2nd Amendment...gun control BOOK!

A  LITTLE  WHILE  BACK  I  TOLD  YOU  ABOUT  A  NEW  BOOK  CONCERNING  THE  2ND  AMENDMENT/GUN  CONTROL/MILITIA   BOOK.

I  NOW  HAVE  IT.

THE  BOOK  IS  CALLED: "A  WELL  REGULATED  MILITIA  -  The Founding  Fathers  and  the  Origins  of  Gun  Control  in  America." by  Saul  Cornell.

I  WANT  YOU  TO  KNOW  THE  PRODUCTION  OF  THIS  BOOK  WAS  MASTERLY  UNDERTAKEN  WITH  MANY  PEOPLE  INVOLVED....WHO  AND  HOW  MANY?  I'LL  REPRODUCE  THE  FACTS  FOR  YOU  FROM  THE  FIRST  PAGES  OF  THIS  BOOK.

.......The research for this book fills an entire six-drawer lateral file cabinet, and it would have been impossible to undertake a project of this scope and complexity without generous financial support. Funding for this project was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the Gilder Lehrman Institute. Much of the research for this book was done in conjunction with my work as director of the Second Amendment Research Center at the John Glenn Institute of Public Service and Public Policy. Generous funding for the center was provided by grants from the Joyce Foundation. Roseanna Ander, program officer at Joyce, has been an enthusiastic supporter of the centers work and of my scholarship. I would also like to thank Ellen S. Alberding, the president of the Joyce Foundation, for recognizing the need for high-quality historical research on the role of guns in American law and society. The staff of the John Glenn Institute provided a congenial home to work on this project. Particular thanks are due Larry Libby, Deborah Jones Merritt, Don Stenta, Deanna Stewart, Senator John Glenn, and Annie Glenn. Invaluable research assistance was provided by a number of graduate students at Ohio State University and elsewhere: David Bernstein, Nathan Dedino, David Dzurec, Amber Esplin, Steve Gara-bedian, Nathan Kozuskanich, John Maass, and Joe Stewart-Pirone.

Several colleagues in the history department at Ohio State read the manuscript and provided thoughtful suggestions, including Michael Les Benedict, John Brooke, and Geoffrey Parker. Randy Roth shared with me evidence drawn from his own forthcoming study on the history of violence in America. My thinking about the historical issues relevant to this project has benefited from the comments and insights of a number of scholars: Robert Churchill, Jan Dizard, Carole Emberton, Paul Finkelman, Robert M Goldman, Leslie Goldstein, James Henretta, Don Higginbotham, David Konig, Peter Onuf, Jack Rakove, Lois Schwoerer, Robert Shalhope, and Lou Falkner Williams.

In the age in which the Second Amendment was drafted most lawyers obtained their legal education by pouring over classic texts such as Blackstone's Commentaries and serving long apprenticeships. Although I have never attended law school formally I have spent hours reading Blackstone and other eighteenth-century legal texts. I have also sought counsel from a number of legal scholars on the fine points of constitutional law and interpretation, and particular thanks are due to them: Akhil Amar, Erwin Chemerinsky Michael Kent Curtis, Michael Dorf, Bernard Harcourt, Kurt Lash, Sandy Levinson, James Lindgren, Frank Michelman, Bryan Wildenthal, David Williams, and Adam Winkler. I owe a particular debt to Dean Larry Kramer of Stanford Law School for his support and guidance on many issues of consti-tutional law and interpretation.

A number of the ideas developed in chapters 5 and 6 were refined in papers presented at conferences at Fordham Law School and Stanford Law School. I would like to thank James Fleming and Martin Flaherty of Fordham and Bob Weisberg of Stanford for their help in organizing these two events and for advice on a multitude of issues. Dave Douglas kindly invited me to present my research on St. George Tucker at William and Mary Law School. Kenneth Katkin of Northern Kentucky Law School hosted a lively conference on the Second Amendment, during which several ideas in the book were formulated. Kate Desbarats, Jim Rice, and the members of the St. Lawrence Early American Seminar offered thoughtful suggestions about chapter 4. Andrew Burstein and Nancy Isenberg generously invited me to give the Settle-Cadenhead Memorial Lecture at the University of Tulsa. I profited enormously from their generosity and thoughtful suggestions. A talk on the changing iconography of the armed citizen in American history at Georgetown yielded a host of insights, and I am indebted to Michael Kazin for this opportunity. Jack Censer's invitation to give the Finlay Lecture at George Mason University provided another excellent venue to try out the ideas in this book.

Given the prominence of the Second Amendment in recent legal scholarship I was extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to present drafts of nearly every chapter in the book manuscript at a series of faculty workshops at some of the nation s premier law schools. I would like to thank the following scholars for providing me with opportunities to try out earlier versions of my argument: Stuart Banner, University of California, Los Angeles; Jim Chen, University of Minnesota; Howard Erlanger, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Gerald Leonard, Boston University; Daniel Polsby, George Mason Law School; Chris Tomlins, American Bar Foundation /Northwestern University. I owe a special debt to Bill Nelson of New York University School of Law, who hosted me for two weeks and whose wonderful legal history seminar read an earlier draft of the entire manuscript and offered innumerable suggestions.

