I cannot tell you how many parents of athletes ask me, "should my child take supplements?"
With my belief in full transparency and honesty (I have kiddos too), my response is always, "talk to their doctor first."
Supplements and kids (17 and under) are tricky subjects. I love them to help me maintain energy and to keep me fueled. I can't recommend multivitamins and superfoods enough. There have been countless workouts that Pre-Workout carries me through and I can tell a huge difference in the morning if I drank my protein shake or not. Seriously.
So for adults I would first advise to speak to a doctor first just to make sure there are no conflicts with other medications and that you're healthy enough for exercise. After that, based on their doctor's aproval, GO FOR IT!
Now, I have seen high school athletes begin taking Creatine and some muscle building supplements way too young. Young athlete's bodies should not begin these types of supplement regiments until their body is just about completely developed. I've seen broken backs, torn ligaments and much worse caused because developing bodies are too explosive. The body will just "pop!" depending on what you are doing. Please do not rush to these supplements too young. I know, N-I-L just makes it too appealing. Remember long term health or maybe get paid a little money before you know what to do with it all.
What do I recommend for young athletes? Gummies vitamins, water (maybe chocolate milk and superfoods. Make sure you're getting all of your vitamin and nutrients needs. We want to make bones and ligaments strong before really advancing our workouts.
This little post's intent is to get the conversation started. So what are your thoughts and questions on the matter?