Supplements?

I guess it’s a sign that RAWCF is getting noticed, but I have recently been the lucky recipient of multiple phone calls and even drop-in visits from different people trying to get me to sell their “Nutritional Supplements” to you; avid pursuers of optimal health via CrossFit.

The general pitch goes like this: you guys, clients of RAWCF, are sheep and need a shepherd to guide you, to educate you that even if you eat real food (a la Paleo), you will still NEED to take the latest and greatest nutritional supplement. This alone is not the problem, but If you watched the video attached to this post, you saw how ridiculously easy it is to create your own supplement. And though it’s a little more regulated here in Canada, there is still very loose policy regulating the dietary supplement industry, and that’s exactly what it is… industry.

Tell me again why I should spend $160/month to buy some “technologically advanced” supplement endorsed by an athlete and supported be some doctor to boost my energy? Thats usually how the sales pitch goes. Athletes take it, so it must be good for me? Right?

Do people still fall for this kind of logical fallacy?

The above scenario is usually followed immediately by an explanation of how I, as a gym owner, can benefit from their new MLM scheme. All I have to do is convince my clients to signup for their supplement plan blah blah blah. And there’s the kicker: The conversation invariably ends with how much money I will make… not how healthy my clients will be.

The overarching problem here is that because real food is just that… real food, it’s irreducible and it also has a fairly set cost of production and low profit margins (it’s also hard to attach a celebrity endorsement to broccoli). Supplement makers on the other hand, can create a large pill, pack it with filler, splash a little bit of some “beneficial ingredient” in there and call it a proprietary nutritional supplement. And since the law doesn’t require them to state how much of each ingredient is in there, only list them, you could be paying large amounts of of money for heavily marketed baking soda. Snake oil. Check this info-graphic for more insight.

The best advice I can give you is buyer beware. If the person selling the product is the same person telling you about the benefits… time to do your own research. I in turn need to point this spotlight at myself also. I am guilty of promoting fish oil usage at the gym, and I also provide an opportunity to buy it. This is a situation that requires you the client to do the background research, and I hope you will do it.

I and the other trainers at the gym are not gurus. We are just normal people dedicated to helping our clients become as healthy as possible. We work hard to stay up to date on the research and information. But a quick Google search on any of the supplements listed in the info-graphic above will swamp you in so much conflicting information that it can be overwhelming. We try our best to filter it for you guys, but ultimately it’s up to you.

My bottom line is this: We made it for millions of year on real food, real work, real rest, and real social lives. It has been my experience that deviation from this formula tends to lead you down a slippery slope towards sickness. There is no magic pill.

Now it’s up to you.

Here is a link to watch the full versions Bigger Stronger Faster online if you’re bored.