Although this manuscript deals with a host of important issues in American constitutional and legal history—including the right of revolution, popular constitutionalism, the evolution of the common law, federalism, the scope of the early American police power—it would be extremely naive to think that readers will not be curious about the connection between this history and the modern struggle over gun regulation. These issues are dealt with explicitly in the conclusion, which attempts to offer some suggestions about how an appreciation for history can raise the level of public discourse on this issue. In thinking about the contemporary resonances of my work I have benefited from lively exchanges with scholars and activists on both sides of this issue. Among the scholarly proponents of robust gun regulation who have generously shared their knowledge of this topic with me I would like to thank Carl Bogus, Phil Cook, John Donhue, David Hemenway Jens Ludwig, and Robert Spitzer. Proponents of gun rights have also generously shared their point of view with me, including Randy Barnett, Bob Cottrol, Jim Jacobs, Abigail Kohn, Nelson Lund, Joyce Lee Malcolm, and Eugene Volokh.

The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence invited me to participate in a forum at the National Press Club on the subject "Guns and the Second Amendment." I benefited from my discussions with several lawyers at the Brady campaign: Dennis Henigan, Jon Lowy Tony Orza, and Brian Seibel. Mat Nosanchuk, formerly of the Violence Policy Center (VPC), and Kristin Rand and Josh Sugerman, also of the VPC, took time out of their busy schedules to chat with me about the current state of the debate on this issue. Sue Ann Schiff of Legal Community against Violence was a great source of information about contemporary litigation in this area. An invitation from the Students for the Second Amendment and the National Rifle Associations Institute for Legislative Action to participate in a Second Amendment symposium provided me with another wonderful opportunity to discuss the meaning of this provision of the Bill of Rights. A number of the leading gun rights lawyers in the nation attended that event. In particular I would like to acknowledge David Kopel, Stephen Halbrook Richard Gardner, Don Kates, and David Hardy for sharing their passionate interest in this issue with me.

Shaping this manuscript into a book that could appeal to an audience beyond the academy required the efforts of many fine editorial pens. Heather Miller and Lauren Osborne gave earlier drafts of the manuscript a close and thoughtful reading. Charlie Finlay up-and-coming novelist, read the manuscript and offered excellent stylistic advice.

Michele Bove and Lelia Mander at Oxford University Press guided the manuscript through the production process. My brilliant and charming editor at Oxford University Press, Dedi Felman, read so many drafts of this manuscript that I feared this book on the Second Amendment may have violated Dedi's Eighth Amendment rights to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. The unbridled enthusiasm for this project emanating from Niko Pfund, the academic publisher at Oxford University Press, was also a great source of inspiration.

My wife, Susan, and my daughters, Emma and Julia, endured too many hours with me at the computer screen. I appreciate their patience with a project that always seemed to take just a little bit longer to complete than I had hoped. I have dedicated this book to Emma and Julia. I hope that when they start their families someday this issue will no longer be so divisive and America will no longer be plagued by the problem of gun violence. Perhaps with a better sense of the history of this issue Americans can create the kind of society in which schools will no longer need metal detectors in their doorways.

MSM and Sulphur .....IMPORTANT for health!

"The Vanishing Nutrient That Your Skin,
Muscle and Bones Depend On*"

As you age, the flexible tissues in your body tend to lose their elasticity, which can lead to sagging and wrinkling skin, as well as less flexible muscles and less comfortable joints. And one of the nutrients they need most to support them may be in decreasing supply.* Brand new at Mercola.com...

It's one of the most abundant minerals in your body.But researchers have concluded that its importance may be underestimated and its essential role in your overall health unappreciated.*

Why This Mineral is So Important

The greatly unappreciated mineral I'm talking about is sulfur.
Sulfur bonds are required for proteins to maintain their shape, and these bonds determine the biological activity of the proteins.*
Your hair, skin, and nails consist of a tough protein composed in significant part of sulfur called keratin.* And connective tissue and cartilage contain proteins with flexible sulfur bonds, giving the structures flexibility.*
As you age, the flexible tissues in your body tend to lose their elasticity which can lead to sagging and wrinkling skin, as well as less flexible muscles and less comfortable joints.
In addition to bonding proteins, sulfur is also required for the proper structure and biological activity of enzymes.* If you don't have sufficient amounts of sulfur in your body, these enzymes cannot function optimally….
Sulfur also plays other important roles as it…

• Helps detoxification – Sulfation is a major pathway for detoxification by your liver*
• Supports your body's electron transport system – As part of iron/sulfur proteins in mitochondria (the energy factories of your cells creating ATP)*
• Converts vitamin-B thiamine (B1) and biotin – Which are essential for converting carbohydrates into energy*
• Helps promote normal insulin function – The insulin molecule consists of two amino acid chains connected to each other by sulfur bridges, without which insulin cannot perform its biological activity*
• Synthesizes important metabolic intermediates, such as the super-antioxidant glutathione*

Of all the roles sulfur plays, I believe one of the most important is how it can enhance your glutathione levels.*

Are You Getting Enough Sulfur in Your Diet?

I truly believe that the best way for you to obtain sulfur is through your diet.
However, there are some challenges with that. Only 2 of the 20 amino acids normally present in food contain sulfur.

