Many people take supplements of some type. This may be a multi-vitamin, an omega-3 or maybe a protein powder.But how is it they come to the decision to supplement?And how do they choose what to take?And what brands do they decide to go with?At Okanagan Peak Performance Inc our philosophy on supplements is to keep the definition of the word in mind. In other words we should be seeking things that 'add to' something else rather than something that becomes 'in place of'.So for someone considering a supplement we may ask why they are considering it? It could be that an individual does not like the taste of fish or seafood and therefore barely eats the minimum dose of omega-3s. Or a young growing athlete struggling to put on mass may benefit from adding a smoothie to his or her post workout shake.In any case here are 3 steps to help you choose the right supplement.Step 1 - Know Your GapsAs we mentioned above a supplement should be something taken 'in addition to' something not 'in place of' something else. Once we are clear on this then the goal should be consume adequate amounts of the various nutrients to satisfy all of our bodies needs whether they be for weight loss, rehabilitative or performance goals.What we need to know is which nutrients are we not getting enough of that our bodies cannot make on their own? Protein supplements might be very popular but maybe I eat enough meat, fish, pork and seafood already and wouldn't really benefit from a protein supplement.Or maybe someone recommends I try creatine as is relatively safe and has been proven in the research to be highly effective. But if I'm not a power athlete and my goals aren't competitive should I still try it?When you consider a supplement...

Sport supplementation is as popular as it's ever been. More people are 'taking this' or 'swear by that'. But where do they get their info on a particular supplement?Is it based on which has the best ads in a fitness training magazine? Or is the product recommended or endorsed by the reigning Mr. Olympia? Or maybe even an Olympic champion?Maybe the person at the local health food store is friendly, healthy looking and seems knowledgeable? They're there to help, right?Where does the research factor into the search for safe and effective sports supplements? And if we are going to look at the research than which studies count? Do they have to run a minimum length of time to show a physiological adaptation? Should they include a minimum number of test subjects? Should these subjects be young? Old? Male? Female? Athletes? Sedentary? Healthy? Diseased?Is the research even on human subjects? Or what if it is using rats?And does it matter who funded the research?There are enough questions there regarding research in the primary literature to make your head spin.And that's assuming the reader has a background in science and statistics as well as the time to break down all the studies out there.That eliminates 99% of us, doesn't it?And it makes most of us a little more vulnerable to all the ads, marketing and pitches to get us to buy this and take that.If only there was a better solution. A place where someone in the know could break down the science into small manageable and easily understood recommendations for all the various supplements that exist.Guess what? There is such a place. And it's called examine.com. This is my go-to resource for anything related to sports supplementation. But don't my word for it. Go check it out.And if you like what they're...