DIET DOCTOR #8

Learn how to take ALL your supplements with you when you travel

Q: I'll be taking a trip half way around the globe in just a few weeks. Needless to say I will not be enjoying many clean, healthy meals and probably will be fighting jet lag. I will not be able to take all of my supplements with me. What's the most important to take and when should I be taking them?

Currently taking: breakfast - multi w/minerals and iron, fish oil, B complex, cal/mag, vit C, digestive enzymes; an hour later I take antibiotic for acne; lunch - fish oil, digestive enzymes; supper - digestive enzymes, cal/mag, fish oil; an hour later - 2nd dose of antibiotic; before bed I have ground flax seed and glutamine. I also have one protein shake a day, sometimes with extra glutamine.

Thank you Jim!

A: I'm not going to bother telling you what supplements I think are the most important for you to take with you. Instead I'm going to tell you how you can bring ALL of your supplements with you. For protein powders do the the following. Grab a gallon-size ziploc bag. Calculate how many scoops of protein you take in a typical day and multiply that by the number of days you'll be traveling. I also suggest you add an extra day or two for any travel delays you may experience. For example, if you take one scoop of protein powder each day and you'll be gone for one week (7 days) that's a minimum of 7 scoops you'll need. I'd go with with 9 in this instance just to be safe. Place that many scoops of protein in the gallon bag and put the scoop in the bag as well. Seal the bag and even double bag it to protect your clothes. Then label the bag and place it in your luggae. For powders like glutamine, you should be fine with a quart-size ziploc bag. For any pills or capsules you can use snack-size Ziploc bags or supplement travel pouches from a travel store like Magellan (www.magellans.com). You can either place all the different supplements you take in one day in one bag and make as many bags as the days you'll be gone. Or place each separate supplement in its own bag. Calculate how many you take each day and do the math for the length of your travel. Then label the bag. To fight jet lag I suggest you take along caffeine (take 200-300 mg first thing in the morning), NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide - 10-20 mg first thing in the morning) and melatonin (1 - 5 mg 30-60 minutes before bed). These supplements have been shown in clinical studies to help you sleep well and reset your internal clock. To see my video on how to travel with your supplements, check out M&F Raw! Nutrition #4 - Traveling with Supplements at muscleandfitness.com

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