• Methionine – This amino acid cannot be synthesized by your body and must be supplied through diet…
• Cysteine – This one is synthesized by your body but requires a steady supply of dietary sulfur in order to do so.

These important amino acids cannot be stored by your body. Any dietary excess of methionine and cysteine are readily oxidized to sulphate, excreted in urine, or stored in the form of glutathione (GSH).

This Could Be One of the Best Sources of Sulfur in your Diet

Sulfur is derived almost exclusively from dietary protein.
And I believe one of the best sources of sulfur comes from humanely raised, pastured meat.
Meat and fish are considered ‘complete’ as they contain all the sulfur-containing amino acids your body needs in order to produce new protein.
If you don't eat meat, there are other sources of sulfur including organic pastured eggs, coconut oil, and olive oil, as well as most cruciferous vegetables (when grown in soil that contained adequate amounts of sulfur)… Other sources include:

• Brussels sprouts…
• Legumes…
• Asparagus…
• Garlic…
• Kale…
• Onion…
• Wheat germ

Another Option to Help Your Body Absorb Sulfur

A senior scientist at MIT suggests another (relaxing) source of sulfur…

• Soak your body in a warm bath with magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt)…
• Helps compensate and counter act sulfur inadequacies…
• Use twice a week with about ½ -1 cup in your bath (relax and enjoy)

This type of bath can help your skin absorb sulfur.

Why You Still May Be Coming Up Short

Regardless of whether your diet provides adequate amounts of sulfur, we probably take for granted the fact that sulfur is provided by our atmosphere and soil.
Plants obviously require sulfur in soil in order to pass any on to you. And grass-fed beef and pastured poultry that eat plants need adequate amounts in what they consume to help keep this essential mineral in the food chain as well.
However, soils around the globe are becoming increasingly sulfur-depleted… resulting in less sulfur-rich foods overall. This depletion is primarily due to over-farming and decreased sulfur deposits on crops as a result of emission-reducing technologies used at coal-fired power plants.

Why Glutathione is Important to Your Overall Health*

Free radicals are reactive particles that bounce around your cells, damaging everything they touch. They can become active (or reactive) due to stress, poor diet, environmental factors, and even as a result of metabolism. And they can accelerate aging.
Glutathione has a unique role as it is present inside every one of your cells. In fact, it seems to have claimed 'master antioxidant' status by helping all the other antioxidants perform at peak levels.*
However, glutathione is not absorbed very effectively. Plus, glutathione supplements can potentially interfere with your body's ability to produce glutathione naturally over time.
This is where sulfur can provide you with a tremendous health advantage by how it can help boost your glutathione levels.*
After age 20, glutathione levels reportedly start decreasing at about 1% a year. Even more reason to make sure you have adequate amounts of sulfur in your body.*

How to Help 'Trigger' Glutathione Production Naturally in Your Body*

Are there other ways to potentially boost glutathione production within your body? Here are a few ways that certainly can help…

• Get plenty of appropriate exercise – Exercise affects your adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels needed to help produce glutathione.
• Optimize your vitamin D levels through sun exposure – There’s some evidence vitamin D increases intracellular glutathione levels.
• Consume certain foods such as raw milk products, raw eggs, raw fruits and vegetables, and cold-pressed whey protein. Foods that are raw can provide high levels of the important and necessary amino acids your body uses to produce glutathione.

MSM can be a key compound in 'donating' its sulfur to benefit your body.* Research suggest that MSM can also function as a sulfur metabolism modifier… promoting the retention of sulfur and rapidly altering sulfur metabolism.*

What is MSM and Where is it Found?

MSM is not a drug but an organic form of sulfur and a potent antioxidant* made up of:

• 34% sulfur…
• 34% oxygen…
• 26% carbon and 6% hydrogen bonds

Trace amounts of MSM are found in foods and beverages such as those outlined in the following chart.

FOOD / BEVERAGE	AMOUNT PPM
Milk (whole pasteurized)	3.3-8.2 ppm
Coffee	1.6 ppm
Swiss chard	05-.18 ppm
Alfalfa	.07 ppm
Tomato	trace
Tomato paste	.64-.86 ppm
Mussel	.29 ppm
Asparagus	trace
Raspberries	trace

Raw milk and raw cheese made from pastured cows contain some of the highest amounts of natural MSM.

My Selection Checklist for a High-Quality Sulfur Formula

Here's my checklist to help you see the process I went through (and recommend you do the same) when searching for a high-quality sulfur supplement.

• MSM must be of the highest quality – Prefer MSM produced using an extensive distillation process to ensure purity and help eliminate ingredient inconsistencies. Since sulfur is a prerequisite for this formula, MSM is a key ingredient in that it is made up of 34% sulfur.
• Look for a low-dosage serving of MSM in the formula – Keeping the dosage low may help avoid occasional minor side effects possible in larger doses.
• Include other robust sources of sulfur that can effectively serve as glutathione precursors* – The potential benefits of glutathione as an extraordinary antioxidant within your body cannot be understated.*
• Must contain high-quality pure ingredients –Without this, inconsistency in the formula can occur potentially making the overall benefits unpredictable.
• Must be produced by a high-quality manufacturer – High preference for a dedicated facility (particularly with MSM) to help avoid introduction of potential contaminants.
• .................

