Garden Of Life FucoProtein Bars
A few years ago, I came to the conclusion that protein bars are not a viable way to get a high quality source of protein, carbs or fats. They are typically just a candy bar “spiked with some (cheap soy) protein”. To this day, there are very few protein or meal replacement bars that fall out of this category and are in my opinion worth any serious consideration. Its hard to find a protein bar that does not contain soy protein, high fructose corn syrup, hydrolyzed gelatin, sugar alcohols or hydrogenated oils. The FucoProtein bar by Garden of Life come close as a high quality meal replacement bar that is worth consideration. They also contain Fucoxanthin which is a marine derived antioxidant that has been shown in some studies to help with weight loss. Though this is not the reason I bought these bars, some of these additional benefits don’t hurt its cause. To me the FucoProtein bars are a decent investment for when you need a high quality snack on the run. Read More…
Ascenta NutraSea Fish Oil
I believe that omega-3 fatty acids from cold water fish are one of the more beneficial supplements one can take. There are many options when it comes to fish oil supplements but there are only a few that I trust. Ascenta’s NutraSea is a high quality herring oil that uses Ascenta’s proprietary technology which combines with molecular distillation, to create a very pure omega-3 supplement. The company allows consumers to enter the batch number of their purchase on its website, to view an independent report on the quality test results. These tests include an analysis of the actual amount of EPA and DHA along with oxidation levels and the levels of various common contaminants like dioxins, furans, PCBs, lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic.
Astaxanthin
Astaxanthin is often referred to as the “king of carotenoids” and is found in certain algae, salmon, trout (it was gives then their pink colour), krill, shrimp and yeast. As per some sources, natural astaxanthin may be a more powerful antioxidant than Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Pycnogenol and Beta Carotene. This substance is gaining some popularity within both athletes and the life extension crowd. Studies have also shown that astaxathin may reduce DNA damage, benefit immune support and help with excess inflammation.
Levrone Formula Extreme Nitric Pump
Kevin Levrone was a major body building star throughout the 1990s. His accomplishments on and off the bodybuilding stage are well known. He has now come out with an interesting supplement that may make some waves in the very crowded and competitive, pre-workout “pump” supplement category. The Levrone Formula looks to differentiate itself from the supplement crowd by doing a few novel things:
- No proprietary blends - you know exactly how much of each ingredient you are getting
- No fillers - the cheap, hidden carbs that form the basis of many pre-workout formulas
- No artificial sweeteners or colours
- No added synthetic caffeine
Xtreme Formulations ICE (BCAA)
Branched chain amino acids (BCAA) are leucine, isoleucine and valine. They are important for athletes and active individuals, especially in their “free form”, as they are metabolized in the muscles rather than by the liver. They can there provide a source of energy and are often shown to increase both endurance during exercise, lean muscle mass and better post workout recovery. There are many BCAA supplements out there, but one of the best is Xtreme Formulations ICE.
The basis of my view begins with XF using the highest quality free form amino acids that have been sourced from Ajinomoto and packaged in a GMP compliant facility. They are found in a roughly 2:1:1 ratio that has been studied extensively. ICE also contains free form glutamine, which is an very popular amino acid that is supposed to enhance recovery, gut and immune health.
Gaspari Myofusion Protein
Protein powders are a convenient and often a very cost effective way, of getting easily digestible protein into your diet. This is especially relevant to athletes, bodybuilders and active individuals. Gaspari Nutrition’s MyoFusion protein is a great tasting blend of four different types of proteins along with some healthy fats. It makes a great breakfast protein shake, to go along with oats or other cereals.
Myofusion’s Athlete’s Edge Complete Protein Blend includes Cross-Flow, Cold Infused Whey Protein Concentrate, Cross-Flow, Cold Infused, Microfiltered Whey Protein Isolate, Egg Albumin, Milk Protein Isolate. These are all high quality protein sources, in that cross flow, cold infused filtration is a gentle process that keeps a lot of the beneficial whey microfractions intact. The healthy fats in Myofusion’s Pro-Compliance Lipid Complex are in the form of Cold-Processed Sunflower Oil Powder, Micro-Encapsulated Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) and Cold-Processed Flax Seed Oil Powder. With the lipids (fats), cold processing should prevent them from oxidizing and going rancid.
VPX NO Shotgun
VPX NO Shotgun has been a popular pre-workout supplement for the last few years. Vital Pharmaceuticals has not disappointed with the most recent (version 3) of Shotgun. Unlike many other pre-workout supplements, VPX NO Shotgun combines easily digestible protein and free form amino acids with various forms of creatine, glutamine, arginine, beta alanine and a potent stimulant blend. This supplement has a lot of ingredients and I will briefly look at a few of the important sub-blends.
AEN IntrAbolic
When it comes to workout nutrition, pre and post workout supplements tend to get the most attention. What many atheletes tend to ignore is how nutrition and supplements can help during a weight training workout. For the last couple of years, I had been a regular user of Purple Wraath from Controlled Labs that combined essential amino acids (EAA), beta alanine and citrulline malate. I have also used a couple of tubs of SizeOn. For the last six week or so, I have been using a product that has been making waves in the intra-workout supplement category - Intrabolic from Athletic Edge Nutrition.
Fusion Bodybuilding FUBAR
Pre-workout energy supplements can be a great help when you need that extra push to get through a workout or when you are just feeling too sluggish to get through a tough day at work. One of my favourite such supplements is FUBAR by Fusion Bodybuilding. This Canadian company has put together a no-nonsense energy supplement that is available in convenient capsule form. FUBAR utilizes caffeine from multiple sources, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine and theobromine extract to provide a nice even energy and focus without a significant crash.
Natrol FeelAnew Joint Support
An active lifestyle that involves working out or sports (and getting older) often leads to sore joints. Its a trade off that many people live with - better overall health and the enjoyment of physical activity for some pain and discomfort. But this does not have to be the case - it is possible to alleviate the pain while continuing to work out and be active. My joints have started giving me problems over the last few years - gym workouts, softball, biking and some hockey are the likely culprits. So I started trying out many of the joint support supplements before finding Natrol’s FeelAnew, which has worked very well for me.
