I was lucky enough to spend three days in Louisville, KY at the Mid-America Truck Show and hand out nearly 8000 samples of Bazi to attendees. It’s no secret that we’ve incorporated a concerted effort to market to truckers; since they consume a lot of energy products and caffeine but statistically are some of the unhealthiest adults in the US.

We got a chance to speak with drivers about the challenges they face on the job and learned that they do want healthier choices at the truck stops and to improve their overall health. For the vast majority of the drivers what’s accessible is limited to what’s at fuel stops. Their world is based around Pilot or Love’s or TA, and if the truck stop doesn’t have it, they probably won’t use it. It was great for us to expose drivers to the healthy option of Bazi and to make the effort to purchase it from 7-11 or order directly from us. What touched me was the sincere concern over the drivers’ health from spouses, since, most of the time, it was the wives who would ask the detailed questions about the advantages of Bazi.

We shared our booth with the American Association of Professional Drivers, which is another group dedicated to the health and welfare of drivers and their families. Also in attendance was Healthy Trucking Association of America  (I’ve blogged about this great org before). The growth of health-based products and services specific to truckers is a segment which is gaining rapid momentum and both of these organizations are at the forefront of the trend.

I’m challenging all the truck stop chains to dedicate a healthy products section for the drivers in order to give the drivers alternatives to the usual fare. If you go to any of the big chain truck stops, ask for their healthy choice section. If enough of us want the change it will happen. Let’s do what we can to support the drivers. They truly are the backbone of our economy.

According to findings published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, supplement use by certain Olympic-level athletes decreased nearly 20 percent between 2002 and 2009.

Since I am very pro-supplement you may ask why I’m sharing this negative info. First, this is reality and no amount of hyperbole will make the facts go away. Secondly, it allows me to explain on why I think it’s a mistake on the athletes’ part.

I don’t blame athletes who are eschewing supplements; they’ve built their entire lives around their sport and don’t want to throw it all away with a tainted supplement. For those of you who follow professional cycling I’m sure you are aware of Alberto Contador being suspended for testing positive for a banned substance in which he argued came from tainted meat. Luckily, for Alberto, he successfully argued his case and was reinstated. Most athletes, however, are not so lucky. If they test positive, regardless of where it came from or if the athlete unknowingly ingested it, they are out. Period!

Supplements really have earned their spot on the training table for athletes of all abilities, and not using them altogether puts the elite athlete at a disadvantage. At the pinnacle of athletics, it’s all about the most minute of details, and all things considered the athlete who maximizes nutritional support will have the advantage over those who don’t.

Athletes must choose their supplements very wisely, from only those manufacturers they know for a fact are diligent in ensuring zero issues with cross contamination. The reputable companies (like us) will support athletes through, GMP and FDA certified domestic manufacturers, letters of guarantee or third party testing. Also, regardless of the claims made on the label, stick with supplements that provide nutrients that you would normally find in foods. This is tricky, they don’t have to be sourced from foods, but you should be able to find the nutrient in a food somewhere. For example, something exotic sounding like cryptoxanthin is found in many colorful fruits or vegetables and does play roles in the body. On the opposite side, you may not even want to touch the bottle if it contains chlorophytum borivilanium.

There really isn’t a reason any athlete shouldn’t take advantage of the products available to them because of a few bad apples out there. Stick with reputable brand, like Bazi, so you don’t lose that gold medal from your next Olympics (or weekend world championship).

I have no argument with all of the choices for Worst; all choices are stellar examples of why our country’s health is failing at alarming rates and at younger ages. There simply is nothing redeeming about any of those products.

There is one exception, however, and that is the Clif Razz Energy Gel Shot. As a cyclist I use gels while out on rides, as do runners and most endurance athletes who use them as energy sources for working muscles. In that context gels are great products. As an energy product to simply ingest because one is tired, yeah, it would suck. I guess I never looked at it as an energy product in that manner and how other folks may use them.

Where was I? Oh, yes, the suggested alternative products are either loaded with caffeine or still are only slightly healthier than the worst choice. One alternative contains 240 mg of caffeine. That’s healthy?   “Rockstar’s Recovery is as fine as any energy drink on the market.” Bazi isn’t a beverage, but it certainly is a heap better than Rockstar Recovery. Don’t get me wrong here; I’m not slamming the author(s) on the spirit of the article. They certainly are helpful when it comes to enlightening consumers on the evils of energy products. I think they may be just a bit myopic when they recommend alternatives.

Which leads me to ask why didn’t they list Bazi as the healthy alternative to nearly every single one of their submissions? If the user needs energy without the risk, side effects, calories or impending crash, Bazi isn’t simply a choice, it’s THE choice. Need a recovery product? Bazi’s nutrient-dense formulation supports optimal recovery from intense exercise. Need something to get you through the day? Bazi is there. Need a product that you can use and not worry about side effects or exacerbating existing health condition? Bazi!

I asked all of you to let Dr Oz know that Bazi is the best safe and healthy alternative to energy products, and now I’m asking you to let David/Matt/someone at Yahoo/Men’s Health know the same.