hey guys, just had a quick question. i used to take animal pak, quit taking it a while back, guess i gradually went off them and forgot about them until recently. i currently am taking Superfood everyday. would taking these 2 be overkill? or perhaps should i do one bag of animal pak with just one scoop of Superfood a day? anyone who can chime in on this for me, i would greatly appreciate it! thanks in advance
-odin
Well, I personally think Animal Pak, and most multivitamins are overkill anyways, by themselves…
…however, in regards to your question, I don’t think there should be too much “overlap” taking Superfood and any multivitamin. Superfood, if I’m not mistaken, is not so much a vitamin and mineral supplement, though no doubt it does contain them, as it is a phytonutrient-antioxidant supplement.
While having antioxidant capabilities, these phytonutrients also serve other functions, such as being anti-proliferative agents, like the isothiocyanates and silymarin, hopefully helping to ward off cancer. Other stuff in there, like the sulforaphane, can help enhance the body’s Phase II detoxification process to help our bodies get rid of crap which may do cellular harm.
Really, Superfood is chock full of extracts of the fruits and vegetables which contain the H-bombs of the phytonutrient arsenal; definitely good stuff and should be no problem combining it with multivitamins.
You may also want to check the amount of Vitamin A in Animal Pak, its somewhat high from what I remember.
yeah i noticed that the pak has a ton of vitamin a in it. however, since it is 34% acetate and 66% beta carotene, does that mean it is less likely to attribute to overdosing on vitamin a? because i have noticed any vitamin for sports anymore is made up around 5000iu and theyre made of generally half acetate and half b carotene.
[quote]skimmy_jimmy wrote:
yeah i noticed that the pak has a ton of vitamin a in it. however, since it is 34% acetate and 66% beta carotene, does that mean it is less likely to attribute to overdosing on vitamin a? because i have noticed any vitamin for sports anymore is made up around 5000iu and theyre made of generally half acetate and half b carotene.[/quote]
Ah yeah I mistakenly thought it was 100% acetate. Shouldn’t be a problem as is.
i would probably go with ast 32x anyway, i hate having to swallow 11 pills on top of the 20 some odd others i do a day already. unfortunately, i am one of those people who can’t force themselves to swallow down a ton of veggies everyday. i really wish i could do it like many of you guys, but i just cant. ive been like that my whole lift, just cant stomach them.
I think that multivitamins/Superfood supplements are overkill as well. I don’t vary my fruits and vegetables as much as I should so I figure there is a gap somewhere and take both as a safety net. After 4 months of using one pak a day (half the dosage) and a Superfood shake I have had no negatives.
I wouldn’t worry about vitamin toxicity at all with either supplement honestly. Everything I have read on the topic of vitamin toxicity has been based off of a 2000 calorie diet. Couple an increased calorie diet with lifting and anything else, and your toxicity levels should be increased somewhat. Also consider the fact that your body just can’t absorb the full dosage of the vitamin at one sitting and will excrete what it can’t uptake.
aren’t most of the vitamin percentages still based on a 2000 calorie a day amount?
For instance 3 oz of beef is close to 30% of the recommended intake, but only for a 2,000 calorie a day person. I eat 12oz of beef in one sitting, so I’m close to 70% of the recommened intake in regards to a 2k a day diet. (granted i take in 4k a day minimum)
Aren’t vitamins the same way? I mean a 230lb. person that exercises would in my mind definitely need more vitamin % in his diet than a non-exercising 175lb person.
Am I just wrong here?
anyway, I’d say go for the animal pak/Superfood combo if you can afford it.
Hey Jimmy,
I used to take animal pak back in my early 20’s. I am in my mid 30’s right now and cannot take it anymore. It makes me sick. My body just doesn’t tolerate such a high level of vitamin overload anymore. But everybody is different. If you have the cash for both and find your body can tolerate it then go for it and see what happens. There are no set rules about stuff like this.
Not to sound like your dad, just remember that putting too much emphasis certain things like this can be a big waste of time. Your real results are going to come from finding a system of training that you like and sticking with it over the long term in order to see results. Things like Superfood are great for support but they are just that. You are not going to made or broken by them.
Here?s what does matter. Say your goal is to have a broader back. You deadlift 300lbs today and weigh 200 pounds. Two years later only deadlift 330lbs and you weigh 205. That will be more of an issue than what multivitamin you take. Now if you are deadlifting 450lbs or more two years later and consuming 3000 calories a day or more for the next two years and put on 20lbs of not so fat bodyweight, then you will see great results as far as a broader back.