I'VE  BEEN  TAKING  AN  MSM  SUPPLEMENT  FOR  A  NUMBER  OF  YEARS  NOW,  AND  YES  FEEL  CONFIDENT  IT  IS  HELPING  TO  KEEP  MY  BODY  YOUNG !!   MY  WHOLE  BODY  IS  AS  A  50  YEAR  OLD;  THE  WAY  I  CAN  SWIM,  THE  WAY  I  CAN RIDE  MY  HORSE.......CAN  DO  BOTH  AS  A  50  YEAR  OLD  OR  YOUNG,  AND  THAT  MAKES  ME  FEEL  REALLY  GOOD  WHEN  I'M  71 ON  MY  BIRTH  CERTIFICATE  COME  THIS  SEPTEMBER  11TH  2013.  MY  SKIN  IS  PRETTY  TIGHT [I  DO  CHARLES  ATLAS  EXERCISES  TO  HELP  WITH  THAT  ALSO]  INCLUDING  THE  FACE.  WHEN  PEOPLE  THINK  I'M  ONLY  50  AND  NOT  NEARLY  71,  IT  PROVES  ALL THAT  I  DO  IN  EATING,  SUPPLEMENTS,  AND  EXERCISE  IS  PAYING  OFF  BIG  TIME.

Keith Hunt

AMERICAN foods.....avoid!

American Foods Chockfull of Ingredients Banned in Other Countries

February 27, 2013 | 178,773 views | 

By Dr. Mercola

More than 3,000 food additives -- preservatives, flavorings, colors and other ingredients -- are added to foods in the United States.

While each of these substances are legal to use in the US, whether or not they are safe for long-term consumption -- by themselves or in combination -- is a different story altogether. Many have been deemed too harmful to use in other countries.

When you consider that about 90 percent of the money Americans spend on food goes toward processed foods loaded with these additives, it’s no wonder most people are carrying a hefty toxic load that can wreak havoc on their health.

A list of ingredients that are banned across the globe but still allowed for use in America recently made the news. The list is featured in the new book, Rich Food, Poor Food, authored by nutritionist Mira Calton and her husband Jayson.

The banned ingredients include various food dyes, the fat substitute Olestra, brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate (aka brominanted flour), Azodicarbonamide, BHA, BHT, rBGH, rBST, and arsenic.

Seeing that the overall health of Americans is so much lower than other industrialized countries, you can’t help but wonder whether toxic ingredients such as these might play a role in our unhealthy conditions.

Meanwhile, Russia has announced that it plans to extend a ban on U.S. beef, pork and turkey imports coming into effect this month, due to the feed additive ractopamine in the meats. Ractopamine is a growth stimulant banned in several countries, including Russia.

Processed Foods Depend on Additives

When foods are processed, not only are valuable nutrients lost and fibers removed, but the textures and natural variation and flavors are also lost. After processing, what's left behind is a bland, uninteresting "pseudo-food" that most people wouldn’t want to eat.

So at this point, food manufacturers must add back in the nutrients, flavor, color and texture to processed foods in order to make them palatable, and this is why they become loaded with food additives.

Most commonly, additives are included to slow spoilage, prevent fats and oils from going rancid, prevent fruits from turning brown, fortify or enrich the food with synthetic vitamins and minerals to replace the natural ones that were lost during processing, and improve taste, texture and appearance. When reading product packages, here are some of the most common food additives¹ to watch out for:

• Preservatives: sodium benzoate, sodium nitrite, potassium sorbate, BHA, BHT, TBHQ
• Sweeteners and artificial sweeteners: fructose, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium (acesulfame-K)
• Artificial colors: FD&C Blue Nos. 1 and 2, FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red Nos. 3 and 40, FD&C Yellow Nos. 5 and 6, Orange B, Citrus Red No. 2
• Artificial flavors
• Flavor enhancers: monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrolyzed soy protein, autolyzed yeast extract

Top Offenders to Avoid

According to the Caltons, the following 13 additives are the worst of the more than 150 individual ingredients they investigated during their six-year long journey, which took them through 100 different countries.²

Ingredient	Found in	Health Hazards
Coloring agents: blue 1, blue 2, yellow 5, and yellow 6	Cake, candy, macaroni and cheese, medicines, sport drinks, soda, pet food, and cheese	Most artificial colors are made from coal tar, which is a carcinogen
Olestra (aka Olean)	Fat-free potato chips	Depletion of fat-soluble vitamins and carotenoids. Side effects include oily anal leakage
Brominated vegetable oil (aka BVO)	Sports drinks and citrus-flavored sodas	Competes with iodine for receptor sites in the body, which can lead to hypothyroidism, autoimmune disease, and cancer. The main ingredient, bromine, is a poisonous, corrosive chemical, linked to  major organ system damage, birth defects, growth problems, schizophrenia, and hearing loss
Potassium bromate (aka brominated flour)	Rolls, wraps, flatbread, bread crumbs, and bagel chips	See bromine above. Associated with kidney and nervous system disorders,  gastrointestinal discomfort
Azodicarbonamide	Breads, frozen dinners, boxed pasta mixes, and packaged baked goods	Linked to asthma
BHA and BHT	Cereal, nut mixes, gum, butter, meat, dehydrated potatoes, and beer	BHA may be a human carcinogen, a cancer-causing agent. BHT can cause organ system toxicity
Synthetic hormones: rBGH and rBST	Milk and dairy products	Linked to breast, colon, and prostate cancers
Arsenic	Poultry	EPA classifies inorganic arsenic as a "human carcinogen"

What’s With the Double-Standards?

