decreases your body’s glycogen stores.

During days four to six of this program, you consume a high-carb diet that gets about 70% of its calories from carbs. You also reduce exercise on day four and perform no exercise on days five and six.

6-Day

For the first three days, this program involves eating a moderate-carb diet that gets about 50% of its calories from carbs. This is followed by three days of a high-carb diet, with about 70% of calories from carbs

Throughout these six days, you gradually decrease the amount you exercise. During days four to six, you only perform 0–20 minutes of exercise per day.

Classic 3-Day

This program is shorter and simpler than the six-day programs.

At the beginning of the three days, you perform one exercise session until your body is exhausted, For the remainder of the three days, you perform no exercise while consuming a high-carb diet that gets about 70% of its calories from carbs.

1-Day

The one-day program is the simplest of them all.

You do not exercise for one day, and you consume a high-carb diet of about 4.5 grams per pound (10 grams per kg) of body weight.

Results

Carbohydrate loading may give you more energy during an endurance event. You may feel less fatigued and see an improvement in your performance after carbohydrate loading. But carbohydrate loading isn’t effective for everyone.

Other factors can influence your athletic performance or interfere with the effectiveness of your carbohydrate-loading strategy, including how fit you are, how well you hydrate and how intensely you exercise. Even with carbohydrate loading, you still may feel muscle fatigue.

For men, a carbohydrate-loading diet can increase the levels of glycogen stored in the muscles as much as 100 percent of your normal amount. Women may need to consume more calories than usual during carbohydrate loading to get the same benefits as men do.

Despite carbohydrate loading, you still need to replenish your body’s energy during endurance events to maintain your blood sugar levels. You can do this by periodically consuming sports drinks, gels, or bars, fruit, or hard or chewy candies during your event at the rate of 30 to 60 grams every hour or two. And don’t forget to eat carbohydrate-rich foods after your endurance event, too, to replenish your glycogen stores.

Foods to Eat and Avoid During Carb Loading

To get the recommended amount of carbohydrates, you should focus on foods that are high-carb, low-fat and don’t have too much fiber.

Foods to Eat

• Low-fiber cereals
• Fruit juices
• White noodles with marinara sauce
• White bread
• Fruit jelly
• White rice
• Fruit smoothies
• Skinned white potatoes
• Applesauce
• Pretzels
• Fruit, including bananas, oranges and watermelon
• White flour, used in cooking
• Sherbet or popsicles
• Sports drinks
• Low-fat energy bars

Of course, it is also important to have protein to support your muscles. Try to focus on lean protein sources, such as fish, lean cuts of meat or poultry and fat-free dairy.

What’s more, eat foods you enjoy and that are familiar to you. Try to find the best compromise between the recommendations and foods you enjoy.

Many people eat high-carb foods that are high-fat too. It is best to avoid these during carb loading.

Foods to Avoid

Below are some examples of foods that may seem high-carb but are also high-fat and therefore inappropriate for carb loading.

• Creamy sauces, such as Alfredo sauce
• Muffins
• Crackers
• Chips
• Cookies
• Pizza
• Brownies
• Ice cream
• Pastries
• French fries
• Donuts
• Certain energy bars