United States to Ban Raw Meat Sales, Following Joint Agency Decision

 (2006) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Dr. Mercola

Based on past conditioning, the latest developments in the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) fight to provide Americans with the safest foods possible may not come as such a great surprise.

What started as a ban on raw milk to protect consumer health quickly escalated when the federal health authorities realized just how deadly and polluted American meats are. After all, raw meat, whether beef, pork, or poultry, is actually responsible for a vast majority of food-borne illnesses. 

For example, virtually every E. coli infection can be traced back to the unsanitary conditions in which food-producing animals are being raised, processed, transported, stored, and ultimately sold for human consumption.

As a result, the FDA and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be joining forces to assure "undisputable safety" of all meats sold to Americans. And the only feasible way to assure pathogen-free meats, the agencies claim, is to ban raw meat sales. The joint agency agenda is reportedly slated to take effect as early as next year, at which point all meats sold within the US will be pre-cooked.

The FDA and USDA fully realize Americans are becoming more dependent on federal parenting as each year passes, and the rules will ensure nearly all foods Americans eat are irradiated, fumigated, and cooked for our safety.

Raw Meats Pegged as 'Prime Culprits' in Foodborne Disease

Most of the meats you buy in your local grocery store come from animals raised on massive industrial farming arrangements, aptly called "confined animal feeding operations" (CAFOs).  Based on the massive amounts of antibiotics used to keep these animals alive in such conditions, one might also call them "confined antibiotic feeding operations".

Over 26,000 Americans die each year from antibiotic resistant infections, a small price to pay for our indulgence of CAFO meats.

Covered in feces and urine, dehydrated, and often sickly, these animals are then slaughtered using mechanized tools and procedures that convey this infection-loaded excreta into the final meat product. 

Dr. Shiv Chopra has discussed this sickening reality in my newsletter on a number of occasions. Dr. Shiv Chopra was a drug company insider and also worked for what is now Health Canada -- the Canadian equivalent of the FDA – for 35 years.

The food and food-contaminant combination that causes the most harm to human health is campylobacter in poultry, which sickens more than 600,000 people and costs the US an estimated $1.3 billion a year. In second place is toxoplasma in pork, costing society another $1.2 billion annually.  

Despite the obvious reality of foodborne illness, very little was actually known about which foods are the most risky, until a report1 from the University of Florida's Emerging Pathogens Institute revealed the pathogen-food combinations most likely to make you sick. The report, issued in 2011, showed that the data overwhelmingly pointed to tainted meats as the prime culprits.

Realizing that pasteurization of animal products such as milk falls way short of protecting human health, the FDA and USDA have now decided to tackle the number one source of costly foodborne illness, namely raw meats. According to a confidential source within the newly created joint agency taskforce:

"If people are careless enough to drink raw milk straight from a cow's udder, they're probably too ignorant to purchasing raw meat.  We've decided to just go ahead and cook everything. Americans won't be trusted with any raw meats or dairy products going forward." 

"We believe that, in the end, most Americans will appreciate these efforts to keep them safe, and will come to embrace the added convenience of pasteurized- and other pre-cooked meats the current highly processed food diet controlled by our federal government.  We will also ensure additional subsidies are added for the CAFO industries to pay for this critical security measure."

Farm-to-Consumer Sales to Be Eliminated

As an extra measure, all animals will be tagged with transmitters to ensure no direct farm-to-consumer sales will occur. While this may sound drastic to some, it's certainly not new. Tagging of livestock for traceability purposes is already part and parcel of the USDA's Animal Disease Traceability Framework program,2 which regulates interstate sales of livestock.

Food processors have managed to reduce a farmers share of the goods they sell to just 7% of the retail price.  This also ensures the continued erosion of the small family farms, where dangerous practices of selling direct to consumer may occur.   

The final rule on this program was issued on January 9, 2013. The rule became effective on March 11, 2013. Four years ago, farmers criticized the plan as "draconian" in scope,3 warning it was just another scheme to control the livestock industry and favoring multinational meat packers. Little did they (or anyone else, for that matter) realize this program would become a key tool for banning the sale of raw meat altogether.

Commercial Pre-Cooking Guidelines for Safer Meats

As described in documentation4 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), precooking substantially reduces the bacterial content of raw meats and other trimmings. (Meat trimmings, which are particularly prone to pathogenic contamination must already undergo both precooking and a second heat treatment.)

