The Human Nutrition Project

Last week we talked about the importance of our basic physiological needs and it’s importance for finding motivation and reaching your potential. Now for part 2 of our Motivation Series!

As we move up to the second level of Maslov’s hierarchy of needs, things become more complex.

The basic need of safety. These needs include the security of health, body, employment, resources, and morality.

What does that mean for athletes?

Security of health - Anything that can compromise your body can keep you stuck and prevent you from moving up and reaching your potential. Injuries, illness, poor performance, and overtraining can make us think twice on whether we trust our bodies and feel safe going into our next hard effort.

Security of body - Unfortunately for women this is another big issue. More and more women are speaking out about being pressured or shamed for their weight, been sexually abused and harassed, and women’s health issues have been ignored, neglected, and misunderstood. If you have been a victim of abuse please reach out for help. Security of body is a basic human need that is important to get help to feel safe once again.

Security of employment - Job security allows us to provide for our needs and give us purpose. Without this we can feel untethered and lost. This also applies if we look at our sport. Do you feel a pressure to perform that outweighs your internal drive to perform? If so make sure to access places where you feel purpose and find jobs and opportunities that align with your values.

Safety of resources - Do you have the resources (time, space, energy, and money) to address health, injuries, cook and prepare healthy meals, get proper sleep, have a safe place to train, or join groups or teams to help keep you on track? If you answered no to any of these questions, think about ways you can use the resources you have or seek out other resources to create a safer training environment.

Safety of morality -
This need helps us distinguish right from wrong. The absence of security could result in trauma, paranoia and distress. Make sure you surround yourself with coaches, teammates, and training partners that foster a safe environment.

We wanted to dive deeper on some questions we posted last week about the importance of your basic physiological needs. Check in with yourself and get that motivation brewing!

Are you eating enough calories? Check out this calculator to see where you should fall https://healthyeater.com/flexible-dieting-calculator

Are you eating a healthy ratio of carbs, fat, and protein? We like the 40% carb, 30% protein, 30% fat ratio as a general rule of thumb

Are you eating a wide variety of foods? This ensures you are getting a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients

Are you taking supplements? It’s hard to get everything from food alone, especially when you are pushing your body to the limit. Nutritional deficiencies can slowly creep up on you, we see it a lot in athletes. If you are looking for healthy sports nutrition supplements that focus on your health + fitness, we got you covered ;)

Are you hydrated? You should be getting ½ your body weight in oz per day

Are you drinking electrolytes? Electrolytes are necessary to utilize the water you drink, without them water will flush right through your body. Give Lyte-Switch a try for sugar free hydration

How is your breathing? Upper respiratory tract infections may be a sign of overtraining

Are you anemic or are you at altitude? Make sure your red blood cells are healthy and you stay hydrated since you dehydrate quicker. Try Fast Iron for red blood cell support

How is your digestion? Healthy digestion will keep pathogens at bay, contribute to a healthy gut microbiome, and help you extract energy from food. If you have any issues with digesting protein, carbohydrates, or fats, get to the root cause as to why.

Do you have acne or skin issues? Could be hormone imbalances, detoxification issues, yeast, unbalanced microbiome, or nutritional deficiencies

Do you get headaches? Could be gallbladder dysfunction, blood sugar imbalance, low phosphorus, hormone fluctuations, stress. Start putting together the clues to figure out where yours are stemming from.

What is your menstrual pattern (if female)? Menstrual cycles give a lot of information when properly tracked. Check out our free women’s health course!

