Take Your Basketball Nutrition to the Next Level with the Right Daily Multivitamin
Your nutritional game plan is just as important as the development of your skills out on the court. From the types of foods you choose to include in your daily diet, the fluids you decide to hydrate yourself with and the nutritional supplements that you fill in the deficiencies with are all key to maintaining a healthy athletic body and mind to play basketball at your best.
With so much information out there about supplements and multi-vitamins it can be difficult to know who to believe or what products are going to be worth the investment and your time in taking them.
My goal within this article is to help answer those questions and give you a clearer picture of what’s really going on within the supplement industry and how taking the right kind of multi-vitamin can greatly impact your daily basketball nutrition.
The Truth Behind the Vitamins Research and Studies
Nearly half of Americans are currently taking some sort of multivitamin product and will continue to do so because of their belief in its ability to improve their overall health and well-being.
However, many medical institutes dispute the effectiveness of taking a daily multivitamin based upon government funded research. There is a lot of controversy over the validity of these studies in that they are conducted using only pharmaceutical grade synthetic or “man made” vitamins when there are numerous multivitamins on the market today that provide all-natural, plant and food sourced vitamin and nutrient sources. Despite these big pharmaceutical driven companies’ technical efforts, there is much “unproven evidence” that taking a food and plant-sourced multivitamin can have outstanding health benefits on one’s health.
An important thing to understand about the supplement industry is that it is heavily regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has been known to be overly rigorous on supplement companies for what they can and cannot say about the health benefits of their products like multivitamins. If the supplement company can’t provide a clinical trial that meets the FDA’s narrow standards than the product is simply considered to be unproven and cannot be associated with any distinct health benefits despite smaller studies having been performed proving otherwise. Sadly, those studies and research are simply not recognized and are disregarded by the FDA.
Most people don’t realize that performing a full clinical research trial is not an easy feat since it is an incredibly expensive procedure costing anywhere from 10-33 million dollars total. [1] The ongoing dilemma for more natural companies and products ends up being that they cannot afford to run the appropriate clinical trials required by the government to have their products honored and published as valid.
Another perspective to consider is that the companies and people who do have the large sums of money to fund these clinical trials are not willing to invest in the research behind natural, plant and food based products. This is because if research began to emerge proving that their effectiveness was equivalent or greater to the pharmaceutical drugs and vitamins that they are invested in, than they would ultimately lose money due to the inexpensiveness of the plant-based alternatives.
Why Do I Need a Multivitamin as a Basketball Player?
Vitamins, minerals and nutrients are all compounds found within the fresh foods that we eat like whole grains, fruits and vegetables. While it is very important to maintain a daily diet that includes all of these categories, the nutritional issue that current society is posed with are the toxic and depleted soils that conventional store bought foods are grown in.
This depleted and toxic soil issue means that no matter how healthy or organic you think you are eating, you are still going to be barely getting by or even be deficient in at least a few key vitamins, minerals or nutrients.[2]
This health concern is not biased to any age group – children, teens, young and middle aged adults, seniors and basketball players alike ought to consider this known fact and fill in those nutritional gaps with an effective daily multivitamin!
Keep in mind that nutritional supplement manufacturers are able to partner up with companies that grow herbs and plants in more nutritionally enriched, pesticide-free soils to be used within their products. Some companies pay very good money to have these nutrient enriched and toxin-free crops in their products to offer to you!
Also, herb and plant sources of vitamins and minerals that we are either unable to purchase fresh in a grocery store because they are completely foreign to our area or that we normally wouldn’t add into our daily diets on a regular basis like wheat grass, spirulina and chlorella; can be infused into these products making for a highly dense, nutrient packed multi-vitamin that can certainly take non-athletes and basketball players alike to a whole new nutritional level!
It is especially important for basketball players to take a high quality daily multi-vitamin considering all of the physical effort they exert on a weekly basis. While being in great athletic shape is a very healthy thing, most athletes need double the nutritional support that non-athletes do since they are working their muscles at least twice as hard through all of the strength and endurance workouts that they endure. It’s safe to say that including a multi-vitamin will definitely have an impact on a players’ overall energy levels, focus, and moods while helping to support the body during intense times of recovery.
Not All Multivitamins Are Created Equal
I believe that it goes without saying that not all multivitamins are created equal; yet, it can still be entirely confusing to know the distinct differences between the several forms that are offered.
Multivitamins come in several different forms including tablets, capsules, gummies, chewable wafers, powders and liquids.
Tablets, capsules, wafers and gummies tend to be the traditional favorites and are certainly the most cost effective; however, they don’t provide bio-available sources of vitamins, meaning that even if you are only spending 10-15 dollars per bottle each month, you might as well take that money and flush it down the toilet so to speak.
