Supplements the why, the yes and the no

1 Copyright to the desk of Ryan Fernando – Sports Nutritionist

SUPPLEMENTS – THE WHY, THE YES AND THE NO.

PRESENTATION AT AIIMS, NEW DELHI FOR INDIAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION

16TH NOVEMEBER 2013

AIIMS , NEW DELHI

RYAN FERNANDO

INDIA’S LEADING SPORTS NUTRITIONIST

[email protected]

www.quanutrition.com

mailto:[email protected]


WHAT a Dietician/Nutritionist should know about supplements and WHY they need to Own

the thought and influencer space on Products?

As India’s leading Sports Nutritionist, I cannot help but wonder why we do not produce

enough athletes at an Olympic Level. Is it our DHAL CHAWAL ROTI is not enough? Or are our

training methods ancient. Or do we just not have the Genetic advantage of our competitors!

A nutritionist should ask this question when practicing with SPORTS Athletes or Fitness

buffs.

1. As a nutritionist have I analysed the Anthropometric measurements and the Energy

requirements correctly? - On a Daily basis, on an hourly basis and on a On season /

Off season training period?

2. Does the athlete understand how NUTRITION helps in recovery, in energy, in

endurance and not to mention growth (both in kids and adult athletes)?

3. Are this person’s cultural and financial abilities allowing them to eat sufficient

calories, meet the protein requirement and have enough for that extra something

which is required to boost their performance?

4. Is the athlete aware that Supplementation without DIET and NUTRITION planning

merely a placebo and not an enhancing effect towards a whole SPORTS NUTRITION

plan?

If these questions are learnt and answered by a nutritionist, the process of learning opens

up towards understanding Supplements. Academically very few institutes in India teach,

and/or provide information or have the mind-set that Supplementation is definitely a

modern day sports nutrition requirement. The thought that DIETITIANS AND NUTRITIONISTS

say “IT CAN BE DONE NATURALLY ONLY” only goes to shows no flexibility in decision making

analysis to providing the best nutrition strategy for a comprehensive Nutritional plan.

After all NUTRITION STRATEGY requires a thought, logic, an opinion and ultimately a

Decision. Do I require a Nutrition plan to be supplemented, Why? When? What ? Which


Macro or Micro Ingredient? How much and how frequently- Is where SPORTS NUTRITION

STRATEGY should be going…

After working with Olympian Sushil Kumar over 2 Olympics with MEDAL’s to show the effect

of sports nutrition (Note PHELWANS always go the GHEE ROUTE...Drastic change of thought

to go otherwise and have their team accept this thought) and DINAZ V, A Guinness world

record holder of 26 Hours of non-stop aerobics, one has to not only rely on one’s academic

brilliance, experience but rather a KEEN SENSE of the physical and the physiological

requirements of that Individual athlete, their training, their bodies acceptance of nutrition

and the logical manipulation of NUTRITION strategy to optimise HUMAN OUTPUT.

So, you should, as a Dietitian/Nutritionist begin your learning in Supplements with the

following thoughts and questions.

When meeting an athlete or a fitness buff!

1. Do I know what I need to give this person as Food?

2. Do I know whether supplementations are required?

3. Do I know the training philosophy of this athlete?

4. Do I have access to current eating patterns, choices etc.? Can I better them? Can I

enhance them?

5. Do I know about WHAT/WHICH SUPPLEMENT Will work and when?

When learning about a supplement -

1. Do I know the Generic name of the molecule or molecules in that product?

2. Do I know the brand names of the generic variants of that molecule?

3. Have I checked if it’s on WADA list? ( World anti-doping Agency)

4. Is that molecule intrinsic to the human body or is it Foreign ?( ex Vit B and Protein

are found in the body, Caffeine and Astaxanthin are not )

5. Do I know the ingredients and the Nutritional Label of this product?

6. Can I explain the same to the athlete as both education and defending the choice of

my Supplement?

7. Am I aware of the drug/Food/other supplementing Synergistic or Antagonistic

effects?

8. Do I know the dosages?


9. Can I be talented enough to change the dosages based on my nutrition strategy and

not that of the supplement manufacturer’s opinion?

10. Is the price of the supplement right or can I pass my judgment on a more economic

variation or do I stick to a BRAND that is known for performance?

11. DO I stock and sell the supplements? Will it dilute or enhance my image as a SPORTS

NUTRITIONIST?

12. Do I know about the banned substances or Steroids? How do I firmly avoid any

thoughts and convince athletes that it’s better to work on Nutrition and supplement

for enhancement of performance?

