The term technologically advanced sounds smart and all-knowing, but when used in in the same sentence with food, we create a source that actually gets us farther away from the actual food source. GMOs’ or GM foods, were introduced to our food system in the last decade – primarily from the seed manufacturing from Monsanto. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine is quoted as saying that GM foods pose a serious health risk. According the the Non-GMO Shopping Guide, A GMO (genetically modified organism) is the result of a laboratory process of taking genes from one species and inserting them into another in an attempt to obtain a desired trait or characteristic, hence they are also known as transgenic organisms. Is it a coincidence that there has been significant rise in allergies, gluten intolerance, obesity, cancer, diabetes; not to mention childhood learning problems and premature puberty in both girls and boys? We are what we eat. By choosing meat and dairy products that have been injected with hormones such rbGH-treated cows and fed feed grown with GM seeds, we are subjecting our own health to unnatural growth hormones that affect our endocrine systems. There is a tremendous amount of information out there but how to you break it all down and know what to buy and what to avoid? How can we avoid GM foods where they are everywhere?
First we need to take the initiative and decide to make a change. Once the decision is made learn as much about GM foods as possible. Then research stores that carry products that are more aligned with a healthy food choices. Follow the tips below to build a non-GMO diet into your life.
Buy organic food. No GM foods can intentionally be added to organic foods. Organic farmers use seeds from non-GMO sources.
Look for the Non-GMO Project verified seal on food packaging.
Certain cooking products are primer carriers of GMO’s such as corn and canola products. Soybeans and cottonseeds should also be avoided. It’s pretty much a guarantee that if you buy a corn product in the US it is from GMO seeds.
Follow this link from the non-GMO Shopping Guide for a list of brands to look for. These list categories such as baby formula, cereals and condiments, pasta, snack foods and vitamins as well as pet foods and alternative meat products.
Even shopping by store makes a difference. Stores such as Whole Foods are dedicated to healthier choices in food safety.
Avoid all fast-food. These are a prime source of GM products. Because these foods are cheap the corporations must find the least expensive source for their products and buying organic or non-GMO products are more expensive.
At first glance, this list may make you think that shopping has become so difficult and full of so many decisions. We can no longer just run down to the store and grab the first thing off the shelf. While this is true, once you commit to eliminating GMO’s from your diet it’s quite easy when you select the brands you will buy. Simply by being consistent and choosing the same brands it still makes choice easier. And organic food is not hard to find. Grocery outlets such as Trader Joe’s carry a significant amount of organic foods and farmer markets are another excellent source.
What about dining out? How can you be sure you are avoiding GMO foods? This requires you to ask questions.
Every restaurant I go to I read reviews and look at sample menus.
I am not afraid to ask where my food came from.
If the menu has a fair amount of organic products on it and it’s locally sourced I feel reasonably safe that my food is not infected.
Ask what kind of oil has been used in the cooking process. If it’s corn or oil expect GMO’s. Olive oil does not come from GMO’s but if the restaurant has blended the oil then it can be contaminated. Just ask.
In the 1990s, GM foods and crops were excluded from the European Union. While the people of the European Union are still fighting to keep these products out of their food supply there are still loopholes in the system that are being taken advantage of by the biotechnology industry.
As a consumer we can write to supermarkets and tell them you will not purchase their GM products.
Ask them to make sure labels are clear.
Ask them to choose suppliers that do not purchase GM foods or crops.
Read Seeds of Deception and Ban GM Foods for more information.