by Tom Brady
SUPPLEMENTATION
Even if you eat fresh, organically grown food at every meal, it can be tricky to meet your nutritional needs. Various other factors may be working against you—noise and air pollution, food pesticides, even your own stress levels. A lot of people don’t have access to locally grown or organic food, and even if they do manage to eat real food, a lot of times it’s flown cross-country and shipped frozen from warehouses along the way.
Would I love it if everyone started following a mostly plant-based, real-food nutritional regimen? Absolutely. But not everyone can do that. At TB12 we use the word supplement as it’s intended to be used—as a supplementation to the foods we eat. The right supplements won’t replace a proper nutritional regimen, but they can ensure you get what your body might be lacking.
I’m a big believer in the smart use of certain supplements—they’ve been a regular part of my daily routine since 2000. As I said earlier, along with daily doses of electrolytes and trace mineral drops, I also take a daily multivitamin, vitamin D, vitamin B complex, an antioxidant, essential fish oils, protein powder, and a probiotic. The TB12 Method is about quality of life, and the supplements I take help me sustain peak performance and promote muscle regeneration. Whenever I read news articles casting doubt on supplements or saying they don’t work, I take them at face value. All I can do is look back on my own experience and track record. I do less strength training today than ever before, and my muscles are healthier than ever.
MULTIVITAMIN
A multivitamin is a good supplement for average people as well as for athletes. It supplements the basic vitamins and minerals we get from our food.
VITAMIN D
Vitamin D helps our bodies absorb calcium by regulating how we metabolize both calcium and phosphorus. It helps our bones and our teeth, and aids in the regulation of our nervous system, cardiovascular health, and blood clot function. Vitamin D is found in egg yolks, liver, milk, and in oily fish like salmon, herring, mackerel, and sardines. If you have a vitamin D deficiency, you risk bone softening, osteoporosis, and muscle spasms, which is why I take the daily recommended dose. I suggest taking vitamin D2 and D3.
VITAMIN B COMPLEX
B complex, which is made up of a group of eight distinct B vitamins, increases our energy by helping to convert food into glucose and metabolizes the health of our nervous and immune systems.
TRACE MINERALS
Even if we eat real food every day of our lives, thanks to commercial farming we don’t get the minerals from the soil our bodies need. Trace minerals work alongside the vitamins and nutrients in our bodies to regulate biological functions, ranging from proper blood formation to energy production to nerve transmission. They also help our bodies regulate the balance between acidity and alkalinity. The most important trace minerals are calcium, copper, magnesium, boron, phosphorus, potassium, silica, and zinc. I get all of these in my TB12 Electrolytes, which are critical in replacing the minerals I lose in my sweat when I work out.
ANTIOXIDANTS
I get most of my antioxidants from fruits and vegetables—exept for nightshades!—and I need the extra insurance that antioxidants provide. They protect the body from the damage caused by free radicals, which can lead to atherosclerosis and various other arthritis-related conditions. Again, it’s all about reducing inflammation.
I love eating pomegranates in the morning—they’re another great source of antioxidants and vitamins, and help me reduce inflammation.
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS
Our bodies need certain kinds of fat to carry out the daily acts of living. Most people don’t get enough of these, because the word fat scares them. Our bodies don’t naturally produce essential fatty acids, which means we need to get them from our diets or from supplementation. Essential fatty acids, especially DHA and DEPA, help with energy, musculoskeletal function, and calcium metabolism, as well as hormone, nerve, and brain function. They also help reduce the risks of heart attack, hypertension, and stroke, as well as overall inflammation. I have found these to be a great benefit in my life.
PROTEIN POWDER
Our bodies require a certain amount of daily protein. At TB12 we only use the purest protein possible and avoid the use of sugar, fat, binders, or stabilizers. It has greatly improved my ability to maintain muscle mass while strength training less than half of what I used to in my twenties. I can add one to two scoops of protein powder to anything I eat, from pancakes to smoothies.
PROBIOTICS
Probiotics are live microorganisms that naturally produce digestive enzymes that help your body digest food and absorb the nutrients from that food. Seventy to eighty percent of your immune system resides in your gut bacteria. Antibiotics destroy your inner stomach environment, and over a long period of time can affect your digestion. That’s why probiotics are so important to me.
PROTEIN POWDER AND THE TWENTY-MINUTE RULE
When athletes work out, they break down their muscles. Two of the best sources of protein and carbs are either a protein bar or 20 grams of protein powder mixed into a protein shake. Protein is easily and quickly digestible, and goes immediately toward rebuilding and repairing muscles. To facilitate muscle repair and generate muscle protein synthesis, you should ingest protein within twenty minutes of finishing your workout. Wait any longer and your body will begin seeking its own protein sources and start tearing down the muscles you’ve just been building up. I am committed to the twenty-minute rule, and rarely will I break down my muscles without having a protein shake immediately following intense workouts.