Other changes under consideration include a health claim on foods processed with the fumigant sulfuryl fluoride, indicating its benefit to dental health. As recently discussed by FluorideAlert.org,6 an amendment to the Farm Bill orders the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ignore its previous ruling7 that fluoride left in food treated with sulfuryl fluoride is unsafe for consumers. 

The FDA, which oversees health claims on food labels, is currently reviewing the application to ensure the health message complies with labeling requirements.

FDA/USDA Plan for Safeguarding Children and Elderly

There are even rumors of closed-door discussions about premasticated meat products, aimed at young children and the elderly, both of which have been identified as groups most likely to choke to death on solid meats. 

According to the National Safety Council, choking accounts for an estimated 2,500 deaths each year in the US,8 and children under the age of three are at greatest risk. A 2010 study published in the journal Maternal & Child Nutrition9 discusses the health benefits of premasticated foods on child health.

According to previous studies, 63 percent of Chinese university students received premasticated food as infants, suggesting there may be sufficient societal acceptance of such foodstuffs, despite cross-cultural studies failing to show any significant prevalence of this practice in the West. The study also raises questions about the safety of infant exposure to another person's saliva (typically the mother's). 

Clearly, in the case of mass produced foods, such concerns would be superfluous, as the premastication would be done by mechanical means, employing a pharmaceutical grade digestive enzyme solution, guaranteed to be void of any potential pathogens associated with human saliva.

Burgeoning Sales of Breast Milk Spawns New Regulatory Considerations

Breast milk is also being reevaluated for safety, following an emerging trend of lactating mothers selling their milk. The practice started gaining traction several years ago, and I initially wrote about this novel opportunity back in 2011. Nursing women can earn upwards of $1,200 a month from selling their excess breast milk. Many simply pair up online via Craigslist and other classified sites.

It was really only a matter of time before the pasteurization issue would crop up, seeing how there's virtually no difference between raw cow's milk and raw breast milk. Both contain live enzymes and bacteria. While the FDA has yet to take a stand against breast milk when the baby is nursing at the breast, it claims there are significant health risks involved when milk is expelled from the breast, and then consumed from a bottle without undergoing pasteurization. As previously stated by the La Leche League:10

"Health care providers and researchers have expressed concern that the casual exchange of human milk could be a potential route of transmission for drugs and viruses."

It's still unclear when the FDA will publish its proposed rule on human milk consumption, but I wouldn't be surprised if it will be modeled after human milk banks such as the Human Milk Banking Association of North America,11 which pasteurizes all donated breast milk prior to distribution.

The Real Power Is in Your Hands... For Now

I’ve often stated that if every American decided to not purchase food that comes from CAFOs, the entire system would collapse overnight. If this wasn't an April Fool's joke, the implementation of a nationwide ban on raw meat would have permanently closed this window of opportunity for change. Fortunately, sourcing your foods from a local farmer is still one of your best bets to ensure you're getting wholesome food, and I would encourage you to do so, to strenghten the availability of a truly sustainable food supply. The following organizations can help you locate farm-fresh foods in your local area:

1. Local Harvest -- This Web site will help you find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies.
2. Farmers' Markets-- A national listing of farmers' markets.
3. Eat Well Guide: Wholesome Food from Healthy Animals -- The Eat Well Guide is a free online directory of sustainably raised meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs from farms, stores, restaurants, inns, and hotels, and online outlets in the United States and Canada.
4. Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) -- CISA is dedicated to sustaining agriculture and promoting the products of small farms.
5. FoodRoutes -- The FoodRoutes "Find Good Food" map can help you connect with local farmers to find the freshest, tastiest food possible. On their interactive map, you can find a listing for local farmers, CSAs, and markets near you.

Happy April Fool's Day!

Related articles

• United States to Ban Raw Meat Sales, Following Joint Agency Decision
• Age of Antibiotics is Coming to an End
• Inside Look at Sustainable Farming in America
• Merck Promoting Zilmax, Despite Cattle Losing Their Hooves
• Butter Consumption Reaches a 40-Year High
• Disturbing Truth about Factory Farms and Superbugs

Superfood to Help Remove Mercury From Your Tissues in Weeks

 (Photo credit: Zellaby)

By Dr. Mercola

Have you noticed that practically every day a new story comes out in the media about the toxic side effects of living in the modern world?

