by Chris Shugart
The $6 Supplement Stack
For about the cost of a frothy coffee drink, you could be leaner, healthier, and happier. Here's how.
The average price of a fancy coffee at Starbucks is around $6, sometimes a little less or more depending on how pretentious you are about your bean water. The average price of an energy drink and a candy bar at a convenience store is about $5.50. A bottle of water and a healthy-ish snack at the Target checkout line? Roughly $6.
Statistically, shoppers don't mind paying five or six bucks for spontaneous purchases or little treats. It doesn't faze them. But strangely, when I suggest a daily protein shake and a couple of health supplements, these same folks balk. "That stuff is expensive!" they say while sipping their $7.74 pumpkin spice frappuccino with oatmilk.
So, just to challenge myself, I came up with a basic supplement stack that costs under $6 a day and would greatly improve anyone's physical health, body composition, and even mental well-being.
The $6 Challenge
The first step was to decide what supplements to include. To do this, I went by statistical averages: What do most people need? What are they deficient in?
If we study the numbers, here's what we'll find:
- Most people don't get enough protein.
- Most are magnesium deficient, and many have an insufficiency of zinc.
- Most are omega-3 fatty acid deficient.
- Most are vitamin D deficient.
Based on that, here's what I came up with:
- Two servings of chocolate MD Protein (Buy at Amazon) (two scoops)
- One serving of Flameout (Buy at Amazon) fish oil
- One serving of Elitepro (Buy at Amazon) minerals
- One serving of D Fix (Buy at Amazon) vitamin D3
Total cost: $5.30 per day
Prices are subject to change of course. I based these numbers using Amazon's "subscribe & save" plan (which saves 10%) and the new bulk-sized Flameout (180 count). I didn't base the cost on special sales or promotions. Factor those in and you could easily hit the sub-five-dollar point.
Why Those Supplements?
Protein Powder
The average person is overweight. And the average person overeats because their body triggers cravings to get them to meet their daily protein threshold. It's called the protein leverage effect. Studies show this threshold is between 85 and 138 grams per day. A two-scoop MD Protein (Buy at Amazon) shake adds 44 grams to your daily intake, making it easier to meet your threshold, kill the hungries, and lose some fat.
A high protein intake also autoregulates the rest of your diet: you'll feel more satisfied and naturally reduce excess carbs and fats. As a bonus, protein is thermogenic.
Fish Oil
A study published in the journal Nutrients estimated that 90% of Americans fall below the optimal range for omega-3 levels. Omega-3s, primarily DHA/EPA, are necessary for inflammation regulation, brain health, and heart function. A deficiency can cause or exacerbate just about every disease or condition you can name, including psychological conditions like depression and anxiety.
Flameout (Buy at Amazon) uses pharmaceutical technology to increase bioavailability and easily correct a deficiency.
Magnesium and Zinc
Deficiencies are very common and lead to a variety of avoidable problems, from poor sleep and low testosterone to depression and fatigue. Here's how to spot a magnesium deficiency and here's how to spot a zinc deficiency.
Elitepro Vital Minerals (Buy at Amazon) contains the Albion-chelated form of both to guarantee absorption and utilization.
Vitamin D
At least 50% of Americans are deficient in vitamin D, and that's using very low intake standards. That leads to poor immunity, fat gain, sexual issues, lethargy, muscle weakness, depression, cognitive impairment, and the list goes on.
Even if you're getting enough sunlight and taking a standard vitamin D supplement, it's difficult to get blood levels into the healthy range (60 to 80 ng/mL). Excess body fat sequesters vitamin D and the older you get, the harder it becomes for your body to absorb and utilize it.
Microencapsulated D Fix (Buy at Amazon) solves those issues by including caprylocaproyl polyoxyl-8 glycerides (Labrasol) in the formula to increase bioavailability.
How Much Does a Leaner, Healthier Body Cost?
About five dollars and thirty cents a day. Now, of course, this stack may not perfectly fit your needs and goals.
Maybe you have plenty of time to prepare high-protein meals and don't need a shake, but your testosterone level isn't what it used to be. Cool, just take out the shake and add a T-booster like Omega-Man (Buy at Amazon). That's puts you at $3.71.
You get the idea: build your ideal stack and make it part of your budget. And maybe, just maybe, make your coffee at home to pay for it.