By Rachel Davies, Nutritional Therapist
Biohacking is an increasingly popular approach to health optimisation in which individuals seek to maximise their physical and mental health through targeted ‘hacks’ to improve their wellbeing in search of peak performance. It utilises data-driven approaches in biology, nutrition, neuroscience, genetics and more to get the most and best out of yourself.
As Dave Asprey, author of ‘Smarter Not Harder: The Biohacker’s Guide to Getting the Body and Mind You Want’ writes:
“Hacking is inherently about taking control of a system to make it do what you want it to do - getting the results you want with the least amount of effort. It is the essence of the smarter-not-harder approach”.
Biohacking often focuses on the key areas needed to optimise performance such as energy, sleep, longevity, productivity and focus but it can be applied to any type of health goal. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, biohacking involves assessing your unique needs, experimenting with personalised changes, and measuring results to see what works best for you.
While biohacking might seem like a luxury reserved for Silicon Valley billionaires with cutting-edge tech at their fingertips, in actual fact there are many simple, accessible ways we can all ‘biohack’. All it requires is for us to tune into our bodies and work with, rather than against, our natural rhythms. In this guide, I’ll show you practical biohacks that anyone can explore to support peak performance, resilience, and overall well-being.
Biohacking in nutrition
When nutrition aligns with your body’s unique needs, it can improve focus, sustain energy, help manage stress, and speed up recovery. The first step in achieving this is to understand your body’s current state and identify any nutritional gaps. To do this, in my clinic I typically start with comprehensive blood testing to pinpoint specific nutrient needs. I often layer on other testing too such as genetic testing, providing a personalised biochemical blueprint that reveals any genetic predispositions or increased requirements. This data serves as our foundation.
From there, you can proactively meet your body’s needs by consistently incorporating essential nutrients to support performance and overall well-being. For example, maintaining sufficient levels of key nutrients like iron, B vitamins, and magnesium can make a significant difference in sustaining energy.
As a starting point, here are 3 key nutritional foundations that are important for everyone to ensure you are providing your body with the building blocks for better health:
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Focus on a Nutrient-Dense Whole Food Diet
Prioritising real food - lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, beans and pulses, healthy fats - ensures your body has the essential micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) to function at its best. Nutrient-dense foods provide sustained energy, balanced mood, reduce inflammation and fuel peak performance. -
Balance Blood Sugar Levels
Stable blood sugar prevents energy crashes, improves mental clarity, and reduces cravings. To biohack your blood sugar levels, focus on protein- and fibre-rich foods in each meal, and avoid sugary, highly processed foods that cause what I call the blood sugar rollercoaster- big spikes and dips in your blood sugar -
Prioritise Gut Health
Your gut health influences not only digestion but also immunity, hormone balance and mood. Support optimal gut health by ‘eating the rainbow’ - incorporate a wide diversity of colourful, plant foods in your diet every day to feed your beneficial gut microbes and promote a healthy gut microbiome.
Biohacking with targeted supplementation
Whilst I am always an advocate for a ‘food-first’ approach, using high quality, targeted supplementation is a key part of any biohackers toolkit.
Supplementation is a powerful way to fill nutritional gaps that modern diets cannot fulfil, especially when we are managing busy lifestyles and facing high levels of stress. Supplements like quality multinutrient formulas such as Extracted’s Multee but also B vitamins, Magnesium and Omega 3s can be especially helpful. Equally if you follow a particular diet such as vegan diet you will want to supplement to avoid nutritional shortfalls.
You can also utilise supplementation to target specific areas that you want to improve. So if you struggle to get a good night’s sleep - a fundamental component of biohacking - then you may want to explore quality supplements to help you get the restorative slumber your body and mind need to function at its best. Extracted’s first product - Sleepee - was born out of founder Toni’s struggle with insomnia so has been expertly designed to bring together evidence-based ingredients to support you in getting the quality sleep you deserve.
Tracking and testing
Biohacking is most effective when it’s evidence-based. Tracking your progress allows you to see how changes in your diet, exercise, sleep, or supplementation affect your health and performance. So rather than guessing at how you should ‘hack’ your health, you can test and refine your approach so it is truly personalised and bespoke to you.
Here are some tracking tools you might want to consider:
Food Journals and Apps: Track your dietary intake, hydration, and supplements and assess these alongside your physical and mental output. So if your goal is improving energy and you start making changes to your diet, how is this impacting your energy levels? Use scores out of10 to track how things improve over the weeks and months that follow.
Wearable Devices: Track your sleep quality, physical activity, and heart rate variability (HRV) to monitor stress. There are lots of devices on the market from Oura rings to Fitbits but having the data can really help you to see the change that is happening which helps with motivation and compliance.
Lab Tests: As discussed this is often a starting point for me with my clients. Bloodwork can reveal nutrient deficiencies, hormone imbalances, and other areas where targeted biohacks might help. Using the support of a nutritionist or other healthcare professional to interpret these in the context of your health history is also important.
Ultimately, biohacking is about understanding your body’s needs and making informed decisions based on evidence so utilising the technology and science we have available to us makes this more precise.
The biohacker’s routine
So now you understand what biohacking is, and the many aspects of your health you can affect, you may feel slightly overwhelmed with where to start. Don’t fret, these are my top tips for establishing your own biohacking routine that supports long term health benefits:
Start Small and Focus on Basics
No fine tuning of details will outweigh getting the basics right. Begin by integrating one or two biohacks, like improving hydration or adding more nutrient-dense whole foods to your diet. Building habits gradually allows your body to adjust and the habits are much more likely to last.
Personalise Your Plan
Remember that biohacking is about individualised optimisation. Personalise your approach based on your needs, lifestyle, and specific health goals. I suggest picking one key goal to begin with so as not to become overwhelmed.
Measure and Adjust
Regularly track your progress to assess what’s working and where you need to adjust. This might mean trying a new supplement or refining your diet for even better results. This is where using methods of tracking improvements and regular testing can be helpful.
Maintain Consistency
The effects of biohacking are cumulative, so consistency is key. As I always say to my clients it is the overall pattern of your dietary and lifestyle behaviour, not the individual episodes, which amount to the biggest shift towards your health goals.
Happy Biohacking!
Note: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
This blog is written by Nutritional Therapist Rachel Davies. Rachel is registered with the BANT (British Association of Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine) and the CNHC (Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council). She continually attends CPD training to further her expertise and keep abreast of the fast moving field of nutritional science.