The food industry has already formulated safer, better products for other countries, in which these and other harmful ingredients are banned. So why do they insist on selling inferior versions in America? For clear examples, take a look at a recent article on 100DaysOfRealFood.com.³ In it, Vani Hari shows the ingredient labels of several common foods sold in the US and the UK, such as Betty Crocker’s Red Velvet cake mix, McDonald’s French fries, and Pizza Hut’s garlic cheese bread. Amazingly, while these foods can be created using a bare minimum of additives in the UK (and sometimes none), in the US, they’re absolutely LOADED with chemicals.

“The food industry does not want us to pay attention to the ingredients nor do they care about the negative effects from eating them. They certainly don’t care about the astronomical medical bills that are a direct result of us eating the inferior food they are creating,” Vani Hari writes.

“...We as a collective nation must stop this trajectory of sickness and rising health care costs, by understanding the ingredients we are putting into our bodies. We must challenge the U.S. food industry to discontinue the use of banned ingredients that are not allowed elsewhere in the world. We deserve to have the same quality food without potential toxins.”

Russia Issues Long-Term Ban on US Meat

In related “questionable food” news, Russia recently banned US meat supplies after discovering it contains ractopamine—a beta agonist drug that increases protein synthesis, thereby making the animal more muscular. This reduces the fat content of the meat. As reported by Pravda,⁴ Russia is the fourth largest importer of US meats, purchasing about $500 million-worth of beef and pork annually.

Effective February 11, Russia will no longer allow US meat imports, stating the ban “is likely to last for a long time.”⁵ All meat suppliers wishing to sell their meat and meat products to Russia must certify their meat as ractopamine-free—a condition the US has so far refused to comply with.

The drug is banned for use in 160 countries, including China and Russia, but allowed in 24 countries, including Canada and the United States. While the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) considers ractopamine safe and doesn’t test for it, Russia’s chief health inspector, Gennady Onishchenko, claims there are “serious questions” about the safety of the drug. He previously told the New York Times:⁶

“For instance, use of ractopamine is accompanied by a reduction in body mass, suppression of reproductive function, increase of mastitis in dairy herds, which leads to a steep decline in the quality and safety of milk.”

Ractopamine is also known to affect the human cardiovascular system, and may cause food poisoning, according to Pravda.⁷It’s also thought to be responsible for hyperactivity, muscle breakdown, and can increase death and disability in livestock. While other drugs require a clearance period of around two weeks to help ensure the compounds are flushed from the meat prior to slaughter (and therefore reduce residues leftover for human consumption), there is no clearance period for ractopamine.

In fact, livestock growers intentionally use the drug in the last days before slaughter in order to increase its effectiveness. According to veterinarian Michael W. Fox, as much as 20 percent of ractopamine remains in the meat you buy from the supermarket. Despite potential health risks, the drug is used in 45 percent of US pigs, 30 percent of ration-fed cattle, and an unknown percentage of turkeys.

What’s the Simplest Way to Avoid Harmful Food Additives?

Ditch processed foods entirely. (If you live in Europe you may have more options than Americans, as you may be able to find some processed foods that do not contain any synthetic additives.) About 90 percent of the money Americans spend on food is spent on processed foods, so there is massive room for improvement in this area for most people.

Swapping your processed food diet for one that focuses on fresh whole foods may seem like a radical idea, but it's a necessity if you value your health. And when you put the history of food into perspective, it's actually the processed foods that are "radical" and "new." People have thrived on vegetables, meats, eggs, fruits and other whole foods for centuries, while processed foods were only recently invented.

If you want to eat healthy, I suggest you follow the 1950s (and before) model and spend quality time in the kitchen preparing high-quality meals for yourself and your family. If you rely on processed inexpensive foods, you exchange convenience for long-term health problems and mounting medical bills. For a step-by-step guide to make this a reality in your own life, simply follow the advice in my optimized nutrition plan along with these seven steps to wean yourself off processed foods.

When it comes to staying healthy, avoiding processed foods and replacing them with fresh, whole foods is the "secret" you've been looking for. Additionally, the more steps your food goes through before it reaches your plate, the greater your chances of contamination becomes. If you are able to get your food locally, you eliminate numerous routes that could expose your food to contamination with disease-causing pathogens.

10 MYTHS about EATING/DRINKING!

10 Lies and Misconceptions Spread By Mainstream Nutrition

February 25, 2013 | 219,410 views | 

By Dr. Mercola

There's no shortage of health myths out there, but I believe the truth is slowly but surely starting to seep out there and get a larger audience. For example, two recent articles actually hit the nail right on the head in terms of good nutrition advice.

Shape Magazine features a slide show on "9 ingredients nutritionists won’t touch,"¹ and authoritynutrition.com listed “11 of the biggest lies of mainstream nutrition."²

These health topics are all essential to get "right" if you want to protect your health, and the health of your loved ones, which is why I was delighted to see both of these sources disseminating spot-on advice. I highly recommend reading through both of them.