Chemical and heavy metal dangers seem to be lurking everywhere you turn in the 21st century!

Pesticides coat much of our fresh food supply, chemical by-products from manufacturing are routinely dumped into our air and water, and mercury amalgam fillings in your teeth may be releasing mercury into your body with every bite of food you take!

The seafood in our oceans are laden with heavy metals and mercury and pass these poisons up the food chain until potentially massive doses of both wind up on your dinner plate disguised as a healthy meal.

Underground water supplies have been tainted by chemical and pesticide run off from farms, factories and high technology industries.

In fact, acceptable levels of many poisons are allowed to come into your home through your drinking and bathing water, including fluoride, chlorine and low levels of many heavy metals.

It doesn't take much imagination to see that your body too is under attack from environmental pollution every single day.

You can seek to protect yourself and combat this hazard by eating foods that are free of pesticides and chemicals, but you simply cannot entirely remove all sources of toxins from your environment. The damage to our world is just too widespread and pervasive. You have to take it upon yourself to take measures to protect yourself and your family from this toxic world, and one of the best natural sources for moving these toxic materials out of your body is a whole-food based, green algae called chlorella.

How Can You Fight Systemic Pollution?

To address the harmful and unwanted chemicals your body picks up through the food you eat, the air you breathe, and the water you drink, it is wise to develop a proactive plan. One of the most powerful parts of this plan is detoxification of the toxins you may have already built up inside your body.

Your body is naturally able to remove many of the harmful pathogens, chemicals and poisons you may come into contact with in the environment. That's how we are all designed.

But in the 21st century, we're seeing an explosion of accumulated toxin-related diseases like cancer, auto-immune dysfunction, brain disorders like autism, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, nerve disorders and more common ailments like depression, learning disabilities and fatigue. It can become relatively easy to overwhelm your body's ability to remove many of these toxins. Symptoms of toxic build-up due to chronic metal exposure include:

• Fatigue
• Digestive distress, and reduced ability to properly assimilate and utilize fats
• Aching joints
• Depression
• Impaired blood sugar regulation
• Female reproductive problems

Mercury is also a potent toxin in its own right that can damage your brain, central nervous system and kidneys, and is especially dangerous for children, fetuses, pregnant and nursing women and people who have high levels of mercury bioburden. So it clearly pays dividends to detoxify your body of the accumulated toxins built up, to get yourself to a healthier state where your body can more effectively remove the toxins you're exposed to every day.

Infrared Sauna

There are ten to 100 times more toxins in your fat than in your blood, so one of the best ways to remove toxins is to decrease your body fat. That really is your first defense. Choosing the right foods and exercise are key here. After that, one of the most effective detoxification strategies I know of is the use of an infrared sauna. This can be done for about one hour daily for a month. Remember, it's important to hydrate well before and during the sauna treatment to avoid dehydration.

Additionally, you can exercise for 30-60 minutes immediately prior to help liberate some of the toxins from your fat.

Some clinicians have also found the use of NON timed release niacin useful, as it helps liberate toxins from the fat. However, relatively high doses of 5,000 mg are needed. These high doses need to be slowly worked up to as niacin will cause flushing. However, about one fourth of people are simply unable to tolerate the niacin flush. Please avoid timed release niacin as it can potentially lead to chemical hepatitis.

Chlorella as a Powerful Detoxification Tool

One of the most exciting nutritional resources available today to help your body naturally fight environmental pollution is a whole-food based supplement called chlorella. Chlorella is actually one of the most widely used supplements in Japan, where over 10 million people use it regularly. The Japanese use of chlorella is more widespread than the North American use of vitamin C, our most popular supplement.

Do the Japanese know something we don't?

One of the reasons the Japanese value chlorella so highly is its natural detoxification abilities. Chlorella is a "green food," a single-celled, micro-algae that is about two to ten microns in size. It's very small. It is this small size combined with its unique properties that make it such a useful detoxification tool. Its molecular structure, allows it to bond to metals, chemicals and some pesticides.

When chlorella is taken into your body, its natural action will bind it to lingering heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides found in your digestive tract, which is your body's pathway to your bloodstream where these harmful toxins are delivered and deposited into your body's cells.

So chlorella first and foremost will help your body eliminate unwanted metals and toxins. But it does more than that.

