Alpha Nutrition Formulas

Frequently Asked Questions

Alpha Nutrition formulas are designed to replace food completely or partially. They are quickly absorbed and require little or no digestion. The formulas avoid ingredients that cause food allergy and food intolerances. The formulas have been used for over a decade by people who are hypersensitive and have little or no food tolerance. 

Nutrient Values

Alpha ENF

Alpha PMX

Alpha BMX

Alpha AAX

Alpha DMX

For Alpha Nutrition Formula Ingredient Information click on

What Does ENF mean?

ENF stands for Elemental Nutrient Formula. The idea is that pure nutrients can be combined in an chemically defined manner to replace food, partially or completely. The use of ENFs has been common in nutritional research.

What is the difference between Alpha ENF and ENFood?

Alpha ENF is a member of the ENFood series that were introduced in 1991.  In June 1998, Alpha Nutrition took over the ENFood series and new Alpha names were introduced. The term "ENFood" is now the generic reference to any member of the elemental nutrient series. Alpha ENF replaces the ENFood C1 formula and Alpha PMX replaces ENFood PMX.

How is Alpha ENF different from regular food?

Alpha ENF requires little or no digestion.  The nutrients are ready to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Often, especially with the first few servings, you can feel the effects of nutrients being rapidly absorbed. Nutrients also act on the surfaces of the throat and later stomach and small intestine. You may notice a drying effect on your throat. Food materials are slowly digested with prolonged, sustained release of nutrients - some nutrients are lost since food may not be fully digested and nutrients may not be completely absorbed.  Because the nutrients are quickly absorbed and utilized, it is advisable to have a serving of Alpha ENF every 2-3 hours. If you go longer without replenishing your nutrient supply, you may have a "power-down" experience.

It is natural to feel thirsty after drinking a serving of Alpha ENF. For each cup of Alpha ENF, drink another cup of water between servings. Occasionally the nutrients stimulate bowel contractions - this is felt as mild crampy abdominal pains. This mild over-stimulation may be corrected by drinking more water and tends to disappear as you get used to taking the formula.

What food materials does Alpha ENF contain?

The nutrients in Alpha ENF are mostly supplied in their pure, elemental form. The vitamins, minerals, and amino acids are pharmaceutically manufactured and certified USP or FCC. The lipid components are canola and safflower oil, high in oleic and linoleic acid. The carbohydrates are supplied as natural sugars - glucose (dextrose) and fructose - and maltodextrin, a mixture of carbohydrate chains of different molecular weights. All the carbohydrates are derived from vegetable sources, primarily corn.

Does Alpha ENF and PMX contain sugar?

Yes, the carbohydrate content of Alpha ENF was designed to imitate fruits and vegetables which supply a combination of glucose, fructose, and complex carbohydrates - starch and fibers. Glucose is the basic sugar of life. The human body is a glucose-machine just as a car is a gasoline-machine. Each cell in your body consumes sugar as glucose. Glucose (dextrose) supplies 8% of total calories. Fructose supplies 6% of the total calories. Fructose is very similar to glucose but is metabolized by different metabolic pathways. Fructose, for example, does not require insulin for passage into cells as does glucose. Fructose is three times as sweet as glucose. Glucose and fructose should be considered normal vegetable-fruit sugars. The remainder of the carbohydrate is supplied as maltodextrin, a starch derivative which consists of chains of glucose of different lengths. These carbohydrate chains require some digestion and can provide sustained-release glucose, similar to the starches in grains and vegetables. The sugar content of Alpha ENF is essential to supply energy and should be no problem to normal individuals. If you are worried about hypoglycemia, be sure to take Alpha ENF in smaller servings every 2-3 hours.

Does Alpha ENF and PMX contain Fiber?

Alpha ENF contains a non-nutritive carbohydrate fiber,  microcellulose, which forms a gel in water and acts like vegetable fiber in the gastrointestinal tract - the gel provided some bulk for stool formation and acts as a sponge to soak up bile salts which might otherwise cause an irritable bowel or diarrhea.

Will the sugar in Alpha ENF cause yeast to overgrow in the intestinal tract?

No. Early studies of the effect of elemental formulas showed dramatic reduction of all microorganisms growing in the intestinal tract. With formulas similar to Alpha ENF, delivering most of the sugar as glucose, candida yeast in the lower digestive tract disappeared completely!

