Friday was Career Day at St Bernard's High School, an event I was fortunate to be a part of.

Three of us formed a panel of fitness professionals, fielding a variety of questions from students about training, career paths, and more.

The topic that dominated the morning, by far, was supplements.

Kids wanted to know more about protein, creatine, energy drinks, peptides...seemingly every pill or powder out there came up for discussion.

The conversation was equally relevant for sports parents.

If you're interested in the topic of supplements, here are the key takeaways from the day.

Supplements Fill Gaps

One student asked if it was okay to drink Celsius at breakfast, because they are always exhausted.

We asked how much water she drank, and the answer was very little.

It's no wonder she was tired all the time, being chronically dehydrated.

Slick marketing influences you to think their brand is the best solution to your problem, when the reality is nature likely has a better answer.

Protein powders are unnecessary if you eat meat, seafood, dairy, and other protein rich foods.

Greens powders only help if you skip eating vegetables.

Even creatine, the most popular supplement of them all, is useless if you get plenty of it in your diet.

Over and over, we had to explain how a supplement only helps if you have a deficiency in your nutrition.

Otherwise it is useless.

Beware Of Unregulated Supplements

Will Kirousis, one of the other panelists, reminded everyone that supplements are an unregulated industry.

Unless a product is NSF Certified, the ingredients won't necessarily match the label, meaning some companies sneak in 'bonuses' to enhance their effectiveness.

In one example, Will mentioned a creatine brand, marketed to males looking to build muscle, which added an anabolic steroid to their product.

This extreme example highlights the hidden risk of relying on supplements over whole foods, especially the cheaper ones sold at chain stores.

Convenience and price aren't always the best reasons to choose a product.

Most Supplements Don't Work

OK, let's say you truly have a nutrient deficiency which supplements can fill.

And you've found a reputable brand to buy from.

The third question you must ask is, does the product even work?

All a company needs to do is point to a single research study, possibly with very flawed reasoning, to tout its benefits.

For example, I can say the people who used my product gained 5x more strength in 8 weeks than a control group who just ate regular food.

Now, what if you learned only those taking my product were weightlifting, while the control group stayed in bed and ate Twinkies all day?

Don't fall for carefully worded ads. Unless a supplement is proven to work, and the brand is reputable, you're better off holding onto your money.

Each of us on the panel last Friday truly enjoyed sharing our experiences with the St Bernard's students.

I'm not sure how excited the kids were to hear our message, but it was an important conversation.

If you have any questions that weren't covered here, feel free to send them on over!