Our monthly, episodical section, “By The Numbers” shows you in #44 if and where you can fill the gaps in your nutrition with supplements. Let’s see who comes out on top as we pit food vs supplements

 

Creatine – how much food to eat to reach the recommended 5g daily for muscular performance

 

681g

Herring

910g

Beef

1.35kg

Chicken

 

Verdict: Your best bet is to supplement – WINNER : Creatine.

 

BCAA’s – How much food to hit your Leucine threshold for maximum muscle protein synthesis

 

6oz (US) / 170g (UK)

The amount of chicken, lean beef or fish to consume at a meal to reach the levels of BCAAs needed, specifically, Leucine (3g) for maximal muscle growth.

2

Recommended portions of oily fish per week by the American Heart Association to reach healthy levels of Omega 3s.

 

food vs supplements - oily fish

 

3-6

Omega 3 supplement capsules (depending on strength) required daily if you don’t eat oily fish.

 

The supplement industry worth

122.08 billion

The global worth of the dietary supplement industry in US dollars.

http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/dietary-supplements-market

 

Speed of digestion – Food vs Supplements

5-6 hours

Digestion time of lean meat proteins

 

30-90 minutes

Digestion time of whey protein

Verdict – The Whey supplement is perfect post-workout or first thing upon waking.

 

Cost of protein – Food vs Supplements

0.44

cents for a serving of whey giving you 22g of protein.

 

0.82

cents for a serving of chicken give you the same amount of protein.

Verdict – Whey is the more cost effective option. Ideally, though, you want a mix of different sources of protein for their micronutrient benefits.

source : statista.com + bodybuilding.com

 

 

Multivitamins

70%

The amount of Americans who take a multivitamin supplement

 

Vitamin D

600iu

Recommended amount of daily Vit D.

 

50%

The estimated amount of the world deficient in Vitamin D.

 

1 tsp

Cod liver oil gives you 100% of your daily vitamin D requirement.

 

3oz / 85g

Oily fish gives you 100% of your daily vitamin D requirement.

 

Vitamin D available from Bodybuilding.com

 

Digestive enzymes

4 hours

after taking 5g of digestive enzymes with whey increased absorption by 100% vs whey alone.

 

Fiber

30

grams of daily fiber recommended by the British Nutrition Foundation.

18

grams of fiber we actually eat on average.

 

Fiber in foods per 100g

2g

Broccoli

7g

Raspberries

2g

Celery

3g

Strawberries

6g

Kidney beans

14.5g

Almonds

2g

Oats

 

Or top yourself up with fiber powder from Bodybuilding.com

 

Whey vs food for breakfast

Whey Protein group : Consumed a whey protein shake for breakfast

vs

Eggs and tuna group : Ate an egg based or tuna based protein breakfast

vs

Carbs group : Ate a breakfast high in starchy carbs

 

Winner

in 12 weeks…

 

7.6kg

weight lost by the whey protein group.

6.1kg

weight lost by the eggs or tuna breakfast group.

3.1kg

weight lost by the carbohydrate group.

source : The Endocrine Society

 

Conclusion : While supplements fair really well and sometimes, even better than food in some departments, they really are just to plug the gaps in an overall healthy nutritional plan. They’ll never contain the micronutrient profile of whole foods and although some come close, the sheer variety of nutrients we need can only be covered by a nutritious diet full of fruits and vegetables. The wrong way to look at this debate is food vs supplements. Optimally, it should be “food AND supplements”