Chlorella is uniquely designed to not bind to the minerals your body naturally needs to function optimally. It does not bind to beneficial minerals like calcium, magnesium, or zinc. It's almost as if chlorella knows which metals belong in your body and which chemicals need to be removed. Supplementing with chlorella is like unleashing a tiny army inside your body to fight the battle of removing toxins from your tissues and ushering them back outside your body where they belong.

The History of Chlorella

Chlorella is one of the most widely studied food supplements in the world. Aside from being the subject of medical research in the USA, USSR, Germany, Japan, France, England and Israel, chlorella has been extensively studied as a food source since it is made up of a whopping 50 percent protein and is considered a complete amino acid-based food.

Even NASA has studied using chlorella as the one of first whole foods in space on the international space station!

Studies in Japan have shown chlorella may help reduce body fat percentage and may be useful in fighting obesity and weight related diabetes. It may also help reduce both cholesterol and hypertension. Chlorella's cleansing action on your bowel and other elimination channels, as well as its protection of your liver, also helps promote clean blood. And clean blood helps assure metabolic waste get efficiently carried away from your tissues.

Chlorella is such a powerful detoxifier because it is rich in chlorophyll, which is known to:

• Aid you in processing more oxygen
• Cleanse key elimination systems like your bowel, liver, and blood
• Help purify your blood and clean away toxins
• Aid you in promoting optimal blood pressure
• Support elimination of molds in your body
• Help neutralize bad air you might breathe in
• Promote growth and repair of your tissues

Chlorella is actually very useful even beyond detoxification, and its range of health benefits includes:

• Boosting your immune system
• Improving your digestion, especially if constipation is a problem
• Providing B vitamins from an animal source
• Enhancing your ability to focus and concentrate
• Increasing your energy levels
• Balancing your body's pH
• Normalizing your blood sugar and blood pressure
• Reducing your cancer risk
• Freshening your breath

A three-year double-blind metal detoxification study with over 350 people participating was undertaken at a Russian metal foundry, where more than 20 natural compounds were used in trials to remove heavy metals from people who had been exposed at very high levels to four main metals -- antimony, lead, cadmium and arsenic.

What were the results of testing chlorella as a heavy metal detoxification agent? The Russian trial using Broken Cell Wall chlorella combined with cilantro eliminated ALL heavy metals, including mercury! With no reported side-effects! In fact, the heavy metal binding power of chlorella was first discovered in the mining industry. Mixed with water, they pumped chlorella into mine shafts to collect the residual metals after bulk mining was completed.

Not All Chlorella is Created Equal

Unlike many food supplements, chlorella has one unique feature that makes the manufacturing process one of the primary concerns when considering a source of supplementation. Chlorella is completely indigestible by humans. We simply do not have the enzymes to break down its cell wall.

Unlike other green foods, chewing and digesting chlorella will not release the powerful health benefits contained within this green algae. This is because chlorella's tough outer cell wall, which is also chemically responsible for binding with the toxins inside your body, cannot be broken down by your biology,

Therefore, it is imperative that the manufacturing process break down the tough outer cell wall for you, as this is the only way to make the chlorella biologically available to remove toxins from your body.

This is why I only recommend supplementing with Broken Cell Wall chlorella, because this is the only form that allows your body to use this powerful detoxification agent. Another concern when choosing your chlorella is to be sure that the source waters where it is grown and harvested are free of any contamination. Since chlorella is a natural green food, it will be affected by polluted water and will retain environmental toxins if it's grown in contaminated waters. So be certain any chlorella you supplement with comes from a naturally clean water source.

One other aspect of chlorella you need to be aware of is some people tolerate it better than others.

You should always start any detox with chlorella gradually, taking just a small amount at first to see how your body tolerates this powerful detoxification tool. Some people also report benefits from beginning a detoxification by first eating small amounts of cilantro for a few days. Cilantro also promotes a detoxification response in your body, but at a less intense level -- which may help your body ease into a smoother detoxification response from chlorella.

The best results of using broken cell wall chlorella for detoxification have also been documented as coming from mixing chlorella with the green plant cilantro, so this might be another consideration for you when undertaking your detoxification program. I recommend finding an organic source of cilantro, to insure you are not putting more unwanted chemicals into your body as you try to detoxify your body's already existing heavy metal burden.

Too Much Iron?

