FAQ
At Make Ready Nutrition we have a focus dedicated to supplements, nutrition, and wellness for physically and mentally demanding shooting and hunting sports.
Supplements for shooters, by shooters.
Q. Is Make Ready Nutrition a pharmaceutical company?
A. No. We do not manufacture pharmaceuticals. We do have an in-house Nutraceutical manufacturing company that sources our ingredients to be safe and effective for our customers.
Q. Is 2ALPHA Performance a pre-workout?
A. Essentially, yes. We wanted a way to accomplish 3 goals at Make Ready Nutrition. 1) We wanted to give you energy. Major PF has 250mg caffeine and Minor PF has taurine for clean energy. Minor PF has no caffeine for folks that may be caffeine sensative. 2) We had to find a way the help shooters stay hydrated with clear focus, as well as some energy from a small amount of clean carbohydrates. See our 2ALPHA Ammunition product. And, 3) Help with sore muscles, joint pain, and mobility. Checkout our 2ALPHA Recovery offering with 34g protien and collagen.
Q. Will Make Ready Nutrition’s products make me a better shooter?
A. No! Well, maybe. We get this question more than you think. Our goal from day one is to help you the shooter feel better in aspects of energy, focus, vision, hydration, and recovery. If your de-hydrated, unrested, and under nourished, our products can only help you feel better and that we believe will help your performance.
Q. Where can I find more information regarding Use and Safety of Dietary Supplements?
Q. How do I know if I need a dietary supplement?
Q. Many products are marketed as dietary supplements, and it is important to remember that supplements include not only vitamins and minerals, but also herbs and other botanicals, probiotics, fish oil, and other substances.
Some supplements may help ensure that you get adequate amounts of essential nutrients or help promote optimal health and performance if you do not consume a variety of foods, as recommended by MyPlate and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
However, dietary supplements are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure disease. In some cases, dietary supplements may have unwanted effects, especially if taken before surgery or with other dietary supplements or medicines, or if you have certain health conditions.
Do not self-diagnose any health condition. Work with your healthcare provider to determine how best to achieve optimal health. Also check with your healthcare provider before taking a supplement, especially if you take any medicines or other dietary supplements or if you have any health conditions.
Q. Where can I find out how much of each vitamin and mineral I need?
A. To get a list of all vitamins and minerals and how much you need, check out the free online tool from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Just input a few pieces of information about yourself including your age, height, and weight. You also can get a list of your daily calorie, protein, and other nutritional needs. Keep in mind that the amounts of vitamins and minerals you need include everything you get from food and beverages—you may or may not need a dietary supplement to achieve these amounts. Talk with your healthcare provider to help you determine which supplements, if any, might be valuable for you. For more detailed information about each vitamin and mineral, read our vitamin and mineral fact sheets.
In addition, you can get good sources of information on eating well from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and ChooseMyPlate.
Q. How can I get more information about a particular dietary supplement such as whether it is safe and effective?
A. Scientific evidence supporting the benefits of some dietary supplements (e.g., vitamins and minerals) is well established for certain health conditions, but others need further study.
Research studies in people to prove that a dietary supplement is safe are not required before the supplement is marketed, unlike for drugs. This is due to the way dietary supplements are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is the responsibility of dietary supplement manufacturers/distributors to ensure that their products are safe and that their label claims are truthful and not misleading. If the FDA finds a supplement to be unsafe once it is on the market, only then can it take action against the manufacturer and/or distributor, such as by issuing a warning or requiring the product to be removed from the marketplace.
The manufacturer does not have to prove that the supplement is effective, unlike for drugs. The manufacturer can say that the product addresses a nutrient deficiency, supports health, or reduces the risk of developing a health problem, if that is true. If the manufacturer does make a claim, it must be followed by the statement “This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”
Dietary supplements are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure disease. In some cases, dietary supplements may have unwanted effects, especially if taken before surgery or with other dietary supplements or medicines, or if you have certain health conditions. Supplements should not replace prescribed medications or the variety of foods important to a healthful diet.
