by Catherine Ebeling - RN, BSN & Mike Geary - Certified Nutrition Specialist
co-authors - The Fat Burning Kitchen
Unless you eat a 100% organic diet, it's pretty much a guarantee that
you eat genetically modified foods almost every day. Most people don't
think about the potential long term consequences of eating GM foods and
how this could harm your health now or in the future, your kids, or
even your future children.
First, watch this MUST-SEE video below to see some vitally important
information about GM foods that you need to know. Then read the article
below the video and we'll discuss more issues with GM food.
http://tiny.cc/GeneticEngineering
While
it seems we don’t hear a lot about them, genetically modified foods
have quietly made their way into our food supply in a big way.So far, there have been no official scientific studies done on GMO’s and humans, but some reports about negative effects these foods have had on animals is downright scary.
One type of genetically modified corn brought onto the market in the late 1990's has had a gene inserted into it which produces a toxin called Bt toxin. This toxin actually causes the stomachs of certain insects to break open when it is ingested, and the insect then dies.
The biotech firm that produces this genetically modified product insists that Bt toxin does not harm the digestive system in mammals. However, according to Dr. Joseph Mercola, there are peer reviewed studies showing that Bt-toxin does bind with mouse small intestines and with intestinal tissue from rhesus monkeys. What about humans? Nobody knows.
Hmm, maybe you should think twice about that next drink sweetened with corn syrup, or that next basket of tortilla chips made with corn.
According to Dr. Mercola, it was reported that doctors in a hospital in Quebec (Canada) actually found Bt toxin in the blood of 93% of pregnant women tested, 80% of their babies, and almost 70% of non-pregnant women.
If this toxin can cause the stomachs of insects to rupture, what does it do to humans? At the very least, it seems it could cause more digestive problems, allergies, autoimmune reactions, and other health issues.
And the American Academy of Environmental Medicine states that several animal studies showed serious health risks from eating genetically modified foods including:
“…infertility, immune dysfunction, accelerated aging, irregular DNA, insulin instability, and changes in liver, kidney, spleen and the gastrointestinal system.”
And the AAEM also goes on to state that there is a definite association between genetically modified foods and disease confirmed by several animal studies.
The recommendation of the AAEM is that physicians advise patients to avoid all GM foods, and to consider that GM foods could potentially be connected to certain health issues in patients and that GM foods need further testing to be considered safe for human consumption.
Genetically modified foods now contain new and unknown toxic substances that have NEVER been present in nature before.
We have no way of knowing what kinds of long term effects they will produce in humans, but they certainly seem to have negative effects on animals based on some studies.
And because genetically modified foods contain some scientifically modified proteins, they tend to cause more allergies in people. When GM soy was introduced in the UK, allergic reactions to soy reportedly increased 50% or more. And food allergies seem to be increasing in the US as well. Could this be from GM foods?
Do you want to eat dangerously doctored food? I sure don’t! There is no way of knowing for sure what kinds of health issues genetically modified foods can produce because no long-term studies have ever been done.
This means we need to protect our own health and avoid becoming a biological experiment ourselves.
The most common genetically modified foods are:
- Soy
- Corn
- Cottonseed Oil
- Canola Oil
Just keep in mind that you very well might be eating GM foods the next time you're chowing down some corn chips, corn flakes or other corn cereals, soy milk or any soy products like tofu, soy protein, anything sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (which is almost ALL processed foods) or any foods fried in soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, or canola oil, which is virtually anything that's fried at a typical restaurant.
Nutritionally, there's no valid reason to eat these foods anyway, as they offer nothing nutritionally, while only causing health problems.
The list of genetically modified foods can also include:
Sugar from sugar beets, Hawaiian papaya, some types of zucchini, and crookneck squash... but these are very minimal compared to the massive amounts of soy, corn, cottonseed or canola that are in our food supply.
Conventionally raised meat, dairy products, farmed fish and commercial eggs are also fed with GM feed frequently, mostly from corn and soy. Scientists are still uncertain whether eating animals that fed on GM crops can have health consequences for humans. I'd rather not be part of the experiment.
Always buy organic meats, wild caught fish, or 100% grass-fed meat (and grass-finished) to avoid this.
Aspartame, or NutraSweet have also been created with GMO’s. Artificial sweeteners are extremely unhealthy anyway, but here is just one more reason to avoid them!
Besides the health issues that have surfaced so far, genetically modified foods are a big unknown. These new forms of food could potentially lead to serious health issues, cancer or even some new diseases that modern medicine has never seen before.
As one biotech scientist in an article published in the International Journal of Biological Science said, “For the first time in the world, we’ve proven that GMO’s are neither sufficiently healthy nor proper to be commercialized.”
How do we avoid the potential negative health issues from GM foods?
It’s very easy if you eat a natural, healthy diet of real, whole, organic foods.
Avoid eating packaged, processed foods, especially those containing soy, corn, and vegetable oils or corn syrup sweeteners. The chances that you are eating genetically modified foods are very high if it contains any of these foods as ingredients. And remember that canola oil is likely to be genetically modified too, and despite heavy marketing claiming that canola oil is healthy, there is nothing even remotely healthy about canola oil as that article shows.
It’s estimated that there are approximately 30,000 products on grocery store shelves that may be genetically modified.
Remember these three things to avoid eating GM foods:
1. Eat organic--any food labeled “Organic” or “Certified Organic” cannot be genetically modified in any way.
2. Look for “Non-GMO” on the label, or “Made without genetically modified ingredients.” Although it is not required yet by law in the US, many companies voluntarily label their foods as non-GMO. We need to fight to force the government to mandate labeling of GM foods!
3. Especially avoid any food or food additives that contain: soy, corn, cottonseed oil, or canola oil... even if these ingredients are organic, there's really nothing healthy about eating these foods anyway. Corn, soy, cottonseed, and canola were never a big part of the ancestral human diet. Also beware of commercially raised meat, fish, eggs or dairy that have been fed these GM foods as long term health effects to humans are not yet known.
Genetically modified foods look exactly like any other foods, so you cannot tell by just by looking at them.
Please note: Many people have confused this topic, but new types of produce such as tangelos, seedless watermelons, seedless cucumbers and other new varieties of fruit and vegetables are created by natural breeding, not genetic modification, so these foods are fine to eat.
The bottom line is that genetically modified foods have not been tested enough in humans and scientists don’t really know whether these foods are safe or not.
Avoiding unnatural genetically modified foods is just one more reason why paying close attention to the foods you eat, and eating a diet of real, whole, organic foods is so extremely important. Don't be like so many people out there that just mindlessly eat foods without thinking about what they are putting in their body. Obviously, we are at an important time in history where diabetes, cancer, heart disease and obesity are at all time highs (to the point of a crisis), so it is time that people take responsibility for their health.
Don't let yourself be a guinea pig as part of a giant uncontrolled experiment on GM "frankenfoods"... only you can control what you choose to eat and to avoid GM foods fully. Please share this article with all of your friends and family to protect their health.
Mike Geary - Certified Nutrition Specialist & Cat Ebeling - RN, BSN
co-authors - The Fat Burning Kitchen
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