One other thing to be aware of when using chlorella is that this green algae does contain large concentrations of iron. Iron levels in women should not be a problem due to the loss of iron related to the menstrual cycle, but for men, or postmenopausal women, excessive iron can become a problem.

So for men using chlorella, you want to have your blood iron levels checked regularly to ensure the iron in your blood is staying within healthy levels. The simple best screen is ferritin. Ideally it should be between 20 and 80 ng/ml. Levels over 150 or higher become problematic and should be treated by blood donations or therapeutic phlebotomies.

Chlorella for Vegetarians and Vegans

Chlorella is also a great source of complete amino acid protein, and is made up of 50 percent protein. So vegans and vegetarians can benefit not only from the detoxification properties of chlorella, but can also enhance their B vitamin and protein intake as well through chlorella supplementation.

Many claim that it can also be a useful source of vitamin B12. While chlorella does contain this vitamin, most people develop deficiencies because they lose the ability to absorb it. So swallowing it will not provide the same benefit as injecting it or using it in a sublingual drop or spray.

To the best of my knowledge, chlorella is not an effective alternative to animal sources of vitamin B12 which can be an issue for vegans.

Final Thoughts on Chlorella

Sometimes living in the modern world can feel like you're at war with the environment around you, and sources of pollution are often silent and unavoidable. You can do your best to avoid pollution and toxins, eat only the healthiest organic foods, drink only filtered water, avoid exposure to harsh man-made chemicals, and yet still find yourself exposed daily to massive amounts of harmful pollutants that are totally outside of your control.

Maintaining optimum wellness includes creating defensive mechanisms to fight back against these pervasive and unavoidable environmental assaults on your good health.

By implementing a detoxification program now you can help your body naturally remove the unwanted and harmful heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides you may unknowingly taken into your body. And lessening your toxic burden has been shown to improve many common health ailments, from lack of energy and insomnia, to sluggish digestion, lack of immune response and mental fatigue.

In fact, almost everything inside your body, including all of your organs, function better with reduced loads of systemic toxins.

And by removing the toxins now and not letting them accumulate to dangerous levels, you may be helping your body ward of such killers as cancer, diabetes, and hypertension, along with all of the now too common neurological disorders that may not manifest for decades to come.

Just remember to start slowly, perhaps using cilantro first, and gradually increase your intake of chlorella at a pace your body can tolerate.

It took a long time for your body to accumulate these toxins and it will probably take you many weeks and even months to effectively remove them from your system. So if you experience any indigestion or discomfort from chlorella supplements, you're probably taking too much too fast.

It will be crucial to lower your body fat as low as possible as this will remove large amounts of toxins from your body that are stored there. You can also use the infrared sauna in conjunction with exercise and niacin as described above.

Be patient, stick with chlorella supplementation, and in a few weeks you'll most likely begin to notice an overall improvement in your health as you naturally start to remove these heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides from your body.

 http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/02/01/is-this-one-of-natures-most-powerful-detoxification-tools.aspx
From the Mercola website.

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Why Widespread Nutritional Deficiencies Are a Reality

Vitamin Line-Up (Photo credit: Earthworm)

By Dr. Mercola

There’s been much controversy surrounding the question of whether or not you need to take supplements. Critics claim that vitamin supplements are a waste of money, as you can get all the nutrients you need from your diet. They also claim that most people are not, in fact, nutritionally deficient, thanks to all the fortified foods on the market.

Alas, there are a number of problems with such assertions. First of all, I believe we have to acknowledge that there is a problem with our food supply—it’s simply NOT providing you with the same nutrition as it did in generations past.

This is largely related to industrial based modern methods, which include reliance on synthetic fertilizers that radically decreases nutrient density, including valuable micronutrients that have long ago largely vanished from most of these soils.

Furthermore, toxic agricultural chemicals, used in ever-increasing amounts, end up on and in your food. I believe a strong case can be made that many people—especially if you do not eat a diet of unprocessed, organically-raised foods—aresuffering from nutritional deficiencies of varying kinds and to varying degrees.

To suggest the general population of Americans consume a nutrient dense diet is complete nonsense and shows extreme ignorance of the facts.

General Population Does Not Eat Enough Fruits or Veggies

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report,1 dated September 10, 2010, highlights one of the core problems encountered by most Americans, and that is lack of access, availability, and affordability of fresh, whole fruits and vegetables. According to the CDC:

“A diet high in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk for many leading causes of death and can play an important role in weight management.

