EP5, Interview with Emily Hyde, Head Nutrition Coach

In this episode of 'Unstoppable By Design,' host Matt Terry welcomes Emily Hyde, Head Nutrition Coach at Juggernaut Fitness, to explore beyond fad diets and calorie calculators. With degrees in exercise science, nutrition, and functional medicine, Emily shares her expertise in functional nutrition, revealing how hidden data from our bodies can supercharge fitness results. They delve into the importance of personalized meal plans, gut health, and actionable steps for improved well-being. Emily also discusses the benefits of hair tissue mineral analysis and its insights, common nutrient deficiencies, and practical advice for making sustainable nutrition tweaks. Listeners are encouraged to embrace small, data-driven changes to become truly unstoppable in their health and fitness journeys.

00:00 Introduction to Unstoppable By Design

00:17 Meet Emily Hyde: Nutrition Expert

01:30 Emily's Journey into Nutrition

02:50 Functional Nutrition Explained

09:25 Client Success Stories

12:38 Practical Nutrition Tips

17:42 Myth Busting and Rapid Fire Questions

24:58 How to Get Started with Juggernaut Fitness

25:49 Conclusion and Weekly Challenge

Transcript

Matt: Let's gooooo. Welcome to Unstoppable by Design, where we talk all things fitness, mindset, and what it means to truly be unstoppable inside and outside the gym. I'm Matt Terry, and today we're skipping the fad diets and calorie calculators to zoom straight into your bloodstream, and yup, even your hair- to uncover hidden data that can supercharge your results.

Joining me is our very own Emily Hyde head nutrition coach here at Juggernaut Fitness. Emily, how are you?

Emily: I am great, how’re you? 

Matt: I'm good. With degrees in exercise science, nutrition, and functional medicine, plus certifications from precision nutrition to CrossFit. Emily's the detective who turns lab work into laser-focused meal plans.

We're talking root causes, gut health, and the real-world steps you can take this week to fuel your body better. So, whether you're an athlete chasing prs, a busy parent fighting fatigue, or just tired of one size fits all advice- stick around. By the end of this episode, you'll know a little more about how functional nutrition and Emily's holistic approach can move you from guessing to knowing what your body needs to become truly unstoppable.

So, let's dive in. Emily, you hold degrees and exercise science, nutrition, and even human nutrition and functional medicine. What moment or experience first sparked your fascination with how food shapes performance?

Emily: Wow. Well that was quite an intro. I have never been introduced like that and I love it. Thank you. Well, I have actually loved exercise and nutrition since I was like fifteen years old. My parents set a really great example for me. My mom always cooked healthy meals and they both loved to exercise, so they really paved that path for me, but I got into long-distance running at fifteen.

And from there just kind of started getting interested in what I was eating and ust how my body started changing with running and changing how I was. I don't know if you know those books, “Eat this, not that”?

Matt: Yes.

Emily: That was popular forever ago. I had every single one of those and I had them memorized. I could tell you exactly what to eat when you went to McDonald's and what the calorie breakdown was. So it was just, it was a natural love for me way back then.

Matt: That's great. And when you say McDonald's, you mean of course Mc D'S steak-house? 

Emily: Yes, exactly. 

Matt: Alright. You've chosen a holistic science-driven path. What about functional nutrition grabbed you versus a more conventional dietetics route? 

Emily: Um, well I was an athlete in my twenties, really, I was an athlete all through high school and then in my twenties and a combination of just training really hard, and eating good foods, but not knowing how to combine them together in the best way. I ran my hormones and my digestion just into the ground. 

And at the time I was working for a hospital system and so I went to a couple different doctors, an endocrinologist, a couple different people that I knew from working there. And I was really dismissed. I was told- one told me I was too young to have any of the issues I was bringing up. I felt really defeated, so I started doing research on my own and I came across a nutrition therapy practitioner who I was like, I need to work with you. This sounds like something that I need and that experience, just changed the way I viewed health and nutrition and just the whole system. And that I was like, okay, I went to school for the nutritional therapy practitioner and then went on to get my Master’s degree and just kind of pivoted from that.