To reach your potential, you must fist start at the bottom and build a strong healthy foundation by addressing your deficiencies. The lower rungs of the ladder are deficiency needs, and the higher rungs are growth needs. In other words, first fix your deficiencies then you can grow - as you all know that’s our philosophy too!!⁠
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Here is the checklist we compiled to help you ask some questions to check in with your basic needs. Even though they may seem simple, they are foundational for being able to cultivate motivation to reach your potential. Answer honestly, and if something is deficient, correct the deficiency. Next post we will dive a little deeper into some of these questions and what you can do to rebalance when you are out of balance.⁠
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Are you eating the right amount of calories for your activity level? ⁠
Are you eating a healthy ratio of carbs, fat, and protein?⁠
Are you eating a wide variety of foods?⁠
Are you taking supplements?⁠
Are you hydrated?⁠
Are you getting electrolytes?⁠
Do you have the proper gear for your sport for all the seasons? ⁠
Are you getting enough sleep?⁠
Can you breathe easily?⁠
Did you check your blood work for any anemias, red blood cell number and quality?⁠
Are you at altitude?⁠
Are you prone to upper respiratory tract infections or asthma?⁠
How is your overall health?⁠
How is your digestion?⁠
How are your bowel movements?⁠
Do you struggle with inflammation?⁠
Do you have sensitivities (chemical, food, etc)?⁠
Do you have skin issues?⁠
Do you have acne?⁠
Do you have cravings?⁠
Do you get headaches?⁠
What is your menstrual pattern (if female)?⁠
Do you carry excess weight or have trouble gaining weight?⁠
Do you get sick often?⁠
Do you never get sick?⁠
Do you have any autoimmunity?⁠
How are your organ systems doing (liver, thyroid, adrenals, kidneys, etc?)⁠
Is your energy good throughout the day?⁠
Do you get injured frequently?⁠
Do you have healthy bone density?⁠
What types of products do you use?⁠
What types of foods do you eat?⁠
Do you have high blood sugar?⁠
Do you have reactive hypoglycemia?⁠
Do you have brain fog?⁠
How are your stressors?

Marathon fuel looks good in blue⁠ 💙
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fuel prep with Ceru before the New York City Marathon

We have a fun instagram series coming up. Anyone ever hear of Maslov's Heirachy of Needs?⁠
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It was an idea in psychology proposed by American Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation". to describe the pattern through which human motivations generally move. This means that in order for motivation to arise at the next stage, each stage must be satisfied within the individual themselves.

So proud of inspirational performance at The New York City Marathon.⁠
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Running is about finding your potential and also finding JOY. ⁠
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For all of you who saw Alexi this past weekend, I think we can all agree she brought the JOY!!

If I had to pick one of my favorite nutrients, do you know what it would be? It’s actually the amino acid, l-glutamine. It’s a humble building block of protein but it is incredibly useful and gets overlooked all the time. So what’s so special about it? ⁠
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Put simply - recovery, gut health, and electrolyte absorption!⁠
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Recovery⁠
When you are breaking down more than you are building up, it is called being in a negative nitrogen balance. Symptoms may include sore muscles and joints, excess fluid retention (edema), anemia, and low resistance to infection, to name a few.⁠
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In order to stay in a positive nitrogen balance for recovery, you need to make sure you are eating the correct amount of calories and getting the proper amount of protein. Also there is another secret weapon…Glutamine!! This is because this amino acid is special and has 2 nitrogen molecules instead of 1, providing double the nitrogen of most amino acids which helps the body stay in a positive nitrogen balance for better recovery.⁠
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Gut Health⁠
Glutamine is also fuel for your intestinal cells and nutrient absorption. When we train hard, there is a competition for nitrogen between the muscle and the gut for repair. Often when we are training hard, our body will prioritize repairing the muscles. This limits the nitrogen left for repairing the gut lining. This can lead to leaky gut and tempo tummy. It’s a well established fact that health starts in the gut, so having a healthy gut lining is essential to good health.⁠
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Electrolyte Absorption⁠
Without a proper functioning barrier membrane, we lose our ability to absorb nutrients, specifically electrolytes. By combining glutamine and electrolytes we are able to absorb more electrolytes than when electrolytes are given by themselves which is why we added l-glutmaine to Lyte-Switch. Not only will it help with your electrolyte absorption, but it will help with recovery, and gut health.⁠ Cheers! To healthy hydration!

