I am so pleased to formally (and finally!) announce the official launch of JAI REPAIR — my first performance nutrition product.

If you read Finding Ultra, then you will likely recall that I mention this product a few times, an offering that has actually been available since the day the book came out on May 22.  But I refrained from making any formal or detailed product announcement or promotion until now to ensure that our online store is functioning bug-free and that our web-based ordering & fulfillment systems are humming properly and without incident.  I am proud to say that we are now fully operational.

So What is Jai Repair?

Over the last few years, I have been diligently experimenting with plant-based nutrition in the performance context to determine new ways to optimize physiological repair induced by exercise stress.  Along the way, I have tried dozens of nutritional supplement products.  And allowed my friend, colleague and PhD in microbiology Compton Rom of Ascended Health use me as a guinea pig to test out a wide array of exotic and rare (as well as extraordinarily expensive) microbial & superfood concoctions to then observe their effects on my personal performance and recovery.

The results of these endeavors have been crystallized and combined into this first nutritional product offering under the newly launched Jai Lifestyle PlantPower™ Performance Nutrition banner — an all-in-one post-workout formula that contains a specific and completely unique matrix of top tier high-grade plant-based ingredients, including: (1) a tri-blend of sprouted brown rice, pea and hemp proteins to ensure a full array of bioavailable essential amino acids to repair the muscles; (2) powerful and concentrated antioxidants such as resveratrol, grape skin and other vegetable & berry extracts to combat oxidative stress exacerbated by training; (3) l-glutamine to further reduce muscle breakdown; and (4) your daily RDA of vitamin B12 (key for vegans) to boot.

Chemical free. Absolutely no artificial coloring or additives.  Gluten-free.  Dairy free.  Non-GMO.  Low glycemic.  Almost no fat (only 1g / serving).  And 100% vegan.

But the kicker?  JAI REPAIR is the first and only athletic recovery product (to my knowledge) that also contains Cordyceps Sinesis extracts as part of its proprietary blend.

What the Heck are Cordyceps?

As I recently discussed in my guest post on Tim Ferris’ wildly popular 4-Hour Workweek Blog (“10 Uncommon Superfoods from the World of Ultra-Endurance”), this well-known staple of Chinese herbal medecine is a parasitic dried fungus that can only be found growing on caterpillar larvae native to high-altitude regions of China, Nepal and Tibet. Yeah, I know – it sounds gross (and don’t ask me how this was first discovered and used – it must be a great story).  But Cordyceps are unparalleled when it comes to health and athletic performance. Pharmacologically anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-lipid (cholesterol lowering), studies indicate enhanced immune system functionality as well as improved stamina in endurance athletes via increased aerobic capacity and oxygen utilization as well as stabilized blood sugar metabolism. In fact, human trials indicate Cordyceps can catalyze oxygen uptake increases of up to 50% [*] and improvements in aerobic capacity by up to 9% [**] (citations below).  Chinese Olympic athletes have been swearing by it for decades, and I can personally attest to their effectiveness when it comes to my own training, racing and recovery. Another plus? Increased sex drive and functionality.  To be sure, there are other good Cordyceps-based supplement products on the market.  But JAI REPAIR is the only “all-in-one” protein and anti-oxidant based recovery formula available that can boast the inclusion of this rare but potent all-natural superfood.

In a nutshell, JAI REPAIR is precisely formulated to provide a low glycemic, gluten-free, dairy-free, extremely low fat and 100% vegan formula singularly designed to reduce physical and mental fatigue and accelerate recovery so that you can go longer, bounce back faster, train harder, thrive and perform at your absolute peak.

The recipe was devised by me over the course of the last year in close consultation with Compton, based on our collective experiences working together over the last several years.  If you read my blog (or my book), you know how much I respect this guy — he really knows his stuff and has been immensely helpful in mentoring me on the more arcane and finer points of nutrition.  His home-brewed “Endurance Elixir” concoctions I refer to in my book, as well as his Ascended Health probiotic nutrition products have fueled my training and racing for years, and his knowledge base when it comes to preventive medecine through superfood nutrition is both unique and unparalleled (Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in Ascended Health or any of Compton’s business endeavors.  I simply respect his opinion, experience and mentorship tremendously, without remuneration).  If you are interested in hearing more about what this guy has to say, feel free to peruse any of these video interviews or check out this blog I posted.  Admittedly, he can get a little “out there,” but that goes with the territory when you are on the cutting edge.  And Compton can back it up.

For our initial “beta” production run, we manufactured a modest number of 2.2lb cannisters to simply test the waters — 200 in total at a retail price of $65.99.  And we are already almost sold out.  As of the date of this post, approximately 40 or so units remain at this price.  A price that will remain unchanged until all 200 initial units are sold.

For our next production run, we are compelled to slightly increase the price.  Why?  I could have used lower-grade versions of the ingredients to keep production and retail costs low, but my personal mandate is to bring you the best product I can produce.  And the truth is that these ingredients are expensive to source.  Incredibly expensive, in fact. [NOTE: In truth I would have preferred to have included some additional superfood ingredients, but the price point became so high as to be completely prohibitive at this juncture].  In any event, and at the current price point, the margins are simply too de minimus to make it worth all the hard work it entails to create and distribute the product. Believe me, nobody’s getting rich off this product.  I just need to take financial care of all the people I work with who have helped bring this to market.  We’re not sure what the new price point will be, but it won’t be significantly higher. Keep ya posted.  

