Diet Shift: GMO Food Dangers

Catherine J. Frompovich | Feb 14, 2012 | Comments 6


A hallmark of our modern times is the fact that too many of us now eat processed, chemicalized, ersatz food. So it’s no wonder metabolic and digestive problems are on the rise, as are food allergies and obesity. There are real dangers in consuming the standard American diet. It’s time to get back to real food.

Agrarian Lifestyle

For millennia prior to the Industrial Revolution, most humans lived an agrarian lifestyle and people raised the food they and their families ate. Fast forward to 2012, and other than kitchen or summer gardens, most people don’t grow their own food nor do they put up food for the winter. But growing your own is something that can significantly improve your meals and your health.

Problems with not eating enough fruits and vegetables were evident long ago, particularly when sailors at sea suffered from scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency disease. The Scottish surgeon James Lind in 1753 published a paper arguing that lemons and limes could prevent scurvy. As a result, British ships were outfitted with a supply of citrus fruit and British sailors became known as “Limeys.”

Initially, when food production became industrialized, deficiency diseases became much more widespread. Problems with processed food began in earnest with the milling of rice and wheat, a process that depletes the nutrients in those foods. When these milled grains became widespread, so did vitamin deficiency diseases. For instance, beriberi, a vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency, started appearing in the early 1880s in Asia when consumption of white rice, devoid of B1, became common.

When processed corn meal came into culinary fashion, the deficiency disease pellagra also appeared, causing horrible-looking, painful skin lesions. Pellagra is caused by a deficiency of niacin or vitamin B3. It can also result from getting too little tryptophan, an amino acid precursor to niacin. If untreated, pellagra can kill within three to five years.

To offset deficiency diseases, the U.S. and other governments require food companies to fortify and enrich their products with a variety of nutrients. In 1924, iodine was first added to salt. In the 1930s, Vitamin D was added to milk. In the United States, white flour has been enriched with five nutrients, including thiamine, since 1941.

Incomplete Rescue

But even though food chemistry has prevented obvious deficiency diseases by adding nutrients to processed foods, there’s something sinister that is rearing its ugly head in the research being done by many food scientists: genetically modified foods, GMO foods.

An Age Of Chemicals

Ever since the end of World War II, the introduction of chemicals into our lives and foods has produced profound challenges to our health. The synthetic flavors we consume and the thousands of other chemicals in our environment interfere with the body’s ability not only to function but to synthesize nutrients, since the human liver tends to get rid of anything chemical that is foreign to our physiology.

Rachel Carson, my heroine and the author of Silent Spring, in the 1960s said:


For the first time in the history of the world, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of conception until death…
For mankind as a whole, a possession infinitely more valuable than individual life is our genetic heritage, our link with past and future… Yet genetic deteriorations through man-made agents is the menace of our time…

Even though Silent Spring is credited with starting the environmental movement, not much has been taken seriously about what she said, especially regarding food.

If deficiency diseases have seemingly been corrected by synthetic chemical nutrients, where does that leave us today nutrition-wise?

Imported Food

Close to 17 percent of the food we eat is imported from foreign countries and many of these, like China, don’t have very stringent supervision of food production.

A while back, infants’ health was threatened by baby formula that contained melamine (a chemical used in the manufacture of plastic). In my book Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking of Our DNA (available here), I discuss much of what most Americans don’t know about food produced in China.

Consider that China is the largest exporter of seafood to the United States. As I note in my book: “Since only 45 percent of China has sewage treatment facilities, raw sewage gets discharged directly into rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal waters. Much of China’s aquaculture grows in raw sewage contaminated water. How much raw sewage do you think that amounts to? The estimate is about 3.7 billion tons.”

Partner Shift

The creation of global food growing partners represents a significant shift in food production. Often, chemicals that are banned in the United States are used in foreign countries and then come back to us in fruits and vegetables sold at the supermarket.

All foods that are grown by big agricultural companies are mostly nutrient-deficient. Industrialized agriculture does not respect the soil in which food is grown. It continuously uses heavy-duty chemical fertilizers to nurture crops. Long gone are the days of crop rotation or even winter crops that are plowed under in spring to provide natural fertilizing agents for the soil. But organic farmers still employ such practices.

