Today as I was playing round on Facebook I came across an article on a friend's page. The article lists eight foods that experts refuse to consume and why. I was pretty sure I'd find dairy laced with hormones on the list and I was right, it is number six on the list. If you know me at all, you know my love for cows and my quest to stay away from rBGH tainted dairy. I found this to be an interesting read and wanted to share:
http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/12214-8-foods-even-the-experts-won-t-eat.html
Showing posts with label GMO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GMO. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Sick
I subscribe to a newsletter from Dr. Mercola. I am not even sure how I landed on his web site, but I've been getting his almost daily newsletters for at least four years now. I do not always read them, but sometimes an article really sands out to me. The other morning I opened my newsletter and found an article about about European health versus American health. I am always a health nut, but I'm especially aware of illness this time of the year as it is the start of the cold & flu season. I opened the article expecting to read about colds and immunity and remedies, but instead I read about how the food we eat is potentially making us ill. It was quite interesting!
Obviously I cannot nor do I want to retype the entire article, but here are some key points from Dr. Mercola:
1. Americans get more sick more often than other industrialized nations in the world. Some researchers believe this increase in illness is linked to the consumption of Genetically Engineered (GE)/Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO).
2. The US government says GE/GMO foods are perfectly safe, however researchers are finding links with increased allergies, birth defects, increased cancer rates, infertility and mutations to name a few.
3. US livestock is now becoming infected with a mysterious ailment called "Sudden Death Syndrome".
4. GE/GMO foods are viewed as invaders in our bodies. This is leading to increased immune responses while is virtually attacking our bodies/immune systems.
Here are some very alarming stats from the article:
- According to the CDC, Autism is affects one in 88 children as opposed to one in 25,000 children (in the mid-1970's).
- Between 1980 and 2010, Type II Diabetes rose more than 176%.
- Celiac Disease is now four times more common as compared to 60 years ago.
- The rate of Amercians with Alzheimer's Disease have doubled since 1980. One in eight older Americans have AD.
What an alarming article!! Some people may argue that we see so many more cases of Autism because we know how to diagnose it better than we did in 1975. Some will say that more seniors are affected by Alzheimer's Disease because we live longer, fuller lives as compared to decades ago. I agree with that to a certain extent however I 100% believe our food plays a major part in our health and wellness outcome. GE/GMO are clearly labeled in Europe and most Europeans opt for the the "natural" food items. Sadly, our foods are being pumped full of hormones & antibiotics and their genetic makeup is being manipulated and modified yet not a single box or bag or label alerts the consumer of the modifications. We deserve to know what is being put into our foods.
Today we went apple picking and took a nice drive through the country. As the boys happily crunched away on their fresh apples I couldn't help but wonder what were they really putting into their tummies. Sure it looked and smelled and it certainly tasted like an apple, but how much pesticide residue was left on the skin? How different was that particular apple's composition as compared to say an apple that Johnny Appleseed planted in 1812? As we drove through the country my eyes fell upon corn and soybean crops as well as pigs and cows and chickens in the farmland. It made me so sad and extremely angry to know the animals were even mutated as compared to decades ago. When will this stop? What has to be done before someone somewhere puts a halt on this insanity? I told Bryan I wish we had enough money to build a farm and fill it full of organic, all natural foods, the way nature intended us to eat. A girl can dream....
If you do not already subscribe to Dr. Mercola, I strongly encourage you to do so! I visit the site every so often and I skim the daily newsletters for interesting articles. Some things I pass by, but a lot of the articles and videos are quite educational and interesting. Enjoy! http://www.mercola.com/
Obviously I cannot nor do I want to retype the entire article, but here are some key points from Dr. Mercola:
1. Americans get more sick more often than other industrialized nations in the world. Some researchers believe this increase in illness is linked to the consumption of Genetically Engineered (GE)/Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO).
2. The US government says GE/GMO foods are perfectly safe, however researchers are finding links with increased allergies, birth defects, increased cancer rates, infertility and mutations to name a few.
3. US livestock is now becoming infected with a mysterious ailment called "Sudden Death Syndrome".
4. GE/GMO foods are viewed as invaders in our bodies. This is leading to increased immune responses while is virtually attacking our bodies/immune systems.
Here are some very alarming stats from the article:
- According to the CDC, Autism is affects one in 88 children as opposed to one in 25,000 children (in the mid-1970's).
- Between 1980 and 2010, Type II Diabetes rose more than 176%.
- Celiac Disease is now four times more common as compared to 60 years ago.
