How Damaging are GMO’s

We are fighting a battle right now to keep real food around. Organic, unprocessed non-GMO food.  It doesn’t matter what side of the political fence you stand on we are all human and we all require real food to function properly.  There is a fight on both sides over How Damaging are GMO'swhether or not GMO’s should be labeled. Personally, I won’t purchase anything with a GMO label and will only buy organic fruits, vegetables and meat. I want those labels. I want the ability to choose what I purchase.

Why is this a big deal? GMO’s have never shown safety studies. The few studies that have been done have included poor effects on gut bacteria. Gut bacteria are a huge part of our health and have a connection to keeping our brain healthy. GMO’s have also shown tumors, premature death, allergic reactions, kidney and liver damage. Several studies involved animals and the results were not positive.

Nutrition is another huge factor. Although most of us enjoy eating, we also require eating for nutrition and overall health. A 2012 nutritional analysis of GM versus non-GM corn (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/30/monsanto-gmo-corn.aspx)  showed huge discrepancies in nutritional value of GMO food vs not. Non-GM corn contains 437 times more calcium, 56 times more magnesium, and 7 times more manganese than GM corn. GM corn was also found to contain 13 ppm of glyphosate, a pesticide so toxic that it may be carcinogenic in the parts-per-trillion range, compared to zero in non-GM corn. Sadly this info has been enough to give up my favorite summertime corn on the cob several years ago.  Finding organic corn on the cob doesn’t seem to be an option anymore.

Pesticides come into play here as well. The use of GMO crops has caused an increase in the use of pesticides. Keep in mind you can “wash off” some of the pesticides. You cannot wash off GMO’s. The best way to avoid them is to eat whole, clean foods.

Another huge problem? We know we need bees for our food supply to flourish and continue to exist.  Unfortunately, gmo crops and pesticides are causing the die off of species of bees (as well as butterflies and birds) Our bee population (honey bees) is down 1/3 since 2006.

I know it isn’t easy-or cheap to find and feed the whole family fresh organic food. In many stores I can’t even find the option of organic fruit. Convenience is a factor, but not one I will compromise. We need to demand better for our kids. Always read your labels and know what’s in your products.

How Damaging are GMO's