The quest to eat good food, or "real" food is one that can sometimes seem overwhelming or discouraging. The doctors and scientists are saying completely different things than they said twenty years ago. The nut
rition advice you've always followed has now been disproved. There are all sorts of new words coming up in the food discussion that you never used to hear, like GMO and nitrates, and BPA-free. But what do we do with all this information. At times it may seem like there is nothing healthy left to eat. Or it's too hard to even discover what food is still healthy. So we may want to just give up. But I'm here to tell you that the answer is simple. As in every other worthy endeavor, the answer is simply: Baby Steps. Learn about real food one step at a time. And then incorporate what you learn into your diet one step at a time. It's your decision what the first step will be for you. But I suggest that the most vital place to start is eliminating GM-food, or GMOs from your diet RIGHT AWAY!!! If you do nothing else on your quest to eat real food, or even eat "healthier" food, you will be MUCH better off by just eliminating these genetically modified "foods." In this post we will outline the dangers of GMO food, and in the next post discuss how to STOP eating them!
So what are GMOs? And why are they so dangerous? Well, I am definitely not an expert, but I do know a few things.
1. GMOs, or Genetically Modified Organisms were introduced into the food supply in 1996 by Monsanto.
2. There are 2 main ways that food has been genetically modified. One way is that a pesticide called BT is inserted into the gene of the plant in a lab. Then when insects take a bite of this plant, this inserted BT literally rips open the stomach of the insect and kills it. If it has this effect on insects, what could it be doing to YOUR insides?
The second way is to alter the genes of the plant to be able to withstand being sprayed with Round-up, a chemical that kills plants. So a field a crops can be sprayed with Round-up and then YOU eat those crops! So you are eating Round-up, a harmful poison. What could this poison be doing to your organs and cells?
3. The FDA has decided no testing or research is necessary to ensure that these genetically engineered foods are safe.(!!!)
4. Not only do you eat these crops, but you also eat animals that are fed these crops.
5. Monsanto has created and patented seeds that are unable to reproduce. Which means, potentially a complete monopoly on seeds, food production, and therefore, the lives of every person on this planet.
Now for what the experts say....
Here is an article written by Dr. Mercola (mercola.com) that includes results from a 10-year Norwegian study just published (July 2012) on the dangerous effects of GM foods. In the next post we will discuss what we can do to stop eating these mutant foods!
By Dr. Mercola
Scientists in Norway have released
results from experimental feeding studies carried out over a 10-year period,
and the verdict is in: If you want to avoid obesity, then avoid eating
genetically engineered (GE) corn, corn-based products, and animals that are fed
a diet of GE grain.
As reported by Cornucopia.org1, the
project also looked at the effects on organ changes, and researchers found
significant changes that affected weight gain, eating behaviors, and immune
function.
How Genetically Engineered Corn and
Soy Can Wreak Havoc on Your Health
According to the featured article2:
“The results show a positive link
between GE corn and obesity. Animals fed a GE corn diet got fatter quicker and
retained the weight compared to animals fed a non-GE grain diet. The studies
were performed on rats, mice, pigs and salmon, achieving the same results.
… Researchers found distinct changes
to the intestines of animals fed GMOs compared to those fed non-GMOs. This
confirms other studies done by US researchers. Significant changes occurred in
the digestive systems of the test animals’ major organs including the liver,
kidneys, pancreas, genitals and more.”
Their findings (which were published
July 11, 2012 in Norway by Forskning.no, an online news source devoted to
Norwegian and international research3) showed that animals fed genetically
engineered Bt corn ate more, got fatter, and were less able to digest proteins
due to alterations in the micro-structure of their intestines.
They also suffered immune system
alterations. The impaired ability to digest proteins may be of particular
concern as this can have far-reaching implications for your health. If your
body cannot digest proteins, your body will be less able to produce amino acids,
which are necessary building blocks for proper cell growth and function.
As noted by Cornucopia.org:
“This not only may relate to a rise
in obesity, but to increases in many modern diseases. These diseases include
diabetes, digestive disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, colitis, autism
spectrum disorders (ASD) (ADD), autoimmune diseases, sexual dysfunction,
sterility, asthma, COPD and many more.
