The Supplement Industry Needs To Change
By Ryback Reeves
I have been obsessed with supplements and herbs since I was a teenager. I remember saving money up to buy my meal replacement shakes and trying all the different protein powders, while being totally clueless about artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose that were used to sweeten these things. I remember when Red Bull was first released I thought it was the greatest thing in the world and I would chug multiple cans prior to working out, consuming easily over 100 grams of sugar in one sitting and then eventually switching to the sugar-free ones thinking I was being “super healthy” because I wasn’t drinking all the sugar. I remember buying Ephedra pills at gas stations and eventually the weight management products that all used thinking I was so fit and healthy, but in reality all this stuff was and is so bad.
This pattern of consuming supplements would continue and I was always fascinated by the latest stuff I would see in the bodybuilding magazines. I even remember going into a well-known supplement shop and their staff selling me Andro, which is a prohormone and something a 20-year-old kid should not have been taking nor something a supplement company should be selling kids that age, but that’s par for the course in this industry. I remember going to one Mr. Olympia Expo and seeing all the different supplement companies vying for people’s attention with what appeared to be roided out men and women wearing their brand shirts hawking these so-called supplements that had given them their shredded and jacked physiques. Something about the whole scene just didn’t sit well with me and I left with my bag of free goodies of aspartame- and sucralose-filled samples and protein bars that were going to get me to the next level, or so I thought.
Fast forward to my first year in wrestling and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why at times I had such a hard time breathing and recovering while training, but it was because I was consuming this weight management products laced with so many bad ingredients it’s a miracle my heart didn’t just explode on the spot from all the stress it was under. I would get sick and puke, but never thought the supplements I was taking were harming me. I mean, the supplement industry is supposed to be about health and fitness, but little did I know at the time that it was just a business for many of the big-time players and that the only thing that mattered was the bottom line, even if it was costing people their health.
At around the age of 26, I started experiencing blurry vision along with blackouts when standing and never wanting to get out of bed even after a good night's rest because I was still tired. It was at this point that I started researching my symptoms and the one thing that kept popping up was artificial sweeteners and people all over experiencing similar symptoms. I remember I was in denial at first and kept chugging my diet sodas and drinking my protein shakes, bars and pre-workouts that were filled with this stuff until I realized that maybe I needed to cut this stuff out altogether and just see what happened. Well, what happened was that after a few weeks none of the problems I was having existed anymore and I felt better than I had in a long time, probably like I felt before I started consuming all this harmful stuff. I threw out all my supplements that contained aspartame and sucralose and started ordering raw powders to make my own supplements along with all the various herbs I would combine to make my own formulas. Little did I know at the time that this was the birth of Feed Me More Nutrition, but it certainly was!
When I decided to launch Feed Me More Nutrition in 2016 I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, as we have seen countless celebrities and bodybuilders launch lines only to disappear almost as quickly as they came on the scene. Some have actually done quite well, but they are the problem because they get into an industry that has an obligation to give people products that will enhance their lives and not sacrifice their health. Artificial sweeteners and colors do not belong in anything let alone dietary supplements, it just makes zero sense, yet 99% of today’s companies use them because they’re cheap and many love the taste. I firmly believe the majority of the problems the world faces today is caused by capitalism for bad purposes, as we have allowed companies to profit off of things that sacrifice our health. Individual responsibility is a must though, and knowledge is power, but so many people trust supplement companies with their health only to be let down time and time again. I remember being that customer growing up, which is what drives me to be the change the industry needs. I can’t stop these companies from doing what they're doing and using people online to promote their dangerous products, but I could help educate people on how I got to this point in my life and why Feed Me More Nutrition is about everyone winning by using the highest quality ingredients with no artificial sweeteners or colors. We are in our 5th year now as of 2021 and growing rapidly because more and more people are sick and tired of all the BS. The supplement industry needs to change, but it starts with us changing ourselves first!
I have been obsessed with supplements and herbs since I was a teenager. I remember saving money up to buy my meal replacement shakes and trying all the different protein powders, while being totally clueless about artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose that were used to sweeten these things. I remember when Red Bull was first released I thought it was the greatest thing in the world and I would chug multiple cans prior to working out, consuming easily over 100 grams of sugar in one sitting and then eventually switching to the sugar-free ones thinking I was being “super healthy” because I wasn’t drinking all the sugar. I remember buying Ephedra pills at gas stations and eventually the weight management products that all used thinking I was so fit and healthy, but in reality all this stuff was and is so bad.
This pattern of consuming supplements would continue and I was always fascinated by the latest stuff I would see in the bodybuilding magazines. I even remember going into a well-known supplement shop and their staff selling me Andro, which is a prohormone and something a 20-year-old kid should not have been taking nor something a supplement company should be selling kids that age, but that’s par for the course in this industry. I remember going to one Mr. Olympia Expo and seeing all the different supplement companies vying for people’s attention with what appeared to be roided out men and women wearing their brand shirts hawking these so-called supplements that had given them their shredded and jacked physiques. Something about the whole scene just didn’t sit well with me and I left with my bag of free goodies of aspartame- and sucralose-filled samples and protein bars that were going to get me to the next level, or so I thought.
Fast forward to my first year in wrestling and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why at times I had such a hard time breathing and recovering while training, but it was because I was consuming this weight management products laced with so many bad ingredients it’s a miracle my heart didn’t just explode on the spot from all the stress it was under. I would get sick and puke, but never thought the supplements I was taking were harming me. I mean, the supplement industry is supposed to be about health and fitness, but little did I know at the time that it was just a business for many of the big-time players and that the only thing that mattered was the bottom line, even if it was costing people their health.
At around the age of 26, I started experiencing blurry vision along with blackouts when standing and never wanting to get out of bed even after a good night's rest because I was still tired. It was at this point that I started researching my symptoms and the one thing that kept popping up was artificial sweeteners and people all over experiencing similar symptoms. I remember I was in denial at first and kept chugging my diet sodas and drinking my protein shakes, bars and pre-workouts that were filled with this stuff until I realized that maybe I needed to cut this stuff out altogether and just see what happened. Well, what happened was that after a few weeks none of the problems I was having existed anymore and I felt better than I had in a long time, probably like I felt before I started consuming all this harmful stuff. I threw out all my supplements that contained aspartame and sucralose and started ordering raw powders to make my own supplements along with all the various herbs I would combine to make my own formulas. Little did I know at the time that this was the birth of Feed Me More Nutrition, but it certainly was!
When I decided to launch Feed Me More Nutrition in 2016 I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, as we have seen countless celebrities and bodybuilders launch lines only to disappear almost as quickly as they came on the scene. Some have actually done quite well, but they are the problem because they get into an industry that has an obligation to give people products that will enhance their lives and not sacrifice their health. Artificial sweeteners and colors do not belong in anything let alone dietary supplements, it just makes zero sense, yet 99% of today’s companies use them because they’re cheap and many love the taste. I firmly believe the majority of the problems the world faces today is caused by capitalism for bad purposes, as we have allowed companies to profit off of things that sacrifice our health. Individual responsibility is a must though, and knowledge is power, but so many people trust supplement companies with their health only to be let down time and time again. I remember being that customer growing up, which is what drives me to be the change the industry needs. I can’t stop these companies from doing what they're doing and using people online to promote their dangerous products, but I could help educate people on how I got to this point in my life and why Feed Me More Nutrition is about everyone winning by using the highest quality ingredients with no artificial sweeteners or colors. We are in our 5th year now as of 2021 and growing rapidly because more and more people are sick and tired of all the BS. The supplement industry needs to change, but it starts with us changing ourselves first!