Tom Nikkola | VIGOR Training

Online health “experts” tend to vilify maltodextrin, lumping it into a list of unsafe ingredients along with trans-fats, artificial sweeteners, and soy protein. But does maltodextrin deserve such a reputation? For that matter, what is maltrodextrin?

If someone were to eat it by the spoonful, yes. In the way it’s used in supplements and many health foods, not at all.

Here’s the truth.

What is maltodextrin?

Maltodextrin is a nonsweet nutritive saccharide polymer that consists of D-glucose units linked primarily by (alpha)-1—4 bonds and that has a dextrose equivalent of less than 20. It is prepared as a white powder or concentrated solution by partial hydrolysis of corn starch, potato starch, or rice starch with safe and suitable acids and enzymes.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Code of Federal Regulations Title 21.

The FDA gave it GRAS status long ago, which means it's generally recognized as safe. However, it's highly processed, which causes some to question its impact on health.

It’s a simple sugar, like table sugar but isn’t sweet, and offers no nutritional value. It also has a glycemic index of 85-105.

Some manufacturers derive maltodextrin from genetically-modified corn, or even from wheat.

So, why do supplement and food companies use it, and what dangers does it pose for our health?

Why do supplement companies and food companies use maltodextrin?

Maltodextrin acts as a binder during manufacturing and a base to build a formula around. It also acts as a preservative, extending shelf life, and is often included alongside natural preservatives like citric acid or rosemary extract.

The active ingredients in a supplement's capsules or tablets don’t blend well or stay together like they should without adding some non-active ingredients to them. In the case of maltodextrin, it aids in the supplement's delivery without affecting the nutritional value or anything else about the supplement.

Why do some say maltodextrin is bad?

Some people warn against the use of maltodextrin because it:

Is technically a sugar with a high glycemic index

Often comes from GMO corn or wheat

May negatively impact gut health

The Glycemic Index (Non) Issue

A glycemic index of 85-105 is very high. But the glycemic index is only relevant when you consume a single food by itself in large amounts. As soon as you consume that food with something else, as you would as part of a high-protein meal, the glycemic index becomes irrelevant. 

Some bodybuilders and athletes do consume maltodextrin in large doses to drive up insulin during their post-workout window. Nobody else would have a reason to do so. 

The small amount of maltodextrin found in a dose of supplements has no impact on blood sugar levels.

In the case of a supplement, worrying about its impact on your blood glucose would be like worrying about the secondhand smoke of a single smoker…sitting on the other side of a football stadium.

Sources and Allergy Concerns

The production process leaves only pure maltodextrin at the end of the manufacturing process.

It doesn’t matter if it comes from GMO corn, potatoes, tapioca, or cassava. However, many high-end supplement brands now use maltodextrin derived from tapioca or cassava to quell fears about cross-contamination. In reality, though, the initial source doesn’t really matter because the end product is exactly the same. And in all cases, it’s considered hypoallergenic. Even if it comes from wheat, there should be no gluten in the finished product.

Gut Health

Up to 60% of processed foods contain maltodextrin, so someone consuming a Standard American Diet could end up eating quite a bit. The next time you go grocery shopping, check out the ingredients list on random processed foods. You'll see it listed often on packaged foods.

In high doses, it can negatively affect the health of your gut and your gut lining. It may contribute to inflammatory bowel disease.

Online health “experts” tend to vilify maltodextrin, lumping it into a list of unsafe ingredients along with trans-fats, artificial sweeteners, and soy protein.

But does maltodextrin deserve such a reputation? If someone were to eat it by the spoonful, yes. In the way it’s used in supplements and many health foods, not at all.

Here’s the truth.

What is maltodextrin?

Maltodextrin is a nonsweet nutritive saccharide polymer that consists of D-glucose units linked primarily by (alpha)-1—4 bonds and that has a dextrose equivalent of less than 20. It is prepared as a white powder or concentrated solution by partial hydrolysis of corn starch, potato starch, or rice starch with safe and suitable acids and enzymes.Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Code of Federal Regulations Title 21.

The FDA gave it GRAS status long ago, which means it's generally recognized as safe. However, it's highly processed, which causes some to question its impact on health.

It’s a simple sugar, like table sugar but isn’t sweet, and offers no nutritional value. It also has a glycemic index of 85-105.

