So what does GMO even stand for?
- Genetically Modified Organism
How does it apply to your diet and why is it important to avoid GMOs? That is exactly what I will be addressing in this post. And at the end of all of this information, I will be posing a challenge to all of you.
I mentioned in my first post, that I am working and researching in order to take steps toward a non-GMO life and diet. I feel that this would lead to a healthier overall lifestyle for my entire family. Being a mom now, my views and opinions on diet and health have changed fairly drastically. Before even getting pregnant, I will admit that my diet was not the healthiest. It was one of convenience and I thought nothing of it, because I have honestly never had problems with eating whatever I want without gaining weight. But this didn't mean that I was healthy. Just because I was thin and the number on the scale was low, that did not equal the picture of health. And it's so strange to me that I would have had such a poor diet... I mean, I did grow up with great examples in my mom and dad! I remember at a fairly young age, my parents started our family on the Zone diet. If you have never heard of this concept, I will briefly explain. It is not necessarily a diet meant for weight loss, but for basic overall health, though I'm sure that weight loss did follow. Basically, The Zone (book) teaches you how to eat a balanced diet - making sure that you are eating enough carbs and proteins in relation to one another: carbs provide energy, protein is like the supporter of that energy, and helps it to last longer.
(This is a very basic explanation. For more information, please visit: http://weightloss.about.com/od/nutrition/a/bl_carbs.htm;
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/196279.php; www.zonediet.com/).
Anyway, we grew up not eating any sugar cereal, very limited candy and junk food, and learned to appreciate our fruits and vegetables. Soda wasn't really allowed in the house, except for special occasions, and personally, I was always big on water and apple juice, even when I was little. I guess when I "grew up" and moved out, I was excited to have more control over my own diet. But living on a college campus did not really encourage a healthy diet, especially when I was too busy most of the time to use the meals allotted to me by my "plan". There were more days than not that I would catch breakfast in the cafeteria, but eat Cup O' Noodles for lunch and dinner and random snacks from vending machines in between, and let's face it... healthy snacks aren't cheap for a school to offer in vending machines. Also... healthy snacks wouldn't really survive in a vending machine, would they? That dreaded "Freshman 15"? Eh... I would say I maybe gained about 5 pounds my Freshman year, but I was constantly on the go, with way too many classes, Cheerleading and more! Had I been more sedentary like the average college Freshman, I absolutely would have gained the full 15! Don't get me wrong... the options in the cafeteria and the SUB (Student Union Building) were tasty, but since when did something unhealthy taste badly or not make you feel good!? Now I'm sure you may be wondering why these foods make you feel good or happy, but I don't want to get into that right now. I want to focus on what's in most, if not all, of the foods that you consume daily, including your pets'!
As I explained before, a GMO is a genetically modified organism. What it does for manufacturers and produce companies, is allow them to increase their output as well as the visual quality of the product. I say visual quality because the actual quality of the product is reduced by the use of the GMO. This is a form of genetic engineering, and it is dangerous. "By mixing genes from totally unrelated species, genetic engineering unleashes a host of unpredictable side effects. Moreover, irrespective of the type of genes that are inserted, the very process of creating a GM plant can result in massive collateral damage that produces new toxins, allergens, carcinogens, and nutritional deficiencies."
Not to mention...
"Numerous health problems increased after GMOs were introduced in 1996. The percentage of Americans with three or more chronic illnesses jumped from 7% to 13% in just 9 years; food allergies skyrocketed, and disorders such as autism, reproductive disorders, digestive problems, and others are on the rise. Although there is not sufficient research to confirm that GMOs are a contributing factor, doctors groups such as the AAEM tell us not to wait before we start protecting ourselves, and especially our children who are most at risk.
The American Public Health Association and American Nurses Association are among many medical groups that condemn the use of GM bovine growth hormone, because the milk from treated cows has more of the hormone IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1)―which is linked to cancer." [This hormone has also been found to cause young girls to experience menses as early as the age of 8, compared to the age of 16, in young women 20-30 years ago.]
When I became pregnant, I'll admit that I definitely indulged in a few cravings here and there, but I did try to keep it as healthy as possible, and utilized the Bradley Method (http://www.bradleybirth.com/diet.aspx) for diet and nutrition. It was helpful for me to maintain a good, balanced diet and my Bradley instructor helped me to keep track of how much protein I was eating, which is very important during pregnancy. However, I had no idea that the brands of foods that I was eating could be just as important as the types of foods. We have already established that GMOs are dangerous for the general population, but they can be even more dangerous for pregnant women as well as a fetus.
"The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) urges doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets for all patients. They cite animal studies showing organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility. Human studies show how genetically modified (GM) food can leave material behind inside us, possibly causing long-term problems. Genes inserted into GM soy, for example, can transfer into the DNA of bacteria living inside us, and that the toxic insecticide produced by GM corn was found in the blood of pregnant women and their unborn fetuses.""The organs of rats who ate genetically modified potatoes showed signs of chronic wasting, and female rats fed a diet of herbicide resistant soybeans, gave birth to stunted and sterile pups." [That's right, soy is another danger in our diet, but I won't get into that too much just quite yet.] Now, my son is healthy, but it's a little unnerving to think of how differently things could have gone, or better yet, how bad things can be if we continue down this road. I will be curious to see how my husband and I start to feel once I am able to transition us to a non-GMO diet, and to see how our son thrives on it as well.
