NUTRITION AND SUPPLEMENTS.

Make everyday meals work for you

Build your meals around protein foods, vegetables, fruit, wholegrains and suitable dairy or alternatives. Australian guidance

Add fibre-rich foods gradually so your gut has time to adjust. Higher fibre intake is linked with better health; the review found around 25–29 g a day was a useful range, rather than an upper limit. (1)

Put it into practice: Keep two or three quick meals available for busy days, such as yoghurt and fruit, eggs on toast, or tofu with rice and vegetables.

Adjust portions for your goal

How much you eat affects your weight, while training and food quality help shape the result. Look at your weight trend alongside strength and recovery, because a single weigh-in also reflects water and food in your body. Diet and body-composition review

If fat loss is your goal, start with a manageable reduction in portions. Low-fat and low-carbohydrate approaches can both work, so choose what suits your hunger, health and routine. (2)

If you want to build muscle, get regular, progressive training and enough food in place first. A small increase in food may help when needed; a large surplus isn't compulsory. Gaining muscle while losing fat can happen, especially for beginners, but it isn't guaranteed. Diet and body-composition review

Put it into practice: Choose your main goal and one useful way to track it. Make portion changes gradually, then give the plan a few weeks before adjusting again.

Get enough protein

For many healthy people who lift, around 1.6 g/kg/day is a useful protein reference. That's about 128 g for an 80 kg adult, but it isn't an upper limit or a precise target for dieting. Ask for help adapting it if your body size or health makes the calculation unclear. (3) energy-restriction review

Include a good protein source at regular meals. Meat, fish, eggs, dairy, soy and legumes can all contribute, and a plant-based diet can support training too. Powder is convenient when food isn't covering your needs. (3) soy review

Put it into practice: Check what your usual meals already provide. A sports dietitian can help adapt the amount for dieting, body size or medical needs.

Fuel demanding sessions

You don't need one fixed split of protein, carbohydrate and fat. Extra carbohydrate can help when sessions are demanding, done without eating beforehand or close together. It doesn't always add a benefit to an ordinary lifting session when you've already eaten. (4)

Include some unsaturated fats and choose familiar foods before training. Adjust the amount or timing if your stomach feels uncomfortable, and drink for the conditions. Gels and electrolytes can help in particular situations, but aren't needed for every workout. Australian guidance (6)

Put it into practice: Try a familiar carbohydrate meal or snack around demanding training. Plan food and fluids between closely spaced sessions, adjusting timing and amount for comfort.

Which supplements may help?

Protein powder: useful when you need a convenient way to get enough protein. If you're already getting enough from food, adding more powder is unlikely to do much. (3)

Creatine monohydrate: healthy adults commonly use 3–5 g daily, and you don't have to load it first. Your weight may rise early because of extra water; that doesn't mean you've gained fat or that it's all new muscle. AIS creatine guidance (5)

Studies measuring muscle growth directly find more modest changes than some lean-mass headlines suggest. Get advice if you have kidney disease, and tell your clinician you take creatine when discussing creatinine blood-test results. Direct muscle measurements kidney review

Caffeine: can help performance, but it's optional and more isn't always better. Start conservatively if you tolerate it, count coffee, energy drinks and pre-workout together, and avoid pure caffeine powder. Cut back or reconsider it if it affects sleep, anxiety or your heartbeat; large doses can affect sleep many hours later. (7) AIS caffeine guidance Caffeine and sleep trial

Put it into practice: Use each supplement for a clear reason. If caffeine affects your sleep, try less or have it earlier rather than relying on it to get through tired sessions.

When you have a specific need

Beta-alanine, nitrate and sodium bicarbonate: may help in particular events, with benefits that vary and possible side effects. They aren't everyday essentials for gaining muscle or losing fat. AIS supplement framework (8) beta-alanine body-composition review

Iron, vitamin D, calcium and B12: may be useful for a dietary gap, deficiency or medical need. If you're tired, get the cause checked rather than starting iron on your own. (6)

Put it into practice: Get persistent fatigue, falling performance, repeated injuries or menstrual changes assessed, including whether you're eating enough. IOC guidance

Where the evidence is less clear

Collagen: may help some tendon and training outcomes, but the evidence varies. It hasn't been shown to be better than ordinary protein or to prevent injury, and most comparisons with other proteins are indirect. (9) 2026 network review

HMB: reviews reach different conclusions in different groups. Small average effects and overlap between studies don't make a strong case for routine use by healthy lifters. Athlete review umbrella review

Omega-3: may help strength or function in older adults, without a clear lean-mass benefit. Citrulline: has some small performance findings, but confidence is low. Neither has established reliable fat loss. Omega-3 review citrulline review

Ashwagandha: has limited performance evidence and safety concerns, including very rare liver injury reported by the TGA. Talk to a clinician about whether it's suitable for you. Review TGA safety update

BCAAs, glutamine and betaine: are lower priorities than getting enough food and protein. A product with several ingredients isn't proven just because some ingredients have supporting research. NIH evidence summary

Put it into practice: Try one change at a time, weighing benefit, side effects and cost. Stop products that cause problems or aren't worthwhile.

Check fat-loss claims

There's weak evidence for fat burners. Feeling more stimulated or sweating more doesn't show that you're losing body fat over time, and a natural ingredient isn't automatically safe. (10)

Before buying, check what the product is meant to do, its ingredients, dose, cost and possible interactions. Independent batch testing can reduce contamination risk, but it doesn't prove the product works or remove every risk. (6) Sport Integrity Australia

Put it into practice: Count doses across products and ask about interactions. If you compete, check independent testing of the actual batch as well as your sport's rules.