Some manufacturers derive maltodextrin from genetically-modified corn, or even from wheat.

So, why do supplement and food companies use it, and what dangers does it pose for our health?

Why do supplement companies and food companies use maltodextrin?

Maltodextrin acts as a binder during manufacturing and a base to build a formula around. It also acts as a preservative, extending shelf life, and is often included alongside natural preservatives like citric acid or rosemary extract.

The active ingredients in a supplement's capsules or tablets don’t blend well or stay together like they should without adding some non-active ingredients to them. In the case of maltodextrin, it aids in the supplement's delivery without affecting the nutritional value or anything else about the supplement.

Why do some say maltodextrin is bad?

Some people warn against the use of maltodextrin because it:

Is technically a sugar with a high glycemic indexOften comes from GMO corn or wheatMay negatively impact gut health

The Glycemic Index (Non) Issue

A glycemic index of 85-105 is very high. But the glycemic index is only relevant when you consume a single food by itself in large amounts. As soon as you consume that food with something else, as you would as part of a high-protein meal, the glycemic index becomes irrelevant. 

Some bodybuilders and athletes do consume maltodextrin in large doses to drive up insulin during their post-workout window. Nobody else would have a reason to do so. 

The small amount of maltodextrin found in a dose of supplements has no impact on blood sugar levels.

In the case of a supplement, worrying about its impact on your blood glucose would be like worrying about the secondhand smoke of a single smoker…sitting on the other side of a football stadium.

Sources and Allergy Concerns

The production process leaves only pure maltodextrin at the end of the manufacturing process.

It doesn’t matter if it comes from GMO corn, potatoes, tapioca, or cassava. However, many high-end supplement brands now use maltodextrin derived from tapioca or cassava to quell fears about cross-contamination. In reality, though, the initial source doesn’t really matter because the end product is exactly the same. And in all cases, it’s considered hypoallergenic. Even if it comes from wheat, there should be no gluten in the finished product.

Gut Health

Up to 60% of processed foods contain maltodextrin, so someone consuming a Standard American Diet could end up eating quite a bit. The next time you go grocery shopping, check out the ingredients list on random processed foods. You'll see it listed often on packaged foods.

In high doses, it can negatively affect the health of your gut and your gut lining. It may contribute to inflammatory bowel disease.

But once again, the risk is in the dose,

Is it possible to build muscle without gaining body fat? Or could it even be possible to gain muscle and lose fat?

If you ask the average "bro" at the gym or even the average personal trainer, they'll tell you that you need to eat a ton of calories and get fatter while you build muscle. Then, after you've gained enough muscle, they'll tell you to go on a "cut" so you can drop the fat.

But outside of a bodybuilder or high-level football player, who wants to deal with the consequences of getting fatter to build muscle? From my experience, not very many people. They'd prefer to improve their body composition, not make it worse.

The good news is, you don't need to gain body fat to build muscle. Even better, you might be able to build muscle while losing fat.

Why Most Personal Trainers Recommend “Bulking Diets” for Building Muscle

To this day, most nutrition texts recommend people eat in a caloric surplus to build muscle. So, it's no surprise that entry-level personal trainers without real-world experience regurgitate the same outdated information they learned in school or their certifications.

Their explanation usually goes something like this: "To gain weight, you need to eat more calories than you burn. If your calculated maintenance calorie need is 3000 per day, you'll need to eat 3500 calories per day to support gains in muscle. Unfortunately, because you're eating in a calorie surplus, you'll also gain body fat. But don't worry. Once you've gained enough muscle, we'll put you on a "cut" where we'll help you drop the body fat and maintain as much muscle as possible."

Does such a strategy work? Yes.

But before you agree to such a plan, I suggest asking yourself a few questions:

Will you be mentally okay with getting fatter and buying a new wardrobe, so you have clothes that won't make you look like a stuffed sausage?

Are you okay with the health consequences related to body fat gains?

Are you mentally prepared to have your life revolve around your weight training and your meals?

If you're young or single, or a physique competitor or athlete, you're probably okay with the above.

The middle-aged men and women with families and other obligations who make up my VIGOR Training membership base aren't okay with the above.

The good news is, you don't need to get fatter to build muscle, and building muscle is one of the most important things you can do for your long-term health and quality-of-life.

