GMOs are killing us. Do you care?

GMO stands for genetically modified organism. Another name for GMO is GEO (genetically engineered organism). GM (genetically modified) food is also a common term.

According to Wikipedia, a GMO “is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes. This DNA is then transferred into an organism, giving it modified or novel genes. Transgenic organisms, a subset of GMOs, are organisms that have inserted DNA from a different species. GMOs are the constituents of genetically modified foods.”

Basically, a GMO is an organism whose genetic material has been altered by the insertion of another organism’s genes. This is dangerous because genes do not work in isolation. You can just switch ‘em out. Interaction among genes is highly complex, and modifying an organism on a genetic level causes unpredictable results.

Although the technology was discovered in 1972, GM crops were not released for public consumption until about 1994. Tomato was the first GM crop. This tomato had a certain gene deactivated so that the tomato would not produce polygalacturonase, an enzyme involved in fruit softening. Scientists hoped that the resulting GM tomato would have a longer shelf life, but it actually didn’t do so well.

The promise behind GMO technology was that it would increase food yields and create super foods that grow larger and are more resilient to pests. Not only are GMOs not doing these things, but they have also been linked to various health and environmental problems.

So what’s the deal with GMOs? What’s all the fuss about labeling GMOs? Are they really as dangerous as you might have heard?

Well, here’s what we know to be true about GMOs:

1. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine reported that a bunch of animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food, including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and problems with major organs and the gastrointestinal system.

2. Before the FDA decided to allow genetically engineered food, FDA scientists warned that GMOs can create unpredictable side effects, including allergies, toxins, new diseases, and nutritional problems. Scientists called for long-term safety studies. They were ignored.

3. Mice eating GM corn had fewer, smaller babies. And more than half the babies of mother rats fed GM soy died within three weeks.

4. Farm workers complain of allergic reactions when touching GM cotton. And when sheep grazed on GM cotton plants, about one in four died.

5. GM crops are loaded with pesticides. The majority of GM crops grown are genetically engineered to be herbicide resistant. That means that a field can be sprayed with so many toxic chemicals that everything will die except for the GM crop. This is devastating for wildlife, insects, birds and plants.

6. GMOs are not doing anything for world hunger like biotech companies would like you to believe. In fact, world hunger has reached epic proportions since the technology was developed.

7. There is no long-term research on GMOs. It is a relatively new technology. But negative links are popping up all over the place, and I personally do not want to wait and see what happens to us in the long run.

I encourage you to go to the website for the Institute of Responsible Technology to learn more about the dangers associated with GMOs.

But basically, GMOs are linked to infertility, cancer, allergies, and an increase of certain bacteria and pests (check out some of the links at the bottom of this post). Furthermore, since food and plants have been modified on a genetic level, it is very likely that when you consume them, it can change your DNA. For example, certain foods have been engineered to create their own pesticides. So when you eat them, you might be turning your stomach into a pesticide factory!

Scientists at the at the University of Sherbrooke Hospital Centre in Quebec
found traces of toxic pesticides in 93% of pregnant women and 80% of the umbilical cords! It’s not like scientists never thought that this could happen. They did, and they worried about it. But Monsanto claimed that these toxins would simply pass through the body without harm. Of course. But we have found that this is not the case. These pesticides are now known to lurk in the bloodstream and affect unborn babies. And these toxins have been linked  to allergies, miscarriages, birth abnormalities and cancer.

My heart hurts for our future generations. Just like what happened to the lab rats, we are starting to see more and more infertility problems within the general population. Could it be linked to GMOs?

How many more lies, destruction and death from companies like Monsanto are you willing to take? How much more proof do you need?

Did you know that certain companies (even ones that offer ORGANIC products!) are donating a bunch of money to stop prop 37? Prop 37 requires that if a product contains GMOs it be labeled.

Pretty simple, right? I mean, how hard can it be to write: Contains Genetically Modified Organisms.

Why would they not want people to know which products contain GMOs? hmmm…

Is honesty too much to ask for? I think this is what the Bible means when it says that the love of money is the root of all evil. When you have an insatiable greed for money, it will cause you to do all kinds of evil things, without regard as to who you are hurting. And this is what we are seeing with many companies.

Many companies are into dishonesty. They are paying big bucks in hopes that they will not have to tell you what’s in their “food.” Monsanto, Pepsi Co., Coca Cola, Congagra, Dean Foods (Silk Soymilk), General Mills, Smucker…

They are ALL donating money to keep you in the dark about GMOs.

There is a strong chance that if Prop 37 passes, companies would rather remove genetically engineered ingredients than admit they use them.

So support 37!!

However, we all know that the political process can be slow… and corrupt. Most of the politicians working for so-called ”independent” government agencies have direct links to biotech companies. Our government is simply ignoring the desire of the people to label GMOs in order to support the financial interests of biotech seed companies.

I think it’s safe to say that the government is not looking out for us. So that means you have to take action. And the best way to fight back is to vote with your dollars.