Here, I will review my own top 10 lies and misconceptions of mainstream nutrition—some of which are included in the two featured sources, plus a few additional ones I believe are important.

Lie # 1: 'Saturated Fat Causes Heart Disease'

As recently as 2002, the "expert" Food & Nutrition Board issued the following misguided statement, which epitomizes this myth:

"Saturated fats and dietary cholesterol have no known beneficial role in preventing chronic disease and are not required at any level in the diet."

Similarly, the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine recommends adults to get 45–65 percent of their calories from carbohydrates, 20-35 percent from fat, and 10-35 percent from protein. This is an inverse ideal fat to carb ratio that is virtually guaranteed to lead you astray, and result in a heightened risk of chronic disease.

Most people benefit from 50-70 percent healthful fats in their diet for optimal health, whereas you need very few, if any, carbohydrates to maintain good health... Although that may seem like a lot, fat is much denser and consumes a much smaller portion of your meal plate.

This dangerous recommendation, which arose from an unproven hypothesisfrom the mid-1950s, has been harming your health and that of your loved ones for about 40 years now.

The truth is, saturated fats from animal and vegetable sources provide the building blocks for cell membranes and a variety of hormones and hormone-like substances, without which your body cannot function optimally. They also act as carriers for important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Dietary fats are also needed for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A, for mineral absorption, and for a host of other biological processes.

In fact, saturated is the preferred fuel for your heart! For more information about saturated fats and the essential role they play in maintaining your health, please read my previous article The Truth About Saturated Fat.

Lie # 2: 'Eating Fat Makes You Gain Weight'

The low-fat myth may have done more harm to the health of millions than any other dietary recommendation as the resulting low-fat craze led to increased consumption of trans-fats, which we now know increases your risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease—the very health problems wrongfully attributed to saturated fats...

To end the confusion, it's very important to realize that eating fat will not make you fat!

The primary cause of excess weight and all the chronic diseases associated with it, is actually the consumption of too much sugar -- especially fructose, but also all sorts of grains, which rapidly convert to sugar in your body. If only the low-fat craze had been a low-sugar craze... then we wouldn't have nearly as much chronic disease as we have today. For an explanation of why and how a low-fat diet can create the very health problems it's claimed to prevent, please see this previous article.

Lie # 3: 'Artificial Sweeteners are Safe Sugar-Replacements for Diabetics, and Help Promote Weight Loss'

Most people use artificial sweeteners to lose weight and/or because they’re diabetic and need to avoid sugar. The amazing irony is that nearly all the studies that have carefully analyzed their effectiveness show that those who use artificial sweeteners actually gain more weight than those who consume caloric sweeteners. Studies have also revealed that artificial sweeteners can be worse than sugar for diabetics.

In 2005, data gathered from the 25-year long San Antonio Heart Study showed that drinking dietsoft drinks increased the likelihood of serious weight gain, far more so than regular soda.³ On average, each diet soft drink the participants consumed per day increased their risk of becoming overweight by 65 percent within the next seven to eight years, and made them 41 percent more likely to become obese. There are several potential causes for this, including:

• Sweet taste alone appears to increase hunger, regardless of caloric content.
• Artificial sweeteners appear to simply perpetuate a craving for sweets, and overall sugar consumption is therefore not reduced—leading to further problems controlling your weight.⁴
• Artificial sweeteners may disrupt your body's natural ability to "count calories," as evidenced in studies such as this 2004 study at Purdue University,⁵ which found that rats fed artificially sweetened liquids ate more high-calorie food than rats fed high-caloric sweetened liquids.

There is also a large number of health dangers associated with artificial sweeteners and aspartame in particular. I've compiled an ever-growing list of studies pertaining to health problems associated with aspartame, which you can find here. If you're still on the fence, I highly recommend reviewing these studies for yourself so that you can make an educated decision. For more information on aspartame, the worst artificial sweetener, please see my aspartame video.

Lie # 4: 'Your Body Cannot Tell the Difference Between Sugar and Fructose'

Of the many health-harming ingredients listed in the featured article by Shape Magazine—all of which you're bound to get in excess if you consume processed foods—fructose is perhaps the greatest threat to your health. Mounting evidence testifies to the fact that excess fructose, primarily in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), is a primary factor causing not just obesity, but also chronic and lethal disease. In fact, I am convinced that fructose is one of the leading causes of a great deal of needless suffering from poor health and premature death.

Many conventional health "experts," contend that sugar and fructose in moderation is perfectly okay and part of a normal "healthy" diet, and the corn industry vehemently denies any evidence showing that fructose is metabolically more harmful than regular sugar (sucrose). This widespread denial and sweeping the evidence under the carpet poses a massive threat to your health, unless you do your own research.

As a standard recommendation, I advise keeping your total fructose consumption below 25 grams per day. For most people it would also be wise to limit your fructose from fruit to 15 grams or less. Unfortunately, while this is theoretically possible, precious few people are actually doing that.

Cutting out a few desserts will not make a big difference if you're still eating a "standard American diet"—in fact, I've previously written about how various foods and beverages contain far more sugar than a glazed doughnut. Because of the prevalence of HFCS in foods and beverages, the average person now consumes 1/3 of a pound of sugar EVERY DAY, which is five ounces or 150 grams, half of which is fructose.