First the science, then the application.

Research Findings: Muscle growth and fat loss on a low-calorie diet

Researchers split a group of people into two groups. Each group followed a low-calorie, weight-loss diet that equaled 60% of their maintenance level of calories.

A 40% calorie reduction is a significant calorie deficit. Though both groups ate the same level of calories, one group ate more protein than the other. To control for calories, the higher-protein group ate less fat.

The higher-protein group ate 1.1 grams of protein per pound body weight per day, while the other group ate 0.55 grams of protein per pound. The lower-protein group ate a level of protein similar to the Standard American Diet.

Both groups strength-trained six days per week.

At the end of the four-week study, the low-calorie, high-protein group gained muscle and lost more body fat than the low-calorie, normal-protein group.

How do you build muscle?

To build muscle, you must consistently stimulate protein synthesis (muscle growth), while consuming enough essential amino acids to supply your body's daily maintenance needs plus that which is needed to build additional muscle.

A well-designed strength training program plus a high-protein diet are the two key factors for muscle growth. Your total calorie, or carbohydrate, or fat intake is of little relevance.

You can build muscle even in a calorie deficit because you already have plenty of energy stored up in your body fat.

Is it possible to build muscle without gaining body fat? Or could it even be possible to gain muscle and lose fat?

If you ask the average "bro" at the gym or even the average personal trainer, they'll tell you that you need to eat a ton of calories and get fatter while you build muscle. Then, after you've gained enough muscle, they'll tell you to go on a "cut" so you can drop the fat.

But outside of a bodybuilder or high-level football player, who wants to deal with the consequences of getting fatter to build muscle? From my experience, not very many people. They'd prefer to improve their body composition, not make it worse.

The good news is, you don't need to gain body fat to build muscle. Even better, you might be able to build muscle while losing fat.

Why Most Personal Trainers Recommend “Bulking Diets” for Building Muscle

To this day, most nutrition texts recommend people eat in a caloric surplus to build muscle. So, it's no surprise that entry-level personal trainers without real-world experience regurgitate the same outdated information they learned in school or their certifications.

Their explanation usually goes something like this: "To gain weight, you need to eat more calories than you burn. If your calculated maintenance calorie need is 3000 per day, you'll need to eat 3500 calories per day to support gains in muscle. Unfortunately, because you're eating in a calorie surplus, you'll also gain body fat. But don't worry. Once you've gained enough muscle, we'll put you on a "cut" where we'll help you drop the body fat and maintain as much muscle as possible."

Does such a strategy work? Yes.

But before you agree to such a plan, I suggest asking yourself a few questions:

Will you be mentally okay with getting fatter and buying a new wardrobe, so you have clothes that won't make you look like a stuffed sausage?Are you okay with the health consequences related to body fat gains?Are you mentally prepared to have your life revolve around your weight training and your meals?

If you're young or single, or a physique competitor or athlete, you're probably okay with the above.

The middle-aged men and women with families and other obligations who make up my VIGOR Training membership base aren't okay with the above.

The good news is, you don't need to get fatter to build muscle, and building muscle is one of the most important things you can do for your long-term health and quality-of-life.

First the science, then the application.

Research Findings: Muscle growth and fat loss on a low-calorie diet

Researchers split a group of people into two groups. Each group followed a low-calorie, weight-loss diet that equaled 60% of their maintenance level of calories.

A 40% calorie reduction is a significant calorie deficit. Though both groups ate the same level of calories, one group ate more protein than the other. To control for calories, the higher-protein group ate less fat.

The higher-protein group ate 1.1 grams of protein per pound body weight per day, while the other group ate 0.55 grams of protein per pound. The lower-protein group ate a level of protein similar to the Standard American Diet.

Both groups strength-trained six days per week.

At the end of the four-week study, the low-calorie, high-protein group gained muscle and lost more body fat than the low-calorie, normal-protein group.

How do you build muscle?

To build muscle, you must consistently stimulate protein synthesis (muscle growth), while consuming enough essential amino acids to supply your body's daily maintenance needs plus that which is needed to build additional muscle.

A well-designed strength training program plus a high-protein diet are the two key factors for muscle growth. Your total calorie, or carbohydrate, or fat intake is of little relevance.

You can build muscle even in a calorie deficit because you already have plenty of energy stored up in your body fat.

