Calcium and Bone Supplements The food supply source is artificially created on farms and ranches.  The food we buy has been altered.  Some only a little by artificial pesticides and fertilizers, but some has been genetically altered.  All of this modification has happened faster than the human body’s adaptation rate.  Consequently, the body is looking for nutrients that are not in the food supply.  Enter the supplementation industry.  For many decades the health care industry said that no one needs any supplements, just a healthy meal.  The problem is that the foods no longer contain the full array of vitamins, minerals, etc. as they once did.  Taking a supplement, mainly a multi-vitamin with minerals, is now recommended.  A case in point is calcium.  We now see on television shows and newspaper articles the wonders of calcium and vitamin D.  But simply eating calcium, or any supplement, is not always enough to reap the benefit.  Calcium is used in bones, the nervous system, and for heartbeat regulation.  It is only necessary to eat extra calcium for the nervous system and the heart to benefit, but bones require periodic hard muscular contractions before the bones will absorb, or re-mineralize, themselves with the calcium in the blood stream.  Calcium is not ‘pushed’ into the bones, it is invited in and only during certain conditions.  Calcium is not unique in its requirement for additional nutrients or even behavior to trigger the full benefit of its consumption. The best way to benefit from supplementations is to understand what they do and how to use them.  The best book I have encountered describing all of this is the “Nutrition Almanac” by G. J. Kirschmann and J. D. Kirschmann, (ISBN 0-07-034922-3).  This book was one of the first and remains a best source.  It is a reference book so you don’t have to read it cover to cover, although you will find yourself doing just that.  There is nothing a doctor or nutrition specialist knows that we can’t know and, as it applies to supplements, most of it is in this book.   Aspirin Aspirin is an amazing medical tool and should be included in every medicine cabinet, but not necessarily in every medicine regimen.  It is chemically an acid and as such has specific effects upon the human body.  Most effects are beneficial but some are not.  It also acts as a slight blood thinner.  This can help those people that have heart or circulation problems.  It’s blood thinning quality earns it the right to be an analgesic, a painkiller.  As a painkiller it is very effective.  For the average individual, the positives of aspirin outweigh the negatives.  If you are using other medications, then consult with your doctor or pharmacist to be sure aspirin will not aggravate any medical issues. Protein Bars Protein is the end construction that begins with amino acids.  To begin with, the human body cannot store protein, however, it can store amino acids, but only for about ten days.  Old amino acids are taken apart.  When you take apart an amino acid you get a carbohydrate and nitrogen.  The carbohydrate can be stored, but it is stored as body fat. There is no real need for extra protein except for the extreme workout programs where a person is working out for hours and uses resistance in the range of 30,000 to 50,000 total pounds per workout, Extra protein is just converted to body fat.  What is extra? Well, for an average male weighing 170 pounds and a fat percentage of 17 to 20 percent, the guidance is about 62 grams per day.  Roughly, 20 to 22 grams per meal.  That goes up with body weight and exercise intensity.  Consumption rates for women are slightly less but not worth trying to measure.  If you consume unnecessary protein, you will most likely add body fat. I used to religiously asks clients of all workout intensity ranges to add extra protein in the form of bars and powders.  Only the younger, heavy lifters benefited from the added supplement.  The main reason people take the stuff is the anxiety of what might happen if they don’t.  Unless you train at the professional athlete levels, nothing will happen to you, only your pocketbook. Recovery Drinks The body does not change casually.  Workouts that can persuade the body to change have to have a firm degree of difficulty.   That level of intensity consumes a high level of energy, nutrients, and water.  These elements need to be replenished, if not during the workout than shortly thereafter.  Enter the recovery drink.  Decades ago the only recovery drink available was a salty, lime-tasting, sugar drink called Gatorade®.  The original formula was crude but amazingly effective.  Since then, the original formula is gone and hundreds of knock-off drinks are on the market.  All, with the rare exception, are packed with too much of every wrong thing. They are tasty but not really effective.  During an extensive or intense workout, the body loses water, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, some zinc, nitrogen, glucose, and some protein and vitamins.  The single best recovery product I have ever used was Creactive® by MRM®.  To the best of my knowledge this is no longer available.  It had everything you need and nothing you don’t.  VitaWater® from Glacėau now has my recommendation.   Off the shelf, this product works great.  If you have a very aggressive program then add some protein powder and arginine to up the drink’s effectiveness. Creatine additives are a different article.