as a trained chef it really makes me cringe when non-professionals talk about supplements etc. if you want to make a carrer, or a long-term hobbie out of rugby (ie, post high-school) then start thinking of it when your at least out of highschool, but really imo - only high preformance players should be having supplements.
at your age, make sure you eat plenty of lean beef and lamb. fish once a week. lots of vegetables. broccolli is your friend. green, and especailly leafy vegetables will take you a long way in terms of energy, more-so than any supplement. and if you get plenty of low-fat protein you should be fine. but i cant reccomend lamb enough either. high in iron, protein and low in fat. especially if its roasted and not fried with oil and fat.
and like DC said earlier, what people often forget, is that these are SUPPLEMENTS! alot of people do use them for replacement. and thats why imo you should only be high-preformance to use them, when your educated by coaches and trainers to eat well, and use supplements.
the reason is that supplements along with vitimins pills etc arnt what their cracked up to be. they arnt natural sources of nutrients. i think it works out that fresh fruit, vegetables meats etc you intake 70-80% of nutrients. but vitimin tablets and the like is between 5-25% depending on quallity. the reason being, if you take (for example) a calcium tablet - you are only taking in calcium, now some add this next part, but in whole milk especially, has proteins and a significant amount of other nutrients, and i think with calcium (or it might be vitimin C, i forget, its been 2years since food nutrition) you need another vitimin to intake it. which comes naturally in milk etc. so milk gives you not only calcium, but also the nutrient you need to INTAKE IT. a vitimin pill means nothing if you cant absorb it.
also being 15, i cant stress enough to drink plenty of milk, and get as much calcium as you can, especially if you intend on playing rugby for a while. 85% of you LIFELY intake of calcium is in your first 18years, or untill your growth has stopped. then 10% is of your lifely intake is when your elderly, so around 60. which leaves 5% of your calcium intake for about 40 years of your life. i mean, dont quote me on the actual numbers, but it is something rediculas like that. so drink milk, calcium, protein, and plenty of other minerals.
moral of this post:
your 15. dont do supplements. eat plenty of FRESH foods. lean red meats, and fish. plenty of vegetables, especially green ones, and the wonder food - broccolli. you should be fine. if you are serious about rugby, wait untill your playing for a professional or semi-professional team before seriously considering these aspects.
