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One of the biggest questions I get asked as a trainer is “What should I eat?” If I knew the answer to that question 100% of the times… then I would be a millionaire! I myself have a hard time choosing the correct meals for my body to maximize my strength and optimize my health. I know what is healthy. I know you should stay away from processed foods, eat vegetables, and limit the amount of fat you’re eating. This is the basic knowledge that most trainers have, but I truly was curious. What do I need to eat, like what does my body want?? I did some research and came across a company called Habit. Habit is an at-home blood test that explores how your body processes and reacts to certain macro nutrients. On their website they explain the process “We combine multiple scientifically validated approaches to understand your unique needs, using systems biology. That means we don’t just look at your DNA, metabolism, body measurements, or activity level, but all of them. ” After researching, I was definitely intrigued, so I decided to try it out. This post will go into my whole experience of taking the test, my outcomes, and how it has changed my life!
The Process
Questionnaire/ DNA Swabs
After my habit kit had arrived, I was anxious to start. The first step was to answer some questions about myself including my height, weight, activity level, etc. I also swabbed my cheeks for DNA samples and secured them in the envelope given to send back to the lab. The DNA swab has to be completed 3 times. One on each cheek, and the last one on both to make sure there is sufficient DNA for testing. At first I didn’t understand why DNA was important, but once I received my results it turned out to be the most interesting part!
Fasting- Blood Test #1
Before beginning the Habit test, you must fast for 8-10 hours. I recommend doing the fast overnight while you sleep and completing the Habit test right away in the morning. Also keep in mind that the test in full takes about 3 hours, so make sure it’s a day you don’t have a lot going on! After fasting overnight, it’s time for the first blood test. Habit provides a finger-pricker which was honestly the worst part. You push the spring loaded finger pricker down into the tip of your finger, once it has penetrated the skin and blow starts to flow then it is time to collect your sample. Habit provides cards with clear direction of where you blood should drop. You must fill the card up past the fill line with blood in order for it to be enough to test. The also include plenty of band aids and backup finger-prickers and cards in case something were to happen!
The Habit Shake
After fasting it is time to consume the Habit Shake. The only way I can describe the taste is Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal. It’s not terrible, but it’s a lot. I couldn’t think of any other way to explain the experience, so I found a great description from the Habit website. “The Habit Challenge® Shake lives up to its name (and reputation). Coming in at 14 ounces, it’s a metabolic challenge beverage that has the caloric and macro (i.e., carbs, fat, protein) equivalent of a typical American breakfast (think pancakes, eggs, and bacon). Oh, and you have to drink it in 5 minutes. ” The Habit shake’s main purpose is to assess your body’s nutritional needs. The blood test you take after the shake shows how your body is responding to each part of the shake.
Blood Test #2
Exactly 30 mins after taking the dreaded Habit Challenge Shake, it’s time for another blood test! The process is the same as the first. Fill out your blood test card. Prick a different finger. Let the blood drop onto the card until its full.
Best Test #3
Ah yes! The final blood test! The last blood test comes 120 minutes after consuming the Habit Challenge Shake. Again, same method for collecting blood. After you have collected all 3 samples, you package them in the bag given to you by Habit. In the bag you also include your DNA samples. There is a shipping label already on the package which makes it easy to stick in the mail and wait for the results! Results usually take about 6-8 weeks to come back to you, but Habit continues to email with updates as the process goes along.
The Results
DNA Results
The DNA results that came back were eye-opening. I consider myself to be a healthy adult. I’ve done everything in my power to not be a statistic and to not fall in the patterns that most of my family has. It was interesting to see that even though I lead a healthy lifestyle, you cannot outwork your genes. I found that my bad (LDL) cholesterol is high, which runs in my family and was mostly from doing the Keto Diet the past year. I also found out that I have a heart health indicator that is worrisome. I have a gene variant that is associated with high blood pressure in adults. This runs in my family, so it doesn’t surprise me too much, but I figured I had done a good job of keeping myself away from that result! I thought it was so fascinating that from my DNA they were able to see that I still that trait! The final DNA result that I found interesting was my weight. I am the ideal weight for my height and age, I also have the ideal waist circumference measurement. Even though my numbers are good, I still have a weight gain gene. They found that I have a gene variant that is associated with weight gain, meaning if I were to not follow a proper diet and exercise plan I have a higher chance of becoming obese than others without this gene variant. This slightly shocked me that they could tell all this from my DNA, but looking at my family history it definitely all made sense.
Digestion Results
My results arrived about 6 weeks after testing and I was notified that I am a “Range Seeker” when it comes to food. This means that my body needs quality carbs and fat as my main source of fuel. My plate should be mostly veggies, protein should be thought of more as a side. I was told all about my “hero foods” for carbs, fats, and proteins which made it easy for grocery shopping! I was given a eating plan and receive meals with ingredients and cooking instructions every week! I was also told my portions for the day for starches, fruits, veggies, fats, dairy, and protein based on the goals I had told the Habit scientists when I first took the test.
Meal Plan
So far my plan has been awesome. Each week I receive an email that my recipes have been added to my app. The Habit app is so easy to use and I love how interactive it is! When my meals have been added I can see all breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes given. Each meal displays the ingredients (they even give you an option to auto buy all ingredients on amazon!) how much of each ingredient you will be using, and also goes through each step of the recipe! I love that up top it lets you know how much time the recipe will take and how many servings to expect. I also really like that I can return to previous weeks to see what meals were suggested, just in case I want to repeat recipes!
So… Do I Recommend Habit?
Overall, this experience has been awesome. Habit took the guess work out of my diet. I know what my body wants. I know what my body can handle. I’m not longer trying to follow another person’s diet plan hoping that it will work for me! My digestion has been amazing and my progress has been great. I’ve learned so much about my body and the way that it works, and I’ve also learned some awesome recipes that I will continue to use! Along with the weekly recipes, Habit also gives you access to a Facebook Group depending on what your results are. The Facebook group has been awesome for finding replacements for foods, trying new recipes, and connecting with others who care about health!
If you’re ready to start giving your body the right things instead of what someone else has told you is right, give Habit a try!