With the reliability of today's cars and trucks and the fact that your smartphone makes it easy to get help when you need it, you might overlook the importance of a car or roadside emergency kit. Most people, including me, give little thought to what could happen until we're in the midst of an emergency situation.

As a man, husband, and (grand)father, I feel a sense of responsibility to protect my family, and part of that protection involves preparation.

I'm grateful that up to this point, we've gotten by without needing an emergency kit and not having it, but I'd prefer to have the kit and not need it.

But what happens when you get caught up in a winter storm with no winter emergency kit? Or what if the DOT shuts down the freeways and your cell phone stops working?

If it could happen, it will happen to someone. If it's you, you'll be glad you planned ahead. I know I will.

If you'd like to skip over the backstory to this roadside emergency kit, and get right to the list of items I put in my kit, use the shortcuts below. Otherwise, keep reading.

An Unplanned Evacuation

It was 2005. A month prior, I had just moved my family to Richmond, Texas, southwest of Houston. The models showed Hurricane Katrina headed straight at us.

Being our first encounter with a hurricane, we called our realtor to understand how serious it was. She said that she'd lived in the area for more than 20 years and, although the hurricane was still a couple of days from landfall, she and her husband decided to evacuate.

We immediately packed our sons, the dog, and some suitcases in Vanessa's RAV4 and headed for Austin. It usually takes under three hours to get there.

Driving at a snail's pace, we passed one gas station after another with either a sign that said they sold out of gas, or with a line longer than what you see at a Trump rally (ok, that's probably an exaggeration…I don't think anything creates lines of people like a Trump rally).

Though we left earlier than many Houstonians, it still took us 16 hours to reach Austin. We felt worn out and hungry, but we'd made it. In the end, the hurricane didn't hit much of Texas and took a sharp northbound turn in the Gulf.

Looking back, I was woefully unprepared. What would have happened if we'd gotten a flat tire or the car broke down? What if we'd run out of gas? What if the freeway got shut down by an accident, and we'd been forced to camp by the car?

I expect things to just workout. Most of the time, they do. But what happens when they don't? I should have learned from that experience right away, but sometimes it takes time and new circumstances for wisdom to become meaningful.

An Emergency Kit for an Upcoming Road Trip

As Vanessa and I planned a road trip to Florida with our grandson, it got me thinking about a plan for the unexpected.

I read about bug-out bags and survival kits in the past. But traveling with our grandson added another level of importance to being prepared.

So, I made a list of items specific to roadside emergencies and another list related to survival needs.

Since there's plenty of room in the bed of my truck, I decided to get most of the critical stuff put together into one kit.

A few points about the kit:

I don’t believe this is the “ultimate” emergency kit as each emergency requires different items. I think I have most of the essentials covered, but I’m sure others would think of additional items to add (please do so in the comments section).

Depending on your budget, you can spend a lot more than I did. For example, I spent under $40 on the backpack but could have easily spent $400+ on a better bag. I wanted my bases covered without breaking the bank.

After my emergency kit components showed up, I realized how few of the items were "Made in the USA." Even worse, many show they were made in China. That might not bother some people (and might even be celebrated by President Biden),

With the reliability of today's cars and trucks and the fact that your smartphone makes it easy to get help when you need it, you might overlook the importance of a car or roadside emergency kit. Most people, including me, give little thought to what could happen until we're in the midst of an emergency situation.

As a man, husband, and (grand)father, I feel a sense of responsibility to protect my family, and part of that protection involves preparation.

I'm grateful that up to this point, we've gotten by without needing an emergency kit and not having it, but I'd prefer to have the kit and not need it.

But what happens when you get caught up in a winter storm with no winter emergency kit? Or what if the DOT shuts down the freeways and your cell phone stops working?

If it could happen, it will happen to someone. If it's you, you'll be glad you planned ahead. I know I will.

If you'd like to skip over the backstory to this roadside emergency kit, and get right to the list of items I put in my kit, use the shortcuts below. Otherwise, keep reading.

An Unplanned Evacuation

It was 2005. A month prior, I had just moved my family to Richmond, Texas, southwest of Houston. The models showed Hurricane Katrina headed straight at us.

