One of the first things my doctor told me to eliminate from my diet was genetically engineered foods or GMOs. I had heard of GMOs but I didn't know much about them. I started doing some research.
GMO stands for "genetically modified organism". GMOs are foods that have been created in a laboratory. Some foods are engineered to produce their own insecticides or to resist certain viruses. Other foods are modified to make more food faster. GMOs were developed with good intentions (sustainability) but the verdict is still out on the long term health impacts of humans eating them.
If you live in the United States, you have been eating GMOs since the mid 90's. The food industry slipped them into our food supply but didn't bother informing us. 70% of all foods in US grocery stores and all fast food contain GMOs. There are currently no labeling requirements for foods containing GMOs in the US or Canada however much of the rest of the world requires labels or has banned them outright.
Because there are no labeling requirements in the US, it can be difficult to buy food without GMOs. The only way to be sure your food does NOT contain GMOs is to buy organic. Be careful here because many companies design packaging that looks like it should be healthy and natural but it's not. Only foods stamped with the USDA Organic seal are actually organic.
Buying produce can be especially confusing but you can check the PLU code if you're not sure. Organic produce has a 5 digit PLU code that starts with a "9". Here's a video demo on decoding produce.
Just to give you an example, genetically engineered chickens typically can't walk because they are too fat for their legs to support their bodies. So they sit on the ground in cages usually in their own excrement until they end up in your grocery store or fast food restaurant.
Gross right? These chickens are given growth hormones to make them mature faster and antibiotics to kill off diseases they pick up (laying around in their own poop). The growth hormones and antibiotics end up in your body. The build up caused by us eating antibiotics everyday may be the cause of developing resistance to antibiotics. It's call it genetic tolerance if your interested in more info. I have to avoid them because the antibiotics in GMO food interfere with the antibiotics I take to treat Lyme Disease.
If you want to avoid eating Mr. Frankenchicken on the right here, buy free range chicken (or cage free eggs). Also go for the wild caught fish and grass fed beef. These foods are all natural, contain no antibiotics and they taste WAY better than the alternatives.
If you want to avoid eating Mr. Frankenchicken on the right here, buy free range chicken (or cage free eggs). Also go for the wild caught fish and grass fed beef. These foods are all natural, contain no antibiotics and they taste WAY better than the alternatives.
There are very few studies to date on the long term effects of eating GMOs on a daily basis. Common sense though... if it's made in a lab it's not natural. If you are a healthy person, it can't be good. If you have a pre-existing illness (who doesn't) GMOs can make you sicker.
One of the best movies I found about GMOs is Fed Up but there are a lot of good resources out there.
Even those of us without Lyme Disease would all benefit from 'clean eating'. I think most people that don't have a June Cleaver at home preparing their meals are just about chowing down plastic. I try but I know I sometimes (or I should say almost always) fail when I'm eating out.
ReplyDeleteThey don't make it easy for us to eat well Karla. The good stuff is usually more expensive and the bad stuff is not labeled properly. I have a hard time eating out too. If you're not sure... ask the chef. I've found a few rare places where they proudly told me they only use wild caught salmon (for example). Maybe if more people start asking for organic food - restaurants will catch on.
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