If I had to pick one of my favorite nutrients, do you know what it would be? It’s actually the amino acid, l-glutamine. It’s a humble building block of protein but it is incredibly useful and gets overlooked all the time. So what’s so special about it? ⁠
⁠
Put simply - recovery, gut health, and electrolyte absorption!⁠
⁠
Recovery⁠
When you are breaking down more than you are building up, it is called being in a negative nitrogen balance. Symptoms may include sore muscles and joints, excess fluid retention (edema), anemia, and low resistance to infection, to name a few.⁠
⁠
In order to stay in a positive nitrogen balance for recovery, you need to make sure you are eating the correct amount of calories and getting the proper amount of protein. Also there is another secret weapon…Glutamine!! This is because this amino acid is special and has 2 nitrogen molecules instead of 1, providing double the nitrogen of most amino acids which helps the body stay in a positive nitrogen balance for better recovery.⁠
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Gut Health⁠
Glutamine is also fuel for your intestinal cells and nutrient absorption. When we train hard, there is a competition for nitrogen between the muscle and the gut for repair. Often when we are training hard, our body will prioritize repairing the muscles. This limits the nitrogen left for repairing the gut lining. This can lead to leaky gut and tempo tummy. It’s a well established fact that health starts in the gut, so having a healthy gut lining is essential to good health.⁠
⁠
Electrolyte Absorption⁠
Without a proper functioning barrier membrane, we lose our ability to absorb nutrients, specifically electrolytes. By combining glutamine and electrolytes we are able to absorb more electrolytes than when electrolytes are given by themselves which is why we added l-glutmaine to Lyte-Switch. Not only will it help with your electrolyte absorption, but it will help with recovery, and gut health.⁠ Cheers!

Our philosophy: Healthy ______ performs better.⁠
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Insert any word of choice⁠
- coffee⁠
- athletes⁠
- muscles⁠
- nerves⁠
- red blood cells⁠
- immune system⁠
- mind⁠
- fuel⁠
- electrolytes⁠
- body⁠
- heart⁠
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Endless possibilities

Loved fueling and hydrating atheltes at SKY Island Trail races last weekend. Nothing like a challenging race in a beautiful setting.⁠
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Thanks again for all the athletes who used Ceru to die their race, and for those who tried it for the first time day of!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!⁠⁠
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We had a few people reach out asking if we could extend the sale for another day since many people were busy enjoying the extended holiday weekend. Happy to do so!⁠⁠
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Last Day for our Extended 4th of July Weekend Sale⁠⁠
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20% off our retail hydration products Ceru Fuel and Stamina Coffee⁠⁠
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Ends Today⁠⁠
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Use code Happy4th! at checkout

TEAM USA! Hope everyone is having a great 4th of July Day Weekend!⁠⁠
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Use code - Happy4th! - for 20% off Ceru Performance Fuel and Stamina Coffee. If you haven't tried these yet, now is a great time to get you ready for summer training, stay hydrated, and beat the heat!

When you workout fuel matches your shoes 🙌🏽

So what is better to burn when you exercise, fat or carbohydrates?⁠⁠
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Trick question, the answer is both!⁠⁠
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For low end aerobic exercise, fat is where it is at. It's a clean fuel that provides a lot of energy that can help you cruise along for extended periods of time.⁠⁠
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For high intensity activity, carbs are what you need. It's actually the only nutrient that can be processed fast enough to keep up with the demand your body needs. If you don't have enough carbohydrates, your body will go into what we call 'survival training' which is incredibly hard and demanding on the body and is what puts you in the danger zone for overtraining and injury.⁠⁠
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Metabolic Flexibility is essentially your body being able to effectively use whatever fuel is available, whether it is fat, stored fat, glucose, or glycogen.⁠⁠
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We are about ALL THE FUEL because the truth is, people perform better fueled!⁠⁠
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For a healthy fuel + electrolytes, grab a canister of Ceru and fly!