Our bodies require a certain amount of daily protein. Our TB12 Protein Powder is the purest whey protein on the market today. It has greatly improved my ability to maintain muscle mass while strength training less than half of what I used to in my twenties. I can add one to two scoops of protein powder to anything I eat, from pancakes to smoothies.
HOW TO READ A LABEL
Everyone who’s been in a supermarket knows that supplement is a pretty broad category that includes vitamins, minerals, herbs, “green drinks,” essential fatty acids, and other nutrients that are either derived or synthesized from food sources. According to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, supplements aren’t considered drugs, which means they can go to market without the US Food and Drug Administration reviewing them beforehand.
To choose the right supplements, it’s important to choose a brand whose ingredients are made of food-grade concentrates—meaning that its ingredients come from natural foods and herbs—since the body also metabolizes them more easily than it does synthetic components. Try to avoid supplements that contain fillers, dyes, binders, or any other unnecessary ingredients. The reason those are used is because they’re cheaper, and there are bigger profits and more marketing dollars, which create more influence. It can be a vicious cycle.
The product label on a supplement consists of a statement of identity, a structure/function claim, the form the product takes (gel, liquid, capsule), directions on how to take it, a supplement fact panel, a list of other ingredients, and the name and address of the manufacturer. We’ll take them one by one.
A. STATEMENT OF IDENTITY
The statement of identity tells you the name of the supplement, or what it is—e.g., vitamin D, B complex, or melatonin—and identifies it as a vitamin, a mineral, a dietary supplement, etc.
B. STRUCTURE/FUNCTION CLAIM
The structure/function claim tells what the supplement does or what its health benefits are. By law, the structure/function claim can’t say that a supplement treats or cures a disease, but it can set out what role or function the supplement will play in your body.
C. FORM OF PRODUCT AND NET CONTENTS
This identifies whether the supplement is a capsule, a gel, a liquid, or a powder, and how much or how many the bottle contains.
D. DIRECTIONS FOR USE
This tells you how you’re supposed to take the product—once a day, twice daily, once a week, and so on.
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E. SUPPLEMENT FACTS PANEL
Here you’ll find the serving size—a capsule, two tablets—along with a list of active ingredients and the total percentage of the recommended daily intake the supplement provides for each ingredient. If there’s an asterisk in the daily value column for any ingredient, it means the manufacturer hasn’t determined a daily value.
F. OTHER INGREDIENTS
This list tells you what inactive ingredients were used to create and manufacture the supplement. On this list you’ll find ingredients like binders, fillers, coatings, water, and gelatin. Again, try to avoid supplements with too many inactive ingredients in them.
G. PRODUCT MANUFACTURER
What it says—the name and address of the manufacturer.
HOW TO TAKE SUPPLEMENTS
CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TAKING SUPPLEMENTS
As with all issues pertaining to diet, nutrition, and health, make sure your doctor knows if you are taking a high dose of any nutritional supplement. Also, remind your doctor of any prescribed medications you take, as some supplements can interfere with dosages or cause side effects.
TAKE SUPPLEMENTS WITH MEALS
Try not to take supplements on an empty stomach. Take them with meals, as this helps your body absorb them more easily. If you supplement your diet with vitamins A and E, beta-carotene, or essential fatty acids, try to take them with whatever foods you eat that have the highest fat content. Divide the doses up so that you parcel your intake over the course of the day. If you take them all at once, your body might not know how to respond.
AVOID TAKING MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS WITH HIGH-FIBER MEALS
Fiber can interfere with your body’s ability to absorb minerals.
AVOID TAKING SUPPLEMENTS WITH TOO MANY INACTIVE INGREDIENTS
This means reading the label carefully and avoiding supplements that contain sweeteners, binders, coatings, fillers, preservatives, or added sugars.
THE TB12 GROCERY LIST
Fish, Meat, and Poultry
At TB12, we recommend you eat meats and poultry that are organic, grass-fed, free-range, hormone-free, and antibiotic-free. The fish you eat should be wild, hormone-free, and antibiotic-free. As I said earlier, more important than eating organic food is eating real food, washed carefully before you prepare it.