Healthy People 2010 objectives for fruits and vegetables include targets of increasing to 75 percent the proportion of persons aged ≥2 years who consume two or more servings of fruit daily and to 50 percent those who consume three or more servings of vegetables daily.”

Americans fall far short of such targets. According to the CDC’s report, a mere 32.5 percent of adults consumed fruit two or more times per day in 2009, and just over 26 percent ate vegetables three or more times per day. Overall, no significant changes in vegetable consumption were noted from 2000 to 2009, while fruit consumption actually fell a couple of percentage points... According to the report:

“These findings underscore the need for interventions at national, state, and community levels, across multiple settings (e.g., worksites, community venues, and restaurants) to improve fruit and vegetable access, availability, and affordability...”

Many Do Not Get Sufficient Amounts of Heart-Healthy Omega-3 from Their Diet

Similarly, a recent article in Scientific American2 underscores the nutritional deficiencies caused by declining fish consumption. Recent research published inThe Annals of Internal Medicine3 suggests that eating oily fish, such as wild Alaskan salmon, once or twice a week can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease and arrhythmia and helps decrease all-cause mortality. 

Most Americans are not getting the nutrition they need from their diet. According toScientific American:

“Approximately 69 percent of U.S. individuals were found to be usual fish consumers – meaning they had eaten fish once in the month before being surveyed – according to a review article4 published in 2013. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans5 (DGA) estimate that the average American eats 3.5 ounces of seafood per week, which is around half a fillet of cooked salmon.”

Meanwhile, DGA recommendations call for eating twice this amount, or two 4-ounce servings of fish per week. In light of the well-known health benefits of nutrients such as omega-3 fats, it’s foolhardy in the extreme to assert that eating processed foods and fortified junk foods is enough to maintain your health. Yet, this is exactly what the food industry wants you to believe!

This is NOT a good use of multivitamins, but that’s what the food industry is doing—they’re adding synthetic vitamins and nutrients back into all manner of highly processed foods in order to “ensure” their processed and hence sorely denatured junk does not cause you to be nutrient deficient...

What they’re ignoring is the fact that synthetic vitamins and minerals are not identical to natural ones, and typically cannot be properly or efficiently utilized by your body.

Between processed denatured food being fortified with junk vitamins, and whole food being grown in nutritionally deficient soils, and most people simply not eating enough whole foods to begin with , there’s little doubt that many if not most people are lacking in vital nutrition...

The food and chemical ag industries’ vehement opposition to vitamin supplements probably hinges on the fact that to admit people need supplements is to admit that there’s something really fundamentally wrong with the way they conduct their business. They are great at producing high volume relatively cheap crops, but they fail miserably in producing nutrient-dense, environmentally sustainable foods.

‘The Battlefront for Better Nutrition’

“Yes, there is a battle going on between those who are trying to promote better nutrition, and the food manufacturers who insist on making products ‘worse so that they can be sold for less,’ thereby eliminating the competition of more honest and self-respecting producers who would prefer to apply in business the Golden Rule.”

So begins an article titled “The Battlefront for Better Nutrition,”6 written in 1950. It clearly shows that these problems are not new, because although it was penned more than 60 years ago, the information is as applicable today as it was back then. In fact, besides changes in names of the key characters, the storyline is one we’re all too familiar with. Consider this excerpt:

“These commercial interests have the United States Government on their side, ever since they ousted Dr. Harvey W. Wiley from his job as head of the Food & Drug Administration in 1912. The present head of the Food & Drug Division of Nutrition, Dr. Elmer M. Nelson in a special Constitutional Court in Washington... testified that: ‘It is wholly unscientific to state that a well fed body is more able to resist disease than a less well-fed body. My overall opinion is that there hasn't been enough experimentation to prove dietary deficiencies make one more susceptible to disease.’ (Washington Post, October 26, 1949.)

This is nothing new for Dr. Nelson. Ten years ago he, with his group of experts, testified in a similar court, that neither degenerative disease, infectious disease, nor functional disease could result from any nutritional deficiency.

For all these years, he has battled for the maker of devitalized foods, tried to stem the tide of public opinion against the use of white flour, refined sugar, pasteurized milk and imitation butter by vigorous prosecution of any maker of any dietary supplement designed to abate the consequences of using such devitalized food, basing his arguments on the thesis that there were no such things as deficiency diseases.