- The rate of Amercians with Alzheimer's Disease have doubled since 1980. One in eight older Americans have AD.
What an alarming article!! Some people may argue that we see so many more cases of Autism because we know how to diagnose it better than we did in 1975. Some will say that more seniors are affected by Alzheimer's Disease because we live longer, fuller lives as compared to decades ago. I agree with that to a certain extent however I 100% believe our food plays a major part in our health and wellness outcome. GE/GMO are clearly labeled in Europe and most Europeans opt for the the "natural" food items. Sadly, our foods are being pumped full of hormones & antibiotics and their genetic makeup is being manipulated and modified yet not a single box or bag or label alerts the consumer of the modifications. We deserve to know what is being put into our foods.
Today we went apple picking and took a nice drive through the country. As the boys happily crunched away on their fresh apples I couldn't help but wonder what were they really putting into their tummies. Sure it looked and smelled and it certainly tasted like an apple, but how much pesticide residue was left on the skin? How different was that particular apple's composition as compared to say an apple that Johnny Appleseed planted in 1812? As we drove through the country my eyes fell upon corn and soybean crops as well as pigs and cows and chickens in the farmland. It made me so sad and extremely angry to know the animals were even mutated as compared to decades ago. When will this stop? What has to be done before someone somewhere puts a halt on this insanity? I told Bryan I wish we had enough money to build a farm and fill it full of organic, all natural foods, the way nature intended us to eat. A girl can dream....
If you do not already subscribe to Dr. Mercola, I strongly encourage you to do so! I visit the site every so often and I skim the daily newsletters for interesting articles. Some things I pass by, but a lot of the articles and videos are quite educational and interesting. Enjoy! http://www.mercola.com/
Saturday, October 15, 2011
GMO: Part One
I subscribe to a daily email newsletter offered by Dr. Mercola. I like these emails because they contain articles filled with information about food, health, supplements, etc. I don't particularly care for the ads highlighting his supplements, but I guess the man is just trying to get the word out. Anyway, I usually only open the articles that are of interest and/or pertain to the health of my family. The other day I decided to open the link to an article on genetically modified organisms (GMO) and as usual I was sadden and surprised by what I read.
I had no idea how closely linked Monsanto and the FDA were until I started reading the book, "The UnHealthy Truth". This book opened my eyes to the "good old boys club" mentality shared between the FDA and Monsanto. To read how certain people have held positions of power between the two entities and how laws, regulations and rules have intertwined really makes me stop and wonder just how and why these two are so closely linked together. Why would a government agency that was created to help regulate food safety be so closely linked to a trillion dollar biotech company? I, like so many others, feel they are up to no good.
So with this all said, when I opened the Dr. Mercola article, my eyes fell upon this quote: "If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it." - Norman Braksick, president of Asgrow Seed Co., a subsidiary of Monsanto, quoted in the Kansas City Star, March 7, 1994
This quote speaks volumes to me in many different ways. Obviously this man realizes how harmful GMO's are to not only our health, but to the animals and the environment as well. Did you know Europe has basically banned foods made from GMO's? If a product does contain GMO's it must be clearly labeled. In Europe there is virtually no GMO's on store shelves yet when you compare this to the food produced and consumed in the US, the rate of GMO's is about 75%.
So in a nutshell we have two options: buy organic foods as they cannot/do not contain any GMO's or try to get better labeling laws established so consumers can decided which foods to purchase. Here's where it gets tricky. Many activists and organizations have tried to create a law forcing the labeling of GMO on food. The government is very much against this. Why you may ask? Let's say you go grocery shopping and see milk, eggs, meat, veggies, fruit, rice, cereal, pasta and cookies available to you, one produced with GMO's and one produced without GMO's; which would you be more likely purchase? For the record, I would buy the all natural foods. Let's say 90% of the shoppers in that store buy non-GMO foods, pretty soon the store managers will stop stocking and ordering GMO produced foods because they will lose money. If the stores are not stocking the GMO foods the manufacturers will not produce products that contain the GMO and the farmers will not allow the use of GMO crops. If this happens Monsanto will feel the loss. They will not be able to produce their altered versions of seeds and pretty soon they will not have much revenue coming in. The good old boys that work between the FDA and Monsanto will not be living the high life on their six figure salaries and pretty soon life and work will be a bust for them all. It is a cycle. Go back and re-read the quote from above....what context do you take it in now? Will the skull and cross bones represent the poison pulsing through the food produced with GMO's or does it represent the future for Monsanto and it's money should labeling laws go into effect? Hmmmm.......
