Every day, you’re collecting a ton of data about your health via fitness trackers—and while knowing that you reached 10,000 steps, got six hours of sleep or torched 500 calories is definitely helpful in attaining your goals, that information isn't exactly actionable in terms of improving your nutrition. Yet nutrition is a critical component of fitness, and if you know exactly what your body needs, you can be a lot smarter about fueling up to optimize your performance.
Luckily, there’s now a device that can do just that.
Nourish—a first-of-its-kind system—analyzes data such as movement, heart rate and sleep, and then dispenses a personalized blend of powdered nutrients, vitamins, herbs, and minerals according to your body's needs. The WiFi-enabled countertop appliance is compatible with a variety of trackers, including the Apple Watch, Jawbone and Fitbit.
Like an at-home personal nutritionist, Nourish constantly updates the user’s blend schedule throughout the day based on the most recent data so that it will benefit them most. Just finished a 10K, or a brutal spinning sesh? Whatever kind of sweat session you're prepping for or recovering from, Nourish will craft a blend catered to your exact physical needs. On the topside of the device are 16 single dietary supplement containers, and each seed holds approximately a one month supply of either a nutrient, mineral, vitamin, or herb. Since the seeds are RFID-enabled, they will automatically be re-filled and shipped out to your home when you run out.
This kind of tailored supplementation has, up until now, only been available to pro athletes or the other select few who can afford it. The Nourish starting price is $399—substantially more affordable than existing personalized nutrition services.
The Nourish system was developed by the Boston-based startup FitNatic, which was founded in 2014 and currently has eight employees in the U.S. (as well as a small team of nutritional scientists in France). The idea came about when FitNatic co-founder and CEO Stephen Lamarre was in college. While working out every day, he’d often mix a post-workout shake or some other kind of supplement. He realized that the only way to figure out what his body needed would be to hire a personal nutritionist—which wasn’t exactly affordable. The idea for Nourish started off as an in-gym vending machine that was designed to be an alternative to the common juice bar. After spending some time on the problem as a team, FitNatic created Nourish to provide a customized solution to save people time while also helping them to meet their fitness goals.
CMO Jesse Caruso told BostInno that the company sees CrossFit moms as an important market, at least initially—they’re busy, engage in vigorous workouts, and typically take supplements for extra fuel.
“We believe they have the greatest need for an easy and cost-effective way to supplement their exercise and satisfy their nutritional needs,” he added.
After the Indiegogo campaign is over, FitNatic will be focusing on perfecting the product and expanding its distribution network. They’re making Nourish a top priority right now, but the startup revealed it has many other products on its roadmap to come.
Photo courtesy of FitNatic.