Being our first encounter with a hurricane, we called our realtor to understand how serious it was. She said that she'd lived in the area for more than 20 years and, although the hurricane was still a couple of days from landfall, she and her husband decided to evacuate.

We immediately packed our sons, the dog, and some suitcases in Vanessa's RAV4 and headed for Austin. It usually takes under three hours to get there.

Driving at a snail's pace, we passed one gas station after another with either a sign that said they sold out of gas, or with a line longer than what you see at a Trump rally (ok, that's probably an exaggeration…I don't think anything creates lines of people like a Trump rally).

Though we left earlier than many Houstonians, it still took us 16 hours to reach Austin. We felt worn out and hungry, but we'd made it. In the end, the hurricane didn't hit much of Texas and took a sharp northbound turn in the Gulf.

Looking back, I was woefully unprepared. What would have happened if we'd gotten a flat tire or the car broke down? What if we'd run out of gas? What if the freeway got shut down by an accident, and we'd been forced to camp by the car?

I expect things to just workout. Most of the time, they do. But what happens when they don't? I should have learned from that experience right away, but sometimes it takes time and new circumstances for wisdom to become meaningful.

An Emergency Kit for an Upcoming Road Trip

As Vanessa and I planned a road trip to Florida with our grandson, it got me thinking about a plan for the unexpected.

I read about bug-out bags and survival kits in the past. But traveling with our grandson added another level of importance to being prepared.

So, I made a list of items specific to roadside emergencies and another list related to survival needs.

Since there's plenty of room in the bed of my truck, I decided to get most of the critical stuff put together into one kit.

A few points about the kit:

I don’t believe this is the “ultimate” emergency kit as each emergency requires different items. I think I have most of the essentials covered, but I’m sure others would think of additional items to add (please do so in the comments section).Depending on your budget, you can spend a lot more than I did. For example, I spent under $40 on the backpack but could have easily spent $400+ on a better bag. I wanted my bases covered without breaking the bank.After my emergency kit components showed up, I realized how few of the items were "Made in the USA." Even worse, many show they were made in China. That might not bother some people (and might even be celebrated by President Biden), but I always prefer buying American.

Weight management is more than calories in, calories out.

Unless you're a pro-level athlete who needs to ensure you're eating enough calories, there's probably no good reason to count calories or follow a calorie-based meal plan.

I know…you know someone who lost weight counting calories. Maybe you did yourself. Do you know anyone who kept the weight off for a year or two by continuing to count calories?

I doubt it.

The premise behind calorie counting is that you can measure the calorie content of the food you eat and compare it to the calories you burn. If you burn more than you eat, you'll lose weight.

It sounds simple, which is why this concept doesn’t die. However, this isn’t the way your body or the food you eat works. 

Most importantly, the calorie count of the food you eat has a marginal, if any, impact on your body fat. Instead, the macronutrient makeup is what matters.

The Calorie Balance Equation (A Quick Refresher)

You eat calories. You burn calories.

According to the calorie balance equation, if you burn more calories than you eat, you lose weight. If you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight.

Let's assume you eat 2500 calories per day and want to lose 12 pounds of muffin-top-making body fat in 12 weeks.

One pound of fat contains 3500 calories. So, the theory is, if you create a 500 calorie per day deficit or a 3500 calorie per week deficit, you'll lose a pound per week.

For a calorie-based meal plan to work,

You must be able to count calories in the foods you eat accurately

You must be able to measure the calories you burn during the day accurately

Your body must manage its fat stores only based on the deficit or surplus of calories you create

As you'll see, none of this is reality.

1. Calorie counts are not accurate.

The accuracy of each ingredient's calorie content in a recipe varies, making the calorie count of an entire meal, like the one you'd order at a restaurant, significantly inaccurate.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that almost 20% of restaurant's calorie-counts were understated by at least 100 calories.

In another study, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, restaurant meals contained an average of 18% more calories than what the menu stated, and frozen foods contained an average of 8% more than what the labels stated.

When you’re trying to create a 500 calorie deficit in a day, that’s a significant number.

“Ok, I get that there’s variability at restaurants, but the foods I buy and cook will still be accurate, right? After all, the FDA ensures all food labels are accurate before companies sell the foods, right?”

No and no.

The following are a few questions and answers straight from the FDA:

From Guidance for Industry: A Food Labeling Guide by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Can I use “average” values derived from databases to determine the nutrient content of my product? 

