Genetically Modified Foods - The Cause for Our Diseases?

I've written about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in previous blogs but it's recently received some media attention, so I'd like to discuss it again. Please see the bottom of this blog to link to a website where you can get more info and learn what you can do to stop GMOs.

GMOs have flooded our food supply and there is mounting evidence it is the culprit for our allergies, asthma, autism, inflammation and even cancer. What is a GMO product? Big companies like Monsanto and Bayer spend millions of dollars in research to transform natural plant seeds to "super seeds." They tweak the DNA and even add pesticides to the seeds so they become self-resistant to insects, fungus and disease while growing faster and larger plants. It's a way to get more product on the shelves faster - without regard to human health. Published reports say these products are safe, but it's those exact companies that are funding the reports. Those companies also have lobbyists and even top-level executives working at the FDA. 

Almost every other developed nation has banned the use of GMOs on farms -except the U.S. The FDA believes that unless a product is "proved dangerous," it can still be grown, manufactured and sold to the public, usually without any labeling to warn buyers of what they may be purchasing. Other nations' "FDAs" believe that unless a product is "proved safe," it can't be grown, manufactured or sold to the public. The U.S. consumer is the lab rat and what we're proving is that something is making us the sickest nation on the planet, spending the most money on healthcare than any other industrialized nation. Coincidence? 

What's scarier is what these genetically-modified foods do to our bodies. Your immunity is there to fight off foreign matter, whether it be a virus, infection or even a bug bite. It detects anything in the body that isn't supposed to be there and then triggers an immune response to fight it. A GMO product is a foreign protein, developed in a laboratory and not found in nature. So what does your body do when you ingest a GMO product? It develops an immune response to fight it. The response could be an allergy, asthma, inflammation or illness. The more frequently you eat these ingredients, the harder your immune system has to work to fight the foreign protein until you develop a chronic condition that has to be medically treated, if it can be at all. Constant inflammation leads to cancer and deterioration of your intestinal health, which is where your immunity lives.

Since 85% of processed foods are now genetically modified, you have to be a savvy consumer to avoid them. The worst offenders are any corn and soy products. This includes corn oil and soybean oil or anything cooked in/with them, corn on the cob, corn kernels, popcorn, canola oil, cottonseed oil, edamame, tofu, or soy protein (found in protein bars, shakes and cereals to boost protein content). 

You can still have that bag of tortilla chips, though. If you buy these items ORGANIC, they aren't GMO and most will label it "non-GMO." Only buy organic tortilla chips, corn chips, corn tortillas, edamame, tofu and gluten-free products that contain corn or soy. Check ingredients. If you see anything in the label that refers to corn or soy and it isn't labeled organic or non-GMO, DON'T BUY IT! Unfortunately, most restaurants don't spend the extra bucks to buy organic, so there's not much you can do except avoid ordering anything with corn and soy in the ingredients. Some restaurants buy locally-grown, organic produce, but you have to ask to be sure. 

I'm writing this not to scare you but to anger you. Unless we band together and raise hell about this, we will continue to be fed this GARBAGE that is literally killing us and our kids. Here is a great website (STOP GMOs ) that gives you info on where you can start making noise. There is a movement to get rid of these things from our food supply, but the more people that join it, the bigger different we can make. Take the time to educate yourself and get involved!