What are GMOs?
GMO stands for “genetically modified organism.” This includes plants and animals that have been genetically altered with DNA from bacteria, viruses and other plant and animal species.
Biotech industries have failed to prove that GMOs have any benefit to us whatsoever. Earlier claims included increased yield in crops, drought tolerance and enhanced nutrition among others. None of those claims are evident.
Most developed nations consider GMOs unsafe. In more than 60 countries around the world, there are significant restrictions and outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs. Unfortunately, the U.S. government has approved of GMOs.
Reasons why you should avoid GMOs:
1. GMOs are unhealthy. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) urges doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets for all patients. They cite animal studies showing organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility. Human studies show how genetically modified (GM) food can leave material behind inside us, possibly causing long-term problems (such as cancers.) Genes inserted into GM soy, for example, can transfer into the DNA of bacteria living inside us, and that the toxic insecticide produced by GM corn was found in the blood of pregnant women and their unborn fetuses.
2. Herbicides like “Roundup” have increased 15x since GMOs were introduced because they are engineered for herbicide tolerance. You can also thank GMOs for the emergence of “super weeds” and “super bugs,” which, in turn, cause farmers to use even more toxic poisons (like the major ingredient in Agent Orange) to kill them. “GMOs are a direct extension of chemical agriculture.”
3. The biotech industry uses “tobacco science” to claim product safety. Biotech companies like Monsanto told us that Agent Orange, PCBs, and DDT were safe. They are now using the same type of superficial, rigged research to try and convince us that GMOs are safe. Independent scientists, however, have caught them red-handed, demonstrating without doubt how industry-funded research is designed to avoid finding problems.
4. GMOs do not increase yields, and work against feeding a hungry world. Whereas sustainable non-GMO agricultural methods used in developing countries have conclusively resulted in yield increases of 79% and higher, GMOs do not, on average, increase yields at all. This was evident in the Union of Concerned Scientists’ 2009 report Failure to Yield―the definitive study to date on GM crops and yield.
GMOs are sold unlabeled in the U.S. At the grocery store, Americans cannot tell if the fruit or vegetable has been genetically modified. Fortunately, resources are provided to educate us online on why GMOs are risky, which products are safe and which are conspicuous.
In the U.S., GMOs are in as much as 80% of processed foods. Below is a current list of GMO risk crops:
- Alfalfa
- Canola
- Corn
- Cotton
- Papaya
- Soy
- Sugar Beets
- Zucchini and Yellow Summer Squash
- Milk, meat, eggs, honey (due to contaminations in feed)
- Beta vulgaris (e.g., chard, table beets)
- Brassica napa (e.g., rutabaga, Siberian kale)
- Brassica rapa (e.g., bok choy, mizuna, Chinese cabbage, turnip, rapini, tatsoi)
- Curcubita (acorn squash, delicata squash, patty pan)
- Flax
- Rice
- Wheat
To avoid GMOs, choose these non-GMO verified foods:
http://www.nongmoproject.org/find-non-gmo/search-participating-products/
References:
http://www.responsibletechnology.org/10-Reasons-to-Avoid-GMOs
http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/
http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/what-is-gmo/
