Table 3.

Older adults’ reasons for the acceptability of whole foods for exercise recovery compared to supplements^a.

Code	n	Examples
More Acceptable
Food is more natural	92	• I would rather rely on natural food than supplements
		• It seems like a more natural process
It is a healthy diet	47	• Eating those food items would be good for me, regardless of the reason for taking them.
Dislike of supplements	24	• I don’t like taking supplements or medication if I can avoid them
		• I am not a great pill popper so doing things through diet makes more sense.
I eat these foods already	19	• They are what I would eat normally anyway
Cost/Accessibility	11	• They carry no additional cost and no profit for charlatan’s
		• Easier to implement and probably cheaper
Know what is in food	10	• I prefer to know what I am eating
		• Don’t like not knowing what supplements are made of
Enjoyment of food	9	• More pleasant to consume
Unassigned	24
Equally Acceptable
Unsure of efficacy	12	• Will it seriously make a difference?
Already eat these foods	6	• I try to have a diet including such items already
Open to anything	5	• I’m quite flexible in other views to relieving post exercise pain
Food is a better option	5	• Fresh fruit and meat are always a better option
Supplements are easier	3	• Sometimes supplements are easier to take
Unassigned	11

^a“Are whole foods more or less acceptable to you than supplements as an exercise recovery intervention? What is your reason for this?” (291 responses).