Matt: That's awesome. I wanna actually dive into the functional nutrition therapy practitioner in a second, but do you think that athletes- or there may be more athletes who felt the same way you did, feeling just burnt out?

Emily: Yes, absolutely. I see it a lot and it's this, there's a fine balance with training like supporting the stress from training and from having a stressful life and working a full time job and all of that has a bigger impact on our health than I think what we realize, you know, when we’re in the gym.

Matt: Yea, that makes sense. Alright, so, going back to one of your fancy titles if you had to explain your job to a 10-year-old, how would you describe what a functional nutritional therapy practitioner actually does? 

Emily: I would say that I help people figure out what their bodies need to feel their best. So, kind of like a detective, like you mentioned in the beginning. So if someone is tired or has a lot of stomach aches, headaches, or digestion issues, and just doesn’t feel good, I help them look at why that might be happening.

Matt: Alright, so you're here with us. You're a head nutrition coach. Walk us through your typical onboarding. So, lets say you meet with somebody new, a new client walks in, what kinds of assessments or labs would you order and why? 

Emily: Hmm, well that really completely depends upon the person. There's really no one size fits all with everybody needs a certain test or to eat a certain way, so we really go into talking a lot about like their full story. It would include, you know, their current and past medical history, symptoms that they’re experiencing right now, their stress levels, their digestion, their energy, sleep, you know, we go through all of those things to figure out, like, okay, do we need to start with testing? Or do we need to start by just cleaning up the diet and drinking more water or something like that before we dive into the testing route.

Matt: Yea, that makes sense, it’s not a one size fits all approach. Now we have hair, tissue, mineral analysis, or the HTMA tests- sounds exotic. What insights can a few strands of hair reveal that blood sometimes misses?

Emily: It really does sound like an exotic test, but it's very practical. So, we can get blood tests done that show us the vitamins and minterals in our body and that is fantastic, but that's like a snapshot of what is happening in the moment. And the hair tissue mineral analysis shows us more of a longer term picture. It's looking at like a 3-month look back. It shows mineral status and heavy metal status which is also good to know because it will help us see our toxic burden. So we can assess chronic trends that blood work might miss in that moment. So blood work is very important, but for example, blood levels of calcium or magnesium might look normal on a blood test because the body works really hard to keep our blood tightly regulated. But if tissue levels are depleted, we're not gonna see that in a blood test. So we can see that from the hair tissue, so it'll reveal hidden deficiencies, imbalances, or toxic burdens like mercury or aluminum that we wouldn’t see show up in the blood.

So it's not about replacing blood tests because those are very important too, but it's adding another layer of insight so we can see how the body’s responding to stress, thyroid trends, detox capacity, that kind of thing.

Matt: So it's not. Not one better than the other, they’re meant to go together.

Emily: Exactly.

Matt: So you became board certified in 2025 as a nutrition specialist, how has that deeper clinical lens shifted the way that you write protocols? 

Emily: The board certification process has been really great. In my master's program I had to write so many protocols and do so many different case studies, but things don't always work out as perfectly in real life as they do on paper.

So. In real life, you know, I can have a framework for a protocol that I might use for a certain digestive diagnosis or something like that, but it doesn't take into account all the new nuances that make up the individual and their circumstances. Um, you know, their life circumstances, their stress, their routine, their work schedule. All of those things come into play with, how consistent, someone might be able to be with a protocol or different tweaks that we have to do. So it's really helped me, it's grown me, to be able to pivot and work with each person individually in their unique circumstance.

Matt: That’s awesome. Could you share a client story that perfectly illustrates how addressing root causes beats quick fix diets, what was the initial struggle, surprising lab finding, and the final result? 

