So GMO’s are kind of confusing.
To be honest, I’m still learning about the little shits. In the past five years, I’ve been so into putting clean, fresh foods in my body so it’s only natural that I’m interested in learning as much as possible about GMO’s. Today I’m sharing what I’ve learned thus far ( feel free to add any addition info below! I love when you all teach me new tips or share advice! ).
Ok, so WTF is a GMO?
GMO stands for genetically modified organism ( yuck! gross! sick! ). They have been shown to cause harm to humans, animals, & Mother Earth. Even though people speak out against them, there are more foods on the market than ever that are genetically altered.
Example of some sickie GMO’s?
Corn ( boo!!! ), soy, sugar, aspartame ( hey, if you know me, you know I f-ing HATE aspartame ), dairy, canola oil, & papayas ( boo x 2!!! ).
So here’s the deal: let’s use canola oil as an example…Canola oil is one of the most chemically altered foods in America ( insert scared/disgusted Emoji here )…meaning the flavor is completely altered & it contains sickie chemicals- so it’s totally unnatural. Yikes!
Ok…I can handle that. But corn?! This discovery almost brought me to tears.
I mean, I love corn!
Turns out corn is highly modified. A source says that “as many as half of all U.S. farms growing corn are using genetically modified corn.” It’s been tied to weight gain & organ disruption.
My main question: how do I avoid pesky GMO’s?
1.} Buy foods labeled 100% organic. Make sure it says 100%!!!
2.} Check veggie and fruit label numbers. If it’s a 4-digit number, the food is conventionally produced. If it’s a 5-digit number beginning with 8, it’s a GM. And if it’s number beginning with 9 it’s organic.
3.} Use the app Fooducate to scan foods- because let’s be honest if you have kids, you don’t want them eating chemicals, right?! I’ve been using this app lately & loving it!
4.} Purchase beef that is 100% grass-fed.
5.} The label should say ‘GMO-free’ or ‘non GMO’ when buying grocery items.
6.} Farmer’s markets are fab. Take advantage of them! Make sure you confirm with your local farmer’s market that it’s a GMO-free environment.
7.} Grow your own food. I’ve been dying for a little herb garden for years! I’m hoping to have my own sexy garden in the next year. Any tips?
Anyway, the buzz around town is that supposedly Whole Foods has a policy where they don’t carry any GMO products. Can anyone confirm this? True, false, half true?
Ignorance isn’t bliss, peeps. Know what the hell you’re putting in your mouth. And hey, I’ll obviously end up eating some GMO’s in my lifetime, but if I can at least try avoid them, then GREAT!
So…what’s your opinion? GMO or GM-NO?
x.L
P.S. wanna know more? Click here.
Uggghh, don’t get me started on GMO’s! I strongly encourage you to check out “Genetic Roulette” for a concise overview of all the scientific research on the dangers of GMO’s (you can watch it on Youtube). GMO’s have been linked to just about every ailment imaginable, but in particular, fertility problems, birth defects, diabetes, inflammatory diseases, auto-immune diseases, gastro-intestinal diseases, food allergies, and cancer. We’re one of the few developed countries that allow them, and they’re everywhere. Just about any processed food contains GMO ingredients. Meanwhile, we are sick, sick, sick and over-medicated.
And your stat on corn? Sorry Charley. Most of the research I’ve read estimates that more like 85%-95% of corn in the U.S. is genetically modified; same goes for soy. Another freaky thing? Children are especially susceptible to GMO’s because their little bodies and brains are still developing. Want to know the leading ingredient in most infant formulas? Yep, GMO soy. Imagine this too, GMO’s didn’t hit the supermarket until 1996. Most of us weren’t raised on GMO’s, but many of our children will be. In studies conducted on rats, most were completely infertile within 2-3 generations of eating a GMO diet, and what litters they did produce had high risks of horrific birth defects.
Thanks for addressing this issue. I hope you continue to provide us with delicious, non-GMO recipes so we can eat pure and live healthy. Thanks!
GMO’s are nast!! I am pretty sure that Whole Foods does sell GMO foods, but only because it’s not required to label GM food so they wouldn’t know… so WF has set a deadline that they are going to have ALL of their food they sell labeled as GMO if it is by 2018. And all of their “365” foods are non-GMO!