Do not self-diagnose any health condition. Work with your healthcare provider to determine how best to achieve optimal health. Also, check with your healthcare provider before taking a supplement, especially if you take any medicines or other dietary supplements or if you have any health conditions.
Q. What does the Supplement Facts label on a dietary supplement tell me?
A. All products labeled as dietary supplements carry a Supplement Facts label that is similar to the Nutrition Facts label found on food products. It lists the active ingredients and their amounts, plus other added ingredients like fillers, binders, and flavorings. It also gives a suggested serving size, but you and your healthcare provider might decide that a different amount is more appropriate for you.
In the Supplement Facts label, the amounts of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients like dietary fiber are listed as a percentage of the Daily Value or %DV. Each nutrient has one DV that applies to all people age 4 and older. For example, the DV for vitamin C is 90 milligrams (mg) and the DV for the B-vitamin biotin is 30 micrograms (mcg).
The %DV allows you to see how much a product contributes to your approximate daily needs for that nutrient. For example, if a supplement provides 50% of the DV for calcium, it contributes about half of your daily needs for calcium.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a webpage that describes the Nutrition Facts label and DV in more detail.
Q. Where can I find out how much of each vitamin and mineral I need?
A. To get a list of all vitamins and minerals and how much you need, check out the free online tool from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Just input a few pieces of information about yourself including your age, height, and weight. You also can get a list of your daily calorie, protein, and other nutritional needs. Keep in mind that the amounts of vitamins and minerals you need include everything you get from food and beverages—you may or may not need a dietary supplement to achieve these amounts. Talk with your healthcare provider to help you determine which supplements, if any, might be valuable for you. For more detailed information about each vitamin and mineral, read our vitamin and mineral fact sheets.
In addition, you can get good sources of information on eating well from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and ChooseMyPlate.
Most research suggests that getting recommended intakes of vitamins and minerals from food—and dietary supplements as needed—promotes health. Our fact sheet points out that some people might benefit from taking certain nutrients found in MVMs. For example:
Women who could become pregnant should get 400 mcg/day of folic acid from fortified foods and/or dietary supplements to reduce the risk of birth defects of the brain and spine in their newborn babies.
Pregnant women should take an iron supplement as recommended by their healthcare provider.
Breastfed infants should receive vitamin D supplements of 400 IU/day until they are weaned. After weaning, infants should drink about 1 quart per day of vitamin D-fortified formula or whole milk.
In postmenopausal women, calcium and vitamin D supplements may increase bone strength and reduce the risk of fractures.
People over age 50 should get recommended amounts of vitamin B12 from fortified foods and/or dietary supplements because they might not absorb enough of the B12 that is naturally found in food.
Keep in mind that manufacturers add some of the vitamins and minerals found in dietary supplements to a growing number of foods, including breakfast cereals and beverages. As a result, you may be getting more of these nutrients than you think, and more might not be better. Taking more than you need is always more expensive and can increase your risk of side effects.
Q. I am a 60-year-old woman and have been taking calcium supplements for many years. Recently I’ve heard that they might increase the risk of heart disease. Is that true?
A. Many people, especially women, take calcium supplements. As you know, it is important to get enough calcium (and vitamin D) for good bone health. And although it is often best to get vitamins and minerals from foods and beverages, some supplements can help you get enough of certain nutrients.
Whether calcium affects the risk of cardiovascular disease is not clear. Some studies show that it might protect people from heart disease and stroke. But other studies have found that some people who consume high amounts of calcium, particularly from supplements, might have an increased risk of heart disease.
Much of your risk depends on your diet, lifestyle, current health, and medical and family history. Talk with your healthcare provider about calcium, bone health, and heart disease to figure out what is right for you.
Have more questions? See the NIH fact sheet on calcium.