GMO Spreads

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) represent the most serious problem with modern agriculture. About 85 percent of the U.S. food chain is contaminated with GMOs even though consumers don’t know about it. Food labeling laws in the United States do not require that GMOs be labeled on food packaging.

The really unfortunate part about GMOs is what we don’t know about their effects. We don’t know the long-term results of eating genetically modified food since humans have not consumed them in their diets until recently. What we do know is what independent scientists are finding and telling us. It’s not reassuring.

Don M. Huber, professor emeritus of plant pathology at Purdue University, claims to have found a troubling new microorganism associated with GMO technology:


A search for the source of animal infections revealed a high population of this newly discovered electron microscopic-sized organism in high concentrations in the soybean meal component of animal feed. It also has been observed in soil, fungal mycelia, soybean leaves and meal, various corn tissues, distillers meal, and fermentation feed products (corn silage, haylage, wheatlage, etc.). The new organism is in very low concentrations or absent from the non-GMO plants and grain samples evaluated to date. [1]

Besides what Huber claims to have found, transgenic organisms, with DNA from different species inserted into them, are cause for concern. (For instance, food companies have inserted fish genes into some of their plants.) While transgenic plants are often able to resist harsh environmental conditions, they are also sometimes made to withstand prolific spraying with glyphosate (RoundUp®), a pesticide that Monsanto (a major GMO producer) mandates farmers sign contracts to use exclusively and prolifically.

Some crops like Bt-corn produce the Bt toxin Bacillus thuringiensis, which protects them from pests. But no one knows if Bt can reproduce and grow in the human intestinal tract, an event that would make humans capable of manufacturing the Bt toxin. And some experts think that food allergies will become even more common from our constant exposure to GMO foods.

Long-Term Consumption

Consumers have been eating GMOs since the late 1990s. Simultaneously, metabolic and digestive problems have grown tremendously, and food allergies are also more widespread. Obesity is now a serious, ubiquitous problem. No one knows what part GMOs have played in these situations.

Nutrient deficiencies are undoubtedly resulting from an American diet filled with highly processed, chemicalized foods. When we eat a diet filled with starch and sugar and fast food rich in saturated fats, we are missing out on enzymes, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and other key nutritional factors.

We need to take back our food sovereignty and not allow others to determine what we must eat. We are unknowingly letting food corporations dictate our diets when we flock to fast food joints and purchase faux foods. Consumers must take charge of the food supply by using the power of the purse and purchase only those foods that are healthful and nutrient dense, preferably organically grown, and not chemicalized.

Ditch GMOs

Let’s start raising our food again with non-GMO seeds. Large chemical companies have taken over seed suppliers and are tinkering with the seeds people sow in their home gardens. Fortunately, heirloom seed companies are still in business. If you want to grow genuine food, search for organic heirloom seed companies on the Internet.

Remember what Hippocrates, the Father of Modern Medicine, said: “Our food should be our medicine; our medicine should be our food,” something big food companies apparently don’t believe or, perhaps, want to prevent you from knowing. Notice that nowhere does Hippocrates mention the word chemicals in his recommendations.

We can look back on our food history and see how science helped create cures for deficiency diseases. But we have absolutely no idea about what will result from our current dietary shift.

[1] http://www.gmfreecymru.org.uk/open_letters/huber_letters.html accessed Feb. 1, 2012


http://www.easyhealthoptions.com/alternative-medicine/diet-shift-gmo-food-dangers/

Could 93% of These Beans be Cancer-Causing?

Unhealthy Foods Experts Won't Eat

Posted By Dr. Mercola | December 20 2011 | 63,362 views

Story at-a-glance

• Many common foods are best avoided if you want to maintain good health, such as genetically engineered foods, canned foods (particularly acidic foods like tomatoes), corn-fed beef, and microwave popcorn, due to the dangerous additives and contaminants inherent in these foods
• Genetically engineered (GE) food is one of the most pressing dangers facing us as a species. A brand new organism thriving in GE soy and animals given GE animal feed has been identified, and a link between it and high rates of miscarriage and infertility in a number of animals has been established
• The vast majority of US-grown corn, soy, canola, cottonseed oil, and sugarbeets are genetically engineered, which means virtually every processed food you buy that does not bear the "100% USDA Organic" label is likely to contain at least one GE component
• The widespread use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, is exacerbating the problem. Glyphosate immobilizes certain nutrients, rendering them inaccessible to the plant, which in turn robs you of essential micronutrients you’d normally get from your food. It also cannot be washed off, as it is absorbed systemically through the plant, which means you’re consuming far more herbicide than ever before
• Glyphosate is suspected of causing genetic damage, infertility and cancer. It is also acutely toxic to fish and birds and can kill beneficial insects and soil organisms that maintain ecological balance

