Disclaimer, I write this, not as a fan of mainstream nutrition, but a self taught and researched woman who has been reading articles, books, and magazines on these topics for years. I have a bachelor's of science degree IN science education and my college is accredited. I do not write any of this in ignorance, rather concern for our nation.
As many of you know, I'm a huge fan of organics! This is not to say that I am not thankful for whatever food I'm blessed with, but I always have, and always will prefer organic foods. One of the reasons for that, is genetically modified organisms. This post is mainly about produce...Dairy, meats, and seafood CAN apply to a lot of these labels and principles...but that is a blog for another day!
3 types of food:
Organic: grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, non-gmo seeds(organic), etc. Organics info. Basically, as far as farming of food goes, organic is supposed to be "the way nature intended". Have some farmers gotten greedy and tweak the rules-yes. Have some food companies tried to exploit the "organics" market-yes. Is organic still better than "local"? That depends...some local produce, TALK TO THE FARMER, is grown organically, but isn't "certified"...some local produce is heavily sprayed, modified, and grown NOT "the way nature intended". Getting organic, local, produce is your best option! (better yet, grow it yourself!)
Conventional: this may, or may not, be genetically modified seed as there is no regulation on labels in the US right now. It could be "systemically" treated with pesticides...meaning, the seed, has been soaked in a super-strong pesticide in which the entire plant has grown. It doesn't wash off either...it is ingrained in the entirety of the plant and you cannot soak it off or rinse it off. It is there permanantly. Read this for more info.
It could be heavily sprayed with herbicides and pesticides. Now, many people say, "you aren't a plant, herbicides won't effect you." Here's my counter arguement. When you eat a plant, you receive the benefits of the nutrition in the plant cells, yes? If you are eating something designed to KILL other plant cells, could you then, be effected minimally or extensively by the plant cell killer? I think yes...plant cells aren't THAT different from human cells...the main differences are chloroplasts and the cell walls. A cell killer is a cell killer...and your cells COULD be affected...here's a great link about herbicides.
Also, conventional foods could treated with standard pesticides(which can also inlcude fungicides). These are usually sprayed on, or fed into the water line. Here's a great link that uses info on pesticides and you can look up what is potentially on your food at home : "What's on my food?"
To sum up, the fresh produce at the store, that is not organic, may actually be MORE damaging than it is nourishing. In my opinion, if you aren't going to eat organic vegetables, then you should seriously consider why you are eating them. Take a fiber suppliment if you need fiber, but if you need vitamins and minerals, and choose to ingest them via vegetables and fruits, make sure it is organic! There is a list called the "dirty dozen" that includes some of the most dangerous NON organic and some of the safer non-organic. In general, I have found OFTEN that a lot of organic produce is close to the same price as the regular...and the benefits of it far outweigh the cost. Check out your local wholesaler...my BJ's has tons of organics for great prices!
Genetically Modified Organisms(GMO) and often refered to as Genetically Engineered (GE): this is where everything gets really, really hairy. Controversy, greed, "scientific discovery", and law suits run amuck! I will try to sort it out for you as best as possible.
Controversy: The EU has put a ban on almost any GMO's...they have NOT been proven safe for human consumption, so they have taken preventative means to NOT allow them in EU countries...and ones they often trade with.(Interesting fact, Kraft and other big name food companies in the US have food for us, and food for them...the ingredient list for the UK's Kraft mac n' cheese, is drastically different than our's. Something to ponder...) The US takes the stance that they haven't been proven harmful (which is a lie, there are PLENTY of GMO's that have been proven harmful, but some scientist gets paid off to say they aren't harmful and find some ridiculous reason why).
Greed: Monsanto is the "big whig" of the GMO world. Multi-billion dollar corporation with clear ties in the US government. (Conflict of interest, I think yes). Monsanto SUES any farm that is near one of their farms that has any of the same DNA in their plants. So a local farmer, farms near a Monsanto farm....some of the GMO pollen floats through the air, travels on a bee, etc. onto their plants...and the product, is now laced with GMO's...Monsanto tests it, finds the genetic sequence to match slightly the ones in their GMO crops, sues the local farmer, and often, puts them out of business. Info worth reading.
Also in the greed category and law suits, is the fact that GMO seed self destructs! In the old days of farming, you would grow a crop, and save some of it to use as seed for the next year. With a GMO crop, the seed harvested, won't grow. Period. This means farmers using GMO seed have to BUY NEW SEED every year. This makes farming MUCH more costly having to buy new seeds yearly. Monsanto's biggest audience is 3rd world countries...they get so excited for pest-resistant, cold resistant, ____ resistant, fast growing crop....and then they have to buy it every year...and this really hurts the poor people who can barely afford it the first year! They take advantage of the fact that these people may not have internet, may not read English, and cannot learn for themselves that this "miracle seed" hurts them, not helps them. I highly recommend watching Food Inc on Netflix or online. Netflix also has a ton of foodie movies that help shed light on this issue.
side note: one of my friends recently bought an organic pepper and a conventional pepper. She gardens often and so she decided to GROW peppers from the seeds....the seeds from the organic pepper sprouted and grew plants....the seeds from the "conventional one" did NOT grow AT ALL! Many conventional foods are already genetically modified and/or irradiated...removing and denaturing a LOT of the nutrition that may or may not be present at that point.
