There are three ideas used in the design of Alpha Nutrient formulas

The first idea is that we need to take in about 40 substances to be healthy and function well. These substances are nutrients and are available from foods as long we eat enough of the right foods every day.

The second idea is that we can eat the 40 nutrients in their pure form and avoid all the negative effects of eating foods. Eating pure nutrients also permits good nutrient absorption when digestive tract function is impaired.

The third idea is that optimal nutrition requires a carefully calculated and balanced intake of nutrients. These three ideas are combined in the design of the Alpha Nutrient formulas. Forty nutrients are combined to provide carefully calculated and balanced intake of nutrients.

Space Diets & NASA  Elemental nutrient formulas or ENFs represent the ultimate reduction of food and have been called Space Diets. NASA sponsored ENF development to define the minimum weight and volume required for astronaut nutrition on long space journeys. Several studies demonstrated normal functioning with health benefits for volunteers living on ENFs for weeks at a time.

The traffic of non-nutrient chemicals through the body can be thought of as the "overburden" or cost of food intake. Reducing food-processing cost is a form of metabolic rest that has therapeutic applications in many diseases.

Elemental Nutrient Formulas (ENFs) are used in hospital medicine. They are used to manage digestive diseases and to provide adequate nourishment when eating food is undesirable or impossible.  We explored the use of ENFs in solving other common health problems.

The logic was -- if food is suspect in causing an illness, a food holiday using an ENF to supply nutrition would confirm or deny food involvement, usually within 10 days. If the food holiday proved successful, the Alpha Nutrition Program would become a standard method of redefining a healthier diet.