By Dr. Mercola

When deciding what's healthy and what's not, it pays to take note of what the actual experts are saying, as opposed to just listening to industry propaganda regurgitated by talking heads in the mass media and government health agencies.

Wake Up World has assembled a list of foods that are avoided by people who know the facts.

Here are a few examples:

Genetically engineered (GE) foods: Not only do genetically modified (GM) foods encourage the massive spraying of insecticides, but studies have shown that pesticide-producing genes in these foods transfer to your intestinal flora.

GM foods come with a staggering environmental, political, economic, and social cost.

Canned tomatoes: Food can lining contains bisphenol-A (BPA), a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to many illnesses.

The problem worsens when the cans contain acidic food such as tomatoes, which leach BPA into the food.

Corn-fed beef: Cattle evolved to eat grass rather than corn. 

But modern cattle are fed so as to fatten them up faster, not to keep them healthy.

The result is beef that is much less nutritious.

Microwave popcorn: Chemicals that line the bag, such as PFOA, have been linked to infertility in humans and various forms of cancer in animal tests.

To see the rest of the list, please see the original article.

Here, I'll focus on the issue of genetically engineered foods, as I believe that is one of the most pressing dangers facing us as a species.

As Humans, We are Part of the Ecological System

While industry giants like Monsanto hold fast to the claim that genetically engineered (GE) foods are completely safe, those who have actually taken the time to investigate this issue have come to horrific conclusions. Alternative terms for GE foods include genetically modified (GM), or GMO (genetically modified organism).

Everyone really needs to understand that agriculture is a system based on inter-related factors. In order to maintain ecological balance and health, you must understand how the system works as a whole, and realize that any time you alter one part of that system, you change the interaction of all the other components as well, because they work together.

This is the fundamental problem with genetically engineered foods of all kinds.

Seeds such as Monsanto's Roundup Ready corn, canola and soy are genetically altered to be able to withstand otherwise lethal dousing of the toxic herbicide Roundup.

While this may sound attractive at first, as in theory it should improve yield by cutting down on weeds, the end result is anything but beneficial… The weed control and increased yield premise has been found to be severely flawed, as farmers around the world are now losing acreage to glyphosate-resistant super-weeds at an alarming rate. According to the British Institute of Science in Society, the US has fared the worst, now combating 13 different glyphosate-resistant weed species in 73 different locations.

By ignoring the laws of nature and thinking they can fool it into submission, Monsanto and other biotech corporations are creating ecological imbalance that is already wreaking havoc on our environment, and this imbalance will ultimately trickle down and can destroy human health as well.

MOST Major US Food Crops are Now Genetically Engineered!

Many still don't realize just how much of our food supply has been genetically engineered (GE). As of this year, 93 percent of soybeans grown in the US are genetically engineered, as are:

• 86 percent of all corn
• 93 percent of canola
• 93 percent of cottonseed oil 

Between 2008 and 2009, a full 95 percent of all sugarbeets planted were also Roundup Ready.  

This means that virtually every processed food you encounter at your local supermarket that does not bear the "100% USDA Organic" label is likely to contain at least one GE component!

Earlier this year, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) also deregulated genetically engineered alfalfa, which is a perennial crop commonly used in cattle feed, which will further contaminate animal products. There's even a great risk that GE alfalfa may contaminate organically-raised animals, as alfalfa is a perennial crop that can easily spread and end up in organic alfalfa fields.

Are You Listening to the Experts, or Falling for Industry Propaganda?

