VITAMIN & SUPPLEMENTATION GUIDE
WHAT ARE VITAMINS & SUPPLEMENTS FOR
Fill gaps in your diet
Support weakness within your diet
Support all aspects of the human body
Recover from workouts, injuries, surgery, travel, stress, ect.
OUR TAKE ON SUPPLEMENTATION
Any one looking at putting together a vitamin and supplement regimen should always start with looking at their diet, work and exercise routine as well as any injuries, traumas and known deficiencies. By doing this you can identify the gaps in your diet and the requirements of your lifestyle to ensure correct supplementation to maintain a balanced state of well-being. Nothing beats eating healthy sources of protein, greens, healthy fats, complex carbs and other nutrients from whole foods and we do not look to replace food with supplements. The fact is, the current food industry coupled with modern lifestyles make it difficult to eat the macro and micro nutrients necessary to work or perform at our optimal levels at all times. This is where a proper vitamin regimen and tailored supplement plans can be invaluable to ensuring our bodies are not missing key nutrients that may cause health issues. You will see that the supplements listed below all have a wide range of vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes, proteins, electrolytes and more to ensure our foundational health is at the core of what we do. Creating balance through proper nutrition and supplementation together is key to creating an effective plan that will not waste time, calories or money.
Everyone’s personal experience with supplementation will be different, what works for us may not work for you in the same way. Use the information provided here as a guide to create a nutrition and supplement plan that fits in with your own lifestyle. You should also confirm with your medical professional, nutritionist and / or sports science experts to ensure what you choose is right for you.
WHY DOES QUALITY MATTER?
We want to know that what we are putting in our body is tested, proven, safe and upholds the highest of standards. Some might say “well, if it is listed on the bottle then it is in the vitamin and it says all natural so it must be good”… The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994 put into place measures that limited the ability for the FDA to control what is put on the market prior to it being released. Companies are able to self-certify their products prior to them going on the shelves unless they seek additional certifications and regulations. Unfortunately, many companies take advantage of that and put untested, unsafe, low quality products with fillers on the market. A study done in 2013 by the American Medical Association showed that of 274 vitamins & supplements banned between 2009 - 2012 by the FDA , 66.7% of those supplements still had the same banned substances within the ingredients. The companies had merely re-packaged the bottle and removed the banned substance from the packaging. Later in 2014, after being cited by the FDA in 2013, the same companies were cited yet again for having the very same banned ingredients still in the capsule. You may think, “well this won’t happen to me, the ones I use from the local health food store says it’s all natural and even if this happened how bad can it be?” GNC Holding Inc. has been involved in millions of dollars worth of lawsuits when the FDA found several of their supplements were still laced with a banned amphetamine, DMAA (Dimethylamin). Companies who do not actively seek additional regulation from the FDA, NSF, TGA and cGMP certifications can cut corners and many of them do.
Because the FDA can only react to the vitamin and supplement industry due to the DSHE Act, mentioned previously, it is up to us as consumers to self educate, research and make informed decisions about what we purchase and who we purchase from. Too many vitamins have more sugar and fillers in the capsule than active ingredients and too many supplements have substances not listed on the label. That is exactly why we choose to partner with Thorne and have been using their products for years. The most regulated group of athletes in the world participate in the Olympics and Thorne is the provider of the vitamins and supplements for 13 of the US Olympic / National teams, they also are the supplier of vitamins and supplements for the UFC who tests their 600 athletes for banned substances over 2,750 times per year. Thorne even regularly works with The Mayo Clinic and many other research hospitals to conduct clinical trials and research to test the safety and efficacy of a range of single and complex nutritional products to address specific nutritional needs in athletes, cancer patients and others. They are cGMP Certified, NSF Certified and TGA Certified giving us the confidence that they are providing extremely high quality products with the strictest of standards.
If nothing else, take one thing away from this. Quality matters because your time, energy, money and health do.
WHAT DO WE USE / WHY WE USE IT / HOW WE USE IT
Truth is, we are less likely to use vitamins or supplements no matter its benefit if it does not fit within our daily routine easily. We use products that provide the nutrients we need while fitting in to our routine and by doing so will ensure we are maximizing the money spent on the products we use. Whether we are working out in our garden, the gym or the field your body is at its best when its receiving the nutrients it requires, but if you are trying to fit square pegs in round holes then it just simply won’t work. If you would like to see how we fit these items in our day, not to worry, we have provided our schedule below and a sample morning smoothie recipe we use!