Quick Q for you… I agree with you on aspartame and artificial sweeteners (bleh).. but what are your thoughts on Stevia??
GMOs are very controversial. I had to read about them in a test ( so this could be totally made up, tests sometimes claim that pregnancy term is 35 weeks?) but this is where environmentalists and foodies clash because a cow that eats non GMO, natural gas produces methane which is released into the atmosphere vs a cow that eats GMO yuck to grow… That’s only one example. Also, just because its organic doesn’t necessarily mean it is GMO free. Which is scary and tricky. Lastly, GMO’s are economically efficient and beneficial. So at the end of the day it is all about money unfortunately…
GM-NO!!! I am a firm believer in a clean/natural diet… But I will say I too didn’t know that CORN was a GMO! I mean I eat crazy healthy 99% of the time, but I love me some chips & salsa/guac sometimes! I must do more research on this. In reagrds to starting a garden, you MUST do this! My sister happens to have a nice garden space and we plant an awesome garden every year; everythng from kale & other greens to tomatoes, peppers, berries, carrots, herbs… You name it!
Seriously GMO’s make me SO angry! Why oh why can’t we at least label our products?? I try to stay far far away from any products containing corn or soy because I know that they are most likely genetically modified. The scary part…. if you read a label of almost any food at the local super market they almost all contain a form of soy and/or corn. Scary stuff! Buy organic and read labels…yikes!
Very interesting and great post. I am so downloading that app! Glad you shared. I need to do more reading on GMO’s, not that familiar..eek!
I have been meaning to ask you your thoughts on Truvia? I use it daily in my coffee….
xx,
Becky
http://cellajane.blogspot.com
Whole Foods has a little sticker near the price tag, which states whether its certified GMO free. It’s great that they do this. But, I must say it’s far from being most of their products. It definitely makes me sick about corn because I love fresh corn on the cob in the summer. But, even regular corn isn’t the best. What do you think farmers use to fatten up cattle or other livestock? Sweet corn and corn mixed feeds. I hate to say it because I live in the middle of corn country, but I try to avoid eating it a lot.
So happy you are SHINING light on this subject, I mean WTF is our government doing to us, how is this practice even LEGAL! When I lived in Cabo San Lucas fresh food was CHEAP + no need for an ORGANIC label because there is NO such thing as GMO’s the worst thing you would come across is pesticides which are HORRID but compared to GMO’s its much better. Thanks for sharing! Love + Shine CourtStar
Whole Foods definitely carries genetically modified products – because genetically modified products include great things like tangelos and pluots! GMO doesn’t necessarily imply evil!
Love this
I love that you posted this! I literally just wrote a 14 pg research paper on the labeling of GMO’s and it’s disgusting how corrupt the whole system it. Anyways, Whole Foods carries non-gmo products however they will be the first supermarket to actually carry ONLY non-gmo products come 2018! Which may or may not lead to changes with the labeling process. As for now, anyone interested in knowing more should check out http://www.nongmoproject.org/ And this site is behind the “non-gmo” labeling of products today, however, it is a seal that they themselves verify (not govt legalized) and for now it is the closest way to be able to tell if you are buying NON-GMO products or not! Hope this helps a bit and I have no problem sharing my research with anyone who wants to know more! 🙂
GMO’s ARE little shits aren’t they? To answer the Whole Foods question:
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/10/01/food-babe-investigates-whole-foods/
Whole Foods is currently working towards carrying NON GMO products throughout all of their stores. However, this is not taking effect until 2018. My family owns an artisan bread company and we supply various Whole Foods so that’s how I am aware of this! All of our products are non-GMO and contain no preservatives or flavor additives. Check out our website! We have a location in Pittsburgh, PA and one in Phoenix, AZ. We will soon be carrying breads on the West Coast in Whole Foods! Stay tuned 🙂
Yum! What’s the bread company called? Sounds great!
A couple comments, because, like you, GMOs and food production in general has been something I’ve been paying a lot of attention to over the past 5+ years. For the corn issue, I totally recommend watching the documentary King Corn. It goes into all the production issues, from the fact that corn is so modified from what it used to be (it used to have way more protein and way less sugar), to all the pesticides farmers need to use to grow enough of a crop to make money on it, to all the sick ways they modify it to turn it into high fructose corn syrup (which is in almost everything packaged). Like did you know that they use sulfuric acid to turn corn into high fructose corn syrup? Gross.
