What the boosts actually do

Every açaí counter in California has a row of jars behind it, and most of them are never explained to anybody. Here is ours, in the three price tiers it is printed in on the board.

The $2 tier is protein, and it is where the big numbers on the menu come from. Vanilla whey, chocolate whey, and pea protein if you are skipping dairy. It is why Dae Fuel, Kelly Slayer and Marin Dad say 25 grams, and why Dae Glow, which uses pea protein, says 10. Collagen is in this tier too: it dissolves clean and tastes of nothing.

Creatine is the one people ask about most. It is among the most-studied supplements there is, mostly for strength training, and five grams is the usual daily amount. That is the amount printed on Marin Mom, and Marin Dad has it too. Matcha is the other $2 add.

The $1 tier is the rich stuff: peanut butter, almond butter, almonds, macadamia. It is what turns a bowl into lunch.

The 50 cent tier is texture and flavor: flax, chia and hemp seed, bee pollen, cocoa nibs, coconut, goji, maca and honey. Maca is a root powder with a malty taste. The research on most of the claims people make for it is thin, so add it because you like it, not because you read something.