FDA has not stated how a company should determine the nutrient content of their product for labeling purposes. Therefore, there is no prohibition from using “average” values for its product derived from databases if a manufacturer is confident that the values obtained meet FDA’s compliance criteria. Regardless of its source, a company is responsible for the accuracy and the compliance of the information presented on the label. Use of a database that has been accepted by FDA affords a firm some measure of security in that the agency has stated that it will work with industry to resolve any compliance problems that might arise for food labeled on the basis of a database that the agency has accepted. A manual entitled FDA Nutrition Labeling Manual: A Guide for Developing and Using Databases is available online. 

How many samples of each product should we analyze for nutrition labeling?

FDA has not defined the number of samples that must be analyzed.

Weight management is more than calories in, calories out.

Unless you're a pro-level athlete who needs to ensure you're eating enough calories, there's probably no good reason to count calories or follow a calorie-based meal plan.

I know…you know someone who lost weight counting calories. Maybe you did yourself. Do you know anyone who kept the weight off for a year or two by continuing to count calories?

I doubt it.

The premise behind calorie counting is that you can measure the calorie content of the food you eat and compare it to the calories you burn. If you burn more than you eat, you'll lose weight.

It sounds simple, which is why this concept doesn’t die. However, this isn’t the way your body or the food you eat works. 

Most importantly, the calorie count of the food you eat has a marginal, if any, impact on your body fat. Instead, the macronutrient makeup is what matters.

The Calorie Balance Equation (A Quick Refresher)

You eat calories. You burn calories.

According to the calorie balance equation, if you burn more calories than you eat, you lose weight. If you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight.

Let's assume you eat 2500 calories per day and want to lose 12 pounds of muffin-top-making body fat in 12 weeks.

One pound of fat contains 3500 calories. So, the theory is, if you create a 500 calorie per day deficit or a 3500 calorie per week deficit, you'll lose a pound per week.

For a calorie-based meal plan to work,

You must be able to count calories in the foods you eat accuratelyYou must be able to measure the calories you burn during the day accuratelyYour body must manage its fat stores only based on the deficit or surplus of calories you create

As you'll see, none of this is reality.

1. Calorie counts are not accurate.

The accuracy of each ingredient's calorie content in a recipe varies, making the calorie count of an entire meal, like the one you'd order at a restaurant, significantly inaccurate.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that almost 20% of restaurant's calorie-counts were understated by at least 100 calories.

In another study, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, restaurant meals contained an average of 18% more calories than what the menu stated, and frozen foods contained an average of 8% more than what the labels stated.

When you’re trying to create a 500 calorie deficit in a day, that’s a significant number.

“Ok, I get that there’s variability at restaurants, but the foods I buy and cook will still be accurate, right? After all, the FDA ensures all food labels are accurate before companies sell the foods, right?”

No and no.

The following are a few questions and answers straight from the FDA:

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From Guidance for Industry: A Food Labeling Guide by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Can I use “average” values derived from databases to determine the nutrient content of my product? 

FDA has not stated how a company should determine the nutrient content of their product for labeling purposes. Therefore, there is no prohibition from using “average” values for its product derived from databases if a manufacturer is confident that the values obtained meet FDA’s compliance criteria. Regardless of its source, a company is responsible for the accuracy and the compliance of the information presented on the label.

What kind of country will America be when our grandchildren grow up? How will my choices today shape that future 20 years from now?

I frequently ask myself these two questions, especially with the country's direction as of late.

Though Communism is still an ideology of the minority here and abroad, its power grows in strength with each stroke of President Biden's pen and Mainstream Media's propaganda.

As Abraham Lincoln pointed out long before becoming the President, if America is to be destroyed, its own people will destroy it. His words have never seemed more prophetic.

At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.Abraham Lincoln, Lyceum Address, 1838

As a grandparent, I'm afraid of what the world could be once our grandson becomes an adult.

In the past, it made sense to leave the politics to the politicians. But today, the politicians want to rewrite the constitution and dictate health policy, morality, and have the state become the church.

That's too close to Communism to ignore.

Is Communism really a concern for our country?

President Trump said that America would never become a socialist nation. Communism is even worse. Isn't it a little extreme to think that could happen here? Not anymore.

