People often ask me why they or their athletes need supplementation, even if they are eating a wholesome diet. This isn't a simple question to answer and hopefully I'll cover all the bases.

First, the current body of research indicates that our food is nutritionally degraded because of our current farming techniques. So, even if you have the best diet on the planet, the foods we eat just aren't providing us with the nutrients we need. Additionally, I have yet to meet an athlete who has the time to sit and eat a proper meal on a regular basis. We are a culture of convenience and many of us are on the "grab and go" diet plan. Consequently, I strongly believe we ALL need supplementation but athletes are especially in need of additional supplies of vitamins and minerals because of the additional stress placed on their bodies by training and competition.If we are eating for maximum performance, or just for general health, we need to supplement in order to provide our bodies the nutrients to: Recover, prevent cramping, prevent inflammation naturally, and mop up free radicals generated by exercise and just living!

Recovery is felt to be the missing component in human performance. Schools like UC Davis and the Creighton University School of Pharmacology, just to name a few, are looking at ways to replenish the body naturally after training and competition. Large branch chain amino acids and Xanthones, found in some plants, have been shown to have recovery aiding properties to help get the lactic acid out of the muscles and get in glucose back. Cramping is a huge issue with athletes. With the advent of "Gatorade" electrolyte balance has been a large focus for athletes since the sixties. However, most universities are leading away from that technology since high sodium and sugar content has a detrimental effect on the hydration levels. When high levels of sodium occur on the body there is an inverse relationship with potassium and magnesium which can create cramping and other issues. Consequently, we need to find other ways to get our electrolytes into our bodies. Additionally, mineral supplementation will help fuel the cell for increased function and performance. But, we have to be VERY careful where these minerals come from. Most supplements are in what is known as ELEMENTAL form which means that they were synthesized in a laboratory. In elemental form you can develop toxicity to some minerals and vitamins. Furthermore, the body doesn't readily know what to do with minerals and vitamins in this form, and consequently very little of the nutrients are actually absorbed. In fact, supplements in pill form have an absorption rate of about 20-30%. Many supplements just pass through the system undigested and unused. One needs minerals in IONIC form, which are plant based and readily absorbed and recognized by the body. Lastly, endurance improves with the increase of electrolytes in the system.

Inflammation is another issue that athletes must face during recovery. I used to hear a lot of complaints from my daughter about how sore she was. I can remember years ago watching her walk, none to gracefully, out to the kitchen after a particularly tough workout. Trainers, coaches, athletes, and parents of athletes are all looking for natural ways to reduce inflammation in the body. In order to keep inflammation down in the body acidic and sugary foods should be avoided daily. These include: White flour, enriched flour, candy, soda, etc. There are some great natural anti-inflammatories out on the market one of them being Omega 3s or fish oils and flax seed. Additionally, VeMMA or more specifically the Xanthones in VeMMA has a natural anti-inflammatory property, more effective than celebrex and vioxx in clinical studies. I'll discuss VeMMA a little more in a bit.

Before I get into which supplement I use and why for my family, I want to touch base on Free Radicals. In simple terms, a free radical is an atom that is seeking stabilization by stealing an electron from another atom. When that happens the atom that the electron is stolen from degrades and consequently damages the cell. This damage can affect even the DNA in the cell and thus mutations and a whole host of issues can occur. How does one get free radicals? Well, if you're breathing you're creating free radicals. Additional ways are; Eating fried foods, toxin and pollution exposure, and the biggest way is through exercise. Of course, I would never say quit training because of the free radicals created but encourage you to get an anti-oxidant into your system DAILY. An anti-oxidant can mop up these free radicals before they do damage. When looking for an anti-oxidant product you want to select one that has a high ORAC value or Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity. The ORAC is simply a measure of how many free radicals it can absorb.

So is your head swimming with all the challenges athletes face to stay healthy and perform well? Are you wondering how you're going to get all this stuff in them daily?? I used to worry about that too. Here's what I do. About two years ago, my friend Dan Sarver who does a lot of work with many different level athletes (amateur, professional, and Olympic), their nutrition, and performance recommended a product called VeMMA to me. Initially, I was skeptical that one product could meet the demands of an athletes demanding training and competition schedule. But then I did some research and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. So now I recommend VeMMA and it's sister energy drink, Verve, to all my athletes. Why? First, we need to start whole food nutrition and nutrients that the body can recognize to fuel the body at the cellular level.

VeMMA contains the following:
*12 Essential Vitamins
*65 Trace and Ultra Trace Minerals in Ionic form.
*The Super Anti-Oxidant juice from the Mangosteen plant. The ORAC value of one serving of VeMMA is over 3,000.
*Additionally, Mangosteen is a NATURAL anti-inflammatory.
*Glyco-Nutrient Rich Aloe Vera and Decaffeinated Green TeaWith VeMMA my family doesn't need any thing else but some Omega 3s and perhaps some pro-biotics for good gut health. AND it's in liquid form (that tastes good) so the absorption rate is about 90%. *

Recently, VeMMA came out with a product called Verve which has everything in it I outlined above paired with caffeine from Guarana which is a fatty based caffeine type plant from South America. Consequently, it is released slowly into the system so there is no spike and crash associated. Additionally, it has some amino acids for mental clarity and focus. We love Verve in our house and Maddy drinks one before practice with a snack. Caffeine is shown to have benefits, in small amounts, for athletic training.

With all the benefits of VeMMA and Verve it is easy to figure out why the Phoenix Suns, San Diego Chargers, Indy and NASCAR drivers and Olympic, College level athletes use this product.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any illness or disease.