Eating for training
Supplements: What The Evidence Actually Supports
A very short list, and a very long one that does nothing
General information about training and eating, not personal advice. It is not medical or dietary advice and it cannot account for your circumstances. If you are pregnant, have a medical condition, take medication, or have a history of disordered eating, talk to a GP or a registered dietitian before changing how you eat or train.
Most of the supplement industry sells things with little or no evidence behind them at prices that have nothing to do with what is inside. It is worth knowing which short list has actually held up under repeated testing, mostly so you can ignore everything else.
Creatine monohydrate is the most studied sports supplement there is, and the cheap unbranded version is the same molecule as the expensive one. Caffeine is among the most heavily researched substances in sport, and you already know whether it agrees with you. Protein powder is food in a convenient format — it does nothing a chicken breast does not, and it only helps at all if you would otherwise miss your intake. Vitamin D is worth a conversation with a GP in the UK specifically, because sunlight is scarce here for much of the year.
Almost everything else — testosterone boosters, fat burners, BCAAs alongside adequate protein, most pre-workout blends beyond their caffeine — ranges from unproven to pointless. Supplements are also lightly regulated compared with medicines: what is on the label is not guaranteed to be what is in the tub, and if you compete under anti-doping rules, look for batch testing before you buy.
If any of this interacts with a medication or a condition, that is a question for a GP or a pharmacist rather than for an app.
If food is becoming something to control rather than something to eat, Beat runs free helplines and online support at beateatingdisorders.org.uk, and a GP is a reasonable first conversation.