Emily: Yes. Last 2 years, I've been working with a woman who came to me with, she wanted to lose some weight. She felt like she was doing everything right, but, the weight was really resistant. Things just weren't working. Did not initially want to do any kind of functional medicine testing. That was really cool. We changed up her diet a little bit. Made sure her calories were in the right range, got her walking a little more, you know kind of did some of those foundational things, and she felt slightly better. Energy improved a little bit. You know, the needle moved a little bit. But, then it stopped. She's like, okay, but it's not, something's not working. And you know she felt like she was hitting that plateau, and we started talking a little bit more about you know, she kept saying things like, now that, she was doing a lot of things she had lost a couple pounds, so she could notice now that bloating was kind of consistent and when it would get worse. And that her energy would drop at certain points of day, not just low energy all the time. She was saying things that made me really think, hmm, I think something more is going on in her gut. 

So we ended up ordering a GI Map test, and it came back that she had pretty severe small intenstinal bacteria overgrowth, which when that happens, our body just- it’s kind of a mess. Nothing's working the way we really want it to go. So we pivoted. And we were able to address that. Now she could see on paper, she had something that made sense to her, because when I explained what the symptoms are and what you would feel if you had this. She's like, yes, that is me. And so we were able to pivot and put her on a protocol that was designed for her to help clear this up. And that took a couple months, took about three months, but now after that, she was feeling so much better. A lot of those symptoms had gone away. Her energy was back up, her bloating was down, digestion was working really great, so then we could move back into the things we were doing in the beginning. And really work on calories and lifestyle things. And that is now moving the needle even more towards her weight loss goals. So we had to pause for a second. We got a little, we got kind of far. With that, and then we pause and pivot, and work on this other thing that was getting in the way, and now she was able to get back to working on her goal. 

Matt: That’s fantastic, I mean one of our previous have talked about failure or setbacks are not the end, they’re just data points. And it sounds like that plateau that was hit, you used it as like a data point, to then pivot and figure out something else that was going on, which is great.

Emily: Yeah.

Matt: All right. Shift and focus. For list listeners who can't run labs right away, what are three low hanging fruit nutrition tweaks that reliably move the needle for energy or body composition?

Emily: This is a good one, but it really depends on where the person’s at, because that'll depend on what they are already doing. But in general, I would say focus on having a protein source with every breakfast, lunch and dinner. And even better if we can add it in to the snack too. So we don't have to go crazy overboard with our protein, but it is a very important macro nutrient that a lot of people are undereating. So I would say that would be one.

Number two, slow down and eat without distractions. I think that's hugely underestimated, and often missed. And I know that we’re busy and I'm guilty of it too, just eating lunch while doing stuff on my computer, but it does not allow us to get into a full digestive state. And that's going to impact just how we digest and absorb the nutrients, how we feel later, if we're bloated, our energy levels.

It's a big one that everyone can do. 

Matt: I'm in that boat. 

Emily: Yeah. Three. Drink more water. Again, super simple and we all know we need to drink more water, but it is a struggle. So finding ways to drink more water, whether that's making sure you have a certain amount met by each meal or adding electrolytes in your water, so it tastes better. Something like that to keep water intake where it should be.

Matt: I mean those sound, those sound very doable to be honest, but also something that would fall off my radar. Alright, another question. Are there common nutrient deficiencies that you repeatedly see in active adults? And what whole food sources help patch those gaps?

Emily: The top three that come to mind are potassium, magnesium, and choline. So, potassium is the number one I see. Magnesium is super popular. Everybody is talking about it right now, which is fantastic because there is a lot of magnesium deficiency, but we often overlook potassium. So when we think about potassium, we always think about bananas, right?

As far as food sources go. But there are actually better sources of potassium. So, I think of white potatoes with the skin on, coconut water is one of my favorites to get in. You can mix coconut water into your water with your electrolytes and we're hitting the potassium and the hydration with that one. Avocados, leafy greens, beans, and even oranges have potassium, but making sure that we are getting a couple of those sources in throughout the week. And then magnesium, it is a common one. We burn through it a lot when we're stressed or physically active. Which is why it’s high up there for athletes. Good food sources of magnesium are pumpkin seeds, almonds, dark chocolate, beans, and even tofu is a great source.