13. Can I recommend this product to Kids? How do I decide?

14. Can I recommend this product to pregnant women?

15. Can I recommend this product to Geriatrics (old people)?

16. Any product that I receive can I be a vessel of NO opinion till I study the composition

and pass logical judgement on the same?


RYAN’s ADVICE to BUILDING OLYPMPIC Winners as well as the AAM ADMI for holistic

fitness.

My philosophy is that no one supplement is a super pill

neither can you write off a product as being bad until to

assess and logically conclude your strategy of use of that

product.

Go with molecules that are found IN the human body.

I recommend Protein ( Whey, Casein, Soy and Green Pea Proteins in Isolate form),

Multivitamins, Vitamins in singular form, Minerals in singular or paired forms, Amino Acids,

Fatty acids and Carbohydrates in simple forms such as Glucose, Dextrose, Ribose. I am very

cautious on products that are not part of the human body.

KNOW the Product. TRY it before you recommend.

A good nutritionist knows when a product is perfect for their client. Personally try the

product. For one you will know if its powder capsule, liquid or gel or any other format. I

once had a dietitian telling a client that Collagen peptide recommended was a capsule. She

spent 3 months looking for capsules when the pharmacy guys said it was a powder. The

client’s irritation was clear when she discovered that the nutritionist did not know what in

the world she was recommending. Please look at taste, stomach feel (gas/ no gas), sleep

effects etc. This makes you- a dietician that at least tries a product once for taste and mouth

feel. Spirulina on an empty stomach gives you a queasy feeling…..DO IT first….

One supplement does not fit all.

I had a client that was a tennis player, but the Lactoferrin found in whey protein was causing

more mucous secretion causing sinus clogging. She went to a battery of medical and

Ayurveda experts to make her headaches go away. She came to QUA NUTRITION and we

immediately knew that Whey protein does enhance mucous secretion in some of our

“Supplements are a

nutritional convenience

for your Nutritional

Indiscipline”

– Ryan Fernando to

Shikar Dhawan.


Clients, so we shifted her to pure Free form Amino Acids. In 3 weeks no more headaches!

You need to know your supplements and their effects on the body and know that it varies

from athlete to athlete.

Timing of supplements is more crucial as compared to dosage.

In our experience with hundreds of athletes we have seen that the wrong time does not

come to the aid of the athlete, instead it actually hinders the athletes recovery cycle. Plan

well- With a logic that you understand the digestion and assimilation of the product into the

body and then proceed with your strategy.

Sometimes you change what an athlete is already having and sometimes you don’t…

I had an athlete with the near perfect recommendations of diet and supplements when they

came to QUA NUTRITION. What we did was only change the timings. The mother was

furious “why don’t you give us something new”. Well, Changing sometimes is not beneficial

in season cycle as fermentation, digestion and absorption of product may cause gastric

discomfort to players in season. Don’t be over enthusiastic to recommend a DABBA to every

person that walks through your clinic.

Supplements are NOT a FASHION statement!

Gym trainers believe that changing a supplement every 2 months pushes the body to

working for a better result. I strongly disagree. Just as we recommend Ghar Ka Khanna is the

best as compared to restaurant food….I suggest that Supplements too need to remain

familiar to your body and it’s GUT for at least 6 months. If food is to take effect and enable a

holistic as well as a performance benefit it needs time to work. If any supplement delivers

results in less than 4 weeks, I put a huge SUSPECT SIGN on the product as foods do not do

that …..

DON’T blindly trust Supplement Facts / Claims / Literature.

As a Nutritionist I always put supplements and their companies on the Block! Supplement

companies have smart Marketing Managers that may skew facts or interpret data for a

profitable gain. As a nutritionist I use Google Advanced SCHOLAR search to find clinic studies

or sites that are educational, that will interpret for what they do and contain, not for what

you can interpret. Example Liquid Serum Creatine is not the superlative version of Creatine


Monohydrate. In fact a clear scientific study shows that Micronized Creatine Monohydrate

in powder form has the best absorption and hence efficacy. DON’T BE FOOLED. BE SMART

and QUESTION to enhance your Knowledge bank.

TO KNOW MORE ABOUT QNT PRODUCTS CONTACT [email protected] / VISIT :

http://www.qntsport.com/in/

TO KNOW MORE ABOUT SUPPLIMENTS CONTACT [email protected] OR CALL AT

08032329292/ VISIT : WWW.QUANUTRITION.COM


http://www.qntsport.com/in/


Supplements the why, the yes and the no

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