So, a completely GMO-free diet would be ideal, but it's going to be a large challenge for me to undertake: living in a small community, it's no guarantee that I will be able to find the brands have been found to be free of all GMOs. You might wonder why that is. Well, it's because farmers believe that GMOs give them the security of yielding plentiful crops, since they are believed to give the farmers the control over the rate of production and quality of the crop. But this is simply not the truth. "Genetically engineered crops have shown no increase in yield and no decrease in pesticide use. In many cases, other farm technology has proven much more successful, and even Monsanto agreed that its genetically engineered crops yield less than conventional farming." "Whereas sustainable non-GMO agricultural methods used in developing countries have conclusively resulted in yield increases of 79% and higher, GMOs do not, on average, increase yields at all. This was evident in the Union of Concerned Scientists' 2009 report Failure to Yield―the definitive study to date on GM crops and yield.
The International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) report, authored by more than 400 scientists and backed by 58 governments, stated that GM crop yields were 'highly variable' and in some cases, 'yields declined.' The report noted, 'Assessment of the technology lags behind its development, information is anecdotal and contradictory, and uncertainty about possible benefits and damage is unavoidable.' They determined that the current GMOs have nothing to offer the goals of reducing hunger and poverty, improving nutrition, health and rural livelihoods, and facilitating social and environmental sustainability.
On the contrary, GMOs divert money and resources that would otherwise be spent on more safe, reliable, and appropriate technologies". Still, because it is believed that GMOs can lead our world to security in crop yielding, most major manufacturers and farmers do utilize GMOs and GM seeds.
You might be wondering why so many foods and brands of foods have GMOs in them if they are really that bad for us. Well, you might be surprised to know that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is self-regulated. That's right, they are allowed to set their own rules and guidelines for what is acceptable and safe, and can change these guidelines and regulations as they see fit. I.e., they can make things convenient for themselves so that they don't have to do as much work. Don't you find this a little suspect? I know I sure do! Because of this, there is little to no accountability for the big biotech companies who are responsible for producing GMO-infused foods. According to Organic Authority, "Big biotech firms have sketchy track records, but then again what would you expect from organizations who want to patent the world's food supply? These massive biotech companies have a history of toxic contamination, deceiving the public and suing small farmers when their patented seeds blew across the fence. Biotech firms sell sterile seeds to African farmers - meaning the seeds are only good for one season, because the plants that grow up will not be able to reproduce. ... GMOs are not the farmer's friend." It can be especially frustrating that biotech companies will sue small farmers for something beyond their control. There are farmers who want nothing to do with these genetically engineered seeds. "GMOs cross pollinate and their seeds can travel. It is impossible to fully clean up our contaminated gene pool. Self-propagating GMO pollution will outlast the effects of global warming and nuclear waste. The potential impact is huge, threatening the health of future generations. GMO contamination has also caused economic losses for organic and non-GMO farmers who often struggle to keep their crops pure."
So how can we avoid GMOs? Well, just like anything else in the "crunchy" life, it will take a little extra leg work than just stopping in at the grocery store to pick up your stash. Here are a few resources and shopping guides that provide the names of manufacturers who are known to reject the GMO standard:
- Fruits and Veggies: http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/brands/fruits-and-vegetables.html
- Meats, Fish and eggs: http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/brands/meat-fish-and-eggs.html
- Pet Products: http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/brands/pet-products.html
- Baby: http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/brands/baby-food-and-infant-formula.html
- Basic Shopping Guide: http://www.nongmoproject.org/find-non-gmo/search-participating-products/
Now, this is my challenge to you..,
What is your goal for your family's future? I challenge you to visit these sites and take the next month to replace at least one of the categories listed with GMO-free brands. Record or journal the differences in your every day functioning and any benefits you feel physically. If you want to take it one step further, go to the doctor, get a physical and then begin to make the change. After you have made your chosen replacements, go back and see what has improved about your health. But don't stop at one category! Join me in this journey to replace everything in your cupboards!
Resources:
http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/
http://www.nongmoproject.org/
http://touch.organicauthority.com/organicauthority/#!/toc/
http://www.responsibletechnology.org/10-Reasons-to-Avoid-GMOs
http://weightloss.about.com/od/nutrition/a/bl_carbs.htm
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/196279.php
www.zonediet.com/
https://www.google.com/
Additional article: http://www.aaemonline.org/gmopost.html
I hope you have a very crunchy day!
Ashley
This is The Snap Crackle Crunch
for next week's blog...
What's in your cosmetics and what isn't the FDA telling us? What are we putting on (and in) our bodies and what is it doing to us?