Dr. Don Huber is an expert in an area of science that relates to the toxicity of genetically engineered (GE) foods, and his warnings couldn't be more clear: genetically engineered seeds have already created a brand new organism that now threatens plant-, animal-, and probably human, health. Furthermore, the use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, is exacerbating the problem, as glyphosate has been found to cause a number of health problems in and of itself.

In the video below, Dr. Huber discusses both of these concerns.  

Download Interview Transcript

In this recent interview, Dr. Huber explains how the introduction of glyphosate-resistance has had a direct impact on soil microbes. This has occurred because, again, agriculture is an inter-related system. Herbicides such as Roundup are chelators, which means they form a barrier around specific nutrients, preventing whatever life form is seeking to utilize that element from utilizing it properly. That applies to everything from plants to soil microbes, to animals and humans...

This may actually be one of the primary reasons why genetically engineered foods appear to be able to cause such profound health problems in those who consume them.

Glyphosate Destroys Soil Microorganisms, which Denatures Food

Glyphosate, even in plants genetically engineered to withstand it, affects about 25 different enzymes in the process of chelating (i.e. immobilizing) critical micronutrients. As a result, the nutritional efficiency of genetically engineered (GE) plants is profoundly compromised. Micronutrients such as iron, manganese and zinc can be reduced by as much as 80-90 percent in GE plants!

Naturally, when you consume these foods, you're no longer getting the essential micronutrients that these foods used to provide in your diet, and your health can suffer as a result.

But that's not all.

Roundup Ready crops are very heavily sprayed with Roundup, and the resulting glyphosate residue cannot be removed or washed off—it actually becomes part of the plant. As a result, humans are now ingesting far more of this herbicide than we ever have before because it's systemic through the entire plant.

Without Healthy Soils, Human Health is Decimated…

According to Dr. Huber, about 20 percent of the glyphosate migrates out of the plant's roots and into the surrounding soil. Once in the soil, the glyphosate kills beneficial soil microorganisms in the same way it kills weeds, because they have the same critical metabolic pathway. The thing we must all understand is that once you destroy the beneficial microbes in the soil, you've destroyed the food grown in it, because the quality of the food is almost always related to the quality of the soil, which depends on a healthy balance of microorganisms.

It is in fact the microorganisms in the soil that allow the plants to utilize the nutrients...

Are you beginning to sense the intricate inter-relatedness of the agricultural system?

Are you beginning to understand the importance of sustainable, environmentally conscious agriculture? If we want to live and thrive for generations to come, we simply cannot turn a blind eye to what's being done to our food supply, because without proper nutrition, we simply cannot exist…

 

New "Franken-Organism" Threatens Plant-, Animal- and Human Health

Dr. Huber has also blown the whistle on a brand new concern relating to genetically engineered crops—a groundbreaking finding that could spell absolute disaster for our entire food supply.

A brand new micro-fungal-type organism has been identified, which has been linked to what researchers are now calling Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS). The organism was initially identified by veterinarians around 1998—about two years after the introduction of Roundup Ready soybeans, which is one of the staple feeds. The vets were puzzled by sudden high reproductive failure in animals. While sporadic at first, the phenomenon has continued to increase in severity.

Dr. Huber was recently informed of a dairy experiencing a 70 percent miscarriage rate!

According to Dr. Huber, the cause-effect relationship between high reproductive failure and this new microbial entity has already been established, but the research has not yet been published. The reason for the delay is because they really do not know what the organism is!

"It's not a fungus. It's not bacteria. It's not a mycoplasma or a virus – [although] it's about the same size of a small virus… They have pictures of it… You can see the interactions with it. They can now culture it. It's self-replicating… If you have yeast, bacteria, or a fungus in the culture, this entity grows very well."

What is known is that:

• It's an entirely new entity, previously unknown to science
• It's definitely found in genetically engineered corn and soybeans
• It causes infertility and miscarriage in cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, and poultry

"We can anticipate with that broad spectrum of animal species, which is extremely unusual, that it will also [affect] humans," Dr. Huber says. "We've seen an increasing frequency of miscarriage and a dramatic increase in infertility in human populations in just the last eight to 10 years."

