Foods first but supplement now

When I teach a “food first” approach to sports nutrition this does not mean that supplements are added to an athlete’s diet at some point in the distance future. Fact is that most people could benefit from taking some supplements right now even if they didn’t change one thing about their diet. Foods first means that it’s the big project. It’s what we spend most our time on. Realizing that food choices has to do with many factors spanning from beliefs, to budget, to proximity, and health considerations are but one factor. Food first means an athlete is still a human being and may very well raise a family someday and the food habits and lifestyle is something that spans far beyond the extra rep that supplementing creatine or beta alanine yields. So yes, “foods first” because supplements can only do so much to help a poor diet- but they still help and there’s no reason why we can’t supplement now.

What are your thoughts and what does a “foods first” approach mean to you?