Super7 Challenge The diet where more is better. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PART 1: WHAT ARE SUPERFOODS? • What are Superfoods? • Superfoods get Super Results • Top 7 Reasons to Complete the Super7 Challenge • The Super7 Superfoods • The Super7 Not-So-Superfoods PART 2: THE SUPER7 CHALLENGE • The Super7 Quiz • Chose Your Level • Decide the Best Time to Complete the Challenge • 7 Ways to Track Your Progress (None of them are WEIGHT!) PART 3: SUPER7 RECIPES AND IDEAS • Put the FAST in Breakfast • Pack a Lunch with a Punch • Dinners for Winners • Snacks on Snacks on Snacks MORE RESOURCES © CJK Foods 2013 Introduction We all love to talk about nutrition. We are fascinated by the next fad diet, wondering what the hot new trend is. And the food industry, media, and many big health companies feed off of this. They pump us with quick fixes, promote processed “diet” foods, and send an over-simplified and confusing message, that leaves us wondering, “So, what SHOULD I eat?!” On top of that, some of our nation’s experts are still telling us that all foods fit, that it is just about the calories, and you can enjoy anything you want in moderation. First, just because it is edible, doesn’t mean it should be considered food. Second, it’s NOT just about the calories. It’s about the quality. Finally, what the heck is moderation? With a surplus of nutrition information out there, it can be difficult to differentiate nutrition tabloids from nutrition truth. We’re here to help set the record straight. It has been reported that nearly 80% of the “food” found in grocery stores today did not exist 100 years ago. Our food supply has changed drastically, no doubt. No one can argue that we have messed with Mother Nature, and she is not happy about it. We now genetically modify plants, literally changing the genetic makeup of these organisms. We change how we farm with the use of pesticides and insecticides. We change how we raise animals by changing their living conditions, pumping them with antibiotics and hormones, and feeding them unnatural diets. Plants don’t need chemicals to grow. Cows were meant to eat grass, not corn. Chickens were healthy and happy on the range. Fish was caught in the sea. Yes, it’s true. Think about this: Only a century ago, virtually ALL fruits and vegetables were organic. ALL beef was grass-fed. ALL chickens were free of antibiotics. ALL fish were wild-caught. Now, these foods are an exception to the rule, and difficult to access. What is “conventional” now was very, very unconventional (or non-existent) during our great grandparent’s lives. People ate real food. That’s all that was available to them. And things were great. Now, a lot of what we define as “food” would never have been considered as such a century ago. When deciding what is actually food and what is fake food, ask yourself if your great-grandmother would recognize it if you put it on her plate. Would she know what a Twinkie was? Flaming Hot Cheetos? What about Kraft Singles cheese product? Let’s go back to the original definition of food—a source of naturally occurring nourishment—not just anything technically “edible” and “safe” that food companies encourage us to consume in large amounts. Just because a food is edible does not mean it should be eaten. If it is a new product within the last century that has been manipulated and goes against nature, then it is not REAL FOOD no matter what any commercial or advertisement tells you. The FDA just ruled on banning trans fat from our food supply. Real food doesn’t get BANNED! Real food is food that has been around for CJK Foods Super7 Challenge more than 100 years (even better if it has been around for 1000s of years!). It will never have a “NEW!” label on it. Alongside a change in our food supply, we are obviously seeing a change in the health of our nation in the last century. These changes in our food have only now affected a few generations. A study done in 2005 suggested that the current generation of children, for the first time ever, is predicted to have a shorter life expectancy than the previous generation. And whether or not that proves to be true, we do know that there is a rise in chronic diseases as well as autoimmune conditions, infertility, allergies, dental issues, and food sensitivities. While these new conditions may not shorten our lives thanks to modern medicine, they certainly decrease the quality of our lives. (Note: This won’t be the first time that you should be thinking about quality over quantity!) Ever talk to a couple struggling to get pregnant? Or a mother of a son with severe food allergies? Or a friend heading back to the dentist for another root canal? They will tell you…it stinks! These new, modern diseases should make you think, “Maybe it’s the food?” So now you’re thinking…”But it’s hard to be healthy!” Yes, it’s tough to eat healthy in the world we live in now. We are inundated with marketing countless times per day. It is estimated that 90% of food advertisements are for processed foods or alcohol. These big food companies have a big interest in (and a big budget for) marketing their foods in such a way that they should be put on every plate in America. More profit for them, less nutritious food for us. Furthermore, high quality, clean food is sometimes impossible to access. It is more expensive, and even worse, under-valued. Ugh. Keep in mind, our food supply is complex and there are many reasons for why it has become the way it is. There is no easy fix. Change must happen in government policy, food regulations, farming standards, and nutrition education. On the bright side, you have three opportunities each day to change our food situation- breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Think about it this way: As consumers, we choose which companies that we want to stay in business. If a fast food restaurant had no customers, they would be forced to go out of business, right? While it may not seem like you are making a huge impact, if it is a group effort, change will happen. We’ve seen the gluten-free industry double in the last 5 years, with no signs of © CJK Foods 2013 slowing down. Why? Because consumers want it. If consumers want it, food companies that sell it will be successful. Where do you start? Start by focusing on the content of your food. Content is king! The front of the box should not entice you to buy the food and—surprisingly—the amount of calories, fat, protein, and carbohydrates should not, either. What you are really looking at is the ingredients. What is this food MADE of? What is its content? If you can’t recognize the ingredients, put it back. If it is more than five ingredients, it is probably too processed. Put it back. If it’s hyping the addition or lack of a certain hot nutrient (“now fortified with calcium!” or “no added high fructose corn syrup!”), don’t be tricked into thinking it is healthier. It could very well have other artificial ingredients. Put. It. Back. In choosing foods, select those with minimal ingredients. And among those ingredients, you should know how to pronounce them and recognize them. Ever read an ingredient label on a carton of eggs? It says “Ingredients: Eggs.” Look at what your food is actually made of! How will the Super7 Challenge help? The Super7 Challenge is designed to help you value the true definition of food, and become immune to the marketing of food companies pushing their food-like substances. You’ll be armed with the unbiased truth on nutrition and the best ways to incorporate real superfoods into your diet. The Super7 Challenge e-book will explain why apple cider vinegar may be just what the doctor ordered, why the best fat to cook with is not olive oil, and what enzymes do for every function in your body. You might also learn a few things you wish you didn’t know. You’ll read that milk protein solids are added to skim milk to make it look white (otherwise it is clear liquid), salt water is pumped into chickens to make them appear big and juicy, dyes are added to cereal to make them look appealing, and flavor enhancers (and neurotoxins) like monosodium glutamate (MSG) are added to food products that without it would taste like cardboard! Wait, they are allowed to call this “food”? And after the 21 days are through, we predict your trips to the grocery store to go a little something like this… • You will see right through the marketing fluff. When you are flooded with new food products, sales, and marketing tactics telling you to buy certain foods, you will hold up your hand and say, “No, Tony. Frosted Flakes are not grrrreat.” • You will make your grand sweep around the perimeter of the grocery store, where you will find fresh whole foods. CJK Foods Super7 Challenge • You will divert your eyes from the interior aisles filled with packaged foods that can sit on their shelves for weeks on end. • You will be shopping by the rule: If it can spoil or rot, I should buy it a lot! • You will know every ingredient you are putting in your cart.