Scientific discovery: "No one has proved that GMO's are harmful...they wouldn't be allowed in the food supply if they were!" - first of all, there is a lot, A LOT, of logical flaws there. One, just because you have not heard of their harmfulness, doesn't mean the info isn't there. Two, MANY MANY things have been proven harmful after the fact...Phenphen and Redux...two drugs that were allowed by the FDA killed many a person. How many times has a birth control, that has been tested and proven safe, caused millions of women reproductive and/or emotional problems? Let it be known, many of the "tests" are NOT thorough, done in haste, and paid for by the uber rich pharmaceutical(or biotech-like Monsanto) company that WANTS positive results...and that's exactly what they get. The fact that it is available in stores should be of no consequence. Soda is bad for you right? It is sold in stores! Cheetos are bad for you...and sold in stores...just because it is sold in a store for public consumption doesn't make it safe or healthy. If you believe that it does, you need to reevaluate what you define as "food" and "healthy". Mercola.com has GREAT info on all things nutrition and he has focused in on the GMO issue a lot. (he is a DOCTOR too...not some quack job with a blog) Here is a search I did on his site simply typing "gmo" and these are the results. Please read up! Mercola.com>search-gmo
Now, if you go to Monsanto's website, they will have a lot of lies on it saying how great and safe they are, but the deeper you dive into this issue, you will find this is simply not the case. Super weeds, super bugs, and all sorts of problems surround this GMO issue...and Monsanto is right in the middle of it. Also, the issue of declining bee populations, I would watch "Vanishing Bees" on Netflix or online. It very clearly points out that systemic pesticides and GMO crops are hurting the bee population...and recently, the butterfly population. Here's a great simple gmo site: natural news. Also on the topic of GMO's...they are NOT labeled...you WILL NOT KNOW when you are eating them. The only way to prevent them, is through eating organics. ALSO, if it says "natural"...that means nothing. The FDA has no regulation on what "natural" means...so if you are spending more for that "all natural" product, you are wasting your money (unless you have confirmed with the company that the product is deserving of that label). There is another good option which is the Non-GMO project. Great info there! Many foods now have the label which looks like a stamp with grass and a butterfly on it. That at least means that a 3rd party has tested the product for GMO's and has found it safe!
Now, why am I so passionate about this?! Why can't I just let things be?! Well, there's a few reasons...
1. I hate ignorance...if you KNOW all the bad things you are doing to your body, and are ok with that, that is totally your choice...but I hate the idea of people TRYING and WANTING to eat healthy, and they are truly hurting themselves in the end. This GMO and conventional foods thing is a whole lot of deception and heartache. People need to know what is going on with the food they eat! Especially in these treacherous days where healthcare will change dramatically, you need to know what is going into you...so you can understand what is going on with you!
2. Christians are called to take care of the earth. Conventionally raised crops and especially GMO's are NOT taking care of the earth at all....flooding rivers with harmful chemicals, killing fish and local wildlife, hurting humans by causing cancer and degenerative diseases....As a Christian, I absolutely feel called to one of the FIRST commandments in Genesis which is "to have dominion and subdue the earth"(Gen 1:28). Christians should be the "greenest" people...protecting the earth and its people more than anyone else. Recycle, compost, drive gas efficient vehicles, read by soy candlight(well, maybe that is a stretch...tehehe)...but at any rate, I challenge all Christian readers out there to think about the role they play in this world...and if it is harming or hurting this beautiful planet God has given us! We are also supposed to help the poor...and buying GMO crops from a poor society that can grow organic ones, but is forced into Monsanto's lies, doesn't help them. Buying more organics helps keep the prices lower at your local establishment and hopefully, provides more room for growth in the organics industry and that growth makes organics available to the poor who need it!
3. I love helping people! I LOVE when people stop me at the grocery store to ask me about a certain food, or why my basket is full of organics! I love the emails and facebook posts I receive (pretty regularly) when people are trying to get healthy and want a little advice or help in an area. I cannot cook for everyone...I barely have time to cook for myself these days! But I can certainly try to help educate my friends!
4. I am a living, breathing reason, why I don't like mainstream nutrition and medicine. I would love to share more of my story, but this post is so long already. Essentially, I have suffered great pains at the hands of aspartame(sweet and low), sucralose(splenda), and hydrogenated oils(crisco, margarine, etc.). AND, many of those things are not only deemed "safe" by the FDA, but by the medical field, grocery stores, and mainstream nutrition. I also nearly died from a reaction to a "safe" antibiotic that a doctor prescribed to me for strep throat....the strep throat would have eventually gotten better....or a lower dose would have been fine, but since the doctor wanted to kill it so quickly, he over dosed me, and nearly killed me. (Hense my distrust for doctors and the medical field)
Hope you enjoyed food rant #2 of a zillion!
Becca H.