Running has brought me a lot of joy, but also a lot of hardships, and it’s taught me how to work through the many challenges in my life. I’m so excited to have my story featured in Voyage Austin Magazine on how the successes and struggles of my career brought me to starting The Human Nutrition Project. Click the link in our bio to read my story!

B E G I N. A good place to start.

Ceru = tastes good ✔️ and will stabilize your blood sugar with no insulin spikes giving you sustained energy (while supply hydrating electrolytes!) .noahmoos

Going to altitude sometime this summer?⁠⁠
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Here are some tips to prevent dehydration and altitude sickness⁠⁠
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- Be proactive and drink water + electrolytes⁠⁠
- Eat hydrating foods. Toss some easily transportable fruits into your hiking bag⁠⁠
- Always bring a water bottle and drink at regular intervals⁠⁠
- Minimize alcohol, or save the drinks for post hike/workout⁠⁠
- Let your body adjust to altitude before doing any big hikes!⁠⁠
- Drink an extra 1-1.5 liters per day⁠⁠
- Increase your intake of carbohydrates⁠⁠
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What we did to on our recent trip to Telluride, Colorado:⁠⁠
- 1 scoop Lyte-Switch electrolytes in the morning to start our day⁠⁠
- Ceru (fuel + electrolytes) throughout our hikes⁠⁠
- 1 scoop Lyte-Switch electrolytes before bed⁠⁠
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Felt great and dehydration averted! ⁠⁠
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Check out our story to learn more

"The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it." ⁠⁠
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–Thucydides⁠⁠
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Happy Memorial Day Everyone!!⁠⁠
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Also last chance to get 20% off all our products! If you have been wanting to give them a try, now is your chance!

We love seeing everyones adventures this weekend.⁠⁠
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And we are here to help you fuel those adventures healthfully!⁠⁠
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Whether it's getting your morning started with Stamina coffee, replenishing your electrolytes in the hot summer months with Lyte-Switch, or fueling long hikes and runs with Ceru, we got you covered!⁠⁠
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20% off this weekend only with coupon code 'MDW'⁠⁠
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📸 Picture of Dr.Moos fueling with Ceru during this weekend in Telluride Colorado. Helped us with steady energy and staying hydrated during some long hikes over 10,000ft at altitude.

How we felt during our last hike in Bryce Canyon 🙌🏽⁠
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Both trail runs and long trail hikes feel better when you are hydrated and fueled.⁠⁠
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Take our hike at Bryce Canyon National Park for example.⁠⁠
- Direct sunlight⁠ ☀️ ⁠
- High heat⁠ 🥵 ⁠
- No shade⁠ 🌵 ⁠
- Steep climbs for miles on end⁠ 🏔 ⁠
- Energetically demanding⁠ 💪🏽 ⁠
- Absolutely amazing⁠ 😊 ⁠
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We used Ceru to keep our blood sugar and energy steady throughout, and since Ceru has electrolytes we were always hydrated.⁠⁠
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If ever in Utah, this is a must visit!

We know fueling can feel complicated. Which is why we wanted to share with you some of the basics of fueling for the marathon and other endurance events. ⁠⁠
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We discuss fueling during workouts and races plus tips on how to fuel before and after. We also go into how to fuel yourself for daily training since that is important too! ⁠⁠
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What we will cover:⁠⁠
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- Macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, protein)⁠⁠
- Crash course on carbs⁠⁠
- Metabolic flexibility⁠⁠
- Fueling before your race (or workout)⁠⁠
- Fueling during your race (or workout)⁠⁠
- Fueling after your race (or workout)⁠⁠
- Special topic: gut issues and health⁠⁠
- How to eat while training⁠⁠
- How to eat for metabolic flexibility⁠⁠
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Hopefully this can help give you some ideas and strategies so you can run faster, feel stronger, and optimize your performance, health, and fitness. And the best part it's FREE! Click the link in our bio to get full access to our Marathon Fueling 101 course!