Earlier this year, Dr. Huber urged the USDA to investigate the matter and suspend approval of GE alfalfa until proper studies have been completed, but his warnings fell on deaf ears and GE alfalfa was deregulated earlier this year despite vigorous opposition…

Important Action Item: Support California's Ballot Initiative to Label GMO's!

In 2007, then-Presidential candidate Obama promised to "immediately" require GM labeling if elected. So far, nothing of the sort has transpired.

Fortunately, 24 US states have (as part of their state governance) something called the Initiative Process, where residents can bring to ballot any law they want enacted, as long as it has sufficient support. California has been busy organizing just such a ballot initiative to get mandatory labeling for genetically engineered foods sold in their state. The proposed law will be on the ballot for 2012.

Michigan and Washington are also starting similar campaigns.

Since California is the 8th largest economy in the world, a win for the California Initiative would be a huge step forward, and would affect ingredients and labeling nation-wide. Last month, a coalition of consumer, public health and environmental organizations, food companies, and individuals submitted the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act to the State Attorney General. Now, they need 800,000 signatures to get the Act on next year's ballot.

I urge you to get involved and help in any way you can.

If you live in California, volunteer to gather petition signatures. If you live outside of California, please donate to help support this Initiative and spread the word to everyone you know in California. Be assured that what happens in California will affect the remainder of the US states, so please support this important state initiative, even if you do not live there!

 

How to Say "No" to GMOs

There's a lot of excellent information on the hazards of genetically modified foods available these days for those who care to look. For more information, I highly recommend Jeffrey Smith's books, Seeds of Deception, and Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, which provide overwhelming evidence that GM foods are unsafe and should never have been introduced in the first place. Smith is the executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, whose Campaign for Healthier Eating in America is designed to create the tipping point of consumer rejection of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) to rid them from our food supply.

Additionally, there are a number of films and videos available for viewing, including:

• Hidden Dangers in Kid's Meals, which is a powerful way for parents to get an initiation into the health dangers of GM foods
• Your Milk on Drugs - Just Say No!, which exposes the dangers of GM bovine growth hormones. Any parent still feeding their child milk from cows injected with rBGH needs to see this film! They'll never make the same mistake again…
• Jeffrey Smith's lecture: Everything You Have to Know About Dangerous Genetically Modified Foods

Since the U.S. government prevents the labeling of GM foods, it's imperative to educate yourself on what they are, and to help spread awareness on how to avoid these foods.

First and foremost, avoid most processed foods, unless it's labeled USDA 100% Organic. You can also avoid GM foods that are not found in processed foods, if you know what to look for. There are currently eight genetically modified food crops on the market (plus GM alfalfa, which is used as an animal feed and will primarily affect animal products raised in confined animal feeding operations, aka 'factory farms.'):

Soy	Sugar from sugar beets
Corn	Hawaiian papaya
Cottonseed (used in vegetable cooking oils)	Some varieties of zucchini
Canola (canola oil)	Crookneck squash

The free Non-GMO Shopping Guide is a great resource to help you determine which food brands and processed food products are GM-free. Print it out for yourself, and share it with everyone you know. If you feel more ambitious you can order the Non-GMO Shopping Tips brochure in bulk, and bring them to the grocery stores in your area. Talk to the owner or manager and get permission to post them in their store.

Additionally, to help you find non-GMO, organically grown, wholesome food in your area, check out these helpful resources:

• Alternative Farming Systems Information Center, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
• Local Harvest-- This Web site will help you find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies.
• USDA Farmer's Markets database
• Eat Well Guide: Wholesome Food from Healthy Animals -- The Eat Well Guide is a free online directory of sustainably raised meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs from farms, stores, restaurants, inns, and hotels, and online outlets in the United States and Canada.
• Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) -- CISA is dedicated to sustaining agriculture and promoting the products of small farms.
• FoodRoutes -- The FoodRoutes "Find Good Food" map can help you connect with local farmers to find the freshest, tastiest food possible. On their interactive map, you can find a listing for local farmers, CSA's, and markets near you.

Source: Wake Up World December 2011

Related Links:

Watch Out: These Foods Seriously Mess With Your Health

The Hidden Epidemic Destroying Your Gut Flora

Monsanto Chemical Shown to Cause Infertility and Super Weeds

 www.mercola.com
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