The headline reads “18 Soldiers Dismissed Over Sports Drugs”. For the soldiers involved, 7 Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, it is a personal disaster. Unless the army is prepared to reveal exactly what it is these soldiers were taking, it’s a professional disaster. Talking vaguely about “supplements” really doesn’t help anyone.
We know that a lot of our customers are serving soldiers, sailors and airmen, all of whom probably know more about supplements than their chain of command. As we keep saying, this is a generational thing. The old men simply don’t get it. A quick review of the Army Rumour Service gives a good impression of mis-information spread by the old sweats. Should I use protein? Only if you don’t mind kidney stones. You don’t need supplements, just hard work. Why buy protein when you can get a pint of milk for 50p?
The irony is that if anyone needs support, it is the guys carrying 70kg across Helmand on rations that don’t even match their daily output.
So, our question is, when will the British Armed Forces stop being amateurs about nutrition?
We would suggest the following:
1. There is no either / or. We agree that a healthy balanced diet is the basis for all sports nutrition. We do not accept that performance cannot be improved by supplementing
2. PAYD, pay as you dine (or starve as you save) is no basis for a healthy balanced diet. Provide good food as part of standard terms and conditions. PAYD incentivises skipped meals and trips to fast food outlets
3. If you are going to throw people out for failing Compulsory Drug Tests, tell the world exactly which products they have used
4. Publish lists of acceptable supplements, not just those which are banned
The good news is that BULK POWDERS™ products are completely safe to use. You will not fail your drug’s test by using any of our protein, creatine, vitamins and Active Foods™.
We would recommend, however, that you avoid the following:
a. Sida Cordifolia
b. Glycerol Monostearate.
Good luck with your risk free, safe sports nutrition.
