Avoid Foods Made with Genetically Modified Organisms [GMOs]

 What is GMO?

According to Web Definition, a genetically modified organism (GMO) or genetically engineered organism (GEO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered.

Genetic Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM) of food involves the laboratory process of artificially inserting genes into the DNA of food crops or animals. The result is called a genetically modified organism or GMO. GMOs can be engineered with genes from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals, or even humans.

Are Genetically Modified Foods Dangerous?

In November 2012 California voted against Proposition 37, a ballot measure that would have required food companies to label genetically modified products. Over one million people pledged their support for the California Right to Know campaign, but big brands like Kashi and Kellogg opposed the initiative. The companies said labeling would cause extra costs for food producers and make people worried about the safety of genetically engineered crops that pose no health threats.

From breakfast cereal to beef jerky, 80 percent of processed foods are made with ingredients from genetically modified crops, or plants whose gene composition has been altered with the addition of foreign DNA. What’s so great about changing what nature gave us?

The findings:

a). In a study in the early 1990's rats were fed genetically modified (GM) tomatoes. Well actually, the rats refused to eat them. They were force-fed. Several of the rats developed stomach lesions

and seven out of forty died within two weeks. Scientists at the FDA who reviewed the study agreed that it did not provide a "demonstration of reasonable certainty of no harm." In fact, agency scientists warned that GM foods in general might create unpredicted allergies, toxins, antibiotic resistant diseases, and nutritional problems. Internal FDA memos made public from a lawsuit reveal that the scientists urged their superiors to require long-term safety testing to catch these hard-to-

Detect side effects.

But FDA political appointees, including a former attorney for Monsanto in charge of policy, ignored the scientists' warnings. The FDA does not require safety studies. Instead, if the makers of the GM foods claim that they are safe, the agency has no further questions. The above-mentioned GM tomato was approved in 1994.

b). GM crops, including some that are already in our food and animal feed supply, have shown clear signs of toxicity in animal feeding trials – notably disturbances in liver and kidney function and immune responses.

c). Glyphosate, which is applied to make crops resistant to weeds, causes higher plant estrogen levels. Estrogen affects all mammals, including humans, and children are very susceptible to higher estrogen levels, which can be dangerous and pose long term health risks.

d). Genetically altering seeds and foods can pose unknown risks of toxins and allergens that have never been present before. This was seen with an L-tryptophan supplement produced in 1989. This supplement caused the death of thirty seven people and affected more than fifteen hundred more. The bacteria used were altered genetically, resulting in a new and toxic amino acid never found in this supplement before.

e). No Long Term Research, Genetically modified foods have not had long term research done, and very diminutive short term information. The government approved the use of these foods in the food chain under the best guess that the risks were the same as the unmodified plants, and this was a big gaffe. The genetic modification done on the plants can have a dramatic effect on the risks and safety concerns, and there is no long term risk information available to determine if these foods have long term risks.

f). Genetically Modified Food Is Not Labeled, One of the biggest dangers with genetically modified foods is that there are no labeling requirements. These foods make up one fourth of the food supply in the United States, and are in more foods than you may think. Without labeling it is impossible to know which foods have higher risks so that you can avoid them and protect the health of your family.

g). Unknown Genetic Effect on Animals or so to Humans, There is no way to tell if genetically modified foods can have an effect on the genetics of people. At first it was believed by scientists and researchers that the modified genes were destroyed during the digestion process, but recently modified food genes have been found in the brains of some infant mice. This can be very dangerous in infants and children, and poses unknown risks for anyone who eats these foods.

A two year-long French study conducted by Seralini and colleagues published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology (Volume 50, Issue 11, November 2012, Pages 4221–4231) showed that rats fed Monsanto’s Roundup Ready GMO corn suffered high rates of fatal cancers.

