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Best Nutritional Supplement
Super-Championship Playoff Game
 

We all want to live long, quality lives free from degenerative disease. In order to achieve this, we need to make the right decisions in regard to our health. This includes eating the right foods, exercising, and avoiding toxins in any form. It also includes purchasing and using the best nutritional supplement available. We read almost daily the importance and power of various vitamins, minerals, and other elements in decreasing the probability of getting this disease or that one (cancer, macro-degeneration, osteoporosis, heart disease,

An interesting book on this subject is Lyle MacWilliam's Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements published by Northern Dimensions. Based on the recommendations of seven published nutritional authorities, the book gives a detailed explanation of what a nutritional supplement should contain for optimum health benefits. What they came up with was called the Blended Nutritional Standard. Fourteen criteria were then developed so that any nutritional supplement could be evaluated and ranked as to its probable value in promoting optimal health. Over 1,000 American and Canadian nutritional products were examined. Over two hundred of the best were further evaluated and included in the book. If you want to check out a particular supplement, this would be an invaluable book to get the information you need.

This game is no substitute for reading this book or others. It is just a fun way to begin to get familiar with what an excellent nutritional supplement should contain. The 13 criteria used in the game are an interpretation and very brief identification of what is covered in great detail in the book. Two of the criteria dealing with bioavailability were combined into one. The brief identifications used in the game undoubtedly leave out many important points and the wording may not do justice to the complexity involved. But this is a game and a start. It should enable each player to attain at least a beginning understanding of the value of nutritional supplements and how to evaluate which one he or she is going to stake their life and health on.

Directions:

Print a Best Nutritional Supplement Super-Championship Playoff Game Sheet. See link below.

Each player selects a fictitious name for a pretend nutritional supplement he or she will promote during the game.

Shuffle a deck of cards and deal 13 face down to each player. Beginning with Criteria 1, players take their cards in order and using the value of each card place an identifying mark (their initial or first letter of their pretend product) indicating how well their product did for each criteria. For example, let us assume my product was Super V and I decided to use a V for my identifying mark. My first card was a seven, so I place a V in the 7 box for criteria #1 (bioavailability). My next card was a Queen, so I place a V in the Queen box for criteria #2.

After all players have placed their marks and identified how their products came out for all 13 criteria, the fun can begin. Each player is to give a sales talk on his or her particular product, extolling its virtues and politely avoiding any mention of its lacks. The lacks will probably be identified by your opponents. If you have enough players you could divide into teams. Discuss how it went and praise each other for their salesmanship. If possible, come to a consensus as to which product came out the best.

Now, get ready for the bonus round. Each player gets a new set of 6 cards and ranks his or her product on the additional six criteria that are not included in the comparative guide. Players could even come up with additional criteria to put into play. Players have a second chance to sell their product using these additional criteria. Again, praise each other for great salesmanship and then try to agree on which pretend product was ultimately the best buy and wisest choice.

In the game of real life, you might want to check out how your supplement matches up with others. By doing so, you could win more life free from degenerative disease.