Morning
Morning Smoothie Recipe
Your Choice of 1.5 Cups of Organic Berry mix
Strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, cranberry, blackberry
Organic Chia Seeds (1 Tablespoon)
Organic MTC (Coconut) Oil (1 Tablespoon)
Thorne MediPro Vegan - Vanilla (1-2 Scoops)
Thorne FiberMend (1-2 Scoops)
Thorne Buffered C Powder (1 Serving)
Water & Ice
Pre-Workout / Pre-Match / Mid-Day
Put the Following In One Drink
Post Workout
Nutrient dense Whole Food and Protein Shake*
*We add a protein shake dependent on the time between activity
and food or the amount of exertion during the activity
Nightime
If you would like to support our Referee programs and like Thorne products, Thorne is offering a 30% discount on their products, as well as providing Charlotte Referee Org with a small percentage of each sale when you attach your Thorne account to Charlotte Referee Organization. Funds go directly to the Referee programs we offer throughout the year. ANYONE who attaches their account to our organization receives 30% discount on ALL of their purchases!! This discount is applied to your cart and applied EVERY time you shop, not just once, EVERY TIME!! You only have to attach the discount once. You receive free shipping and you items are at your door in 2-3 days, you cant beat that!
Attach the HCP # PR198969 or you can add our Full Organization name to your account through the HCP section in your account sign-up or profile. If you follow the link below you will be taken to Thorne.com and it will auto populate our organizations information when you click sign-in at the top right hand corner and then start here under the sign in option.
- If you need additional assistance attaching the code to your account, use the chat function on the website or call and a representative will help you.- Our Page - www.thorne.com
Multi-Vitamin Options
Elite Multi-Vitamin - The completeness and thoughtfulness of the product is like no other multi-vitamin out there in our opinion. We swear by this Multi and it’s the only multi-vitamin that we have physically felt a difference taking. The AM formula is designed to help wake you up and get you going, the PM Formula helps relieve stress get you ready for restful sleep all while providing a significant amount of vitamins and minerals. If you are pushing your body to its limits in training or if you are finding your deficient in a number of nutrients leading to health issues this is our #1 choice for those people.
Basic Nutrients 2/Day - Equally as Complete, just without the AM & PM Specific ingredients. This is the Best 1 time per day option, the one we would recommend to most of those looking for a great multi-vitamin and its cheaper! Replace your store bought daily with this and we know you will see that this is just better in every way.
Probiotic
Gut health is key to a healthy life. Our gut is responsible for supporting immune health, stabilizing blood sugar levels, digesting and breaking down food into nutrients among other things. Because our diets tend to be high in refined sugar, fructose, maltodextrin and other refined ingredients we need a way to help offset, fight and replenish the good bacteria that helps us maintain a healthy digestion and immune system. This is where probiotics come in.
FloraSport 20B is NSF Certified for Sport®. It is a unique probiotic blend that contains 20 billion active cultures per capsule. It provides support for individuals who have high demands on their digestive tract or their immune system due to travel, athletic training and competition, and/or chronic stress.
If you are looking for the specifics on the probiotic options available to you here is a complete probiotic guide
1 per day as recommended particularly when traveling and eating on an inconsistent schedule. But would like to note one caveat.
We eat a lot of whole foods that are low in sugar, fructose, maltodextrin and other refined ingredients. Additionally we use the MediPro Vegan Protein, which already has Digestive enzymes as well as probiotics in the formula. When in a well controlled and low sugar dietary routine we move to a once every few days routine with our probiotic.
Electrolytes
Balanced electrolytes helps fight fatigue, promotes calorie control, and helps fuel your muscles and brain. Potassium promotes fast recovery and helps reduce cramps. Replenishes important minerals in the body that are lost during high intensity activity.
If we could recommend referees make ONE change, it’s USE THIS. Replace your sports drink with this and you will have done yourself and your body a huge service. Catalyte is low in calories, low in sugars, and high in electrolytes as well as other essential vitamins and nutrients athletes need after exerting themselves.
We sip on it throughout the day at the soccer field or our pre / post workout drink or add to our morning water intake depending on our water intake throughout the day or our hydration levels that morning.