In fact, tablets have been known to pass through the entire intestinal tract without being fully digested and are able to be detected in x-rays sitting within the body like rocks. This is due to the method used to process these supplements using harmful binders and excipients that act as glue to hold the tablet together. Sounds nutritious right? Hardly![3]
Gummies and wafers are overly processed as well and typically contain too much added sugar to the point that it’s questionable as to why they are even considered a nutritional supplement. Sugar has been shown to be a leading cause of poor health conditions like diabetes, cancer and acidity in general so why should it be in your daily multi? I still can’t find a logical explanation.
Capsules are not quite as bad as the previous two, however there is concern over the gelatin often used to encapsulate the ingredients as well as filler ingredients that can be toxic. Also the actual amount of the active ingredients compared to inactive filler ingredients is something to consider as well. Are you actually getting what you pay for inside each capsule? There are some capsule products out there that are not a complete waste of money and time, but again if you are looking for the most bio-available products to supercharge your basketball nutrition I’d simply look elsewhere.
Liquids are by far the most effective and readily absorbed form of multivitamin that you can take. They are almost instantly taken up by the bloodstream and the vitamins, nutrients and minerals in them are able to be easily and effectively facilitated to the right places throughout the body. Many people claim to even feel an immediate natural boost of energy after taking a high quality liquid, plant-based multivitamin.
Again, it’s important to ensure that you always double check the sugar content in these products and go with one that is sugar-free or at least contains a plant-based sweetener like stevia or licorice root.
Basketball players need to make sure that they are taking a liquid or powder form of multi-vitamin since their bodies require more nutrition than most. There’s no point in including a slow-absorbing form of multi-vitamin in your daily basketball nutrition just so to say that you do take one. Players need to be sure that they are getting the instant concentrated nutrition they are wanting as soon as they take it!
How Do I Choose the Right Daily Multivitamin to Meet My Basketball Needs?
Now that you understand the difference between the different forms of multi-vitamins and are ready to pick out one to fill in those nutritional gaps, the decision becomes even easier when you know which supplement is actually going to do what it says and give you the competitive nutritional edge that you may be looking for to support your basketball activities and everyday life.
Your choice of multivitamin should be based upon the purity of the ingredients, the sourcing of the ingredients and where they came from, its overall formulation and its active bio-availability to the body.
Purity of the product’s ingredients should be obvious to you by containing only a small number of “other ingredients” on the fact panel as well as there not being any harmful and toxic additives like magnesium stearate, silica, artificial colors and titanium dioxide to name a few.
Sourcing and formulation go hand in hand and can be hard to distinguish amongst products; however, it’s not always about going with the product that has the highest amount of vitamins in it but rather about the blend of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, superfoods, superfruits and amino acids you are getting. Typically, the multivitamins that have specialty blends in them are your better supplement choices rather than the ones that simply just list out Vitamin A through D and that’s all it has to offer. Your first thought should be, “So then where do these vitamin sources come from?” You should certainly see recognizable foods, fruits and herbs on the nutrition fact panel as you are skimming over it and if you don’t then you can be assured that the product is synthetic, overly processed and made in a laboratory.
Finally, when choosing a multi-vitamin you must consider the products bio-availability. Bio-availability means how readily available for absorption the vitamins and nutrients are within the supplement to your blood stream and body to be quickly digested, assimilated and absorbed. If the multi-vitamin is highly bio-available then you should feel more energy and well-being within minutes of taking a dosage. If you can’t tell a distinct difference in the way you feel overall when you take your current multi-vitamin than I’d consider switching it up. Your body will certainly thank you!
How Often do Basketball Players Need to Take A Multi-Vitamin?
It’s all in the name – a daily multi-vitamin needs to be taken daily. However, the great thing about taking a plant-based and food sourced liquid supplement is that the body is going to utilize the nutrients much more quickly and efficiently than less desirable forms. This means that if a player takes one serving of their multi-vitamin at 7 A.M. with their breakfast, then goes off to school all day followed by a practice until about 6 P.M. – after 10 hours of mental and physical stress typically entailed within a student athletes’ day they may be due for another dose of a nutritional powerhouse supplement like a multi-vitamin. This somewhat goes outside of the thinking that you can only take a daily multi-vitamin once daily, but the reality is that if you are taking the right multi-vitamin you can call upon it whenever your basketball body needs a nutritional boost up to a few times each and every day.
Now that you have a lot of really great information regarding what makes a quality daily multi-vitamin product, it’s time that you either start utilizing the nutritional power of adding one into your daily routine or replacing your old one by taking the time to research and invest in a supplement that is going to provide you with what it longs for on a daily basis – an adequate source of quality vitamins, minerals and nutrients! Ask your doctor or nutritionist what would be the right vitamin for you and your basketball health!