…[Lead author] Professor Krogdahl
explains: “It has often been claimed that the new genes in genetically modified
foods can’t do any damage because all genes are broken down beyond recognition
in the gut. Our results show the contrary; that genes can be taken up across
the intestinal wall, is transferred to the blood and is left in the blood,
muscle and liver in large chunks so that they can be easily recognized… The
biological impact of this gene transfer is unknown.”
Bt Toxin Found in Blood of Women and
Fetuses
This is not the first time
scientists have revealed significant biological impacts and related health
problems as a result of eating a diet of genetically engineered foods. More
often than not, unless the research is tainted by industry ties, studies into
the effects of genetically engineered foods demonstrate that it is anything but
safe. This isn’t so surprising when you consider that simple logic will tell
you it’s probably not wise to consume a plant designed to produce its own
pesticide, for example.
So-called “Bt corn” is equipped with
a gene from the soil bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which
produces Bt-toxin—a pesticide that breaks open the stomach of certain insects
and kills them. This pesticide-producing corn entered the food supply in the
late 1990′s, and over the past decade, the horror stories have started piling
up.
Monsanto and the US Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) swore that the toxin would only affect insects munching
on the crop. The Bt-toxin, they claimed, would be completely destroyed in the
human digestive system and would not have any impact on animals and
humans. The biotech companies have doggedly insisted that Bt-toxin doesn’t bind
or interact with the intestinal walls of mammals, and therefore humans.
The featured research proves all
such claims false.
Prior findings have already shown
that Bt corn is anything but innocuous to the human system. Just last year,
doctors at Sherbrooke University Hospital in Quebec found Bt-toxin in the blood4 of:
- 93 percent of pregnant women tested
- 80 percent of umbilical blood in their babies, and
- 67 percent of non-pregnant women
Bt-toxin breaks open the stomach of
insects. Could it similarly be damaging the integrity of your digestive tract?
If Bt-toxins can damage the intestinal walls of newborns and young children,
the passage of undigested foods and toxins into the blood from the digestive
tract could be devastating to their future health. Scientists speculate that it
may lead to autoimmune diseases and food allergies. Furthermore, since the
blood-brain barrier is not developed in newborns, toxins may enter the brain
causing serious cognitive problems. Some healthcare practitioners and
scientists are convinced that this is one mechanism for autism.
If Bt genes are colonizing the
bacteria living in the digestive tract of North Americans, we might expect to
see an increase in gastrointestinal problems, autoimmune diseases, food
allergies, and childhood learning disorders since the advent of Bt crops in
1996, and that’s exactly what’s being reported. For example, between 1997 and
2002 the number of hospitalizations related to allergic reactions to food
increased by a whopping 265 percent. One out of 17 children now has some form
of food allergy and allergy rates are rising.
Genetically Engineered Foods Trigger
Adverse Immune System Responses
There’s plenty of evidence showing
that the Bt-toxin produced in genetically modified Bt crops like corn and
cotton plants is toxic to humans and mammals andtriggers immune system
responses. For example, in government-sponsored research in Italy5, mice fed
Monsanto’s Bt corn showed a wide range of immune responses, such as:
- Elevated IgE and IgG antibodies, which are typically
associated with allergies and infections
- An increase in cytokines, which are associated with
allergic and inflammatory responses. The specific cytokines (interleukins)
that were found to be elevated are also higher in humans who suffer from a
wide range of disorders, from arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, to
MS and cancer
- Elevated T cells (gamma delta), which are increased in
people with asthma, and in children with food allergies, juvenile
arthritis, and connective tissue diseases.
Rats fed another of Monsanto’s Bt
corn varieties called MON 863, also experienced an activation of their immune
systems, showing higher numbers of basophils, lymphocytes, and white blood
cells6. These can indicate possible allergies, infections, toxins, and various
disease states including cancer. There were also signs of liver and kidney
toxicity.
USDA Clears Roundup Ready Sugar
Beets
So-called “Roundup Ready” crops are
another type of genetically engineered crops. While Bt crops contain a gene
that produces a pesticide inside the plant itself, Roundup Ready crops are
designed to withstand otherwise lethal topical doses of glyphosate—a broad
spectrum herbicide, and the active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup
as well as hundreds of other products.