Approximately 50 percent of male rats and 70 percent of female rats died in the study. Prior to the publication of the study, the only published results of animal studies concerning GMOs were based on experiments run for no longer than 90 days. The researchers in the French study saw exponential increases in animal cancers after the 90-day period.

h). Less Nutritional Value, When genetically modified food crops are fed to animals, the result can be unexpected. When genetically altered soybeans were used as part of the diet for dairy cows, the resulting milk had higher percentages of fat in it. This factor shows that the genetically modified foods should not be considered just as safe as the traditional food.

i). Insect Resistance, Foods which are genetically altered to minimize the need for pesticides can actually cause an increase in chemical use over time and produce insects which become resistant to commonly used pesticides. This can create insect problems that can threaten the food supply and result in food shortages.

TIPS FOR AVOIDING GMOs FOODS.

TIP #1: ALWAYS BUY ORGANIC

Certified organic products are not allowed to contain any GMOs. Therefore, when you purchase products labeled “100% organic,” “organic,” or “made with organic ingredients,” all ingredients in these products are not allowed to be produced from GMOs. For example, products labeled as “made with organic ingredients” only require 70% of the ingredients to be organic, but 100% must be non-GMO.

TIP #2: LOOK FOR“NON-GMO” LABELS or PROJECTS SEALS

Companies may voluntarily label products as “non-GMO.” Some labels state “non-GMO” while others spell out “Made without Genetically Modified Ingredients.” Some products limit their claim to only one particular “At-Risk” ingredient such as soy lecithin, listing it as “non-GMO.”

TIP #3: AVOID AT-RISK INGREDIENTS

Avoid products made with any of the crops that are GM. Most GM ingredients are products made from the “Big Four:” corn, soybeans, canola, and cottonseed, used in processed foods.

Some of the most common genetically engineered Big Four ingredients in processed foods are:

Corn

■ Corn flour, meal, oil, starch, gluten, and syrup

■ Sweeteners such as fructose, dextrose, and glucose

■ Modified food starch*

Soy

■ Soy flour, lecithin, protein, isolate, and isoflavone

■ Vegetable oil* and vegetable protein*

Canola

Canola oil (also called rapeseed oil)

Cotton

Cottonseed oil

 

*May be derived from other sources Additionally, GM sugar beet sugar recently entered the food supply. Look for organic and non-GMO sweeteners, candy and chocolate products made with 100% cane sugar, evaporated cane juice, agaves, or organic sugar, to avoid GM beet sugar.

TIP #4: GROW YOUR OWN FOOD. This way you know exactly what was grown, and what went into growing it.

TIP#5: AVOID BUYING THE UNDER MENTIONED FOODS UNLESS YOU ARE 100 SURE

1. Corn: As many as half of all U.S. farms growing corn for Monsanto are using genetically modified corn,” and much of it is intended for human consumption. Monsanto’s GMO corn has been tied to numerous health issues, including weight gain and organ disruption.

2. Soy: Found in tofu, vegetarian products, soybean oil, soy flour, and numerous other products, soy is also modified to resist herbicides. As of now, biotech giant Monsanto still has a tight grasp on the soybean market, with approximately 90 percent of soy being genetically engineered to resist Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup. In one single year, 2006, 96.7 million pounds of Glyphosate was sprayed on soybeans alone

3. Papayas: This one may come as a surprise to all of you tropical-fruit lovers. GMO papayas have been grown in Hawaii for consumption since 1999. Though they can’t be sold to countries in the European Union, they are welcome with open arms in the U.S. and Canada.

4. Canola: One of the most chemically altered foods in the U.S. diet; canola oil is obtained from rapeseed through a series of chemical actions.

5. Cotton: Found in cotton oil, cotton originating in India and China in particular has serious risks, because farmers are given GMO seeds bye the govt. approved companies.

6. Dairy: Your dairy products contain growth hormones, with as many as one-fifth of all dairy cows in America are pumped with these hormones. In fact, Monsanto’s health-hazardous rBGH has been banned in 27 countries, but is still in most US cows. If you must drink milk, buy organic.

7. Zucchini and Yellow Squash: Closely related, these two squash varieties are modified to resist viruses.

The dangers of some of these foods are well-known. The Bt toxin being used in GMO corn, for example, was recently detected in the blood of pregnant women and their babies. But perhaps more frightening are the risks that are still unknown.

You can find me on Google+