Also known as Genetically Modified Organisms. Most people aren't sure what that really even
means. Recently a person commented to me
that “they have been doing that with foods for 100's of years now and that it
is a natural progression to make foods better”. That's when I realized that most people don't really understand how
GMO's are different.
I explained that
I'm not talking about hybrid seeds. GMO
is a totally different process and that's when I got the attention of someone
who usually likes to argue about everything.
The cross-breading of two different substances is one of the
reasons that makes them so dangerous. What if you are eating a tomato that has been cross-bread for instance
with a peanut and it is not labeled as such. If you are allergic to peanuts,
this tomato could cause an allergic reaction and you have no idea why a tomato
is all of a sudden creating that response in your body.
Another example are GMO soybeans that have petunia genes in
it. Who has ever even eaten a petunia
seed to see if they are allergic to them? Exactly! Soy in it's pure form
has many health benefits, however the majority of our soy is now altered. Maybe
people that think they have a soy allergy really have petunia allergies. That's the problem. How can anyone ever trace
it back to the root cause. It quickly
becomes a convoluted mess that is almost impossible to sort through.
The other reason to be concderned about is the chemical
make-up of the seeds, causing them to be immune to the chemical pesticides that
kills everything else in a farm field that isn’t' GMO. That should be a huge red flag and major
cause for concern. More on that later
 |
It all started innocently enough in 1971 with a
microscopic bacterium that was genetically altered to devour oil spills. Then in 1983, the first genetically
engineered plant was created. By 1990
the first commercial bio-tech crop of plants were grown and by 1996, six
million acres of genetically engineered plants were being grown in the United
States. In 1994 the first GMO tomato was
brought to the public known as Flavr Savr tomatoes. It was formulated to keep it's firmness
longer, to produce a longer shelf life, and could be grown in Mexico where the
agriculture standards are lower. In
other words, this tomoato can sit for a week in your refrigerator with a slice
taken out of it and show no signs of deterioration where a real tomato would
have begun to deteriorate.
These foods were supposed to be cheaper however the first GMO
tomato was going to be marked as a high priced gourmet product. The Calgene
company (later to be bought out by Monsanto), labeled these foods as GMO, but
people refused to purchase them and they quickly stopped labeling them as
such. Non-GMO or Organic foods must be
labeled with a very strict criteria, not the GMO's. A double-standard with the deck stacked
against the natural food industry.
By the year 2000, the leading commercially food
businesses merged efforts with the bio-tech industry and pooled their
resources. As word of concern was beginning to trickle out to the public, a $50
million campaign was launched in order to “educate” the public about the
“benefits” of these foods.
Forty years later a powerful, profit-driven industry
has sprung up around this new science of genetic engineering of the majority of
our food sources, utilizing over 58 million acres in this country alone. The aggressive goal of the bio-tech industry
was to have all of the food crops in this country to be genetically
engineered or altered in some way by the year 2010. I would say they have reached their goal and
have tried taking it world wide under the pretense of feeding the hungry. Interestingly, more and more countries are
recently beginning to ban the use of these GMO's. They know something we don't. Apparently, the American people have not
gotten that memo.
So Why Should Anyone Care?
Here Are a Few Good Reasons for You and Future
Generations:
1.
The seeds produced and sold by Monsanto are
called Rounadup Ready, which has been approved by the FDA. Contracts must
be signed by farmers and they are required to use nothing but Roundup
herbicide, also produced by Monsanto. Roundup is a poison and quite toxic. When these chemicals are dumped into the
soil, it kills everything green, except the GMO crop. So, it becomes part of the food you are
eating through the root system. Just
washing the food off and making it “clean” is no longer the problem. The
chemicals have in infiltrated and become part of the food you are eating.
2.
“The Solution to Pollution is Delution”.
Our bodies retain excess water and body fat to create homeostasis to keep us
alive from the additionsl chemicals we are ingesting. The lack of nutritional
value of these GMO foods and the long term effects on the public is beginning
to show around their waist. Now, 10
years later, it is pretty easy to see that obesity has become a major problem
because when the body doesn't recognize chemicals you are ingesting, it stores
them in the liver. In time, the liver
gets congested and becomes a fatty liver. The toxins are stored in the fat cells as a way to keep you safe from
auto-intoxication (being poisoned from within the body), but then it becomes
more challenging to loose weight and additional health challenges
increase. Releasing these chemicals into
the body could become detrimental to your long term health unless done properly
with a detoxification program to give the body proper nutrition while .
