August 31, 2008
My P90X Nutritional Departures (
12 Comments)
I took some liberties when it came to figuring how best to follow the P90X nutrition plan. I'm, so far, a big fan of P90X and all Tony Horton has to offer, and I don't mind Beachbody creating added value with it's line of supplements, but that doesn't mean I've decided to follow every detail.
At first, I was a little unsure about my nutritional decisions, but then I decided that ultimately, the health plan I use for myself has to be both appropriate for achieving goals and realistic in terms of what I can stick to during the 90 days and beyond.
Nutrition Plan
In the P90X Nutrition Guide, the designers offer three basic plans you can follow for eating right and maximizing results. These options are The Portion Approach, The Meal Plan Approach, and The Quick Option Approach.
The Quick Option is basically a last resort approach for when you have to eat out. P90X seems to be a fan of Subway, which is not really my thing. In any case, it's not the best option and you're likely to get completely sick of the food if you eat it for 90 days.
The Meal Plan Approach is the "no-brainer" option, but it's also very rigid. Every daily eating schedule and recipe is given to you on a silver platter. If you follow this, you know for certain that you won't be making any mistakes in your eating habits. That's not a bad thing at all. However, I don't think I'm disciplined enough to do everything exactly, plus I'd like to have some more ethnic options in my diet.
My choice is the more flexible Portion Approach. P90X says how many portions of various food groups I should have in my diet per day, and they give examples. So, for instance, in the first phase of the program I can have X amount of proteins, and Y amount of carbs, and Z amount of vegetables, etc. Not only do I get to make my own choices, but I actually think I can make some aspects even healthier than the packaged meal plan.
Nutritional Supplements
While I'm a little wary about my meal plan choice, I feel completely comfortable not using P90X-brand supplements. Based on what I've learned, using supplements requires getting them from a trusted source. It's not that I don't think Beachbody is a trustworthy company, but I already get supplements from a company called Melaleuca with whom I've had a long-trusted relationship. They also specifically focus on natural wellness products, whereas I trust Beach Body for their exercise programs more than anything else.
I've looked at the ingredients in both versions of recovery drinks, protein bars, and vitamin supplements. Here, you can compare the multi-vitamin breakdown:
P90X® Peak Health by Beachbody
(Taken 6 in the morning, or 3 and 3 with separate meals)
Supplement FactsServing Size 1 Packet
| Supplements |
|
Amt. per Serving |
|
% Daily Value |
| Vitamin A (50% [5,000 iu] as natural beta carotene) |
|
10,000 iu |
|
200% |
| Vitamin C (as calcium ascorbate) |
|
500 mg |
|
833% |
| Vitamin D (as cholecalciferol) |
|
400 iu |
|
100% |
| Vitamin E (as natural d-alpha tocopheryl succinate) |
|
300 iu |
|
1,000% |
| Thaimine (as thiamine HCl) |
|
75 mg |
|
5,000% |
| Riboflavin |
|
17 mg |
|
1,000% |
| Niacin (non-flushing) |
|
100 mg |
|
500% |
| Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxal 5’ phosphate) |
|
20 mg |
|
1,000% |
| Folic Acid |
|
800 mcg |
|
200% |
| Vitamin B12 (as methylcobalamin) |
|
600 mcg |
|
10,000% |
| Biotin |
|
2 mg |
|
667% |
| Pantothenic Acid (as calcium pantothenate) |
|
50 mg |
|
500% |
| Magnesium (as magnesium oxide, magnesium chelate) |
|
400 mg |
|
100% |
| Iodine (as potassium iodide) |
|
150 mcg |
|
100% |
| Magnesium (as magnesium oxide, magnesium chelate) |
|
400 mg |
|
100% |
| Zinc (as zinc citrate) |
|
20 mg |
|
133% |
| Selenium (as selenium methionate) |
|
140 mcg |
|
200% |
| Copper (as copper citrate) |
|
2.5 mg |
|
125% |
| Manganese (as manganese citrate) |
|
10 mg |
|
500% |
| Chromium (as chromium niacinate) |
|
240 mcg |
|
200% |
| Molybdenum (as molybdenum aspartate) |
|
75 mcg |
|
100% |
| Boron (as boron citrate) |
|
2 mg |
|
-- |
Daily For Life Vitamins by Melaleuca
(Taken as individual packets separated by AM and PM, portioned for more intake during the day and less while you sleep.)
Supplement FactsServing Size 1 Packet
| Supplements |
|
Amt. per Serving |
|
% Daily Value |
| Vitamin A (as beta-caratene) |
|
3000 IU |
|
60% |
| Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid) |
|
470 mg |
|
780% |
| Vitamin D (as cholecalciferol) |
|
500 IU |
|
125% |
| Vitamin E (as d-alpha tocopheryl succinate) |
|
42 IU |
|
140% |
| Thiamin (as thiamine HCI) |
|
15 mg |
|
1000% |
| Riboflavin |
|
17 mg |
|
1000% |
| Niacin (as niacinamide) |
|
75 mg |
|
375% |
| Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxine HCI) |
|
10 mg |
|
500% |
| Folate (as folic acid) |
|
600 mcg |
|
150% |
| Vitamin B12 (as cyanocobalamin) |
|
12 mcg |
|
200% |
| Biotin (as d-biotin) |
|
60 mcg |
|
20% |
| Pantothenic Acid (as calcium pantothenate) |
|
20 mg |
|
200% |
| Calcium (as calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, calcium citrate, calcium gluconate, calcium amino accid oligofructose complex) |
|
1100 mg |
|
105% |
| Phosphorus (as dicalcium phosphate) |
|
163 mg |
|
15% |
| Iodine (as iodine amino acid oligofructose complex) |
|
150 mcg |
|
100% |
| Magnesium (as magnesium oxide, magnesium lactate, magnesium citrate, magnesium amino acid oligofructose complex) |
|
350 mg |
|
85% |
| Zinc (as zinc oxide, zinc amino acid oligofructose complex) |
|
30 mg |
|
200% |
| Selenium (as selenium yeast, L-selenomethionine, selenium amino acid oligofructose complex) |
|
205 mcg |
|
290% |
| Copper (as copper gluconate, copper amino acid oligofructose complex) |
|
5 mg |
|
250% |
| Manganese (as manganese amino acid oligofructose complex) |
|
4 mg |
|
200% |
| Chromium (as chromium amino acid oligofructose complex) |
|
120 mcg |
|
100% |
| Moybdenum (as molybdenum amino acid oligofructose complex) |
|
75 mcg |
|
100% |
| Boron (as boron citrate) |
|
150 mcg |
|
-- |
Aside from general differences in amounts, there are two significant differences in these vitamins. First, only 50% of the Vitamin A in the P90X supplements come from beta-carotene; excessive non-beta-carotene Vitamin A has been known to have side effects. Also, Melaleuca's vitamins use Oligofructose Complex for the delivery of its nutrients. This is a recent innovation and discovery that increases absorption. Studies show that it is far superior to other vitamin/mineral delivery systems, and it is the only product on the market currently using this complex.
