Shipping Updates and New Nutrition Info!
By Connor Young on
Hey Team Ample!
TL;DR:
- We are still headed toward starting to ship later this month!
- We’ve made many improvements to our formulas, and we’re excited to share the updated ingredient lists and nutrition facts for the versions of Ample we’ll be shipping to you! Take a look below, and read on for a deeper dive.
- Our first version of Ample X is dairy-free and vegetarian-friendly. We are working hard on a fully vegan version that does not contain honey, and will introduce it as soon as we can source a high-quality alternative.
- Preorders will be locked in on Monday, 11/7/2016. If you backed us through Indiegogo, please finalize your orders and shipping details in BackerKit before then. If you preordered through our website, please contact help@amplemeal.com with any changes.
This was a labor of love (plus science, logistics, paperwork, legal, and more paperwork) over the last few months getting the formula together. Of course, 90% of the credit goes to Rona, Julie, and the rep at our contract manufacturer, Gina. They kick butt.
Without further ado: our new labels!
Ample Original:
Ample X:
In keeping with our primary goals, everything is non-GMO, soy-free, gluten-free, corn-free, and maintains our target macronutrient ratios. We were able to flavor with real vanilla and with minimal all-natural sweeteners while maintaining low sugar levels.
Before we ship, we’ll have more detailed release notes on the nutritional and food science reasons why we decided on these particular ingredients from their particular sources. We are also already looking at new ingredients for future production runs and will share those with you too!
We’ve organized our sources of ingredients below, followed by some questions you may have:
- Protein Blend*:
Ample Original: Grass-Fed Whey, Organic Brown Rice Protein, Grass-Fed Collagen
Ample X: Organic Brown Rice Protein, Whole Algae Protein
*the only difference ingredient-wise between the 2 versions
- Lipid Blend:
Coconut Oil, Whole Algae Lipid, Macadamia Nut Oil, Chia Seed Oil, Sunflower Lecithin
- Carbs – Starch:
Tapioca, Organic Sweet Potato
- Carbs – Prebiotics / Fiber:
Organic Psyllium Husk, Organic Jerusalem Artichoke Inulin, Organic Acacia Fiber, Green Banana Resistant Starch
- Plant Micronutrient Blend:
Organic Wheatgrass, Organic Barley Grass, Organic Chlorella, Cocoa
- Probiotics:
Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus paracasei, Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium infantis, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bacillus coagulans
- Flavor:
Honey, Natural Vanilla, Cinnamon, Lemon Juice, Monk Fruit, Stevia, Salt
Does Ample X contain honey?
Both Ample and Ample X are lightly flavored with dried honey.
We originally conceptualized Ample X to be X-clusive of animal products. We’re excited to be able to offer this dairy-free, paleo, primal, vegetarian version of our Original Ample, while still meeting our nutritional goals, but we are not quite done yet. We are currently working on making a honey-free version of Ample, applying the same rigorous standards we have for all our ingredients.
If you prefer for us to hold your order until the new formula is ready, or to cancel your order and issue you a refund for now, please reach out directly at help@amplemeal.com, and we’ll be happy to assist you! And we hope that you’ll continue to keep up with all things Ample until we have a honey-free version in our product line.
Can I learn more about the micronutrient profile of Ample?
Our goal is to deliver micronutrients through natural sources and not synthetic fortification (multivitamin blends) like other meal powders. Many studies have shown that getting micronutrients from their natural sources in foods increases their bioavailability (i.e., their active effect in the body). To that end, we’re in the process of conducting our own analytical testing on our manufactured product, and will make them accessible on the website when this testing is complete. As always, we’re on a continuous search to further maximize micronutrients and other nutritional properties of Ample.
What the heck does “hydrolyzed rice” protein mean?
If you’ve ever had rice protein, you likely know that it can be disgusting. Like you’re eating sand in water and was told it was good for you. At the same time, it happens to be a source of vegetarian protein, especially key for Ample X, which needed to be whey- and pea-free. We found an awesome supplier who is able to make rice protein not only palatable, but downright smooth. Not whey-protein-smooth, but still pretty close. How? Through adding enzymes to it to break the protein down a bit before it gets to you. It’s called enzymatic hydrolysis.
Your body does this when it digests food. Specifically, it uses proteases to digest proteins. Fun fact: in biology, words that end in “-ase” are usually enzymes. Hence, protease means an enzyme that breaks down protein. This is what our organic rice supplier does. They use proteases to make the rice protein chains slightly smaller, less chalky, and easier to suspend in water so that you’re not constantly re-shaking Ample.
Enzymatic hydrolysis is done in many cases with other proteins and carbohydrates.
- Collagen, BCAAs, and other proteins have enzymes added to them to make them either more quickly absorbed, more bioavailable, or soluble (such as in our case).
- In the case of milk, lactase in your body naturally breaks down lactose into glucose and galactose by breaking the 1,4′-beta-glycoside bond holding them together. To help out lactose-intolerant people who don’t make enough lactase (the enzyme we need to break down lactose), companies make lactose-free milk by putting in lactase beforehand to break this lactose down. This is also why lactose-free milk tastes more sweet—glucose is sweeter than lactose.
- A new trend has been for companies who sell greens to just include the enzymes within the powder to aid the body in breaking down the vegetables within the stomach.
The key with enzymatic anything is that you start with really quality ingredients. That has been, and always will be our number one priority!
What’s monk fruit?
Monk fruit (or its traditional name, lo han guo) is a fruit that comes from Southeast Asia. It’s a safe, FDA-approved plant extract that is naturally 150-200x as sweet as sugar. It allows us to get a mild sweetness without much sugar or any artificial sweeteners. Unfortunately, it is not likely to bestow any monk-like qualities upon you.
What’s the deal with stevia?
I, along with many others, really hate the bitter taste of many products that contain stevia. So why the heck do we have it in there? Well, it’s because when stevia is used at very low levels and balanced with other sweeteners, it can result in a very pleasant flavor. What makes stevia have a bitter aftertaste is when it’s overused by companies looking to cover up intense off-flavors in their product base formula.
Knowing this, we took great pains to make sure that our unflavored base Ample didn’t have those terrible off-flavors. Thus, we can achieve a pleasant sweetness without the bitter aftertaste you may have associated with stevia.
Next steps:
Now, we’re finalizing all the documentation—legal paperwork, hooray! Next week, we’re moving into production. This means Ample will be mixed, bottled, and tested by our contract manufacturer. We’ll then sprinkle the bottles with love before we send them off to our fulfillment centers to be shipped to you. We’re still targeting an end-of-November ship date.
Thanks so much for your support, excitement and feedback. Complex projects such as taking Ample to market are always more time-intensive than you expect, but all things considered, we’re very happy with where we are. We appreciate your support, and are excited to finally get Ample into your hands! As always, reach out to us with any questions and comments!
Sincerely,
Connor
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