3.
Nutritional value of “Frankenfoods” has diminished through
GMO's. Your belly is getting filled, but the body isn't getting the nutrients
it once received when farmers grew their foods by rotating crops to replenish
the minerals into the soil. So the body thinks it is still hungry because it's
need for vitamins and minerals usually found in food, just isn't there
anymore. This causes people to over eat,
because the body is still craving “something”. Your body is not nutritionally satisfied when you eat genetically
modified foods because the nutrients that were once there are no longer
available. Therefore, we tend to over eat or become malnourished. Unless you
are eating organic fruits and vegetables, you are eating substandard
foods. Once you clean up your food
sources, you will actually feel better and have more energy after eating
rather then bloated and lethargic, heading for the couch for a nap.
4.
Dangerous allergic reactions or anaphylactic
shock can be triggered when an unidentified protein from one food is put
into another. Millions of people have
allergy sensitivities and because these foods are unlabeled, consumers have no
way of identifying what ingredients are really in the foods they are eating and
if they are safe for them. An example of
this was found in soybeans that have been genetically engineered with Brazil
nuts, which is known to cause allergic reactions in people. When ingesting GMO
soybeans the same allergic response will arise and could be lethal for some
people.
5.
Environmental effects to the ecosystem and harm to wildlife are beginning to create changes in natural habitats as
well. There has been an increase of
concern the past few years about the decreasing population of bees that
cross-pollinate our food sources. When
they are gone, it won't be long for us, as a people on the planet to also
become extinct as the food sources with diminish in supply and quality.
Butterflies are also on the watch list for extinction now. Our current ecosystem has been a delicate
balance that has evolved over millions of years. Man is destroying it in just a few
decades.
So What Can We Do About It?
•
Become aware of the food corporations that are
sleeping with Monsanto and promoting the GMO foods to increase their profits.
These companies include: Nestle, Craft,
Nabisco, Kellogg, General Mills, Proctor & Gamble, Quaker Oats, Heinz,
Frito-Lay, Campbell Soups, and many more. Do a little research online. http://thegoldenlightchannel.com/gmo-food-list-to-avoid-monsanto-companies-the-dangers-of-gmo-food/
•
Most fast food restaurants are suspect
also. Decrease buying from these
companies and select non-GMO options from companies with a conscience. http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/gepotatoban.cfm
•
Let your Congressmen and State Legislators know
of your discontent with the GMO food supply. Track how they are voting and let
them know how you feel. Make changes in
your voting policy when needed. https://www.govtrack.us
•
States and Counties in the US are beginning to ban
GMO crops from being produced by their farmers. http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_27247.cfm
•
Find out what companies use GMO FREE ingredients in their products. http://www.realfarmacy.com/400-companies-no-gmos/
•
Start growing some of your own herbs and
vegetables. Even planting a small garden
in containers on your deck or small raised garden in your yard will yield some
amazingly, delicious, treasures this summer. http://www.realfarmacy.com/organic-urban-gardening/
So, what will it take for us to say “NO MORE GMO”? Other countries are up in arms and have
banned these foods that are genetically engineered while we sit passively and
willing to accept it. Maybe that is
another side effect of GMO's, it breeds passivity from ingesting all the
chemicals. Europeans and other countries
realize that growing these foods will also destroy their indigenous agriculture
just as the organic farmers in this country have been concerned with. It is next to impossible to not have
some cross pollination. Now we also have
to worry about our bees being destroyed. Who's going to cross-pollinate our crops when the bees are gone?
Obviously the EPA, USDA, FDA and whatever other associations
that have their say in our food sources are not looking out for your better
interests, but instead are padding their own pockets at your expense. Now that hopefully you understand the problem
a little better, it is time to make your voice known. What more does it take
for the future of our world? It's time
to stop just living for today and begin thinking about the future generations
of our children and grandchildren. Fortunately, we are beginning to make a difference, but we have allowed
a lot of damage to be done to our permaculture which will take years to clean up. The sooner we start the better.
Most recently, the state of Vermont has banned the use of GMO
seeds in their state. Some counties
around the country are also beginning to make new new legeslation to ban GMO's
as well. As we share this information
with others, we can create the change we want to see.
In the words of Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever
has”.
Written by: Kathy
Jerore, Certified Naturopathic Doctor
Healing Is A Process, Not a Pill.
248-974-2062
|
