5 Easy Japanese Ways To Replace Expensive Supplements

There are so many products on the market, everyone has an opinion on what’s best, and every product promises magical results. Truth is, all those miracle supplements are totally replaceable—and Japan has the perfect alternatives.

Everyone likes a quick fix. It’s why the shelves at your local drugstore are overflowing with products. Supplement companies use buzzwords to convince you that their product will make you lose 10 lbs in a week, live to 100 and have the skin of a Japanese baby until you die. A pill or powder sounds a whole lot easier than maintaining regular hydration or preparing nutrient-dense and satiating meals. But I’m gonna be real with you. The word “supplement” shows exactly what they do—they supplement a nutritious diet and well-rounded training plan. In many cases, there are Japanese ways to replace these expensive supplements.

Spending your money on high-quality, whole foods to nourish your body and fuel your training will do you an immense physical and financial favor and improve your body composition. Here are five supplements that are generally considered worthwhile that you might want to reconsider replacing.

1. Collagen: Eat Ikura Instead

© Photo by iStock: hungryworks

Collagen is all the rage in Japan for glowing skin. Collagen drinks, powders and pills are everywhere. Tourists stock up and take them to their home countries like there’s no tomorrow. However, ingesting collagen massively is unlikely to improve your skin quality or have any miracle anti-aging benefits.

When you consume collagen, it combines with stomach acid to form gelatin. The gelatin is then broken down in your intestines to create the four non-essential (read: “unnecessary”) amino acids, glycine, proline, arginine and hydroxyproline. Those proteins get broken down into individual amino acids to be absorbed. The body synthesizes new peptides it needs, but it is not guaranteed that the body will re-synthesize the ingested collagen back into collagen for glowing skin.

While there are studies that prove that beef gelatin may help inflammation in joints, most collagen in Japan is sourced from mackerel. Commercial powders are also laden with sugars (artificial and real). The better bang for your buck is to consume high-quality fish. This is beneficial not only for the collagen but also for the omega-3 fatty acids and protein content. At upwards of ¥5,000/month for collagen powders and drinks, you’re better off treating yourself to some nice ikura (salmon roe), which will boost your collagen and help you stay hydrated.

2. BCAAs: Drink Pocari Sweat Instead

© Photo by Pocari Sweat

BCAAs are three essential amino acids found in proteins: leucine, isoleucine and valine. They’re essential because the body is unable to create them from other amino acids, which means you have to consume them from whole food sources or supplements. However, that cool-looking blue raspberry drink is just glorified Gatorade.

If you reach your daily protein needs from whole foods, adding more “protein” in the form of  BCAAs will not contribute to muscle growth or prevent muscle wasting—unless you’re vegan, vegetarian or have metabolic disorders, kidney or liver diseases, in which case you may be lacking sufficient leucine intake. If you’re not, just head to your local grocery store or conbini (convenience store) and grab a bottle of Pocari Sweat! Especially if you’re getting sufficient protein intake daily (no more than 1.6g/kg of body weight for strength trainees and 1.2g/kg of body weight for sedentary individuals), a Pocari Sweat will be of better value, as it has all the essential amino acids your body needs.

3. Multivitamins: Focus On What You Lack Instead

© Photo by iStock: segawa7

Somewhat, every word starting with “multi” sounds kinda fulfilling. It makes you feel that you’re doing a lot with a minimum effort, doesn’t it?

Truth is, multivitamins are unnecessary if you have a good diet (try logging your food in an app that works in Japan, like MyFitnessPal, to check!). If it doesn’t contain all the nutrients you need, and your deficiencies have been determined by a registered physician, a 100% RDA multivitamin may be beneficial. That said, there is always a small risk of overdose from poorly dosed, cheap vitamins (like those sold at the 100 yen store).

Utilize Japan’s health insurance that you’re paying for to do a blood test to find out where you’re deficient and supplement individual vitamins accordingly. With magnesium deficiency being common in women, however, it is recommended to take Vitamin D (at least 1,000 IU daily). Unless you’re consistently exposed to the sun, it’s vital for the prevention of autoimmune diseases, especially in Japan, where obscene sun coverage is the norm. Despite what everyone says, you’re unlikely to be deficient in vitamin C. Too much of it can, in fact, compromise inflammatory signals for cell repair and affect your muscular growth and strength development. So, don’t buy packs of those believing it will be your ultimate genki (good health) and skin glow fix.

4. Fish Oil Supplements: Eat Fish Instead

© Photo by iStock: deeepblue

Omega-3 fatty acids are extremely important in a woman’s diet and are essential for hormonal function. Fish oil supplements are touted to help you build muscle, lose fat and improve your brain function. But why use artificial fish oil supplements when, hello, you’re in Japan? It’s actually cheaper and has better bioavailability to consume the real thing.

A hundred grams of fatty fish (salmon, aji, sanma, fatty tuna, etc.) is equivalent to 10g of fish oil. Eating the real thing will give you the protein to build muscle, the omega-3s to improve your hair, skin and nails, and the fats to fuel your workouts and break down soluble vitamins.

5. Pre-Workout Drinks: Make Your Own Instead

© Photo by iStock: Alina Alekseeva

Drink matcha like no one’s business already? Then, your pre-workout supplement is like the BCAAs mentioned before. You’re paying to drink a funny-colored flavored beverage. If you want to benefit from pre-workout caffeine, say sayonara (goodbye) to your morning coffee—you’ll have to abstain from caffeine intake throughout the day to feel the effects. Additionally, most pre-workout supplements are full of mystery bulk powders.

So, if you want the effects and to know what exactly goes in your drink, make your own. Like this one here, for example:

Matcha Muscle Pre-Workout

• 200-300 mg Caffeine (powder or pill form): gives you the pure boost of energy to crush your workout.
• 2-5g Matcha Powder: delicious, slightly caffeinated and accessible in Japan.
• 5g Creatine Monohydrate: the one supplement that has been proven, time and time again, to assist muscle growth and retention
• (optional) 3g Beta-Alanine and/or 3g L-arginine: a naturally occurring amino acid and a vasodilator, respectively. Will give you the tingly sensation people look for in pre-workouts, aka “the pump”.
• 300ml Water

*Take between ½ – 1 hour prior to training. Adjust dosages (and start small!) if you’re sensitive to caffeine or the tingling effects of beta-alanine.

If you need extra reassurance, many of my peers—top bodybuilders, power/weight lifters, fighters, and trainers—take very few supplements and are discerning about the quality of what they put in their bodies. I encourage you to take advantage of the superb food we have in Japan and fuel your body with high-quality ingredients. Your skin, your hair, your muscles and your body will be telling you arigato (thank you) on and on again.

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