Protein
Recovery is key and protein is key to recovery. It stands to reason that ensuring the proper amount of healthy protein sources is extremely important. We prefer protein from varied sources and have listed 3 choices below as we know certain types of protein sources can be preferred over others based on your own preference.
We like protein for various sources to ensure our bodies are receiving balanced and complete nutrition and thats why the Pea, Chia and Chlorella protein in the MediPro along with a full spectrum of vitamins, low carbs, various fruits, veggies and 6 grams of fiber from Chicory, Pea, Flax and Apples makes this our first choice.
Whey Protein Option - Whey Protein Isolate
Contains 21 grams of Protein and only 1 gram of added sugar. A full spectrum of Essential Amino Acids. It’s as clean a whey protein as your going to get. Out of all the whey proteins we have tried this is the best tasting and easiest to digest without that bloated feeling you get from so many of the options out there. It’s our top choice of the whey protein hands down.
If you are looking for a protein higher in fiber for those with slower a metabolism that includes a full spectrum of vitamins and minerals while acting as a meal replacement this is our choice. It has 1 gram of sugar which is extremely difficult to find and we highly recommend this one if your goal is to find a morning shake or protein to include in your smoothie and you're looking for a weight management style protein without sacrificing taste, quality and results.
1 - 2 scoops per day in our morning smoothie or post workout drink. We base this on our overall protein and meal timing that day around our matches or workouts. But we always put 1 scoop in our morning smoothie and then go from there.
Amino Acids
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. They fuel muscle gain and other physiological functions, including enzyme production, hormone regulation, cognitive ability, neurotransmitter balance, metabolism, and energy production. Performance and recovery depend on a foundation of energy and proteins to draw from, this provides that foundation.
We choose this product over others because most products only include Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs), leucine, isoleucine and valine, leaving out Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) that do not naturally occur in your body. Thorne’s Amino Complex does include those. Additionally so many products add tons of flavors and sweeteners often up to 30% of the scoop you use, not the case here making it an easy choice.
One Scoop a day in our Pre-Workout or Pre-Game Drink
Creatine
One of, if not the most studied performance supplement on the market. Creatine supplementation supports increased work capacity and the power output of muscle while also promoting physical endurance and gain of lean body mass. For athletes, creatine helps the body more efficiently create energy to engage in exercise. You would be very hard pressed to find a serious athlete who does not supplement with creatine.
If you are training regularly, working hard, pushing yourself in the gym and on the field this is for you. ALSO if you are seeing muscle breakdown or atrophy because your not getting enough nutrition, you have been through a surgery, injury or getting older, supplementing your ATP levels with Creatine might be a good choice to help maintain and restore muscle strength.
One Scoop a day in our Pre-Workout or Pre-Game Drink
Thorne offers an incredible range of very complete to very specific vitamins. We have listed our favorites below, but be sure your choosing products that support your own dietary needs
Beta Alanine-SR - Supplementing with beta alanine supports muscle health, muscle work capacity, and perceived time-to-exhaustion. It is always in our Pre-Workout routine and we don’t train or work matches without it.
Buffered C Powder - This is in our morning smoothie 100% of the time. Includes Vitamin C, Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium. We don’t skip this, EVER.
Vitamin D - Vitamin D plays a large role in supporting electrolyte metabolism, immune function, healthy inflammatory response and muscle function. Athletes and very active people in particular are encouraged to ensure they are getting enough Vitamin D because of the increased demand on these bodily functions.
Melaton-3 - Traveling causes stress on the body in various ways, one being an irregular sleep schedule. This helps us keep a more regular and more complete sleep schedule.
FiberMend - FiberMend stimulates the growth of beneficial bacteria in the GI tract that support a healthy digestive system and balanced GI microbiota. FiberMend is one of the only fiber supplements we have tried that causes very little if any bloating. It also is tasteless so very easy to fit in a morning smoothie without affecting taste!
EnteroMend - If you are looking for more fiber in your diet, to maintain healthy inflammatory responses in your GI tract through a complex amino acid / botanical formula, this is what you're looking for.
Meriva 500 SF - If you struggle with inflammation and/or soreness or are looking for something to aid in the speed of your recovery between workouts, this is something you REALLY should take a look at in more detail.
ResveraCel - This is a new product to us, but really glad we stumbled on to it. Works to improve metabolism, insulin sensitivity and glucose disposal. In turn providing more energy, supporting a healthier liver and blood pressure levels.
