In our subculture, the word “natural” gets tossed around all the time. In reference, often to the varying degrees of processing and adulteration of foods. An item can be deemed “natural” or “organic” or “non-GMO”, for example, based on what has been done chemically in order to create a finished product you can consume—how far the ingredients have strayed from their original form before they reach your mouth.

“Natural” is often a title assigned to athletes who have taken measures to avoid performance enhancing drugs, but even that is often a semantic argument, with technical debates ranging from anabolic steroids, androgens and growth hormone through prohormones and even touching legal supplements. I once suggested to an especially physically gifted friend that he should try supplementing with creatine while he trained to which he responded, “Nah G, I’m gonna stay natural and just stick with Gatorade.” As you can see, everything is […]