The point is this: if you want to try the product and avoid the hike, now’s the time to order before this batch is gone.

Currently, JAI REPAIR is available exclusively through Jai Lifestyle, and can be ordered from and shipped to anywhere in the world.  Admittedly, overseas shipping can get quite expensive, so we are beginning to explore affiliate programs/relationships and distribution partners in the UK, Europe and Australia, as well as wholesale and retail outlets.

For the record, I’m not crazy about the fact that the current packaging is plastic.  Endeavors are underway to source more eco-friendly packaging, labels and ink while at the same time remaining cost-conscious.

Oh yeah – it also tastes good!  This initial version is vanilla flavored and sweetened with SweetLeaf™ Stevia, a natural alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners — it’s the only chemical-free, zero-calorie, zero-carb, zero-glycemic index, natural sweetener there is.  How do I know it passes the taste litmus test?  My kids love it in their smoothies.  Even my little girls, ages 5 & 8 like the taste, and they are particularly finicky.

Anyway, the point of this post is to simply state how proud I am of the quality and caliber of this product and the people who have helped me bring it to market.  

NOTE: As I emphatically repeat throughout my book, I highly recommend that you strive to get the vast majority of your nutritional needs met from whole foods.  I do (all from plants in my case).  Supplements should be used sparingly and never substitute for good diet, plain and simple.  Personally, I use only a few supplements (including Jai Repair of course) but only in moderation – when I feel run down or am taxing my body particularly hard, for example; or when I’m just not sure I have included enough plant-based protein in my diet that day.  It’s not an every-day thing for me, and it shouldn’t be for you either.

But if you are looking to put distance between you and your current post-workout product of choice brightly glowing in artificial coloring and flavors, chocked full of sugar, GMO’s, dairy and low-grade whey protein isolate and are instead ready for a plant-based, dairy-free, gluten-free, non-GMO alternative athletic recovery product replete with top-shelf vegan ingredients and superfood infused without artificial coloring or additives, then I hope you will give JAI REPAIR a good faith trial run.  

Then let me know what you think.  I’m all ears.

In case you missed all the above hyperlinks, click here to visit the product information and ordering page.

For those of you who have expressed interest in checking out the JAI RENEW Detox & Cleansing Program I also refer to in my book, we are currently still in development on this product.  I had hoped to have it ready for market by the time the book was released, but I admit to being a bit too over-optimistic on this point, underestimating just how much hard work is entailed in getting a product mature and finalized.  We anticipate having it ready for sale in coming months and I will keep you abreast of developments in this regard.

Each serving of Jai Repair has the following robust profile of plant-based ingredients:

PROTEIN – 24 Grams
A comprehensive, complete and balanced profile of essential and non-essential amino acids derived from a diverse combination of plant-based sources including pea, hemp and sprouted brown rice.

L-GLUTAMINE – 5,000mg
A critical and proven amino acid that advances recovery from exercise induced stress, expedites muscle repair, promotes strength gains, and stimulates fat loss.

ANTIOXIDANTS – 1,700mg
Resveratrol, grape skin and other vegetable and berry extracts specifically combined to combat inflammation and physiological damage incident to oxidative stress and promote optimum bodily repair and functionality.

CORDYCEPS – 500mg
A Chinese superfood linked to improved strength, energy, endurance and stamina. Cordyceps increase oxygen capacity and cardiac functionality, battle fatigue, boost immune system & sexual functionality, as well as promote longevity, mental health and blood pressure regulation.

INGREDIENTS
Pea Protein Isolate, Hemp Protein, L-Glutamine Powder, Brown Rice Protein Concentrate, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Fructose, Resveratrol, Mycelium Cordyceps, Vita-Veggie, Vita-Berry, Grape Skin Extract 20%, and SweetLeaf™ Stevia.  Free of corn, yeast, wheat, soy, gluten, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

**Proprietary Fruit and Vegetable Blend Containing Vitaberry & Vitaveggie (Apple Skin,  Blueberry Fruit Extract 4:1, Apple Cider Vinegar, Papaya Fruit Powder, Pineapple Powder, Acerola Extract Powder 25%, Nectarine Fruit Powder, Peach Fruit Powder, Grape Skin Extract Powder 30%, Pomegranate  Extract Powder 40%, Raspberry Powder, Brussel Sprout Powder, Broccoli Powder, Cabbage Powder, Cauliflower Powder, Carrot Powder, Garlic Powder, Kale Powder, Turnip Powder, Tomato Powder, and Onion Powder).

FOOTNOTES

[*]. Zhu J-S, Rippe J. CordyMax enhances aerobic capability, endurance performance, and exercise metabolism in healthy, mid-age to elderly sedentary humans. Presented at the Annual Scientific Conference of the American Physiological Society (APS). Experimental Biology. 2004 April 17–21; Washington, DC.

[**] Medicine & Science In Sports & Exercise– INCREASED AEROBIC CAPACITY IN HEALTHY ELDERLY HUMANS GIVEN A FERMENTATION PRODUCT OF CORDYCEPS Cs-4 — Xiao, Y.; Huang, X. Z.; Chen, G.; Wang, M. B.; Zhu, J. S.; Cooper, C. B. FACSM Peking Union Hospital and Beijing Hospital, Beijing, PR China; University of California, Los Angeles, CA (Sponsor: C.B. Cooper, FACSM)