Matt: Interesting, you said pumpkin seeds?

Emily: Pumpkin seeds. Yeah. And then the third one, I would say choline. We don't really hear choline talked about ever, but it's essential for our brain health, liver function and our nervous system. And that's pretty important for us.

Who- for people who, for everybody, but also for the people who are pushing their bodies. Choline is really high in eggs. So a lot of people, a lot of people who are physically active or trying to work on their body composition eat eggs, but sometimes they will tend to eat more egg whites, then whole eggs. And choline is found in the egg yolks, not the egg whites. So, whole eggs are a great source of Choline. But you can also get it from salmon, chicken liver, which I don't find too many people who are eating that. Lean beef. And then there's a little bit in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and brussel sprouts. 

Matt: Yeah. It's funny that you say choline, I have never heard of choline before I started working with you. I was tracking my food, I was being good. And I had to add one of the food items I was eating and it asked for the Choline count. And I was like what is Choline? For those listening. It is not chlorine. It is choline. 

Emily: Choline, yes. 

Matt: Totally different. Alright, so jumping into some myth busting, maybe some rapid fire questions for you. If you're ready, 

Emily: Let’s go. 

Matt: Alright. Carbs after 7:00 PM friend or foe? 

Emily: Ah, this depends on the person, but for most people, carbs after 7 PM is not a foe. What matters more is what you're eating. How much of it you're eating and your overall metabolic health. So in fact, for people who have really poor sleep or have blood sugar crashes in the night, OR are suffering from adrenal fatigue or high evening cortisol, a small portion of healthy carbs at night can be really beneficial for that. For helping them get into sleep and supporting Serotonin and calming the nervous system.

So, no, carbs after 7:00 PM are not a problem, but we wanna make sure, of course, we wanna look at how many carbs we’ve had total in that day. And we also wanna make sure it's not a straight sugary source, like cake, right before bed.

Matt: Ahh, cake. All right. One supplement you wish people researched before buying?

Emily: Magnesium. So everybody again, like we talked about, it's super popular and most people are understanding that they need to take magnesium, but there are so many different forms of magnesium. They're all important, but they all do something different, and we wanna make sure that we're getting the one that we need. So for example, magnesium glycinate is good for relaxation. But then there's also magnesium oxide, that's great for digestion and getting things to move. So you don't wanna take that if that's not your problem.

Also, you know, three, magnesium, three and eight is really great for brain health. So if athlete has a history of concussions or brain injury, they might need more of that type of magnesium than another type. So before just grabbing any bottle of magnesium you see, it's important to research the form that best fits the person's needs.

Matt: Yeah, I could see that being a problem if you get the wrong kind. What is your favorite quick meal when time crunched? 

Emily: I would go with something that is high protein that I can put in a wrap or make into a sandwich. So, like an egg wrap or a tuna salad sandwich that I’m putting you know-

Matt: Yea, making a sandwich.

Emily: Making a sandwich. 

Matt: All right. Book or resource that shaped your philosophy this year?

Emily: I read a really great book, I read it for my Master’s degree and then I reread it a month ago because it was very helpful. It's called the mindful diet, and it goes into similar to what I said in the beginning with slowing down with our meals. It asks a lot of really great questions about why we do certain things, and we, you know, food and nutrition- We eat food all day long. You know, as soon as breakfast is done. Someone's thinking about their snack or their next, you know, we have lunch, and then we have to worry about cooking dinner and it's just something that’s on our radar all the time and we can go into autopilot because of that. And sometimes we start to just mindlessly grab the snacks or always eat the ice cream at night. So it really goes into getting to like getting back to paying attention and asking the questions of why we are doing certain things and how to reframe our habits.

