The Standard American Diet (abbreviated SAD) unquestionably falls short in promoting wellness, vitality and longevity. Nutritional supplementation has to be targeted to be effective and before any targeted approach can be effectively employed, there needs to be a strong foundation of overall wellness and vitality in which to build on. The E7™ (stands for Essential Seven) is a new approach that effectively addresses 7 Key areas of health often lacking in the Standard American Diet (SAD). They are: (1) Enzymes, (2) Co-Enzymes, (3) Co-Factors, (4) Protein, (5) Essential Oils, (6) Fiber, (7) Probiotics. This approach was developed by reviewing thousands of pages of statistical data on the American Diet, by studying food habits and diet contents of the healthiest cultures, and by understanding the impact of modernization and processing on our food supply. Addressing these essential seven areas are the most likely to fill in the "gaps" in most diets and provide a strong and solid foundation for wellness and vitality and for more targeted approaches.

 

ENZYMES: Enzyme supplementation is recommended for anyone who consumes a cooked food diet or in the aid of other health conditions. The old axiom, "you are what you eat" is only partially right. More correctly stated, "you are what you eat, digest, absorb and are able to utilize." Natures plan calls for food enzymes to help with digestion instead of forcing the body's digestive enzymes to carry the whole load. If the human organism must devote a huge portion of its enzyme potential to making digestive enzymes, it spells trouble for the whole body because it drains the pool of enzyme machinery needed to make the metabolic enzymes. Eating enzyme-less foods contribute to obesity and weight gain. Raw calories are relatively non-stimulating to glands and tend to stabilize weight. Cooked calories excite glands and tend to be fattening. Calorie indexes, and science, make not distinction between the amount of raw and cooked calories. As a general rule, cooked foods are much more fattening than raw foods, even of the same type (i.e. raw vs. cooked bananas).

 

CO-ENZYMES AND CO-FACTORS: As important as our discussion on enzymes is above, it is important to know that enzymes require co-enzymes to function properly. These co-enzymes are organic vitamins and ionic minerals, and without them, the enzyme does not function properly, or at all. Minerals participate in nearly every one of the thousands of biochemical processes that occur in the body. While it is important to have a sufficient amount of each mineral, it is also important to have relative amounts of certain minerals in balance. If this is not done, it is possible to create a relative deficiency of a certain mineral if another mineral is given in excess. Furthermore, minerals must be bio-available to be absorbable and useful by the body. Finally, many minerals are not derived from sources shown to be free from contamination with heavy metals, and clean mineral sources are hard to find due to the ubiquitous nature of toxins in the environment.

 

PROTEIN: Proteins make up 2/3rds of body solids and are used to build and repair every cell and tissue in the body. Furthermore, all detoxification pathways are protein dependent. Proteins are needed to make the digestive and metabolic enzymes (substances which catalyze every reaction in the body and are absolutely necessary for life). Protein also has a major role in blood clotting, proper fluid balance, in blood sugar regulation and hormone production. Although Americans get more than enough protein in their diet, they often consume incomplete proteins (meaning that they don't contain all the essential amino acids) and this puts them at risk for developing deficiencies of particular amino acids. Which then is a good protein source to consume? Unlike Cow's milk Whey protein more resembles the native protein ratios found in human milk, which is 70-80% whey protein. Furthermore, high quality whey protein has the highest biological value of any protein, including egg, casein, milk beef or soy (meaning that it is most absorbed and utilized). Whey is a complete protein, meaning it contains all the essential and non-essential amino acids. Why is also an excellent source of branched chain amino acids (BCANs) which playa role in energy metabolism and muscular function.

 

ESSENTIAL OILS: Essential Oils, or Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's), are fats required by the body that the body is unable to produce on its own, so they must be supplemented from the diet. EFA's are often called "the good fats" because unlike other fats that have received negative press, these fats have health promoting benefits. Essential fatty acids help modulate inflammation, protect against cancer, protect against heart disease, help to support the structure and function of the nervous system, help to maintain healthy skin, assist in modulating blood sugar, and help in the modulation and production of hormones. Essential fatty acids are extremely important nutrients for health and are present in every healthy cell in the body, and are critical for the normal maintenance, growth and functioning of the cells, muscles, nerves, and organs.

 

FIBER: Fiber is the material that gives plants texture and support and is found in many plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and whole grains. Fiber is an essential element missing in most of our diets and has a number of health promoting characteristics, such as: assisting in the removal and binding of toxins, waste and debris, increasing sense of fullness, helping to modulate blood sugar, providing food for "good bacteria", promoting healthy weight and cholesterol levels, promoting bowel regularity, providing cancer protection.