The World is changing. People are becoming sicker, and at a younger age. Many diseases have reached epidemic proportions both here and abroad. Unquestionably, the diminishing quality of our food supply is creating nutrient starvation, and this same nutrient starvation is significantly contributing to the rising incidence of illness and disease. Without proper cell nourishment, the body is an absolute breeding ground for illness and disease. Unless society and our planet do a turnaround, this trend will turn into a global catastrophe. Numerous indigenous countries have already reached a state of crisis secondary to malnutrition from nutrient starvation, e.g. the massive epidemics of HIV and Hepatitis B & C especially on the African continent. But look at home—we have the same epidemics right here!

Could we be starving here in the United States—the land of plenty? Obviously, we are not starving from too few calories as in Africa! If we are not starving of too few calories, then we must be starving from too few nutrients. Remember Senate Document No. 246 back in 1936: [a marked deficiency in any one of the more important minerals actually results in disease and foods no longer contain enough certain needed minerals and are starving us, no matter how much of them we eat]. The industrialization of America’s agricultural soils was in its infancy in 1936, and processing of foods, etc., was literally non-existent. Few would argue the problem has improved—it hasn’t!

Nutrient deprivation has reached the point where animals have to be fed hormones, steroids, antibiotics, vitamins and who knows what else to keep them alive and make them grow. And crops and plants have to be given fertilizer and sprayed with toxic pesticides to keep them alive and grow. But does any of this lessen the declining nutrient content of the soil, crops and our food? No! Added to that is the refining of food, which further strips away many of the remaining nutrients. What is left to nourish our cells such that they will be healthy enough to maintain body health and prevent illness or disease?

There can be little doubt regarding the potential causal relationship between this growing nutrient deprivation (starvation) and the growing incidence of illness and disease! No wonder so many people are turning away from traditional medicine where the focus is largely to suppress the later symptoms of “disease” and little credibility is given to the value of quality food and nutritional supplements in the prevention and/or treatment of illness or disease. Instead people are swarming to health food stores and all kinds of complementary health practitioners.

The natural question at this point is, “Okay! If our soils and foods are deficient in nutrient content to meet our needs, how do we fill the gap?” Many are just trying to eat better and expand the variety of foods thought to have higher nutrient contents—unfortunately, many foods in stores are not fresh, but have been stored and lost considerable nutrient value over time—many having short shelf lives due to degradation or spoilage. Many people are trying to get more “organic” foods, hoping they contain higher amounts of nutrients in addition to containing far fewer toxic chemicals—in fact, studies do show higher nutrient contents in organic foods in general. Others are going to “farmers markets”, hoping that the foods are fresher and thus have a better nutrient content—seasonally they are fresher, however, many still undergo cold-storage to be sold in off season just as in stores. And, of course, the majority of our population is now taking some sort of nutritional supplement on their own. In general, the population is becoming better informed on the subject of lack of sufficient nutrients. Of course, many people have read about a variety of supplements that are touted to affect a certain symptom or disease and they hope to get the same effect themselves. A plethora of reading material is now available to the consumer—some whose recommendations are good—some bad!

However, even if we were able to consistently purchase higher nutrient content food, the preparation of that food may still destroy much of what was gained. Cooking both denatures the nutrients and destroys needed enzyme presence. As for purchasing nutritional supplements in a health food store or catalog, most are not of a structure or in a form that can both be absorbed and readily utilized. Humans are made to operate on plants, grains and animals as our source of nutrients. Most nutritional supplements are not foods—many have been synthesized or are processed themselves, while others are made of such sources as petrochemicals or ground-up rocks. We do not need and cannot utilize such nutrients!

Likewise, seldom can our bodies optimally utilize a single, isolated nutrient. Most nutrients work only in the presence of others as is provided in food—they work like a “team”. Unfortunately, most research studies on nutrient effects are performed using synthetic, single nutrient, non-food sources. It is no wonder that most of these studies show no positive effects—some even show negative effects—accordingly, they receive a bad rap.

Unquestionably, the best sources of needed nutrients are nutrient-dense, whole-foods, which are grown in nutrient-rich soil, and without the use of toxic chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides. The more raw and uncooked plants are eaten the better. Less processing, which often strips away much of the true nutrient value, is best. Likewise, animal sources of food are best when range-fed and raised free of the use of hormones, steroids, antibiotics and other chemicals. Synthetic foods and foods made or processed with toxic chemicals should be kept to a minimum. The whole question of GMO (genetically modified organism) foods is controversial and will not be addressed in this paper—however, let it be said that GMO foods have no ability to reproduce as did the native, natural plant.

The human body is like a garden—every tree, plant and grain must at some point reproduce itself for the garden to continue living and produce. Every plant cell must be properly nourished for the plant to fulfill its function. If the soil is nutrient-poor, weaker plants that are subject to disease or infestation will be produced and reproduction may not occur. Life in the garden is about sowing and reaping—about new seeds being sown and a harvest occurring so that the “fruits” of the garden may be used for food and more seeds made which can be used to sow again and replenish the dead and worn-out plants. As long as there is sowing in good soil and reaping, the garden and life will go on!

We are the same—every living cell in the body lives and functions for a period of time, and then dies and must be replaced. Aging is about more cells dying than are being reproduced. As we age we produce new cells less efficiently. Also as we age, we have less enzyme activity to produce energy, run the systems of the body and reproduce new cells. When our last enzyme presence stops, we die. Enzyme activity is like a battery—with use over time, it “wears out”—and when it is worn out, we die.

How long are we to live? According to many authorities and even the Bible, we are given 120 years. Some cultures and individuals achieve this end and with good health until they die. Most of us fall 40-50 years short. Why? Is it because we received the wrong genes from our parents? Or is it because of our poor habits in how we take care of ourselves? Or is it our toxic load and environment? Or could it be our poor diet and the food we eat? Certainly, some of the problem is “bad luck”, being at the wrong place at the wrong time, which results in an accident or “catching” an illness. Yes, these, and others, are part of the problem, but it goes beyond them.

Biblically, in the Garden of Eden, Adam was instructed how to eat as noted in Genesis 1:29 (Amplified):

“ . . . See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the land, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.”

The plan for health was simple—eat the foods that were created and that contain a seed, and this same seed will be able to reproduce after itself. Most would agree that you can only reproduce or create life from something that is itself alive or contains the “energy” of life. So it is with a seed—it contains everything to reproduce itself—it only needs to be planted and watered, and then it will germinate into a new plant—thus it must already have life within it. That same seed that contains life to become a plant when placed in the ground also produces life in us, not death. In contrast, consuming only dead food will produce death. This is the essence of eating seed.

Many whole foods contain no seed. Many have had it “refined” or processed away. Unfortunately, the seed is usually where the highest concentration of nutrients resides. So it is also with husks and outer coatings of plants that are stripped away with processing. However, certain of the nutrient-dense, whole food used in Life Energy And Nutrition’s food bars . . .”L.E.A.N. Phytonutrient Bars” . . . do contain seed with all of its life and virtues!

Given that the forgoing statements are true, what can be done? Can consuming nutrient-dense, whole foods, which are still in a form where the nutrient content has not been denatured or destroyed, and have seed, really make a difference? Can they help support the body in running both more efficiently and becoming healthier? Can they impact the prevention or the course of disease? The all-natural, nutrient –dense food source products used in the L.E.A.N. Phytonutrient Bars are minimally processed and only to the extent of stabilizing and enhancing its nutrient value. These bars are a true “superfood” in that they are packed with most every nutrient known to be necessary to maintain health, repair damage, generate new cells, recover from exercise and even reverse malnutrition. Their potential benefits to health are innumerable.