Sadly Monsanto exercises a lot of control on Capitol Hill and in the DC area thus referring back to the government based FDA link once again. Lobbyists have worked feverishly the past twenty years to stop any type of labeling laws that would destroy what these biotech companies have created. A grass roots organization in California is trying very hard to get a bill passed at the state level that would require the labeling of all GMO's on foods. The hope and idea is that this bill will pass in California, of of the largest populated states in the US with a vast following of organic, anti-GMO followers. If it passes in California, the big food companies will be forced to make changes to their products and product labels. Imagine if Kellog's or Keebler had to print two labels as well as create two different foods. One product and label would state their cereals and crackers contain GMO's and another product and label would be free of GMO's. This is going to take a lot of time and energy and money and in time Kellog's and Keebler will hopefully only purchase non-GMO grains. The idea of passing this at state level is to bypass the big wigs in Congress. Sneaky, but in the grand scheme of it all, not as sneaky as Monsanto and the FDA.
Next up.........the effects of GMO's on our health, wellness and safety.
I had no idea how closely linked Monsanto and the FDA were until I started reading the book, "The UnHealthy Truth". This book opened my eyes to the "good old boys club" mentality shared between the FDA and Monsanto. To read how certain people have held positions of power between the two entities and how laws, regulations and rules have intertwined really makes me stop and wonder just how and why these two are so closely linked together. Why would a government agency that was created to help regulate food safety be so closely linked to a trillion dollar biotech company? I, like so many others, feel they are up to no good.
So with this all said, when I opened the Dr. Mercola article, my eyes fell upon this quote: "If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it." - Norman Braksick, president of Asgrow Seed Co., a subsidiary of Monsanto, quoted in the Kansas City Star, March 7, 1994
This quote speaks volumes to me in many different ways. Obviously this man realizes how harmful GMO's are to not only our health, but to the animals and the environment as well. Did you know Europe has basically banned foods made from GMO's? If a product does contain GMO's it must be clearly labeled. In Europe there is virtually no GMO's on store shelves yet when you compare this to the food produced and consumed in the US, the rate of GMO's is about 75%.
So in a nutshell we have two options: buy organic foods as they cannot/do not contain any GMO's or try to get better labeling laws established so consumers can decided which foods to purchase. Here's where it gets tricky. Many activists and organizations have tried to create a law forcing the labeling of GMO on food. The government is very much against this. Why you may ask? Let's say you go grocery shopping and see milk, eggs, meat, veggies, fruit, rice, cereal, pasta and cookies available to you, one produced with GMO's and one produced without GMO's; which would you be more likely purchase? For the record, I would buy the all natural foods. Let's say 90% of the shoppers in that store buy non-GMO foods, pretty soon the store managers will stop stocking and ordering GMO produced foods because they will lose money. If the stores are not stocking the GMO foods the manufacturers will not produce products that contain the GMO and the farmers will not allow the use of GMO crops. If this happens Monsanto will feel the loss. They will not be able to produce their altered versions of seeds and pretty soon they will not have much revenue coming in. The good old boys that work between the FDA and Monsanto will not be living the high life on their six figure salaries and pretty soon life and work will be a bust for them all. It is a cycle. Go back and re-read the quote from above....what context do you take it in now? Will the skull and cross bones represent the poison pulsing through the food produced with GMO's or does it represent the future for Monsanto and it's money should labeling laws go into effect? Hmmmm.......
Sadly Monsanto exercises a lot of control on Capitol Hill and in the DC area thus referring back to the government based FDA link once again. Lobbyists have worked feverishly the past twenty years to stop any type of labeling laws that would destroy what these biotech companies have created. A grass roots organization in California is trying very hard to get a bill passed at the state level that would require the labeling of all GMO's on foods. The hope and idea is that this bill will pass in California, of of the largest populated states in the US with a vast following of organic, anti-GMO followers. If it passes in California, the big food companies will be forced to make changes to their products and product labels. Imagine if Kellog's or Keebler had to print two labels as well as create two different foods. One product and label would state their cereals and crackers contain GMO's and another product and label would be free of GMO's. This is going to take a lot of time and energy and money and in time Kellog's and Keebler will hopefully only purchase non-GMO grains. The idea of passing this at state level is to bypass the big wigs in Congress. Sneaky, but in the grand scheme of it all, not as sneaky as Monsanto and the FDA.
Next up.........the effects of GMO's on our health, wellness and safety.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)