Can Alpha ENF be used by strict vegetarians?

Yes. Alpha ENF contains no animal products. Strict vegetarians will benefit from the boost of nutrients that the formula supplies, especially nutrients that may be scarce on a vegetarian diet. These include amino acids, iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and trace minerals.

Will I get Enough Protein ?

Dietary protein supplies amino acids, the real nutrients. Proteins are mostly responsible for food allergy and have been specifically eliminated from the formula. Instead, crystalline, L-form amino acids are the nutrients supplied in Alpha ENF. Alpha ENF supplies all the essential and non-essential amino acids in a rationally balanced mix of the highest purity. Alpha ENF supplies 25 grams of amino acids (taking the place of protein) at 1500 Calories or 450 grams per day. For those that eat less than 450 grams per day, your need for amino acids is probably covered - the 25 gram estimate is probably higher than your actual need, and the formula amino acids are more efficiently absorbed and utilized than proteins in food. Since the amino acid pool in the body is recycled, net loss of amino acids is estimated to be only 2 grams per day.

How is Alpha ENF Different from other meal-replacement powders?

Many nutrient formulas are available. Most are made of potentially allergenic materials such as milk powder or milk proteins such as casein, egg white or albumin, soya and other vegetable proteins. All food preparations which contain large molecules, especially proteins and partially hydrolyzed proteins are avoided on low allergy programs because they retain some allergenic effects. Hydrolyzed proteins tend to have unpleasant tastes and odors. Liquid diets for weight loss, protein powders, soya protein or vegetable protein powders, and nutritional supplements may be allergenic and otherwise contain problems that we wish to avoid. Products containing herbs, "natural foods or plant materials" also may contain allergenic materials and may have undesirable side-effects.

Is Alpha ENF Safe for Celiacs?

Yes, Alpha ENF and the Alpha Nutrition Program are gluten-free and are well suited to the needs of all Celiacs. Some email  writers have questioned the source of some ingredients - none contain gluten. Maltodextrin is a hydrolysed starch and is not related to "Malt" which is a gluten-containing derivative of cereal grains - as in "Barely Malt".

Multiple Food Allergies ?

Q Any ingredient in product that I might react to? I have had severe allergic reactions.  Testing is still being done but so far I have scratch tested as allergic to turkey, beef, pork, salmon, chicken, oranges, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, pear, brussel sprouts, brocoli, cauliflower, soy, carrots, squash, onions, asparagus, cabbage, garlic, oat, almond, hazelnut, milk, yeast, corn, fungus mold mix I am not allergic to peanuts, rice, wheat, egg white, apple, string beans, potatoes, tomatoes,

A There are I many issues that we cannot deal with when someone reports a long list of food allergies. First of all the tests should be be done by a specialist MD. There are so many phoney tests out there, we don't try to decide which test results have validity.
Second the MD has the primary responsibility to inform and advise you. If, for example, you are told you are allergic to milk, then your MD needs to provide information about milk proteins and the foods that contain them. If a long list of "allergic foods" are presented to you, your MD has to tell you about the reliability of the test results and educate you about avoiding these foods and also inform you about hidden sources of the food allergens.

Skin tests are not good indicators of food allergy and require experience and good judgment to interpret properly. In addition, sophisticated knowledge of nutrition is required to design a new diet that is free of allergens and also follows other important disease prevention recommendations.

We designed the Alpha Nutrition Program to solve the problem of multiple food allergies. We try to help well-informed people to learn more and make better decisions for themselves. We have many books and much information online. It is your responsibility to study this information. We do offer email support to answer some questions as you study our books.

We do not add food items to our formulas, so no foods are listed. You need to learn how elemental formulas are constructed. Ingredient lists are online and links to them are found on all our formula pages. We recently added an online tutorial to teach you about our formulas. Please spend 10 minutes and go through the tutorial. Also, download the formula  documents for complete information.

Can a knowledgeable scientist  prepare a workable self-management program using just the Book and about 3 kg of Alpha ENF?

Yes, we hope so. The program is home science and requires an intelligent approach to self-monitoring and problem solving. You need to read Alpha Nutrition Program, and understand the essential steps. If you choose to use Alpha ENF for a food holiday, 3 kg will get you through the first 7 to 10 days and that is usually long enough to feel better. If things go well, you will want to use Alpha ENF longer as a maintenance tool.