Clams/Mussels
Halibut
Herring
Mackerel
Mahi mahi
Shrimp
Tuna, fresh
Wild salmon, fresh
Wild tuna and salmon, canned
Beef
Lamb
Eggs—organic, cage free, omega-3 enriched
Skinless chicken
Skinless turkey
AVOID
Commercially raised beef and poultry
Cured meat and ham
Farm-raised fish
Processed lunch meats
Processed meat such as bacon, sausage, pepperoni, hot dogs
Choose among fresh, preferably organic vegetables such as:
Artichokes
Asparagus
Bean sprouts
Bell peppers
Bok choy
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Butter lettuce
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Cucumbers
Endive
Ginger
Green beans
Kale
Leeks
Onions: green, red, white, yellow
Radishes
Romaine lettuce
Salad mix, organic
Shallots
Snow peas
Spinach
Squash: green, yellow, summer, spaghetti
Sweet potatoes
Watercress
Zucchini
FRUIT
Apples: green, red
Avocados
Bananas
Berries: blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
Cherries
Coconut
Grapefruit
Grapes: green, red
Lemons
Limes
Mango
Oranges
Papayas
Peaches
Pears
Pomegranate seeds
FRESH HERBS
Basil
Chives
Cilantro
Dill
Marjoram
Mint
Oregano
Parsley
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
CANNED/JARRED FOODS
Artichoke hearts
Cacao butter
Capers
Chicken broth, low sodium
Coconut butter
Nut butter: almond, cashew, macadamia (sugar-free)
Pasta sauce (sugar free)
Pumpkin, organic
Tomato paste
Tomatoes: crushed, stewed, whole
Vegetable broth, low sodium
NUTS AND SEEDS
Raw nuts: almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, pine nuts—no peanuts!
Seeds: chia, flax, hemp, pumpkin, sunflower
NOODLES/GRAINS/PACKAGED FOODS
Beans: black, kidney, pinto, white, garbanzo
Lentils
Quinoa
Quinoa pasta
Split peas
Steel-cut oats
FLOUR/BAKING
All-purpose gluten-free flour
Almond meal
Baking soda
Baking powder
Chia flour
Coconut flour
Flax meal
Oat flour
Rice flour
SUPERFOODS
Acai powder
Cacao: powder and nibs
Camu camu powder
Freeze-dried greens powder
Goji berries
Goji powder
Lucuma powder
Maca root
Maqui powder
Pomegranate powder
OILS
Almond oil
Coconut oil
Macadamia nut oil
Olive oil, extra virgin
Sesame oil
Walnut oil
CONDIMENTS
Balsamic vinegar
Guacamole
Horseradish sauce
Hummus
Dijon mustard (gluten-free)
Salsa
Tamari sauce
Vegan mayonnaise
MILK AND CREAM
Almond
Coconut
Rice
Hemp
Hazelnut
SWEETENERS
Coconut sugar
Honey, raw unfiltered
Maple syrup, pure
Stevia—plain, chocolate, berry, vanilla crème, cinnamon
WATER AND DRINKS
Coconut water
Green tea
Organic coffee
Mineral water
SPICES (KEEP THESE ON HAND)
Basil
Black pepper
Cayenne pepper
Chili powder
Cilantro
Cinnamon
Cloves
Coriander
Curry
Dill
Garlic
Ginger
Maple extract
Marjoram
Mint
Oregano
Nutmeg
Parsley
Rosemary
Saffron
Sage
Thyme
Vanilla extract
FOODS TO LIMIT OR AVOID
Alcohol
Bread, pasta, tortillas, and other foods that contain gluten
Breakfast cereals
Condiments like ketchup, soy sauce, and barbecue sauce containing sugar, artificial ingredients, excessive salt or gluten
Corn (including popcorn, corn bread, and popped-corn chips)
Dairy foods
such as milk, cheese, cream, yogurt, and ice cream
Foods that contain genetically modified ingredients
Foods that contain high-fructose corn syrup or trans (hydrogenated) fats
Foods that contain sugar, artificial sweeteners, or soy
Fruit juice (even 100 percent fresh!)
Grain-based foods (cereal, rice, instant oatmeal, wheat, barley, rye, and corn)
Jams, jellies, pancake syrup
Most cooking oils (corn, safflower, canola, soy)
Processed frozen dinners
Processed meats such as lunch meats
Salty processed snacks (potato chips, popcorn, pretzels, nacho chips, crackers, etc.)
Soy-based foods such as powders, oils, and snack foods
Sugary processed snacks (cakes, cookies, cupcakes, candy)
Sweetened drinks (lemonade, soda, fruit punch)
White potatoes
When I was younger, I had a horrible diet! I ate processed meats, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on white bread, muffins, doughnuts, hot dogs, nachos with cheese out of a tin can, breakfast cereal—you name it. I rarely drank water; I mostly drank milk, juice, and soda. I’ve talked a lot in this book about my improvement over the years, and I believe a big reason is the changes I’ve made in my nutrition. Looking back, why wasn’t I as good as I could have been in high school? Why was I a late bloomer? Why couldn’t I compete with those other guys? I really didn’t give myself a chance, based on the diet I was following. One reason I’ve improved over the years is that the foods I eat today are nutrient-dense and good for me, and I limit anything that could cause inflammation.