[1]http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2009/09/21/the-hidden-costs-of-running-a-biotech-company/
[2] http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss/
[3] http://www.bloodrootproducts.com/About_Fillers_and_Binders_s/271.htm
In an effort to gain more exposure prospects will often attend showcase events run by a variety of different organizations in the summer, fall and spring. Showcase events also occur during the high school season when organizers look to schedule multiple games pitting non-conference opponents against each other in a day-long, weekend or a holiday setting drawing recruiters while they look to cash in on sponsors, fans, concessions and merchandise. Showcases are very often attended by college, prep and junior college coaches from all levels and give kids a chance to really make a great impression. However, prospects can also often leave these events overwhelmed, intimidated and under the radar with such an influx of talent all at one location in a condensed time setting. Various factors including politicking by high school and all-star coaches as well as parents and even the showcase promoters cause a high percentage of quality prospects to miss out. These events have become platforms for grassroots organizers to promote their product while putting on a great show which showcases individualized play. AAU basketball which used to dominate summer has actually taken a back seat to major shoe companies such as Adidas and Nike as well as local, regional and national celebrities who now run about 99% of showcase events.[1] Off-Season basketball has become big business and many people could care less about finding a partial scholarship for a local “super-star” who isn’t getting a full ride and is “just” playing AAU ball.
New York City is known as a breeding ground for point guards. Nate Archibald (Bronx), Mark Jackson (Brooklyn), Earl “The Pearl” Washington (Brooklyn), Bob Cousy (Cambria Heights), Sebastian Telfair (Brooklyn) and Kenny Anderson (Queens) to name just a few have given the world of basketball some of the best pure point guards ever seen.[2] On the flip side of the city life, there are the Larry Bird-prospects that rise to the NBA from rural small towns in underpopulated remote areas. The players that live in obscurity but gain national attention with their incredible basketball talent. Then there is the international fundamentally sound geniuses like Sarunas Marciulinois and Arvydas Sabonis (Lithuania), Drazen Petrovic and Toni Kukoc (Croatia), Tony Parker (Belgium-France), Manu Ginobili (Argentina), Steve Nash (South Africa-Canada), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) and Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon (Nigeria). These players have become household names for basketball junkies.[3]
The NCAA also require SAT or ACT minimum “sliding scale” scores for admissions. The sliding scale is in place to give students flexibility in regards to their low GPA or test scores.[10] To qualify to play intercollegiate athletics at the NAIA level, students must meet two out of the following three requirements; a minimum of 18 on the ACT or 860 on the SAT (Critical Reading and Match only), earn an overall high school GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale and/or graduate in the top 50% of their graduating class.[11] The NAIA offers the two out of three instead of the NCAA sliding scale test score method but both have the same purpose, give lower academic students some flexibility to become eligible. Passing through NCAA and/or NAIA Eligibility Center does not guarantee admission into a given school. The final decision for acceptance to a school and the completion of The Process lies in the hands of the admissions department at each respective institution.
A typical admissions checklist for a college or university will include an application ($40 fee), official high school transcripts, letter of recommendation and a brief essay. Admissions departments will also encourage a campus visit and once they have the prospective student touring their grounds, they will conduct an interview. More and more schools have moved to the on-line approach of recruiting which enables them to attract and filter through large numbers of recruits without physically having them on-campus. While college coaches are targeting student-athletes for their teams as early as middle schools, the admissions process typically begins junior year in high school when students, guidance counselors along with parents and or guardians will target schools and map out some possible campus visits. Some highly regarded academic high schools have students begin this process their sophomore year but generally some prep work and “feeling out” is done junior year and The Process really takes flight senior year. Students will prepare essays (1-2 pages), gather letters of recommendation (usually 1 or 2 from a teach, guidance counselor or other school official) and official transcripts (complete with grades, class rank and test scores) while deciding which colleges they would like to apply to and figure out if they want to go for early or general admissions to the chosen institution(s).[12] Once application files are complete, schools make a decision and put the ball in the court of the recruit.
Financial planning and financial aid are often a deal breaker in the recruits’ decision to where they go to school. While the hope is that students will be able to afford college with a full-ride athletic scholarship (Part 1) or some sort of family trust, nest egg or a big dip into savings, the reality is that two thirds[13] of all students take advantage of academic merit scholarships, athletic scholarships and/or FAFSA as discussed in Part 2 (link or even excerpt here). Students can apply for FAFSA beginning on January 1 of their senior year in high school. Early application is encouraged as much of the funds are awarded first come, first serve once the need is determined to be equal. The Process for the ‘average’ basketball recruit is complex and while finances are a huge factor, the level of comfort, value and attention the player has from the team can close the deal.
Put quite simply, the more a coach wants a player, the more attention he or she is going to get during The Process. However, recruits should never stop trying to prove themselves and should not settle for a team because it is local, or their sibling or friend is there or because they are being pushed there by a community, parents, high school coach or some other outside influence. If you are looking to get a start in narrowing down college choices that might be a fit for you, then I recommend you use a tool developed by a company I am involved with. The Sport Source has a tool that is free for 24 hours use that permits you to input some of your criteria and also qualifications and then helps create a personalized database of which schools could be a fit for you. 
