GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Whether it's a busy parent or just someone looking to take their health and fitness to a new level at some point, many people might turn to dietary supplements to reach their goal.
We talked with a certified fitness and nutrition expert from West Michigan about what supplements are beneficial and how to make the health food aisle a little less overwhelming.
"I've been active my whole life. I've always loved working out,in high school I played lots of different sports," says Heather McLeod, who knows a thing or two about health and fitness.
McLeod has done fitness competitions but now as mom, staying healthy and active takes on a whole new meaning.
"Its just a lot harder with three children," McLeod said, adding that staying on top of nutrition is a workout in itself.
"There are times throughout the day as a mom I forget to eat," McLeod said.
Whether you are a busy parent or looking to take their health and fitness to a whole new level, many people may turn to supplements to help keep their goals on track.
Fitness and nutrition coach Keith Fabbri, who is a busy father himself, says while supplements shouldn`t take the place of real food there is a way they can be helpful and convenient.
"The main thing about supplements that people have to understand is that they are to supplement what you cant get from food," Fabbri said. If you eat the quality food you need, you're going to get all of the vitamins and minerals and everything else, he said.
Fabbri helped us navigate through the supplement aisles of the grocery store. He says a good way to start is to take a multi-vitamin and vitamin C for immunity.
For those with limited time protein powder can be helpful.
"Especially if you`re a mom who has little to no time, replacing meals with shakes can be effective," he said.
"When we`re looking for one we want to make sure the first ingredient that shows up is the ingredient that`s supposed to be in it and what the label says," Fabbri said.
"Let's look at this one right here this is your budget brand, it`s a good brand you can get online or buy it at a store like Meijer," Fabbri said.
"The first ingredient we look for should be whey protein isolate and if we zoom in, the first one is micro filtered whey protein isolate so this actually contains, in abundance, the ingredient we are looking for," he said.
"You want a pre-workout that is basically the only stimulant in it is caffeine and you shouldn`t need maybe 100-150 mg of caffeine, which is one to one and a half cups of coffee," he said. "One cup of coffee pre-workout is pretty much all you should need from a caffeine standpoint as far as boosting energy and metabolism to get you going in your workout."