Matt: Nice. Most underrated habit outside the kitchen that boosts metabolic health. 

Emily: Walking, get those steps. 

Matt: Yeah. What now? What would you recommend for walking, maybe what ten minutes? Is that enough? 

Emily: Yeah. So, if someone doesn't have a lot of time and they need the bare minimum, five to 10 minutes after a meal, is fantastic for helping with blood sugar regulation, helping with digestion, and still getting some movement. But, you know, 15-20 minutes a day, if you cant get out after every meal. That's great. If you’re someone who wants more is looking to pay attention to their step count then seven to ten thousand steps a day is also a good goal. 

Matt: Yea, that’s a great goal. What excites you the most about where functional nutrition is headed in the next 5 years?

Emily: I’m really excited to see so many people drawn to Functional Medicine. I've worked with an 8 year old and all the way up to a 78-year-old and everyone in between. And I love that it’s getting more attention, and people want to understand how their body works as a whole. And how their food and their lifestyle can impact that. I love that people are starting to realize that food and lifestyle aren't just supportive or like afterthoughts, they are foundational to our health and most- actually, every, goal that we might have surrounding our health or our body composition. 

And I also love that people are understanding that it's not just about what to eat, it’s how food connects to your hormones, your mental health, your sleep, your stress, and testing is an actionable way to see those things in, in real like, in real numbers and data of how the food is impacting you and testing has become so much more accessible to people, which I love and I think it’s only, it’s only going to get more accessible, uh, and more people are going to want this type of work in the next couple years.

Matt: Yeah, it sounds like it really, it really connects. Actually, I want to go back to something you said before, you said that making sure people, when they’re eating, something that they can do, is kind of like focus on eating and not be so distracted by other things. In my head I was thinking like that really draws a connection between mind and gut. And I think that’s something that a lot of people haven’t really been talking about yet. But it sounds like it’s really important.

Emily: So a quick thought on that. We have a nerve that connects our gut to our brain. And we have  two different nervous systems, and when we are in a stressed, busy, working state, the nervous system that controls digestion can’t turn on properly. 

Matt: Interesting. Yeah. 

Emily: So it is- that all is very connected. 

Matt: Wow. Alright. We should, I feel like that should be one of the upcoming episodes then. All right, so for someone curious about working with you, what’s the first step they have to take once they hit Juggernaut-Fitness.com?

Emily: Once they're on the website, they will be able to find, um. There will be a button that will take them to a place where they can schedule a free consult. 

Matt: Yeah. A free meeting with a coach. Could, they could actually sign up just to, to meet with you, right?

Emily: Yep. 

Matt: That’s awesome and it takes no more than 30 minutes, 30 minutes tops? Just asking some basic stuff. So, if people are interested, come on over, visit juggernaut-fitness.com. Meet with Emily to see what the functional nutrition is all about. I Guess, do you have any other things you wanna share with them, Emily?

Emily: I don’t think so.

Matt: No. We picked your brain pretty good. 

Emily: Yes. 

Matt: So I guess closing that out- fuel, it's not just what's on your plate, it's the data driven strategy behind it. So here's your unstoppable challenge for the week. I want you to pick one nutrition insight that Emily shared. Maybe it's swapping a processed snack for a whole food source of a mineral that you're low on or simply booking that discovery call at Juggernaut-Fitness.com, put it into play for the next seven days. Small step, but there's a huge ripple effect. and remember- you were built to handle hard things. You're unstoppable by design. 

If you’ve got questions for Emily, me, or any of our future guests. Shoot them over to info@juggernaut-fitness.com with the subject line “Unstoppable by Design.” We'll tackle them in an upcoming listener questions and answers episode. Hit follow, enable notifications, and drop a quick review if today's deep dive moved the needle for you. And there's new episodes that drop every Tuesday. And get ready because next week we're cracking the code on mastering macro tracking, turning those grams of protein, carbs, and fats into a roadmap for results that last. 

Until next time, be well, be unstoppable.