Introduction:
Moms Across America a 501c charity dedicated to food safety has recently published the results of a study in which all samples of military rations contained levels of toxic compounds at levels harmful to humans. If the results of this study are accurate the implications for the health of active duty service members and veterans are abhorrent. I conclude with methods for what I would do and have done to detoxify myself from hazardous materials I encountered during military service.
The Study:
The organization sent a sample size of 40 meals (24 MREs, and 16 samples from 6 military bases) to an independent lab, the study was funded by Moms Across America with the support of Childrens Health Defense Military Chapter and Centner Academy. The bottom line up front is the meals possessed low levels of nutritional value and were laden with pesticides, veterinary drugs, heavy metals, and unsafe levels of glyphosate. 100% of the samples contained pesticides, more than 70% of the samples had multiple pesticides and as many as 15 to 26 different pesticides on the same item. 95% of the samples contained glyphosate a weed killer banned or considered harmful by many countries. Probably the most attention grabbing compounds that were detected were the 5 veterinary drugs to include trenbolone acetate and another growth hormone. Three other drugs are banned by most countries for human use, according to Moms Across America these drugs likely originated in China. 100% of the samples contained arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury and aluminum. Finding some samples with arsenic, cadmium, and aluminum up to 17300% higher than the EPAs drinking water guidelines. And shocking to no one, the meals were deficient in key nutrients per USDA standards. The results of the nutritional assessment appear to indicate an overall lack of quality ingredients or some issue in consistency along the manufacturing process. PFAS (commonly referred to as “forever chemicals”) were also detected in one sample at a rate 30 times higher than the EPA’s drinking water standard
The publication goes on to share citations on the carcinogens that were found and their toxicity to humans. I recommend everyone go read the full study to see the argument against the use of these compounds and the evidence of their harmfulness to humans. They also go on to make the argument that the findings are an issue of national security which I am inclined to agree with. They offer solutions such as regenerative farming which I also agree with but am unsure about the feasibility as to scale without extreme changes to the entire way the U.S produces food. Overall the presentation of the paper is straightforward and readable and offers some form of path forward to fix the problem, albeit one that would involve upending the status quo of food manufacturers as well as serious changes to the procurement of food for the Department of War.
So this information on its face is obviously a terrible look for the U.S. Military, and it also seems to be another negative consequences service members must navigate resulting from their service. There are issues with this study as I will point out, but let’s take just 50% of this as truth—it’s still terrible. There are things the government can do to make this right, that is beyond the scope of this post—I am here for the individuals who are concerned about their consumption of these rations during their service. If I had to pick the biggest threat out of all the things discovered by this analysis it would be the extreme levels of heavy metals. I maintain that all these things in their totality are not good and probably not safe for humans but as far as environmental exposure to harmful compounds we as a species have a lot of work to do to remove the threat entirely. As I present later on an individual can take steps to safeguard their health and mitigate some of the damage done by these rations. Before I get to that I have some issues with the study itself that I will run through for the sake of objectivity as well as hopefully spurring more interest in this issue.
So I am going to repeat myself for emphasis on the low sample size of this study. Obviously I understand this organization likely had financial constraints and that is also likely why it was only one laboratory that was running the analysis on these samples. One thing I noticed was a lack samples representative of what we would find in the field. We all know MREs by designed are meant to have extremely long shelf life, it would be nice to see a broad selection of MREs over time. If you were able to acquire samples that represent the inventory an average unit would bring out to field we could possibly track trends over time of more or less contamination. It would also be more realistic to what a service member would encounter. I know that I personally have eaten several MREs that were from the early 2000s. I would also like to have another independent laboratory verify the findings or run redundant tests for the sake of stronger findings. This all costs money, and I understand that.
Let me be clear, I am not disparaging or maligning Moms Across America. This study is a step forward to something that can potentially be expanded upon. My chief complaint is if the findings of this study alone are presented as evidence to anyone attempting to pursue damages against the government or change policy (whether individual, policymaker or attorney) they will be shot down for the above mentioned criticisms and this issue will be kicked further down the road for veterans of the future to deal with. If someone with money who claims they actually cares about veterans would like to proverbially put their money where their mouth is they could fund an expanded more comprehensive version of this study. Or better yet, a university that claims to care about veterans and may admit the token enlisted person, or waive an application fee here or there could dedicate some time and resources to conducting their own version of this study. No doubt a journal such as Nature would be interested in the results and such a study would earn at least a few national headlines. I commend Mothers Across America for beginning the process.