As far as the Whole Foods not carrying GMOs thing, it’s my understanding that they are in transition of going GMO free, but that they aren’t necessarily GMO free yet. They are requiring stricter labeling on GMO foods and in general I think they do a good job of labeling when something is organic vs conventionally grown. Here’s a blog post from them about what they do/where they stand on GMOs: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/lets-talk-about-gmos-whole-foods-market.
I’m LOVING these ideas for little herb gardens:
http://bit.ly/13uUrdj
http://thd.co/HZI7HP
I’ve been wondering about this but it’s hard to find reputable sources online. I figure better safe than sorry! I’ve also read a lot of conflicting articles on the difference between non-GMO and organic. Some say that organic refers to the growing method only (i.e. no pesticides, fertilizers, etc) but not the source of the seed which could technically be GM and still labelled as organic if there are no chemicals used to grow it. Others, like NON GMO Project Verified, state that, by definition, organic foods are also non GMO because of USDA regulations. So, I guess more research is needed there. It does seem pretty unanimous though that foods labelled “natural” or “all natural” are definitely NOT necessarily non GMO, so watch out for those!
http://www.shoporganic.com/Non-GMO-Information
Sincerely appreciate you for addressing this on your blog. Keep fighting the good flight!!!
Def non-gmo! This whole entire thing is so scary and the sad thing is that companies like Monsanto keep winning. I can’t believe that us real people can’t stop them. Makes me angry! Husband and I are seriously thinking about leaving the big city and buy a farm and grow our own organic food (veg of course).
ANd yes, the corn issue was a big bummer! I love corn on the cob!
There is lots of WF talk here, but I’ve found that Trader Joe’s is a great source for non-GMO foods. http://www.traderjoes.com/about/customer-updates-responses.asp?i=4
They also keep out High Fructose Corn Syrup (yuck), MSG, added trans fats, artificial colors and more from the Trader Joes brand items. http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=153
It makes it a lot easier to buy food when you know that none of those scary things will be in any of that label.
Thanks for all the fun posts! Good luck on your garden!
So, I just wanted to clarify a few things. I am a biomedical engineering major at Carnegie Mellon University, and I have done a lot of research on this topic [taken entire courses on it, written 30 page papers on it, etc].
First of all, genetically modified corn is not made for human consumption. Its used for animal feed [livestock do not develop food allergies the way that humans do and therefore can be fed genetically modified corn]. It may be consumed if you eat anything containing high fructose corn syrup, or corn flour, but when you buy the actual vegetable you should be getting the natural stuff.
Second, genetically modified foods do not contain chemicals. Under normal circumstances, a desirable trait is found in another living organism that is then transferred into the host organism. Example: Strawberries and arctic fish. Want your strawberries to be able to survive a frost? Put the trait in them that allows fish to survive sub-zero temperatures. This is modifying the plant so that its response to sub zero temperatures is no longer to immediately die, which means it extends the growing season for strawberries. Additionally, a common addition is a trait that prevents the plant from dying when various herbicides and pesticides are sprayed on the plant [note: always wash fruit before eating], and all of these traits come from other plants. Humans do not have the ability to just add a desired trait unless they manage to find it somewhere else in nature.
Third, some GMOs are seriously helping people. Take golden rice for example. Currently my department is researching ways to infuse more nutrients into plants commonly grown in Africa so that people can get more of the nutrients they need to be healthy, ones that aren’t readily available in plants there.
Now, this is not to say I think that further research needs to be done. I believe all GMOs have a number starting with 5 at supermarkets, but you may want to check on that one. I honestly believe that all GMOs should be labeled and to let people make the choice on what they want. Genetic modification is part of what made these foods more readily available, but if they are causing health issues, then they should be taken off the shelves.
I agree with much of what you stated here, but I don’t think that GMO corn is only for livestock. (I was raised on a family farm) We grow, what is often referred to as Roundup ready Corn. This is a corn that is was genetically modified to resist roundup, so farmers can more effectively grow the crop and not have to use a bunch of different herbicides, only one, Roundup. This creates a more bountiful crop at a lower price, which is helping feed the entire world, not only the privileged who can afford organic, non GMO, all natural food. This seems to be what the majority of farmers are growing, so I find it difficult to believe that human’s aren’t consuming this.