These corporations are trying to keep GMOs hidden from the public eye, so while we’re waiting on the laws to change, it is time we stop supporting these companies, and spend our dollars with trusted companies. We can choose to do this right now.

What can you do to avoid GMOs?

1. First, recognize that the main GM crops are: SOY, CORN, CANOLA and SUGAR BEETS. If these are not organic, then most likely they are GMOs. These are in pretty much all processed food so in order to avoid GMOs, you really have to stop eating processed food (which you should be doing anyway). Other popular GMOs are HAWAIIAN PAPAYA and farm raised SALMON. Non-organic DAIRY and MEAT are also contaminated because most cows and chickens are fed corn and soy. Watch out for ASPARTAME too - (artificial sweetener found in gum and diet beverages) it is usually manufactured with the aid of genetically modified E. coli bacteria.

2. Buy food labeled 100% organic. By law, organic food cannot incorporate the use of GMOs. But as I will discuss below, it’s getting to the point where organic crops are becoming contaminated with GMOs.

3. Look for “Non-GMO” Labels. (Also, download the Non-GMO Shopping Guide)

4. Shop locally. Most GM food comes from large, industrial farms.

5. Grow your own food. This is really the only way to know what’s in your food and how it was treated. If you think gardening is too hard, try kale. Anyone can grow kale. Just try to grow something, even if it’s out of a pot on the windowsill.

I believe in individual liberty. People have the right to do whatever they want to do and eat whatever they want to eat. But the reason I am so upset about GMOs is because many people have no idea that they are eating them or that they pose a health risk! Monsanto literally sneaks them into our food. Also, small farmers around the world are being taken advantage of by large biotech companies like Monsanto. This is what happens: Monsanto genetically modifies something, let’s say, corn. Since it is now a “creation” of Monsanto, they patent it (claim the rights to; receive the sole right to make, use, and sell it). They sell their seed to farmers, many of whom do not know the dangers of GMOs. Some of Monsanto’s seeds are “terminator” seeds meaning they are only good for ONE use! So the farmer can no longer practice seed saving, and has to purchase their seeds each year from Monsanto. Also (get this!) sometimes the wind will carry pollen from GMO crops into neighboring fields, where it fertilizes the next generation of crops with the modified genes. If you are an organic farmer who doesn’t even believe in using GM seed, and this happens to you, you are subject to lawsuits by Monsanto and other GMO companies that have patented those seeds!

So now organic farmers have to test their own crops for GMOs. Many are finding that despite their best efforts to buffer their crops from cross-contamination, they are finding small amounts of GMOs. As a result, even if something is labeled organic, there is a small chance that it contains GMOs.

Great.

So you see, once GMOs are “released” into nature, there really is no controlling them. Can somebody explain to me how is this is ethical? What if I do not want to take part in the great GMO experiment?

UGH! I am literally boiling over as I am writing this. How can WE allow ONE company to wreak such havoc on people, plants, and environment?

There is a reason why Monsanto is considered to be the most evil company on the planet.

Did you know that Monsanto donated $4 million dollars worth of seeds to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, but some of the farmers, in protest, burned the seeds?

Also, more recently, Mexican farmers blocked Monsanto’s proposed law to privatize plants and seeds.

These people get it. Probably because they are more connected to their food than we are. They understand the importance of free and open access to plant biodiversity. They understand that one company having so much influence over the world food supply is a bad thing. Countries like these have been raped so long by large multi-national corporations that they know, immediately, when someone is out to screw them. They see poverty, destruction, and corruption on a daily basis. Oh it’s here too. It’s just more subtle. And we are all too concerned with who Snooki is sleeping with on Jersey Shore to notice.

But consider yourself warned. Monsanto is trying to take over and control the food supply. And they are turning our food into toxic, mutant, food-like substances.

Monsanto wants to own plants and animals. They want to patent life.

Do you get it now?

When I go out to eat- which is rare these days- I have made a habit of asking “what do you cook your ___ (fries, fish, chicken, etc.) in? The answer is almost always soy or canola oil. Go ahead, start asking. Also, start reading labels. You will be amazed at how much soy and canola (and corn) you are eating.

This GMO crap is everywhere!

You gotta start making your own food.

Stop eating poison.

People that know me know I am really into healthy, organic food. The reason being is because food is meant to nourish our bodies, not make us sick and lethargic. Not give us stomach problems. Not damage our liver. Not make us infertile.

So opt for real food over GMOs. Real food sustains life.

What’s your take on GMOs? Do you try to avoid them? Why or why not?

Also, if you found this article informative, please “like” it and share it with everyone you know!

Additional Resources:

Genetically modified crops safety assessments (enveurope.com)

http://www.naturalnews.com/036710_GMO_animal_experiments_infertility.html

http://naturalsociety.com/toxic-genetically-modified-crop-pesticides-found-in-unborn-babies/

http://naturalsociety.com/fake-eco-friendly-corporations-millions-gmo-labeling/

http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/gmfood.shtml

http://www.responsibletechnology.org/