nutritional info needed!!!

Has a SCIENTIFIC study been conducted on the benefits of "Creatine"?

I got this from HIGHLY RESPECTED Conditioning Coach Dan Riley (formerly of Pa. St., & the Redskins) now with the Texans:

#1 More fraud exists in the area of nutrition than in any other segment of the fitness industry.

#2 In most cases athletes are not reliable sources for nutrition information.

#3 Testimony is an opinion not based upon facts or scientific research.

#4 Supplements are not more effective than the food you buy at the grocery store (if they were - scientists would publish this information for all to see).

#5 Carbohydrates are the best source of energy.

#6 Only 25% of your daily calories should come from fat.

#7 Vitamins do not provide energy.

#8 A 1% - 2% drop in body weight due to water loss can cause a 15% decrease in performance.

#9 There are 3,500 calories in one pound of fat.

#10 A sauna and a rubber sweat suit cause you to sweat and lose water, not fat.

#11 Spot reducing is impossible.

#12 There are nine calories in one gram of fat and only four calories in one pound of carbohydrate.

#13 The body can eat most foods in moderation - BALANCE is the key!

The only thing Riley recommends is a Protein Shake (non-fat powdered milk, which contains calcium & is a rich source of protein).

He also states that "the BEST supplement you should try if you haven't already is called DISCIPLINE. The formula to good nutrition is an easy one. Visit the grocery store and select food from ALL food groups. Go home and eat those foods. The best health food you can buy is in your neighborhood grocery store. The prices are cheaper (than from Heath Food shops in malls) and the quality of the food is superior to supplements. There's nothing your body needs that can't be purchased in a grocery store".

He urges that before recommending ANY supplement you should consult a Registered Dietitian. BEWARE of "Nutritionists"!

I would be very cautious with suggesting anything as far as supplements to put into a players body. Any GNC or nutrition store has products for muscle growth and endurance. Most of them aren't fda approved as well as not advised for anyone under 18. I do take different types of protein 4 times a day myself to aid my workouts. No creatine or NO boosters though. As a coach I would suggest different types of food that are high in protein. The old saying "you are what you eat" players need to fuel their bodies properly. Anything further with supplements a kid would be best going to his doctor and his parents with.

One thing I would encourage you to do is have your team complete a "food diary" for a period of time (we used a week). It is a real eye opener. You have all these kids that want to dive into the GNC supplements, Muscle Milk, etc. When you can show them how much crap they are eating--and in the end, often how few calories they are actually taking in, it really shows them what is going into their bodies. We did this prior to our spring program, and it was excellent. Suddenly, you saw kids bringing sandwiches to school for snacks instead of going to the vending machine and eating Cheetos...we saw a decline in the instances we noticed kids with soda in thier hands. We had several kids that started to carry around jugs of water. I was blown away at how well it works. We had a trainer come in and show them how many calories they had to intake to maintain weight during the season; he then showed them how much of certain foods would give them those "good" calories. I'd urge anyone building a program to do this. You are not going to get 100% of the kids to buy in, but even if you can get a handful of the team leaders to jump in, it will make a world of difference--plus the parents will like it because they will not have to be forking out hundreds of dollars in supplements.