When your fridge has more fungus than a mushroom farm and your cupboards are bare, it’s tempting to consider dropping real food altogether. With the day-to-day grind of work or school and managing a serious training schedule – food prep is sometimes the last thing you want to do. The easy fix – just drink shakes for every meal to keep those nutrient counts high. WRONG! Throw in a good “greens” shake to get your daily veggie count up. And who needs a Foreman Grill right? WRONG AGAIN! While it seems like the easy solution, don’t do it. No matter how little time you have in a day, always try to make at least 50% of you meals solid, functional food.

A nutritional supplement is just that, a supplement. Your diet should be built around whole foods, with your powders and capsules augmenting your daily nutritional needs in the meals you cook. Protein, carbs and fats aside, studies are constantly being released listing the anti-oxidants, vitamins and even enzymes that we previously were unaware we needed have been in whole foods like fruits, veggies and meats all along. The food you eat is fuel, plain and simple.  So make sure you balance your meals, whether whole foods and shakes – not just for the purpose of building muscle and strength – but for overall health and function.

Don’t confuse the ease of taking supplements with the necessity of a balanced diet.  Someday we may all have flying cars and protein pills, but until then, eat a banana.