Truly, as Dr. Wiley sadly remarked in his book The History of a Crime Against the Pure Food Law (1930), the makers of unfit foods have taken possession of Food & Drug enforcement, and have reversed the effect of the law, protecting the criminals that adulterate foods, instead of protecting the public health.”

Fascinating, isn’t it, how this corrupted system was already well-recognized 60 years ago, yet has been allowed to continue to flourish and grow through the decades! Already, in 1950, they had nailed the problem. Keep in mind that the food industry works hand in hand with the pharmaceutical industry, at least if you consider how the two industries support each other. One destroys your health while proclaiming to feed you, while the other sells you expensive remedies that never cure the ailment—they  can’t really, because that’s what food is for! I highly recommend reading through this old gem of an article. It’s quite an eye-opening experience.

Most Clinical Studies on Vitamins Use Flawed Methodology

More recently, an analysis published in the journal Nutrients,7, 8 asserts that most large, clinical studies of vitamin supplements that have reached negative conclusions use flawed methodology that “renders them largely useless in determining the real value of these micronutrients.” The problem, they say, is that researchers are studying the effects of nutrients in the same way you’d evaluate the effects of a powerful prescription drug.

Another problem is that most large studies on vitamins have been carried out on well-educated and more affluent people, such as doctors and nurses, who typically tend to have among the best dietary habits simply because they’re better informed and can afford better food. As stated by Balz Frei, professor and director of the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University and co-author of the analysis:

"It's fine to tell people to eat better, but it's foolish to suggest that a multivitamin which costs a nickel a day is a bad idea."

According to the authors, these methodological flaws leads to conclusions that have little scientific meaning, let alone bearing on reality. And, in fact, many such trials defy both other available evidence and common sense. For example, as I wrote about last October, one analysis concluded that making better use of supplements could save the American healthcare system BILLIONS of dollars each year. It stands to reason that a nutritional supplement would benefit you more if you have a nutritionally deficient diet or suffer from a particular vitamin deficiency. But most clinical studies do not identify baseline nutritional inadequacies, or whether supplementation actually remedies a deficiency, and what the subsequent health effects of such remediation might be. Without this data, any clinical conclusion becomes more or less meaningless.

As reported by Medical News Today:9

“These flawed findings will persist until the approach to studying micronutrients is changed... Such changes are needed to provide better, more scientifically valid information to consumers around the world who often have poor diets, do not meet intake recommendations for many vitamins and minerals, and might greatly benefit from something as simple as a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement. Needed are new methodologies that accurately measure baseline nutrient levels, provide supplements or dietary changes only to subjects who clearly are inadequate or deficient, and then study the resulting changes in their health.”

The Threat of Worldwide Famine Is Quite Real

We also cannot discuss the state of our nutrition without addressing the now very clear fact that declining soil quality is having a major impact on the nutritional status of our food. Worse yet, mismanagement of soils, worldwide, courtesy of modern farming methods, could lead to massive food shortages. In a November 2013 article, The Telegraph10 discussed the growing threat of worldwide hunger caused by decades of flawed agricultural land management:

“American scientists have made an unsettling discovery. Crop farming across the Prairies since the late 19th Century has caused a collapse of the soil microbia that holds the ecosystem together... Entitled ‘Dust to Dust,’ the paper argues that the erosion of soil fertility has been masked by a ‘soup of nutrients’ poured over crop lands, giving us a false sense of security... Chemicals can keep crop yields high for a while but the complex ecology beneath is being abused further... The paper calls for a complete change of course as the ‘only viable route to feeding the world and keeping it habitable.’"

The article goes on to discuss examples of how governments make matters worse by “sacrificing their future to stop their people from starving today.” While many of the examples revolve around deforestation and destruction of fertile lands in third-world countries, the same argument can be made for the Western world. Here, corporate-dictated malfeasance at our federal agencies has resulted in food and agriculture systems that are knowingly killing people and the earth we live on.

Corporations Are Not Capable of Creating Policy That Protects and Benefits Citizens

Pesticide producers and junk food manufacturers have been allowed to create terrifyingly ignorant policies for health, in exchange for a rather lucrative business model that benefits their own bottom lines. This has been going on for decades, and once a lie begins, it must be defended. Reputations (not to mention continued profits) are at stake.