That's 300 percent more than the amount that will trigger biochemical havoc. Remember that is the AVERAGE; many actually consume more than twice that amount. For more details about the health dangers of fructose and my recommendations, please see my recent article Confirmed—Fructose Can Increase Your Hunger and Lead to Overeating.

Lie # 5: 'Soy is a Health Food'

The meteoric rise of soy as a "health food" is a perfect example of how a brilliant marketing strategy can fool millions. But make no mistake about it, unfermented soy products are NOT healthful additions to your diet, and can be equally troublesome for men and women of all ages. If you find this recommendation startling then I would encourage you to review some of the many articles listed on my Soy Index Page.

Contrary to popular belief, thousands of studies have actually linked unfermented soy to malnutrition, digestive distress, immune-system breakdown, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders and infertility—even cancer and heart disease.

Not only that, but more than 90 percent of American soy crops are genetically modified, which carries its own set of health risks.⁶ I am not opposed to all soy, however. Organic and, most importantly, properly fermented soy does have great health benefits. Examples of such healthful fermented soy products include tempeh, miso and natto. Here is a small sampling of the detrimental health effects linked to unfermented soy consumption:

Breast cancer	Brain damage	Infant abnormalities
Thyroid disorders	Kidney stones	Immune system impairment
Severe, potentially fatal food allergies	Impaired fertility	Danger during pregnancy and breastfeeding

Lie # 6: 'Eggs are a Source of Unhealthy Cholesterol'

Eggs are probably one of the most demonized foods in the United States, mainly because of the misguided idea implied by the lipid hypothesis that eating egg yolk increases the cholesterol levels in your body. You can forget about such concerns, because contrary to popular belief, eggs are one of the healthiest foods you can eat and they do not have a detrimental impact on cholesterol levels. Numerous nutritional studies have dispelled the myth that you should avoid eating eggs, so this recommendation is really hanging on by a very bare thread...

One such study⁷, conducted by the Yale Prevention Research Center and published in 2010, showed that egg consumption did not have a negative effect on endothelial function – a measure of cardiac risk – and did not cause a spike on cholesterol levels. The participants of the Yale study ate two eggs per day for a period of six weeks. There are many benefits associated with eggs, including:

One egg contains 6 grams of high quality protein and all 9 essential amino acids	Eggs are good for your eyes because they contain lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants found in your lens and retina. These two compounds help protect your eyes from damage caused by free radicals and avoid eye diseases like macular degeneration and cataracts	Eggs are a good source of choline (one egg contains about 300 micrograms), a member of the vitamin B family essential for the normal function of human cells and helps regulate the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Choline is especially beneficial for pregnant mothers as it is influences normal brain development of the unborn child
Eggs are one of the few foods that contain naturally occurring vitamin D (24.5 grams)	Eggs may help promote healthy hair and nails due to their high sulphur content	Eggs also contain biotin, calcium, copper, folate, iodine, iron, manganese, magnesium, niacin, potassium, selenium, sodium, thiamine, vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, vitamin E and zinc

Choose free-range organic eggs, and avoid “omega-3 eggs” as this is not the proper way to optimize your omega-3 levels. To produce these omega-3 eggs, the hens are usually fed poor-quality sources of omega-3 fats that are already oxidized. Omega-3 eggs are more perishable than non-omega-3 eggs.

Lie # 7: 'Whole Grains are Good for Everyone'

The use of whole-grains is an easy subject to get confused on especially for those who have a passion for nutrition, as for the longest time we were told the fiber in whole grains is highly beneficial. Unfortunately ALL grains, including whole-grain and organic varieties, can elevate your insulin levels, which can increase your risk of disease. They also contain gluten, which many are sensitive to, if not outright allergic. It has been my experience that more than 85 percent of Americans have trouble controlling their insulin levels -- especially those who have the following conditions:

• Overweight
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Protein metabolic types

In addition, sub-clinical gluten intolerance is far more common than you might think, which can also wreak havoc with your health. As a general rule, I strongly recommend eliminating or at least restricting grains as well as sugars/fructose from your diet, especially if you have any of the above conditions that are related to insulin resistance. The higher your insulin levels and the more prominent your signs of insulin overload are, the more ambitious your grain elimination needs to be.

If you are one of the fortunate ones without insulin resistance and of normal body weight, then grains are fine, especially whole grains—as long as you don’t have any issues with gluten and select organic and unrefined forms. It is wise to continue to monitor your grain consumption and your health as life is dynamic and constantly changing. What might be fine when you are 25 or 30 could become a major problem at 40 when your growth hormone and level of exercise is different.

Lie # 8: 'Milk Does Your Body Good'

Unfortunately, the myth that conventional pasteurized milk has health benefits is a persistent one, even though it’s far from true. Conventional health agencies also refuse to address the real dangers of the growth hormones and antibiotics found inconventional milk. I do not recommend drinking pasteurized milk of any kind, including organic, because once milk has been pasteurized its physical structure is changed in a way that can actually cause allergies and immune problems.

Important enzymes like lactase are destroyed during the pasteurization process, which causes many people to not be able to digest milk. Additionally, vitamins (such as A, C, B6 and B12) are diminished and fragile milk proteins are radically transformed from health nurturing to unnatural amino acid configurations that can actually worsen your health. The eradication of beneficial bacteria through the pasteurization process also ends up promoting pathogens rather than protecting you from them.