Why it Matters:
So obviously if you served and consumed these meals you may have concerns. You will probably ask questions like: how many meals of these is enough to lead to adverse effects? What exactly was I exposed to? Do I still have these compounds in my system all these years later? I can not answer these questions exactly, there are plenty of tests that can be run to detect heavy metal toxicity or gut health among many other diagnostics. And if you were in a military speciality that spent a lot of time in the field youre probably crunching numbers. For instance if you spent on average 120 days in the field over the course of 1 year consuming a minimum of 2 MREs per day eating a total of 240 MREs per year over a 4 year enlistment leading to 960 MREs in 4 years. Lets just take this as an example, I understand many people spend more or less days in the field and I also fully concede that many people eat more or less—to include consuming meals from UGRs/tray rations which we also have no real idea of their purity or contents. If you ate 1000 MREs, and the results of the study can be extrapolated over the last few decades, it is very likely you consumed some of the compounds/materials described. If we take this study as complete truth and expand it over the entire inventory of MREs across the U.S. military by virtue of statistics you as a service member have likely ingested highly toxic and harmful in the rations given to you. This is not a death sentence as I will explain in my guidance moving forward. However, it may explain why so many of veterans I meet complain of GI problems in addition to myriad other issues.
If we take this study as fully true it has very terrible implications as to not only the health of the service members consuming this but the quality control of goods that we as taxpayers are purchasing from private manufacturers to supply our military with. In addition it also speaks to the quality of our supply chain if we must subsist off veterinary chemicals and industrial compounds. The study does indeed have implications on the individual level but it should also lead to questions on how to suitably supply a military that spends much of its time deployed or in the field subsisting on rations.
Detox Protocol:
I am not a doctor. The following introductory detox protocol I am going to give has been distilled from over 6 years learning, experimenting and helping others detox and change their diet in light of medical issues. This includes my own family and friends who I have given guidance and protocols to. Initially I began learning about these things and trying them in an attempt to fix problems I was having with my health. Everything I am about to tell you I have done personally, therefore it is indeed anecdotal but I approached it with care and discernment. When I was not able to find the answers I hired professionals or experts to help me and figured out how to do what I alone could not do. So I am going to give you a protocol as if you were a member of my family, I want you to be aware that this is a lengthier process and I am saying this holding in mind that people have many obligations that take up their time and money so I am trying to be as realistic as possible. With that said here is the protocol I would recommend to a family member who’s consumed years worth of toxic materials:
upon waking up 400 MG of activated charcoal every day throughout the duration of this process. The purpose of this is to begin binding with and stripping out impurities from your digestive system, with this however you will also have less absorption of nutrients from the food you eat within 4 to 6 hours of taking charcoal. We are not worried about absorbing nutrients right now, I will give you some guidance on how to remedy that later, right now we are worried about removing these things from your digestive tract.
Drink as much water with lemon throughout the day as you can but I emphasize at least a glass in the morning for the duration of this process.
Begin taking zeolite powder in the morning to last for 1 month. You will find food grade zeolite powder on amazon, it is essentially a powder that strips heavy metals within your digestive track. It is a tougher binding agent than charcoal and will strip out a lot, over a duration of 4-6 weeks I believe this is fine but I would not advocate long term use. If anything it can be cycled maybe a few times a year.
Because you are taking these major stripping compounds I would prefer you not eat anything in the morning. I would advise you to take these compounds on an empty stomach and have an early lunch if you need to. I would advise you to drink more water than normal. If you HAVE to drink coffee, drink it black, but if not I would tell you to switch to green tea if you NEED caffeine.
As far as immediate dietary changes I would ask you to refrain from alcohol, foods that come in bags/packaging (processed), dairy, sugar, and even nicotine pouches. I know this is asking a lot from some of you but the entire reason I ask this is to remove stress from your digestive system to allow it to cleanse and heal. If you are REALLY willing to change and want to make an effort to get better, I want you to look up “the whole 30 diet” and do that for a month or more- hold out as long as you can and see how you feel. I will give you some advice that contradicts the diet to a slight degree but if you can adhere to the Whole 30 as much as humanely possible you will see changes happen. Regardless I would like you to begin eliminating things from your diet weekly: namely, the processed food, sugars, artificial sweeteners, dairy—we will start with the big things like that and you can keep refining later. I understand what life is like so please adhere to these principles as much as possible and make exceptions as needed without going overboard.
Begin eating a “Ray Peat salad” every night for the duration of this process. Google it if need be, but this is a probiotic salad that will help carry the the objects that are being stripped by the charcoal and zeolite out of your digestive system. A Ray Peat salad is one or two carrots shredded, with coconut oil, apple cider vinegar and salt (optional). That is it. It is simple it is effective. Use as many organic ingredients as you can for this recipe. Eat it before or with dinner. I have modified it at times with Kalamata olives or maybe some cucumbers or raw feta but this is after I detoxed, for now stick to the basic salad. If you need a break do two weeks of salad every day and 1 week off then switch back.
Begin eating mushrooms every day. Mushrooms are great for stripping heavy metals out of your system. Crimini, button, shiitake, as well as other commonly available mushrooms are fine. You may consume them and season them to your liking, the closer you get to a whole mushroom the better. I recommend steaming or baking button mushrooms and eating them whole. If you need a break do two weeks on of mushrooms every day and 1 week off then switch back.