Just look at the history of trans fats, which we’ve long known to be a primary cause of heart disease killing millions of Americans. It took some 60 years before action was finally taken, this past November, by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove this harmful substance from the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) list.

The Big Tobacco model also parallels the current food and agricultural model—Kill people slowly and there’s no liability... Sad but true, private corporations dictate food, environmental, and health policy in the US and in many other areas of the world, and this is in large part how we got into our current mess.

All in all, we seem to have a problem understanding and appreciating the importance of diversity when it interferes with a business model, which is why we always end up with an industrialized monoculture-type model that decimates the environment and ultimately threatens the very future of mankind. For example, in 2013 alone, some 1.6 million acres of land (an area equal to the state of Delaware) was removed from the American federal Conservation Reserve Program,11 which pays farmers to keep their land swathed in native grasses and/or trees. This precious land is now being turned into more corn and wheat fields. As reported by NPR:12

“There’s a growing demand for more food and biofuel... and farmers are responding to that demand. Most of them also want to protect soil, streams and wildlife... Yet it can be difficult to do both.”

Revolving Doors Between Industry and Government Must Be Sealed Shut

As stated by Veerle Vanderweerde, the environment chief of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD):13 "They can't just come in, take the resources, and then walk away. The big companies need to change their behavior and they won't do it unless they are made to.”

The problem is, there’s no one telling these companies they have to be better stewards—of sea, air, land, soil, and yes, even microbes—as the same companies doing and reaping immediate profits from the harm are in essence running policy from withinour government agencies... The revolving doors between industry and government bodies charged with their oversight must be addressed, and shut. As stated by The Telegraph:14

“We are becoming complacent again. The blunt truth is that the world cannot afford to lose one hectare of land a year, let alone 12m hectares. The added discovery that we doing even more damage than feared to the soil microbia should bring us to our senses... The global land crisis is almost entirely our own doing. It is closing in on us right now. It can be reversed if world leaders choose to reverse it.”

Improve Your Nutrition by Updating Your Shopping Habits

A strong case can be made that most people are struggling with getting enough high quality, bioavailable nutrients from their diet. I would go so far as to say it may be virtually impossible to do so if your diet consists primarily of processed foods and no fresh vegetables.

I’m quite prudent in my recommendations of nutritional supplements, urging people to get their nutritional needs met by the foods they eat. But the bottom line is that you have a problem with your food supply, and most likely simply not getting enough high-quality whole foods. Certain nutrients also tend to be scarce overall, even in organic foods. In such cases, taking a high-quality nutritional supplement is most likely going to do far more good than harm.

One of the best options you can implement is to grow your own food. You can put your toe in the water by growing sunflower sprouts  as you don’t need much space and can even do this in a studio apartment or college dorm room. The next step is to grow the vegetables you like in optimized soil, highly amended with Biochar and rock dust powder like basalt and Azomite, which are phenomenal sources of trace minerals. Greenhouses can be added to radically extend your growing season. Remember that prior to World War 2, 40 percent of the vegetables grown in America were grown by urban farmers in their front or backyard.

Buying your food from a local organic source is another way to ensure that it’s both fresh and high-quality. I strongly advise you to avoid wilted vegetables of any kind, because when vegetables wilt, they lose much of their nutritional value. In fact, wilted organic vegetables may actually be less healthful than fresh conventionally farmed vegetables. (For tips on cleaning your fruits and veggies, please see my previous article: “7 Tips for Cleaning Fruits, Vegetables.”) Regardless of whether you’re shopping at a supermarket or a farmer’s market, here are the signs of a high-quality, healthy food:

Grown without pesticides and chemical fertilizers (organic foods fit this description, but so do some non-organic foods)	Not genetically modified
Contains no added growth hormones, antibiotics, or other drugs	Does not contain any artificial ingredients, including chemical preservatives
Fresh (keep in mind that if you have to choose between wilted organic produce or fresh conventional produce, the latter may be the better option)	Did not come from a confined animal feeding operation (CAFO)
Grown with the laws of nature in mind (meaning animals are fed their native diets, not a mix of grains and animal byproducts, and have free access to the outdoors)	Grown in a sustainable way (using minimal amounts of water, protecting the soil from burnout, and turning animal wastes into natural fertilizers instead of environmental pollutants)

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