The healthy alternative to pasteurized milk is raw milk, which is an outstanding source of nutrients including beneficial bacteria such as lactobacillus acidophilus, vitamins and enzymes, and it is, in my estimation, one of the finest sources of calcium available. For more details please watch the interview I did with Mark McAfee, who is the owner of Organic Pastures, the largest organic dairy in the US.

However, again, if you have insulin issues and are struggling with weight issues, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer or high cholesterol it would be best to restrict your dairy to organic butter as the carbohydrate content, lactose, could be contribute to insulin and leptin resistance. Fermented organic raw dairy would eliminate the lactose issue and would be better tolerated. But if you are sensitive to dairy it might be best to avoid these too.

Lie # 9: 'Genetically Engineered Foods are Safe and Comparable to Conventional Foods'

Make no mistake about it; genetically engineered (GE) foods may be one of the absolute most dangerous aspects of our food supply today. I strongly recommend avoiding ALL GE foods. Since over 90 percent of all corn grown in the US is GE corn, and over 95 percent all soy is GE soy, this means that virtually every processed food you encounter at your local supermarket that does not bear the "USDA Organic" label likely contains one or more GE components. To avoid GE foods, first memorize the following list of well-known and oft-used GE crops:

Corn	Canola	Alfalfa (New GM crop as of 2011)
Soy	Cottonseed	Sugar derived from sugar beets

Fresh zucchini, crookneck squash and Hawaiian papaya are also commonly GE. It’s important to realize that unless you're buying all organic food, or grow your own veggies and raise your own livestock, or at the very least buy all whole foods (even if conventionally grown) and cook everything from scratch, chances are you're consuming GE foods every single day... What ultimate impact these foods will have on your health is still unknown, but increased disease, infertility and birth defects appear to be on the top of the list of most likely side effects. The first-ever lifetime feeding study also showed a dramatic increase in organ damage, cancer, and reduced lifespan.

Lie # 10: 'Lunch Meats Make for a Healthy Nutritious Meal'

Lastly, processed meats, which includes everything from hot dogs, deli meats, bacon, and pepperoni are rarely thought of as strict no-no’s, but they really should be, if you’re concerned about your health. Virtually all processed meat products contain dangerous compounds that put them squarely on the list of foods to avoid or eliminate entirely. These compounds include:

• Heterocyclic amines (HCAs): a potent carcinogen, which is created when meat or fish is cooked at high temperatures.
• Sodium nitrite: a commonly used preservative and antimicrobial agent that also adds color and flavor to processed and cured meats.
• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs): Many processed meats are smoked as part of the curing process, which causes PAHs to form.
• Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs): When food is cooked at high temperatures—including when it is pasteurized or sterilized—it increases the formation of AGEs in your food. AGEs build up in your body over time leading to oxidative stress, inflammation and an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease.

This recommendation is backed up by a report commissioned by The World Cancer Research Fund⁸ (WCRF). The review, which evaluated the findings of more than 7,000 clinical studies, was funded by money raised from the general public, so the findings were not influenced by vested interests. It's also the biggest review of the evidence ever undertaken, and it confirms previous findings: Processed meats increase your risk of cancer, especially bowel cancer, and NO amount of processed meat is "safe." A previous analysis by the WCRF found that eating just one sausage a day raises your risk of developing bowel cancer by 20 percent, and other studies have found that processed meats increase your risk of:

• Colon cancer by 50 percent
• Bladder cancer by 59 percent
• Stomach cancer by 38 percent
• Pancreatic cancer by 67 percent

Processed meats may also increase your risk of diabetes by 50 percent, and lower your lung function and increase your risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). If you absolutely want or need a hot dog or other processed meats once in awhile, you can reduce your risk by:

• Looking for "uncured" varieties that contain NO nitrates
• Choosing varieties that say 100% beef, 100% chicken, etc. This is the only way to know that the meat is from a single species and does not include byproducts (like chicken skin or chicken fat or other parts)
• Avoiding any meat that contains MSG, high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives, artificial flavor or artificial color

Ideally, purchase sausages and other processed meats from a small, local farmer who can tell you exactly what's in their products. These are just some of the health myths and misconceptions out there. There are certainly many more. The ones listed above are some of the most important ones, in my view, simply because they’re so widely misunderstood. They’re also critical to get "right" if you want to protect your health, and the health of your loved ones. For more great advise, please review the two featured sources.

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WELLLLL.......I  KNEW  9  OF  THE  MYTHS,  BUT  ORGANIC  PASTEURIZED   MILD.....WOW  THAT  IS  NEW  FOR  ME.

JUST  ABOUT  IMPOSSIBLE  FOR  MOST  OF  US  TO  GET  RAW  MILK.  WILL  HAVE  TO  GO  BACK  TO  THE  NATURAL  GOATS  MILK  I  WAS  BUYING,  AFTER  WHAT  MERCOLA  HAS  STATED;  DID  NOT  KNOW  PASTEURIZING  MILK  DID  ALL  WHAT  HE'S  TOLD  US.  WE  LEARN  NEW  THINGS  ALL  THE  TIME;  MAKES  LIFE  INTERESTING  INDEED.

Keith Hunt