Learn to combine supplements and whole foods to maximize health and growth.

If you’re a bodybuilder or serious athlete, you know how important it is to cover your nutritional bases. That’s why multiminerals are so popular these days. While some sedentary people take multis to make up for their poor diets, athletes take them because their nutritional demands are so great from training stresses that tax the body. For instance, those who frequently perform strenuous weight workouts are frequently low in the minerals magnesium and/or zinc.

These fundamental nutrients are extremely important to your continuing progress in building muscle and improving athletic performance. Lucky for you, there are multiple ways to satisfy these requirements.

This article will help you determine if you’re covering all your bases, providing you with quality whole-food recommendations to make sure you’re getting all you need. And, if you don’t like eating foods that have large amounts of a particular nutrient, then you better consider supplementing with a multivitamin, multimineral or taking the individual nutrients that you’re likely to be lacking.

Vitamin C
Why you need it: Few realize that vitamin C has direct physique-enhancing benefits. For spurring muscle growth, it enhances the production of nitric oxide (NO). For helping to get lean, vitamin C can enhance fat loss.

How much you need every day: 500–2,000 mg

How to supplement it: In addition to consuming foods high in vitamin C, you can supplement with 500–1,000 mg in the morning with your breakfast and 500–1,000 mg with your dinner or bedtime snack. Take all daily doses with food.

Best food sources:

Keep in mind: Those seeking to add muscle mass may be able to utilize more than the recommended 500–2,000 mg per day. 
 

Vitamin E
Why you need it: Vitamin E supports cell health and muscle growth. It is a powerful antioxidant that protects against damage from free radicals. It also helps protect the heart and lungs.

How much you need every day: 400–800 IU

How to supplement it: Take vitamin E with meals.

Best food sources:  

Keep in mind: Vitamin E is a versatile, potent antioxidant. While most people do not have a deficiency, it is, nonetheless, a good idea for active exercisers to maximize vitamin E intake.

Zinc
Why you need it: Getting in an adequate supply of zinc every day supports testosterone levels, muscle building and metabolic rate.

How much you need every day: The minimums are 8 mg per day for women, 11 mg for men. For ideal functioning, take 30 mg of supplemental zinc or include a zinc-based supplement such as ZMA.

How to supplement it: For best results, take zinc on an empty stomach just before you go to bed.

Best food sources:

Keep in mind: Those who work out hard with weights often have a zinc deficiency. Low levels of zinc may inhibit your ability to maintain and build muscle mass because zinc is crucial for supporting testosterone and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), two hormones that are critical for growth.


Beta Carotene
Why you need it: Beta-carotene works with other natural protectors to defend cells and helps with metabolic functions such as recovery from exercise.

How much you need every day: 5,000–25,000 IU of vitamin A activity per day

How to supplement it: Take one or two doses daily with fat.

Best food sources:

Keep in mind: Making sure you get in plenty of beta-carotene not only supports health, but also helps boost muscle gains from weight training. Since vitamin A itself can be toxic if supplemented for too long with too high of a dosage, you’re better off taking in beta-carotene in the form of whole foods and supplements, rather than supplementing with vitamin A.

Magnesium
Why you need it: Magnesium supports heart health and performance. Research shows that magnesium supplementation can increase muscle strength. It has also been shown to lower cortisol levels, which can result in higher testosterone levels.

How much you need every day: Take 450 mg of supplemental magnesium or include it with a zinc-based supplement such as ZMA.

How to supplement it: Take magnesium on an empty stomach before bed; avoid calcium supplementation or calcium-rich foods such as dairy when taking magnesium, as these interfere with magnesium absorption.

Best food sources:

Keep in mind: Many people are deficient in magnesium. Those who exercise frequently can be susceptible to magnesium deficiencies because heavy sweating causes the body to lose this mineral (and others).

Selenium
Why you need it: Selenium is a trace mineral that helps keep your metabolic rate elevated. This helps fuel activity from fat stores, encouraging your body to keep muscle mass intact while it burns body fat. Newer research finds that selenium is important for muscle strength.

How much you need every day: 200–400 mcg

How to supplement it: Take your daily dose with a meal.

Best food sources:

Keep in mind: Selenium boosts the conversion of thyroid hormone T4 to thyroid hormone T3. This increases body-fat burning because elevated levels of T3 encourage your body to use stored fat for energy. Low levels of selenium can impair thyroid function, leading to a decrease in your metabolic rate.

Protein
Why you need it: It almost goes without saying that protein is necessary for building muscle mass. The basic constituents of protein, amino acids, are also the basic components of muscle tissue. What you may not know is how important muscle mass is to health. The more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolic rate, which helps prevent adding unwanted body fat and a host of metabolic problems that are associated with low metabolic rates (such as diabetes). Muscle mass is also key for maintaining health and function as we age.

How much you need every day: Those who train with weights should consume at least 1 g per pound of body weight.

How to supplement it: Take up to 50 g of whey or a soy/whey mix around the time of exercise to boost muscle building.

Best food sources:

Keep in mind: The rules about protein consumption are both simple and complex. At the most rudimentary level, make sure that you get in your daily minimum 1 g of protein per pound of body weight. But also emphasize a range of quality protein sources that are high in particularly beneficial amino acids for supporting muscle growth and health. For more on individual aminos, check out the “Protein Breakdown” sidebar.

Fiber
Why you need it: In addition to helping prevent disease such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes, consuming enough fiber a day also enhances digestive efficiency, encouraging better absorption and better gains for those eating a high-protein diet.

How much you need every day: A minimum of 40 g, and more if your weight is in excess of 180 lb. As a rule of thumb, shoot for about 1/3 g of fiber per pound of body weight.

How to supplement it: You can take a supplemental form of fiber such as Metamucil in addition to emphasizing foods that are higher in fiber throughout the day.

Best food sources:

Keep in mind: Many people following a “clean” whole-food diet don’t eat as much fiber as they should. Part of the reason is that foods that are high in protein tend to be devoid of fiber. Of note, there are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance when it sits in water (think Metamucil, and how it thickens), which helps slow digestive rates, reducing the negative effects of other carbs. Insoluble fiber doesn’t absorb water, but it helps keep gunk from sticking to your intestinal walls, helping to promote the absorption of nutrients.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Why you need it: The essential omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosopentaenoic acid (DHA), are critical for heart, brain and joint health, as well as for helping to prevent certain cancers. If that weren’t enough, they also help muscle recovery and enhance fat loss.

How much you need every day: Shoot for about 3–6 g of fish oil, the richest source of omega-3 fats. Since fish oil contains about 50% EPA and DHA, you will be getting about 1.5–3 g of total omega-3 fats.

How to supplement it: Take 1–2 g of fish oil with meals two or three times a day.

Best food sources:

Keep in mind: One of the key factors in determining if a food is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids is the ratio of these fats to other fats, such as omega-6s. Ultimately, your best bet is to try for a ratio of 1:1 of omega-6 to omega-3 fats.