Nutrient Optimiser Mission Statement

by

Our mission

  • To leverage technology, data analysis and innovative insights to enable individuals to optimise their food choices quantitatively.
Contents

What do we do?

  • We enable people to optimise their nutrition to achieve their goals.

Our goal 

  • To start a movement of people who quantitatively optimise their nutrition (Optimisers).  

What do we mean by “nutrition”?

  • “Nutrition” is the branch of science that deals with nourishment and nutrients for humans.  

What does it mean to “optimise” nutrition?

  • To optimise is to make the most effective and efficient use of available resources (i.e. foods and meals).  

Why do we need to optimise nutrition?

  • Our sense of taste and smell are indicators of micronutrients and influence our food choices.  Before the creation of artificial flavourings and colour, flavour and appearance guided us to foods that contained the nutrients we needed to thrive.   
  • Modern flavour and colouring technology have enabled us to separate taste and nutrition.  We can no longer trust taste as a useful guide of nutritional value. 
  • Humans have optimised for maximal energy intake with minimal energy expenditure over many generations as opportunistic hunter-gatherers, in an environment where nutrients were plentiful, but energy was scarce (i.e. optimal foraging).
  • We have progressively engineered our food environment to optimise for maximum energy availability.  This has facilitated our population growth and survival. However, this has come at the expense of food quality and nutrient density.  
  • We have leveraged modern technology to drive a step-change in the availability of energy through the use of:
    • chemical fertilisers, 
    • modern farming practices,
    • extraction and isolation of oils from plants, 
    • artificial flavours and colours, and 
    • macronutrient manipulation for maximum consumption (profit) and minimum satiety.
  • Our technological development has led to the increased availability of energy (from both fat and carbohydrates) that has fueled the obesity epidemic…
  • … as well as an unprecedented (and unsustainable?) population growth.
  • Big Food targets our primal instincts with little regard for nutrition.
  • Food fortification and supplements are only a bandaid solution and rarely provide the nutrients we need in the form or the ratios that our body needs.  
  • Food scientists have created a modern food environment of micronutrient depletion with unlimited energy availability.  

Why do we need to optimise our nutrition?

  • The majority of our metabolic issues (e.g. obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, insulin resistance, etc.) are due to the consumption of excess energy with too few nutrients.  
  • The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) are estimates of the minimum requirements to avoid the diseases of deficiency.  
  • Without adequate nutrients, our bodies prioritise functions relating to short term survival at the expense of repair and long term survival (as per Ames’ Triage Theory).
  • To maximise performance and longevity, we need to provide our bodies with the nutrients they need. 

What is our solution?

  • Nutrient Optimiser quantifies nutrient density to identify foods that contain the micronutrients and macronutrients we need more of to thrive (see The Nutrient Optimiser Score for more details).   
  • Nutrient Optimiser provides resources (e.g. food lists and recipes) to enable Optimisers to efficiently reach their goals, bypassing consuming fad diets and nutritional belief and dogma.
  • Nutrient Optimiser enables Optimisers to monitor their progress using biometrics relevant to their goal (e.g. weight, body fat, blood glucose, waist and ketones) to ensure continued progress.
  • Our use of technology (e.g. web app, blog, app, Facebook groups, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook bot, etc.) allows a high tech but personalised and cost-effective solution compared to traditional models.
  • We value the power of community to support Optimisers on their journey.  We use a range of popular social media portals to facilitate community support of other like-minded Optimisers.  

How do we do it?  

  • We apply the most relevant, efficient and powerful scientific research to suggest specific, targeted, practical and actionable recommendations for Optimisers via educational resources.  
  • The Nutrient Optimiser algorithm applies unique insights from the data analysis of what works for most people most of the time.  
  • This enables us to provide precise nutritional guidance that is tailored to an individual’s current situation and goals, including:
    • current diet, 
    • preferences,
    • habits,
    • weight, 
    • body fat, and 
    • blood sugars.   
  • We create programs that guide people in the use of the appropriate tools to help them achieve their goals.  

How are we different?  

  • We empower Optimisers with the knowledge and tools to identify foods and meals that will provide a balance between nutrients, and:
    • more energy for growth (for athletes and growing children), or 
    • less energy (for fat loss, diabetes management, etc.).  
  • A focus on maximising nutrients in food in the field of nutrition is unique.  Nutrients are often a secondary consideration to other parameters such as 
    • cost, 
    • shelf life, 
    • profit, and 
    • avoidance of certain “bad” nutrients (e.g. saturated fat, fat, carbs, animal foods, plant-based foods, etc.).  
  • The need to quantitatively optimise one’s nutrition is often not apparent until people see it in action or experience it for themselves.  The quantification of relevant nutritional data can provide powerful, specific, accurate and targeted recommendations in a way that other tools do not offer.
  • Standard nutritional advice typically focuses on guilt, avoidance and self-imposed ‘moderation’ and puts the responsibility on the individual to try to limit their calorie intake in an environment that stimulates their gorge instinct.  
  • Rather than prioritising restriction, Nutrient Optimiser helps Optimisers focus on what to add to their diet.   Energy-dense nutrient-poor options lose their power and attraction when Optimisers are empowered to prioritise food and meals that contain the nutrients they need more of.  
  • Diet fads are based around beliefs and magical thinking that can be easily exploited for profit and manipulated to be hyperpalatable with low nutritive value.  Targeting nutrients from food as the primary goal helps to identify the food that will give Optimisers what they need to minimise cravings and manage their appetite.  
  • Supplements can not make up for a poor diet.  Supplements that come in pills, powders, bars and shakes typically do not provide the same benefits as whole foods.  Nutritious food not only provides the essential micronutrients in the right ratios in a form we can absorb but also provides a range of other beneficial substances that we don’t yet fully understand.
  • A focus on counting calories without modification of food quality often fails in the long term.  While energy balance matters, we need a nutritional solution that provides nutrients without excessive hunger and excessive reliance on conscious restriction. 

What happens if we don’t achieve our mission?

  • There are thousands of named diets and fads that come and go, but obesity, diabetes and all the other metabolic disorders continue to worsen.  
  • The diabesity epidemic is threatening to cripple international economies.  
  • We believe that Nutrient Optimiser provides unique insights that can help to reverse these trends.  It provides a viable option for anyone who wants to access food, that will enable them to take control of their health and quantity of life.  
  • If this critical mass of Optimisers becomes large enough, the food industry will respond by providing cost effect nutritious, sustainable and regenerative food.

Keep Reading