Food Over Supplements

[masswithclass]

Hey bro's, not putting down any supplements or anyone who takes em, but from my own experience i believe it a far smarter investment to buy real food rather than supplements, say u got $20 in your pocket, i would much rather go and buy some eggs, milk, potaotoes and a bag of rice than to spend it on protein shakes....

If you are a hard working uni student like I am, this is the only way to gain muscle i believe, also there's the case of being 'natural', how natural is it to stuff pro hormones down your throat or take ENGINEERED FOODS in order to gain muscle?

Before anyone starts gettin on my case, i am NOT flamin anyone, this is just my opinion and i am entitled to it.

Peace out.

[William]

This is not a flame...nor am I seeking to get on your case...just a reply with points for consideration. A counter-opinion if you will, one that I, like you, am entitled to.

When you are trying to consuming 5, 6, or more meals a day as many of us here are, while working, going to school, driving a lot, etc...it is highly inpractical to try to reach caloric and protein goals through whole food meals alone.

On the financial end, I can drink a whey protein shake (42g pro) made with water and ISS Whey Matrix for about 70 cents per. I also usually eat a can of white chunk albacore tuna a day which provides around 40g pro as well, but it costs over $1 per. There are other examples I could give that would make the case (in some cases) for supplements actually being cheaper than real foods. Although your point is not lost - in many cases supplements are quite expensive.

As for being 'natural', it is no less natural to consume a protein shake than it is to drink a glass of milk. Do you know what they feed dairy cows and how milk is processed before it gets to the store? Hey, I love milk too, but don't be fooled into thinking that eating all whole foods is absolutely, by necessity, more natural than utilizing some supplements.

[Tim]

I think that it would be very expensive to get all your protein for your 6 daily meats from meat. For 2 to 3 of my meals, I get my protein from a protein shake, because it is cheaper and more convenient than meat. However, in those 2 to 3 meals I get my other nutrients from real food. For instance, a meal with a protein shake may look like this: protein powder mixed with milk, peanut butter sandwich made with whole grain bread, and a green apple. The protein shake is a lot easier to prepare and more conventient than a chicken breast would be. It's cheap too: I buy 10 lbs. of protein for less than $50 at a local supplement store.

[axisv]

I have to eat 7 times a day just to get all the calories I need and this is impossible to do without the help of shakes. I make my own shakes starting with a base of oatmeal, whey protein, and three different kinds of oil and a fiber blend. It is easy to down a shake in a couple of minutes when you are at work or even driving down the road and it is much more economical. As for using prohormones, they are a great help once you get past 30 because your body needs extra help with recovery and anabolism in order to continue working out like a twenty year old.