What is GMO and how can I protect my family and myself?

1. 72

   dappledesignsposted 10 years ago

   What is GMO and how can I protect my family and myself?

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2. 68

   chefsrefposted 10 years ago

   Scientists have been working on redesigning plants and animals for the last thirty + years.
   There are only two ways to avoid GMO foods, grow your own and or buy "Certified Organic". Note the term "certified" that is the only reliably non-GMO food. Simply labeling food Organic without certification means they have not spent the money and time to be inspected and follow regulations, thus "organic" may or may not be truly organic.
   Meats are being treated with antibiotics and growth hormones so the same rules apply. Unless you want to buy a cow,buy certified organic.
   The pro-GMO crowd claims that these foods will be necessary to feed a growing population. The anti-GMO crowd says that crop rotation and humane methods of raising animals will achieve the same or better results without the risks involved in tinkering with adding genes to plants and animals.
   "BT corn" contains genes from a bacterium Bacillus Thuringus (Not sure of spelling) This bacteria turns the corn into an insecticide, capable of killing bugs. They also have Round Up Ready GMO corn that is being sprayed with the herbicide Round Up to kill weeds. Some of the Round Up is absorbed into the corn plant so each time you eat a product made with corn you are eating a tiny bit of Round Up. Soy and cotton are the other two big crops being modified genetically.
   GMO corn is everywhere, the corn crop is subsidized by Uncle Sam so it is cheap for food manufacturers to use corn syrup to sweeten rather than sugar. Read labels and get informed about the many terms used to disguise the fact that we are eating so damn much corn. Sweet corn, (as in the corn on the cob at dinner) is not as often modified as the corn used to make Doritos, corn syrup, corn starch, corn gluten, animal feed etc.
   Monsanto designs the corn to sell GMO seeds, then sells Round Up to spray on the corn. (Other companies are just as guilty). The problem I see is that we are allowing  multinational companies to own huge chunks of our food supply.
   Monsanto does have a lot of research indicating that their corn is safe to eat. .  .  .  . Tobacco companies, drug companies and oil companies also point to research that indicates their products are safe. The sad truth is that if there are problems with GMO foods it will take many decades of use by the population before we may know the absolute truth. In the meantime you  and your kids will be guinea pigs testing  foods.
   
   http://chefsref.hubpages.com/hub/OUR-FU … EERED-FOOD

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