This way, the crop survives while
all weeds are theoretically eliminated from the field. I say ‘theoretically’
because the overuse of the herbicide has led to the rapid development of
glyphosate-resistant superweeds. It’s estimated that more than 130 types of
weeds spanning 40 U.S. states are now herbicide-resistant, and the superweeds
are showing no signs of stopping.
Roundup Ready crops have also been
linked to serious health problems—particularly relating to fertility and birth defects—as has glyphosate itself, which is why the latest news
regarding the deregulation of Roundup Ready sugar beets is all the more
disappointing.
A number of organizations challenged
the USDA approval of Roundup Ready (RR) sugar beets in 2008, arguing that the
beets would contaminate related organic and non-GE crops such as table beets
and chard. Further, they said that the pesticide-resistant beets would increase
pesticide impacts on the environment and worsen the current epidemic of
pesticide-resistant superweeds.
A lawsuit was filed against the USDA
in 2009 for failure to complete an Environmental Impact Study. A federal judge
agreed, temporarily suspending all planting of RR sugar beets. The suspension
was later overridden by the USDA, ostensibly to prevent a sugar shortage. After
a number of additional legal twists and turns, the USDA has now announced its
decision to deregulate Monsanto’s Roundup Ready genetically modified sugar
beets7. According to a July 19 press release by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)8:
“After completing both a thorough
environmental impact statement and plant pest risk assessment, holding three
public meetings and considering and analyzing thousands of comments regarding
its analyses, APHIS has determined that, from the standpoint of plant pest
risk, Roundup Ready sugarbeets are as safe as traditionally bred sugarbeets.”
GM Companies Threaten Food Security
and Sovereignty
A landmark speech delivered during
the 2011 SEMEAR conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on how genetically modified
(GM) seed companies threaten food security and food sovereignty has resulted in
a call to action by an unlikely source who is a key player in the soy industry.
Pierre Patriat, President of APROSMAT, the association of seed producers of
Mato Grosso, Brazil, does not oppose genetically engineered (GE) crops, but he
does recognize the unprecedented threat to food security that GM seeds pose.
Saying that the GM industry is
rapidly taking away Brazilian farmers’ freedom of choice, he asked for
“immediate mobilization and action on the part of concerned industry members,
government, lawmakers, farmers, and civil society to avert the threat to food
sovereignty posed by the GM industry’s control of markets through their
patented seeds,” according to a recent report by GM Watch9.
In his speech, which I recommend
reading in its entirety to learn more, Patriat wisely says:
“… [T]oday, people think everything
can be resolved through the seed. If soybean rust occurs they say, “Just wait,
this can be resolved with genetic engineering!” A problem with nematodes? –
“We’ll change the seed directly!” They want to solve all problems that way… But
as long as we have alternative solutions we don’t need genetic engineering to
get rid of all problems.
Today we have a big problem with
nematodes for a simple reason, not least because of the lack of a medium-term
agricultural policy. There is a solution known to every agronomist: Crop
rotation! That is how weeds and pests are weakened. It is so simple! Another
way is soil management and measures to correct the soil – fundamental things
nobody pays attention to anymore because everything has to be resolved through
the seed.
No one does rotation any more –
everyone does succession [planting same crop in succession]. These are problems
that are not resolved by biotechnology. The man who is going to spend 150-200
Brazilian dollars per hectare would do much better to invest it in the [quality
of the] land. The profitability in the medium term will be much better for
sure. This does not mean that constant seed improvement will not bring
solutions. But we ought to cooperate and define the base for new regulations,
so that everyone may collaborate harmoniously without abusing their economic
power.
Because today there are no brakes on
the abuse of economic power over seed, and even worse, this affects the
sovereignty of a country, because it is a matter of food security and food
security is national security.”
The issue of food sovereignty is
certainly not restricted to Brazil. It’s becoming a serious threat to every
nation on this planet as genetically engineered crops spread. These seeds are
owned by private companies, and it’s imperative to understand that once a
country allows GE crops to monopolize their agricultural sector, it becomes
completely beholden to and dependent upon a corporation for the ability to grow
food and feed its citizens!
