Mutant Food: Are We Modifying Our Food Are Is Our Food Modifying Us?
By admin
Happy Monday! For most of you who had a long weekend, this morning may have been rough, but hopefully taking a break away from work to check in on LiftingRevolution makes it a bit more barable?
Yesterday, after I finished up Christmas Kick Off 2012, I came home and really just wanted to sit on my butt and watch Lincoln Vampire Slayer, unfortunately that wasn’t an option since I had so much on my to do list.
First up on my list was to do some research… on GMOs. Dan and I try our hardest to go organic and non-GM. Yes, we might spend more on our actually bill at the check-out but since we only eat out once a month (if that), we end up saving money in the long run.
Since we just finished Thanksgiving, this picture made me crack up! Source
“GMO” seems to be popping up every where and with good reason, recently I had a client ask for my opinion on GM food versus non-GM food, but before I gave my two sense I wanted to have the data to support me.
But don’t worry, I’m going to give both to you… my opinion and the data (lucky you).
So first off… you might be wondering:
What the heck are GMO’s?
They are genetically modified foods. The DNA/RNA of produce are changed to make them easier to grow… whether to help them deal with pests; grow taller; deal with water shortages; etc. It’s a mutation to make them heartier for the grower.
The major company (though I would really say monopoly) is Monsato. They run the show in terms of marketing GMO seeds and plants. To say I am not of fan of the corporation would be an undestatement… I think they suck but that’s for another day.
Here’s a bit of a background story on Monsanto and how we wound up eating GM foods without knowing.
Back in 2007, President Obama appointed Michael Taylor as Sr. adviser for the FDA. All great right? Well… it just so happens that Taylor used to be the vice president for Monsanto. What a coincidence that during his term, GMO’s were approved in the US WITHOUT undergoing tests to see if they were even safe for human consumption.
What’s So Bad About GMO’s?
Just like choosing organic over unorganic is an ongoing debate, so is the safety of GMO’s. And what makes it even harder is that companies don’t have to put on their labels if the ingredients used are GMO’s or not. So we have no idea what we’re really eating.
However… recent research in China found that the RNA added to rice can be passed to humans. And in their specific study of just one GMO, it was discovered that that RNA can bind to receptors and influence our cholesterol. Fun times. Just what we want, high cholesterol from eating modified rice. Great.
While we don’t really know the exact side affects, I personally don’t want to be the person that learns them the hard way.
Image source
Most Popular GM Foods
Here are the top 5 foods popularly identified to be modified (aka… mutated).
Corn. Remember how I said some modifications include making plants stronger against pests? Well, corn has been modified to create it’s own insecticide. Monsanto has actually let a big secret out… half of the US’s sweet corn farms are planting modified seeds.
“Mice fed with GM corn were discovered to have smaller offspring and fertility problems”
Soy. Similar to corn, soy has been modified to resist herbicides. Soy is found in almost as much stuff as corn, from beverages to pastries, nothing is safe.
“Hamsters fed with GM soy were unable to have offspring and suffered high mortality rates.”
That sounds awesome.
Cotton. I have heard about this one already. Corn was modified to resist pesticides… the modified plants are able to produce a chemical that kills a particular type of worm. Is it just a coincidence that farmers have suffered from severe rashes from exposure to the cotton?
Rice. Unlike the others, rices modification is a bit different. It has been changed to contain a higher amount of vitamin A. There is also a rumor that a new rice modification having human DNA is growing here in the US, and will be used to help infant diarrhea in 3rd world countries. Possible issues with GM rice include allergic reactions, cholesterol and more.
Tomatoes. Oh beloved tomatoes… say it isn’t so! They have been modified to have a longer shelf life. No more rotten tomatoes? If it sounds too good to be true, it normally is… “In a test conduceted to determine the safety of GM tomatoes, some animal subjects died within a few weeks after consuming GM tomatoes.”
So Are GM Foods Safe?
As of right now, there isn’t enough research to 100% say if GMO’s are terrible for us and to what degree. What we do know is that new diseases are being introduced to humans…
Like Morgellon’s disease:
So to close off the day… what do I think? You better believe I aim to give my family non-GM foods. It really pisses me off (sorry, I am getting fueled from reading all my research) that I can’t say for certain that I succeed at this since labels aren’t forced to make it known what is in their products.
It’s also sad the power that Monsanto has over farmers… farmers that want to go the Non-GM route often can’t because of the expense. Monsanto makes it extremely difficult for farmers to go to other markets for seeds and crops.
If you buy from a local farmer’s market… don’t be shy: ask if they are a non-GM organization? They should know! We’re lucky that the two stands we buy from are organic and non-GM, helping my to rest my mind and know my veggies aren’t going to affect my ability to have kids.
Now excuse me… I am off to steam up some aspargus and roast some b.sprouts!
- What’s your favorite vegetable?
- Do you try to go non-GM?
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