Begin taking the following supplements: a broad spectrum probiotic, lactoferrin, collagen protein or beef gelatin (both would be great). This is the basic stack, the introduction, the minimum, these things are all easily available and can be taken by anyone. When we get into the more advanced stuff if you are a healthier individual and have taken more supplements then I would advise you to take things like: liposomal vitamin C, liposomal glutathione, NAC, Quercetin, Chaga mushroom powder, glycine etc. I would like you to take this after dinner or before bed to give as much time as possible between the stripping supplements and the supplements we want your body to absorb.
The amount of detox supplements available is daunting and I full acknowledge many of them work and are good and you should try them, but right now I am approaching this as if you have never detoxed before. The reason being is you will likely feel bad or strange if you have never done anything like this before, and this approach needs to be taken slow and done over time. Yes you may lose muscle mass or feel bad or not perform well in the gym, or feel tired during the day but the trade off is longevity. This is short term. If you dedicate 1 year to 18 months of focused detox and recovery you will change your life for the better so that if you desire gains in the gym you will make them in a more holistic way. Likewise, later on if you choose to do more intense detox protocols you will be prepared for them after the basics.
I would like you to be hydrating with normal water in addition to the lemon water with more than usual. I would be drinking around 4 liters a day but that is me. I would also like you to begin replacing the minerals you have likely been depleted of. For this I would say begin adding trace minerals to your water throughout the day. I would also say if you need something sweet in your life drink coconut water. In fact I would say replace any sweet thing in your house with coconut water or a coconut derived product from now on. But focus on minerals, trace minerals is a solid brand/product—start there. Begin using mineral water if you can afford it if you still buy bottled water. But no matter what begin adding more minerals to your diet through hydration.
Seek out local fermented foods. I mean if you can find some guy making sauerkraut locally begin eating it. If someone is making kimchi and selling it locally start eating it. If you hate cabbage start eating pickled onions, garlic, carrots, whatever. Make your own if you have to, I use apple cider vinegar to make pickled onion and garlic. It doesn't matter, just start incorporating it into your diet. If you can’t find a local source just buy it at the supermarket, something is better than nothing in this case.
If you must have more protein or dairy then I would say find a yogurt with the least amount of sugar possible. Take this yogurt and add chia seeds to it for extra protein as well as fiber. The more probiotic the better.
Begin a basic sauna protocol. You can find 1000 sauna protocols on YouTube, personally I try and do it for a minimum of 40 minutes around 4 times a week after I am done working out. Find a place that you can use a sauna even if it’s two times a week spend the money and go. If you can’t stand it for 40 minutes it’s ok to hop in and out and build your tolerance. I understand this is not for everyone but some version of this is better than nothing as far as what heat can do for healing and detoxification. If you hate it just try and bear with it for at least 4 weeks, if you absolutely can’t then I will recommend more high intensity cardio as to what I will describe in the following step.
Begin a basic movement protocol. I would call this a cardio but it is not necessarily the objective to get better at cardio, though this is absolutely great if it can be achieved, instead the objective is to move your lymphatic system and help the toxins move out of your body through sweat, urine and other pathways. This can be as simple as walking at a medium pace for 45 minutes a day. If you want to go for a hike, ride a bike, etc. I would even recommend jumping on a trampoline or in place for multiple rounds a day. Move around multiple times a day, every day. If you’re more advanced to these things and a Norwegian 4x4 once a week or some other kind of more intense cardio event like any number of HIIT workouts publicly available.
I want you to do this very basic protocol for 4 to 6 weeks before adding anything new as far detox supplements or special protocols. There are more advanced steps and they are not for everyone. There is such a thing as detoxing too fast or too much. You may feel brain fog or sick or tired, this is normal—you are processing potentially years worth of material. The following step will help you clear out the things that you have been stripping through the proper hydration, sauna, binders, and cardio.
Begin implementing a salt flush at least once a week. Rob Stuart is a good resource for the salt flush, you can find him on instagram and Youtube. Essentially this will evacuate your bowls and filtration organs to include all the things you have been stripping out. The salt type doesn’t necessarily matter, I have used kosher salt, sea salt and Himalayan salt. I mix in some coconut oil, with lemon juice, having taken activated charcoal beforehand. This is a diahretic, you will purge a lot of material this way. It may dehydrate you therefore on days you do this I would drink extra water and probably fast until dinner time. you will need to be near a toilet. I recommend this step as a means to clear out excrement and buildup that exists in your digestive track after using binders. This method also has benefits of clearing out other filtration organs, the first few times you do this could be foul— you should expect that if you have no experience with this kind of thing, it is not painful or invasive and therefore is a low cost low effort way to begin cycling out the bad and replace it with the good.
There’s so many more things to be added to this that I can spend hours discussing but I want to leave you with these basics so that you know there are steps you can take to heal yourself. I have done every single thing I have listed here, it has helped, it has changed my life for the better, I would recommend anything I have said to my family members—barring medical exceptions/allergies and things of that nature.
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