and if it is healthy for me to be takeing protein powder and doing hard work outs at my age.
Can you eat a steak and can you do manual labor? If the answers to my questions are yes, then you have the answers to yours. As for diet and supplements, seek the FAQ. I don't see any reason you can't be taking just about everything endorsed by this forum (protein, fish oil, and creatine being the most important, as far as I'm concerned, but BCAA's & Beta Alanine aren't going to kill you).
If you can't trace a sup back to a food source (creatine comes from just about any animal protein source, BCAA's and BA are just amino acids, fish oil come from fish (duh), Protein is a macronutrient (fats, carbs and protein), etc.) then it's probably not worth your time right now IMO.
the short story in terms of diet:
Eat lean meat, veggies, fruits, nuts, & oats. Eat every 2-3 hours (or supplement with a supershake), avoid processed grains (white breads) and most foods that come in a box or sealed bag (no twinkies, no sugary drinks (except post workout), no potato chips, no cheezits, etc.).
There, d&S in a nutshell... now go read the FAQ in here (wouldn't hurt to read all the stickies in here), then head over to Strength and power and read THEIR FAQ. This thread will be closed unil I receive a private message that you have done so.