What does it mean when a nutrient is bioavailable?⁠⁠
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Bioavailability is the amount of a given nutrient in supplements that are absorbed in the intestines and ultimately available for biological activity in your cells and tissues.⁠ You want your nutrients like you want these ice cubes. You want them to melt in your body for easy delivery and assimilate naturally with your body's physiology. ⁠⁠
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This is a fundamental core value at The Human Nutrition Project, because if you cannot absorb your nutrients and use them, what's the point?⁠!⁠⁠
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So how do you know which nutrients are bioavailable? Thats where biochemistry comes into play! And if biochemistry isn't your jam, don't worry we got you covered 🤓⁠
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Let's take Vitamin B12 for example. ⁠⁠
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Three natural forms of vitamin B12 are available in supplements, you will see them on your labels as ⁠⁠
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- methylcobalamin⁠⁠
- adenosylcobalamin⁠⁠
- hydroxycobalamin⁠⁠
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These forms are bioidentical to the B12 forms occurring in human physiology and all have been shown in clinical studies to improve vitamin B12 status. ⁠⁠
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In contrast, cyanocobalamin, a synthetic B12 compound, is not as bioavailable and is often found in cheaper products as it is easier to produce and helps with profit margins. But because of it's low bioavailability, you get what you pay for.⁠⁠
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Check you labels, see what type of B12 you are taking and make sure it is bioavailable! And if it doesn't say the form, thats a red flag and it's likely to be a low bioavailability form.

We present the May Seasonal Food List! We challenge you to go to the grocery store or your local farmers market and pick from this list of foods.⁠⁠
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Seasonal foods are often fresher, tastier and more nutritious than foods consumed out of season.⁠⁠
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What’s more, studies have shown that fruits and vegetables contain more nutrients when allowed to ripen naturally on their parent plant.⁠⁠
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Also, seasonal fruits and vegetables produced on local farms are often fresher, as they do not require long distances for transport.⁠⁠
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Give it a try and see if you can taste the difference 😋

A great listen - X X X = A perfect way to spend your Sunday or start your week.⁠⁠
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Alexi and Dax discuss post-Olympic situational depression, treating mental health the same as physical health, and striving to achieve as many goals in life as possible.

Have you heard of the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen? If not, it is an amazing resource to help you avoid toxins while grocery shopping!⁠⁠
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Every year the EWG investigates the pesticide contamination on the 48 most popular vegetables and fruits by looking a the United States Department of Agriculture Pesticide Data Program reports.⁠⁠
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The Dirty Dozen are the 12 fruits and vegetables that were found to have the most pesticides. The Clean Fifteen were the fruits and vegetables that were found to have the least amount of pesticides.⁠⁠
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For example, this year strawberries topped the list as having the most pesticide residues. In California, strawberry growers use 300lbs of pesticide for each acre of conventional strawberries. One strawberry alone can have up to 17 different pesticides, which include pesticides that are potential hormone disruptors and potential carcinogens (cancer causing agents). ⁠⁠
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If you can buy all organic, great! If price is an issue, this list can help you prioritize which fruits and vegetable to buy organic and which to buy conventional so you can reduce your overall toxic exposure.⁠⁠
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⁠An easy reference can be downloaded on your phone as an app called the 'Dirty Dozen' by the EWG (Environmental Working Group).⁠ Check it out!!

Happy Sunday!!

Happy Birthday to our THNP athlete !!⁠⁠
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This girl is timeless, makes amazing healthy meals, is super fast, super creative, and is an amazing human being!!⁠⁠
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So happy to have her on our team. She is such an inspiration to us and so many others. She is both fearless and vulnerable in spreading the word on staying mentally and physically healthy!

Drinking Ceru under cerulean skies to fuel my track workout 💙🙌🏽🏃🏻‍♀️