While GMO foods were unsettling to me, I never considered taking them out of my diet. Only because that would be an enormous undertaking. However after watching a recent documentary that shows some very recent studies and data from 2012, I'm going to say that I'm considering it quite seriously. I know this is bound to illicit impassioned opposite opinions. I get it, messing with peoples diets is a very personal and sensitive topic. But the link with GMO to food allergies, GI problems (like chrones disease), athsma, and autism are very compelling to me. It could very well have bigger implications as well, but we await long term studies. I know so many people with food allergies right now and this all made so much sense.
So if you have taken this plunge, any advice for me? I feel overwhelmed. I had all ready taken steps to a more organic diet, but I see some of my favorites are not going to be easily replaced ( l love using soy based imitation meats). What did you miss most? How hard was it to make this adjustment with your kids? What does a typical weekly menu look like? Can you ever eat out?
http://www.responsibletechnology.org/posts/genetic-roulet...
this is long, but if you only watch the first 35 minutes you will get a very good picture of the likely link between GMO and digestive disorders, food allergies, infertility, autism....
I choose non-GMO foods when I know about it. Unfortunately I am not that learned. I drink Non-GMO soy protein shakes and I try to buy organic fruits and vegetables. It's not so hard if you shop in places like Whole Foods.
We eat organic as much as possible. Thankfully, much of our allergen-free food is certified USDA organic or Oregon Tithe. Our meat is pasture-raised, our eggs from free-range chickens fed nonsoy feed. It is very hard to eat GMO free--and expensive--but it can be done.
We made the change when our daughter was 7 years old--6 years ago. It was very hard for her at first--she has sensory issues. We discovered after removing gluten and cow dairy from our diet how quickly she became so much better.
Removing specific food groups from our diet as well as going organic has made a very positive impact on our family.
I, too, have watched a lot of the documentaries on GMOs. Genetic Roulette is also a very, very good documentary to watch. Sort of like watching something like SuperSize Me; once you know the facts, it's hard to go back to eating what you used to eat.
We don't eat GMO's (except for the very rare occasional we eat out. I assume all those foods have GMO's.) I look at that as moderation. We don't want to give up eating out, but we do it so infrequency, that we don;t worry about it. There are organic restaurants out there, but we find them too pricey. It's not really hard, to be honest. We stick to fruits, veggies, meats, other proteins, grains...and that's about it. Food is considerable cheaper here, then in CA. I can easily get organic fruits and veggies for not much more then conventional. I also belong to a co-op, and we get local, organic fruits and veggies. We also get local, organic, free range eggs and meat there. It has only bumped our budget up slightly. Organic grains are pretty cheap. We don't really eat pasta. Our tortillas and bread are organic, and they aren't even a dollar more then conventional. If I"m being honest, fake meat products are all kinds of unhealthy. They are processed , and full of sodium. We don't usually get organic cheese and milk. Those products are significantly more then conventional. Instead, we opt for hormone free versions. (We LOVE Tillamook cheese.) Here is a sample of some things we eat throughout the day.
Breakfast - fruit, oatmeal, hard boiled or scrambled eggs, cereal
Lunch - Leftovers (this is most days,) bean burritos and a salad, egg salad sandwiches, quesadillas, rice and beans, soups (I can make a huge pot and freeze)
Dinner - Tacos, homemade pizza, huevos rancheros, chicken thighs w/ spinach and cheese, Soups, roast chicken and veggies
Snacks- Cheese sticks, fruit, yogurt, smoothies, dipping veggies in avocado
We LOVE the chicken thighs, and they are super easy. I'll link the recipe, because it's one of our favs!! We typically put it over potatoes, because we didn't like it with rice. I also use chicken stock instead of wine. We don't drink, so we don't have wine. http://www.jocooks.com/healthy-eating/spinach-and-swiss-c...
ETA: Certified Organic, does mean GMO free. "The US and Canadian governments do not allow manufacturers to label something 100% organic if that food has been genetically modified or been fed genetically modified feed."
My brother has a non-GMO CAFE !!!
Tat2 has great information (below) !!!! Monsanto is horrible !!!!
I also went to see Dr. Brian Clement speak about the foods we are eating today !!!
It is WONDERFUL that you are getting informed. I do not have time to write a book about this...But, the OCA.com and responsibletechnology.org
are letting the cat out of the bag !
I eat alot of fruit and veggies ! Soy is non-gmo if it is organic. Silk says that they are non-gmo. I love to eat Tinkyada brown rice pasta and organic rice, too! For protein, I eat lots of lentils ! I love organic, dark chocolate, too !
Europeans banned GMO's. In the USA...they are letting us get sick w/ allergies and a whole host of other health problems !
EACH and EVERY DAY...Call the big companies like Kraft, Pepsico, Campbells (who loads the soups w/ GMO corn syrup) and TELL them that you want their products to either be non-gmo or labeled or both !!!
People don't realize how serious this is !!
Try not to be overwhelmed. Start slowly !
See the: non-gmoshopping guide.com
Good for you for being so concerned! This is a serious matter !
we are trying too.
Get the app fooducate. Its amazing and grades foods (not that you couldn't really grade them yourself, we all know fruit is better than a twinkie). However, it does list on there if it is made, or possibly made, with GMO. Just scan away with your smart phone!
We eat GMO free at home. We support local farmers that supply us with organic non GMO beef, chicken, eggs, and produce. We will be planting our garden with non GMO heirloom seeds this year.
I haven't really seen a change in our diet. I agree with the advice to start small. That's what we did! We still eat out and choose not to worry about it.
Trader Joe's is all non GMO, I believe.
My best advice is to research your local farms. I'm a big advocate for buying local and being able to choose the farm with the best growing practices, whether it be for meats or produce.
I wish you the best! I wish more people were concerned about this and I applaud you for not dismissing this issue.
I looked into it, and pretty much gave up. It's in just about everything.
And unless I totally miss the mark, "organic" doesn't mean it isn't GMO. You have to specifically research the genetics of the item(s), not just what was used on it while growing.
I don't think it's realistic to go totally GMO but you can see online what crops are all or mostly GMO and make sure you go organic on those. Corn, soybeans, ect. are biggies and hard to avoid if they are added to things. That is why for frying, go with olive or sunflower/safflower and just try to avoid corn and soybeans as ingredients. Also, if you prepare most of your food at home you should be ok.
And yes, Certified Organic Labeling means that it is non-GMO except for very low levels caused by drift and cross contamination which are almost impossible to avoid. The other really hard thing about going GMO free is that cows, pigs, chickens, ect are fed GMO food primarily so it's in the meat and eggs. So unless you have your own meat, dairy, and egg source, that will be a major challenge. But cutting down is better than doing nothing at all.
We try to only buy GMO free food. It takes more time to read labels & costs a little more but we aren't to crazy with it... if we go out to eat the kids they can have whatever they want.... We have only been to a fast food restaurant a hand full of times.
I was discussing GMOs with a friend of mine and she told me that the pollen from GMO corn has been found in Peru. The winds will take it where it wants to take it.
While I am appauled by the practice I believe going GMO free is nearly impossible.