As W. Cleon Skousen wrote in The Naked Communist, 'When Karl Marx was asked what his objective in life was, he said, “To dethrone God and destroy capitalism!'”

The utopian society Communism promises comes at a cost. It requires the dismantling (you've been hearing politicians use that word a lot lately) of everything in a society that's based on capitalism, Christian values, and individual thought.

A successful Communist society eliminates those who disagree and does away with freedom of speech and thought.

How would that happen? Through their different writings, Marx, Engles, and Stalin outlined the process, which sounds vaguely familiar when you consider current events.

They (Marx and Engles) felt it could be done in three steps:

First, by wiping out the old order. “There is but one way of simplifying, shortening, concentrating the death agony of the old society as well as the bloody labor of the new world’s birth—Revolutionary Terror.”

Second, the representatives of the working class must then set up a Dictatorship of the Proletariat. Joseph Stalin described the things which must be accomplished during this period of the dictatorship:

Completely suppress the old capitalist class.Create a mighty army of “defense” to be used “for the consolidation of the ties with the proletarians of other lands, and for the development and the victory of the revolution in all countries.”Consolidate the unity of the masses in support of the Dictatorship.Establish universal socialism by eliminating private property and preparing all mankind for the ultimate adoption of full Communism.

Third, the final step is the transition from socialism to full Communism.

Socialism is characterized by state ownership of land and all means of production. Marx and Engels believed that after a while, when class consciousness has disappeared and there is no further resistance to be overcome, the state will gradually wither away and then property will automatically belong to all mankind “in common.”

Later Lenin explained how the Dictatorship of the Proletariat would pave the way for this final phase. He said the dictatorship would be “an organization for the systematic use of violence by one class against the other, by one part of the population against another….

But, striving for Socialism, we are convinced that it will develop further into Communism, and, side by side with this, there will vanish all need for force,

What kind of country will America be when our grandchildren grow up? How will my choices today shape that future 20 years from now?

I frequently ask myself these two questions, especially with the country's direction as of late.

Though Communism is still an ideology of the minority here and abroad, its power grows in strength with each stroke of President Biden's pen and Mainstream Media's propaganda.

As Abraham Lincoln pointed out long before becoming the President, if America is to be destroyed, its own people will destroy it. His words have never seemed more prophetic.

At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.Abraham Lincoln, Lyceum Address, 1838

As a grandparent, I'm afraid of what the world could be once our grandson becomes an adult.

In the past, it made sense to leave the politics to the politicians. But today, the politicians want to rewrite the constitution and dictate health policy, morality, and have the state become the church.

That's too close to Communism to ignore.

Is Communism really a concern for our country?

President Trump said that America would never become a socialist nation. Communism is even worse. Isn't it a little extreme to think that could happen here? Not anymore.

As W. Cleon Skousen wrote in The Naked Communist, 'When Karl Marx was asked what his objective in life was, he said, “To dethrone God and destroy capitalism!'”

The utopian society Communism promises comes at a cost. It requires the dismantling (you've been hearing politicians use that word a lot lately) of everything in a society that's based on capitalism, Christian values, and individual thought.

A successful Communist society eliminates those who disagree and does away with freedom of speech and thought.

How would that happen? Through their different writings, Marx, Engles, and Stalin outlined the process, which sounds vaguely familiar when you consider current events.

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They (Marx and Engles) felt it could be done in three steps:

First, by wiping out the old order. “There is but one way of simplifying, shortening, concentrating the death agony of the old society as well as the bloody labor of the new world’s birth—Revolutionary Terror.”

Second, the representatives of the working class must then set up a Dictatorship of the Proletariat. Joseph Stalin described the things which must be accomplished during this period of the dictatorship:

Completely suppress the old capitalist class. Create a mighty army of “defense” to be used “for the consolidation of the ties with the proletarians of other lands, and for the development and the victory of the revolution in all countries.”Consolidate the unity of the masses in support of the Dictatorship. Establish universal socialism by eliminating private property and preparing all mankind for the ultimate adoption of full Communism.

Third, the final step is the transition from socialism to full Communism.

Socialism is characterized by state ownership of land and all means of production. Marx and Engels believed that after a while, when class consciousness has disappeared and there is no further resistance to be overcome, the state will gradually wither away and then property will automat...