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A Scarborough supplement store for people who know their supplements

Scarborough is Toronto’s largest and one of its most diverse districts, with about 623,500 residents, according to the City of Toronto’s 2021 Census profile. It also has a serious training culture, and plenty of buyers who already know exactly what they want. What the local shops rarely carry is the depth of Canadian performance brands, and that is what Lift The City Supplements delivers to your door, or holds for pickup downtown. If you want a second opinion before ordering, the staff know these products first-hand, not from a spec sheet.

Performance: creatine, pre-workout, carbs, and fat burners

For training and body composition, these are the products people ask about most, and the questions that come up before buying.

Creatine

Creatine is the most-researched supplement for strength and recovery. Two questions come up before almost every first purchase. On bloating: the water retention and stomach discomfort people describe are tied to the 20-gram-per-day loading protocol, not the standard 3 to 5 gram daily dose. On loading: most people do not need it. Taking 3 to 5 grams daily reaches full muscle saturation in about 3 to 4 weeks, with a gentler experience than loading. You can take it at any time of day, as long as it is consistent. Standard monohydrate is the proven, affordable choice; if you have had stomach issues on monohydrate, a buffered form like Kre-Alkalyn needs no loading phase and is easier on the gut.

Pre-workout

The most common first-timer question is why pre-workout makes the skin tingle. That is beta-alanine; it is harmless, and it fades with consistent use. Start with half a serving on your first use to find your tolerance, and take it about 20 to 30 minutes before training. If you train in the evening or are sensitive to caffeine, a stim-free formula gives you the pump and focus ingredients without the stimulant. TC Nutrition Batch 27 is one of the most requested Canadian options, with a fully disclosed label.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrate supplements help fuel and refuel around training. They are most useful for endurance sessions or anyone who struggles to eat enough around training, taken during or straight after a workout to top up glycogen. Most people eating enough carbohydrate through the day do not need them.

Fat burners

Fat burners are used alongside diet and training, not as a replacement for either. They come in stimulant and non-stimulant versions; if you already have caffeine in your pre-workout or coffee, watch your total daily intake, and if you are caffeine-sensitive, ask about a non-stimulant option before you choose.

Protein: how to choose the right one

Protein is where most people start, and the right one depends on your body and your diet. Here is how to choose and how to use it.

Whey isolate

Whey isolate is a filtered dairy protein that is high in protein and low in lactose. A single scoop delivers around 25 grams of protein, and you can take it at any time that helps you reach your daily target, with many people using it after training or as a quick breakfast. If protein powder has bloated you before, the cause is usually concentrate rather than isolate: isolate goes through a second filtration stage that removes most of the lactose, which is why it sits better for people with mild dairy sensitivity. If you are lactose intolerant, look for a product labelled lactose-free, such as PVL IsoGold.

Beef protein

Beef protein is a dairy-free, lactose-free option with a complete amino acid profile, useful for anyone who avoids whey but still wants an animal-based protein. It digests cleanly for most people who find dairy heavy, and is used the same way as whey: around 25 grams per serving, timed to help you hit your daily protein total.

Plant-based protein

Plant-based protein suits vegan and dairy-free diets. If you are wondering whether it works as well as whey, it depends on the blend: multi-source proteins that combine pea and rice come closest to whey’s amino acid profile. On digestion, some people find pea protein gentler than dairy, while others do better avoiding added inulin or chicory-root fibre, so a shorter ingredient list is worth looking for. Iron Vegan Sprouted Protein and Perfect Sports Diesel Vegan are common picks.

General health: vitamins, collagen, and daily essentials

Beyond training, these are the everyday supplements a whole household reaches for.

Vitamin D and magnesium

Two stand out for Canadians. Southern Ontario sits near 43 to 44 degrees north, where winter sun from roughly October to April is too weak for the skin to make meaningful vitamin D. Health Canada’s dietary guidance recommends a daily vitamin D source for adults, with a 400 IU supplement for those 51 and older. That 400 IU is a general maintenance figure; if a blood test has shown you are low, physicians often recommend a higher amount temporarily, so the right dose depends on your bloodwork rather than one universal number. It is best taken with a meal that contains some fat, and a liquid drop lets you adjust the dose more precisely than a fixed capsule. Vitamin D is often paired with K2.

Health Canada’s national nutrition data shows 47.2% of Ontario adults have a usual magnesium intake below the Estimated Average Requirement. If the shelf of oxide, citrate, glycinate, malate, and L-threonate is confusing, the practical shortcut is that they behave differently in the gut: oxide is cheap but poorly absorbed and can have a laxative effect, while glycinate is well absorbed and gentle, which is why it is the form most people do best with for daily use, often taken in the evening. Blends like ATPLab Synermag combine glycinate, citrate, and malate in one.

Collagen

Collagen, typically type 1 and 3, is popular as an unflavoured powder that dissolves into coffee, oatmeal, or a smoothie without changing the taste, which is what makes it easy to take daily. A typical serving is around 10 to 20 grams, and it can be taken at any time. An unflavoured option such as Allmax Collagen is the most versatile.

Men’s and women’s multivitamins

A daily multivitamin covers the everyday basics in one step and is best taken with food, since some of the vitamins absorb better alongside a meal. Men’s and women’s formulas differ in things like iron content, so choosing the one matched to you makes sense rather than a generic blend.

The Canadian brands we carry

Lift The City Supplements carries more than 50 brands, with one of the deepest Canadian rosters in the Greater Toronto Area. That depth matters now that Leger research shows nearly two-thirds of Canadians are actively seeking Canadian-made products. If you are wondering whether Canadian brands match the American ones, in most categories they do: the leading Canadian lines are formulated to Health Canada NPN standards, use the same or equivalent raw-material suppliers, and in several cases disclose more on their labels than their US counterparts. It matters for trust, too. Every natural health product here carries a Natural Product Number, which means it was assessed by Health Canada as safe, effective, and of high quality, and everything is sourced through authorized Canadian distributors rather than third-party marketplaces.

What customers say

Lift The City Supplements holds a 5.0 rating across 691 Google reviews, one of the highest of any supplement store in the Greater Toronto Area. The point customers raise most is the staff, with 274 reviews praising the knowledgeable team.

Several reviews name owners Arty and Alana directly. About three in four orders come from repeat customers, and every purchase is covered by a price-match guarantee.