BEWARE: GMO's Onboard!

A few years ago I read an article about GMO's.  What I read made my stomach turn and I immediately went through my fridge and cupboards to see which foods had GMOs in them and got rid of them. Now I only purchase organic, non-gmo foods when possible.

This past weekend I watched a movie called, “Consumers”. In this film a mother begins what becomes a journey of discovery to find out why her son is getting sick and the doctors can not figure out what is wrong or how to fix it.

After getting updated on the stats regarding GMO’s in this country, it made me angry. I decided that the best way that I could contribute to making this problem of GMO’s go away is by voting. Now, most will probably take that to mean go to your polls and vote during local and national elections. I do mean that but I also mean vote with your dollars. Each time you make a food purchase at any market, you are voicing your thoughts and feelings when you make that choice. When you purchase organic, your vote is for organic. When you purchase Non-GMO, you vote for Non-GMO.

Another way that I decided to make a contribution is by writing this blog post. This post is long compared to others I’ve written but I think it’s necessary and I hope you will read to the end and comment. So here goes…….

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Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are the result of laboratory processes which artificially insert foreign genes into the DNA of food crops or animals. Those genes may come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans. Although banned by food manufacturers in Europe and elsewhere, the FDA does not require any safety evaluations. Most Americans say they would not eat GMOs if labeled, but the U.S. does not require labeling. GMOs are not safe, but have been in the food supply since 1996 and are now present in the vast majority of processed foods in the US.


With so many billion dollar companies promoting genetically modified foods and touting their benefits, many of us are getting confusing information. Here are some facts that may help you make better decisions for your health and the health of your families.


1. Eating genetically modified (GM) foods may cause disease: GMOs may be the greatest health disaster in the American diet. Within 9 years of their introduction the number of multiple chronic illnesses and food allergies doubled and many other ailments have been on the rise.

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine has urged doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets for all patients, and cites animal studies that show how GMOs cause disorders such as vital organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system problems, accelerated aging, infertility, and dysfunctional regulation of insulin and cholesterol.

2. GMOs might cause infertility or hurt newborns: Studies involving mice, cows, pigs and bulls showed higher rates of death in newborns, premature births, sterility, and infertility.

3. 90% of the corn grown in the US is genetically modified. GM corn contains a toxic pesticide in every bite: Some GM varieties produce poison—their DNA creates an insect killing “Bt-toxin” in every cell. Monsanto and others claim that the toxin is safe for humans and mammals because the gene that produces it comes from a soil bacterium. Farmers have long used these natural bacteria as a pesticidal spray. But when the spray was widely dispersed to fight gypsy moths hundreds of people reported allergic and flu-like symptoms.

Genetic engineers insert the bacteria’s toxin-creating gene into corn and cotton plants, which produce a more toxic poison. It’s thousands of times more concentrated than the spray and cannot be washed off.

4. GMOs might cause allergies: Soon after GM soy was introduced to the UK, soy allergies skyrocketed by 50 percent. There are many reasons why people may be more reactive to GMOs.

• GM soy, corn, and papaya fail the allergy screening protocol recommended by the World Health Organization; their GM proteins have properties of known allergens.

• The process of creating GMOs can introduce new allergens or elevate existing ones. GM corn contains a new unintended allergen and GM soy has up to seven times more of the soy.

• Consuming GMOs may also provoke allergies to other foods.

• GM soy drastically reduces digestive enzymes in mice. If your digestive ability is also impaired, you could become allergic to many types of food.

5. GMOs have higher residues of poisonous herbicide: The primary reason crops are engineered is to allow them to drink poison. They’re called herbicide tolerant, and are inserted with bacterial genes that allow them to survive otherwise deadly doses of toxic herbicide.

Because weeds are becoming resistant to the overused herbicide, farmers are spraying considerably more each year. The last 2 years of the 13-year study alone accounted for 46 percent of the increased herbicide use.

6. GM genes can convert your intestinal bacteria into living factories that continuously produce pesticides or other harmful products: The ONLY published GMO human feeding study (that’s right, there’s only one) confirmed that genes transfer from GM soybeans into the DNA of bacteria living inside our small intestines and continue to function.

7. GMOs are approved without adequate safety studies: In 1992, the Food and Drug Administration claimed they had no information showing that GM foods were substantially different from conventionally grown foods. Therefore absolutely no safety studies were required.

But secret internal memos made public by a lawsuit show that the actual consensus among FDA scientists was that GMOs can create unpredictable, hard-to-detect side effects, including allergies, toxins, new diseases, and nutritional problems. They urged long-term safety studies.

Sadly, the FDA official in charge of policy ignored the warnings. He was Michael Taylor, Monsanto’s former attorney and later their vice president.

Tragically, Michael Taylor, who may be responsible for more food-related illness and death in human history, is now back at the FDA as the US Food Safety Czar.

8. GMOs cause irreversible genetic pollution: GMOs cross pollinate and spread into the environment. A total recall is impossible. The self-propagating genetic pollution already released will outlast the effects of global warming and nuclear waste.

If you’re wondering if you are eating any genetically modified foods, then ask yourself this, “Do I buy and eat processed foods?” If the answer to that is yes, then yes you are eating genetically modified foods.  One way to avoid buying and consuming these foods is to buy organic, non-processed foods.

To arm yourself against GMO’s, visit http://www.responsibletechnology.org/GMFree/Home/index.cfm for more information. There you can also download a Non-GMO Shopping Guide.

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