CARNA NUTRITION CEO TURNS HIS PAIN INTO PURPOSE

Nick Zecchino has countered his long battle with ulcerative colitis with innovative product GUT R3BU1LD!

The VIP Crew: You were diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2016. Since that diagnosis, you have played Division 1 football [Purdue], and now you have created your own nutritional company with a focus on gut health. Tell us about it.

Zecchino: When I was first diagnosed, it was a lot. It came out of nowhere. I had to learn how to deal with it on the fly. That’s a lot of people’s experience with it as well who I have spoken to with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s, IBD [Inflammatory Bowel Disease]. To go through that my senior year of high school, thinking you’re on top of the world, going to play football in college, and then getting to school, having a good freshman season and starting, and then having everything taken away from me, was a lot to handle. I thought my dreams might have been over of playing big time college football.

I turned it into something more than it needed to be so that I could get through it mentally. In terms of physical, I lost 55 pounds in 3 months, but it was more of a mental battle than anything. I use that to my advantage because there aren’t many people even 10 years later that have gone through a traumatic experience and a battle like that at that point in their life. I use that as fuel and something that has helped me take advantage of my opportunities, and be more grateful, and humble. I realize it can be taken away at any second and that is my motivation going forward with Carna Nutrition.

The VIP Crew: You used football as a method of motivation to get through ulcerative colitis, now, it appears you’re motivated to help others.

Zecchino: That’s absolutely right. I used football as motivation when I was going through those surgeries. I was in the hospital 10 days at a time each time. The vision of coming back and playing football kept me going. I played in the Big 10 Championship game, played in some big Bowl games and had some cool experiences. Now, I have built my own brand. It’s all carried over. What I learned during football and the discipline and everything that it took to stay on point with my health and my body, perfecting my craft with being a long-snapper, paying attention to detail, got me to where I am today with Carna Nutrition, with that same type of passion to help others that I used to help myself years ago. The goal has switched from football and now it goes back to where it originated from which is ulcerative colitis, helping the IBD community and showing them that, it doesn’t have to hold you back.

The VIP Crew: GUT R3BU1LD is your first product under the Carna Nutrition banner. As the, Hair Club for Men ad used to say, you’re not only client, but you’re also the President. Tell us about GUT R3BU1LD.

Zecchino: I use the product daily. I’ve been using it for months. I used it before we put it out for purchase and now it’s part of my daily supplement intake. How it started, I was trying a bunch of different products, nothing really worked, until I found the main ingredient in our product, L-Glutamine, which helps repair and heal the gut lining. Which plays a pivotal role when it comes to ulcerative colitis, IBD, Crohn’s, and

leaky gut. GUT R3BU1LD has many nutrients, vitamins, electrolytes, that helps with nutrient absorption, so the bioavailability is there when it comes to anti-inflammatory’s, such as turmeric that helps the body lower its inflammation. Electrolytes is the biggest aspect with fluid loss when you’re going to the bathroom and moving your bowels a lot. That’s a key thing to replenish. We have B12 in there, multivitamin, and other prebiotic ingredients that we have in our product.

I wanted to make something that is considered a premium product, and I think we nailed it with GUT R3BU1LD. There are other products out there with some of the similar qualities, but they may only have two or three. We have ten scientifically proven studied ingredients, clinically backed, that are natural herbal anti-inflammatories that really help the body absorb nutrients, calm inflammation, boost your immune system, and get your life back on track, so that you can feel good about your daily lifestyle, with

having any kind of gut discomforting conditions.

The VIP Crew: Often you feel like you go through things like this alone. I’m sure the more in depth you have gotten in your research, you will find a large number of those who suffer from ulcerative colitis and other stomach ailments as well.

Zecchino: Definitely! That’s really the reasoning for starting Carna Nutrition is to build a community.  I’m the founder of Carna, but I’m also the face, I’m someone that people can reach out to because I’ve been through the same thing. I know what you are dealing with, I know your daily experiences because I lived it. I realize that there are a lot of people out there that suffers in silence. It’s not a pleasant disease to deal

with, to talk about, and it can be embarrassing. There are other foundations out there with Crohn’s and Colitis, Athletes vs. Crohn’s; Colitis with Larry Nance Jr. They run a great organization, and we will be partnering up with them here soon to help gauge the community more because that’s our mission.

The VIP Crew: How do you take GUT R3BU1LD?

Zecchino: GUT R3BU1LD is a product you take daily. It’s a daily supplement used at any time of the diseased state. We formulated it, worked with our scientist, and chemist… to make sure that anytime you are in a diseased state, whether it’s a flare up or in remission, or you’re just looking for a boost in nutrient absorption, multivitamin, or electrolytes. I want to be clear, you don’t have to have ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s or IBD. It’s for anybody that’s got discomfort, whether it’s gas, or bloating, or they just need a little bit of digestive help. It’s for everyday people; we’re just gearing it towards the Crohn’s and Colitis community because I can relate to them on a bit more of a deeper level. But the product is a general product, taken daily, in 16-20 ounces of water. Shake it up well and drink it at any point of the day. I personally take it before a meal, whether that’s lunch or dinner. Whatever works best for you.

I appreciate you reaching out, Percy, and always following along on my journey from football to now, and hopefully a few years from now we will be able to get on a call and discuss how we have found something special with Carna as well. They can find out everything they need to know about Carna Nutrition, myself, and purchase GUT R3BU1LD at www.carnanutrition.com.