As a previous post stated, it is hard to find much “reputable” research on the topic. This article sites articles that show an ASSOCIATION between GMOs and health issues, which does not mean CAUSE. There here are also studies that have been done, showing no harmful effects of the GMOs. http://bpr.berkeley.edu/2013/02/why-gm-foods-are-not-as-bad-as-they-seem-a-message-to-gmo-demonizers/
100% Grass Fed is not the words you want to see. There are ways to play with the semantics there. What you want to see is “Grass Finished” which means that they were fed grass all the way up until they were “finished” living!
Also note that just because something says “100% Natural” or similar doesn’t necessarily mean that it is. It could be chemicals derived from natural ingredients which (in my book at least) is NOT okay!
Probably you do not even have much idea where Hungary is, however at us GMO is prohibited, if they discover such shipment of goods, or seeds, they are being destroyed. Consider moving there and you dont have to look at the label anymore;) everything is non GMO 😀
I’m so glad you’ve turned me on to fooducate. What an awesome app! Thanx for the book recommendation too – Wheat Belly is a great read
I study biotechnology in school, and a lot of my studies are about GMOs. As written by Lauren, there seems to be a huge misconception of the technical term GMO.
Nothing in genetically modified crops are “unnatural”, just simply genes taken from another source and placed into a new one. Again, Lauren has a great example. None of the implanted genes are made from mad scientists in a lab. Also, most of the modified crops are implanted with genes resistant to germs, pesticides and so on; which should be good. Now, from what I can tell, there hasn’t been reliable sources anywhere of anyone getting sick from GMO foods, so for that I recommend checking, who is writing and where the information comes from.
Lastly, I will say that I don’t know much about the laws and stuff regarding GMOs in the US; so if anything I’ve said is plain wrong, I apologize. But I still stand by the fact, that GMOs are practically harmless, dependant on the transferred genetics.
Yes, but most GMO’s in America are grown with heavy use of chemicals. This is what is the cause of health and environmental problems not so much the changing of genes. Also, disturbing genes can lead to invasive species and problems father down the road for the environment.
O.M.G Lauryn I am SO glad you posted this! GMO’s are becoming such a huge problem…it’s almost impossible to find just your straight up, normal food anymore! The labeling bill not passing was a huge kick in the kneecaps for all us healthy nuts looking to um…not eat science project chemical laden food. I am a huge cheerleader of a good ol’ local farmers market- especially for produce. If it was possible to be sponsored by a farmers market, I totally would be because it is my #1 favorite thing to suggest to my friends and the unsuspecting public. My local FM in Leucadia is pretty phenomenal and carries everything from locally raised meats (for my fiance as I’m a veggie) to exotic organic produce to gluten-free vegan low sugar freakin’ awesome desserts (ahem, Olive Oil Cafe in SD). The farmers market is cheaper than the supermarket, totally non-GMO, and totally FUN to go to! Lately it’s been my fave place to gather inspiration for healthy cocktails and vegan beach snacks. Thanks for getting the word out there about the nastiness of GMOs, girlfriend!
Trader Joes is a great option for GMO free shopping, I checked with my local store a few months ago and they stated that none of their foods were genetically modified, but you can always double check that with your local store.
WHOLE FOODS IS NOT COMPLTELY GMO FREE! Although, there is a rumor going around that the CEO of whole foods has claimed that in the next 3 years Whole Foods is going to eliminate all of their GMO products but who knows if that’s true or not.
Make sure you always read the labels and if there is not a USDA organic seal on the container then it is not considered organic. Companies like to attract people by claiming it’s porganic when it’s really not. Also, if a product says “All Natural” please make sure to read ingredients or know about the company. Don’t always assume that just because it says “All Natural” that it is. Unfortunately, companies can put whatever they want on their labels
Hope this helps!
xoxo Haley
I GENUINELY loved reading this article! I love your edgy way of keeping it interesting! Love the subject matter as well! Keep up the great work!
Here’s my latest on my Blog…if it interests you!
http://arcwrites.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-easy-way.html?spref=fb
Gmo’s are for putitos