Genetically-modified (GM) foods and food ingredients have infiltrated our food supply, tainting what was once healthy. While agri-businesses continue to claim they are safe, increasing amounts of research demonstrate that GM foods are harmful to human health, damage ecosystems, cause financial calamity for many farmers, and release trans genes that could randomly transfer to other life forms in the environment with the potential for disastrous consequences. A growing body of research links genetically-modified food consumption with sterility, allergies, infant mortality, organ defects, childhood illnesses, and cancer.
Avoid these top 20 foods and food ingredients to make your body GM-free*:
Alfalfa—Not in the habit of eating alfalfa? You could be unknowingly eating this food in your beef and dairy products. Used by dairy and beef farmers as feed for cows, genetically-modified alfalfa is common in both beef and milk products.
Aspartame—Not only is aspartame a well-established neurotoxin (brain and nervous system toxin), this laboratory-derived ingredient is made from aspartate, phenylalanine, and menthol, all of which are commonly sourced from genetically-modified ingredients.
Beef—Not only does most beef contain genetically-modified alfalfa, it also contains GM corn and soy, which becomes part of the meat. If you’re eating beef, choose only organic beef that is grass-fed.
Canola Oil—Ninety percent of canola is genetically-modified to withstand the herbicide glyphosate (Round-Up).
Corn and Corn Starch—Almost all corn is genetically-modified, making this once healthy food a suspected cause of organ damage. Like corn, the starch extract of this GM-food is found in almost all processed and packaged foods. If you like battered and deep-fried foods of almost any kind, you’re getting lots of this ingredient and lots of genetically-modified corn. Corn starch is commonly-used to make deep-fried foods crispy.
Enzymes—Unfortunately many enzymes used in food production are derived from GM ingredients. Some of these processes include: preventing egg products from deteriorating, removing bitter substances from beer, improving the clarity of fruit juices, clotting milk to make cheese, increasing the rising speed of bread dough, and many others. GM enzymes are also used in the manufacture of many supplements. Check out the excellent bookGenetic Roulette for more information about GM enzymes.
Flaxseeds/Flaxseed Oil—Even flax has been contaminated with genetically-modified seed. Be sure to choose only certified organic flax and flax oil.
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)—Because high fructose corn syrup is made from corn which is almost entirely genetically-modifed this ingredient is a serious threat to health. Research links it to weight gain and diabetes.
Ice Cream—Ice cream typically contains multiple genetically-modified ingredients, including high fructose corn syrup, corn starch, and milk which contains bovine growth hormone (rBGH). If that still doesn’t sound too bad to you, keep reading to learn more about rBGH in milk products.
Infant Formula—Do the corporations behind frankenfoods have no ethics at all? Even infant formula is contaminated with frankenfood ingredients like soy and milk. Yes, milk typically contains genetically-modified ingredients (keep reading!).
Margarine and Shortening—Made from genetically-modified canola or vegetable oil blends, margarine and vegetable shortening are not the healthy foods many people believe them to be.
Milk—Genetically-modified bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is injected into cows to increase milk output. Incidentally, this process also increases the rate of infection in cows and results in blood and pus in the milk, along with the genetically-modified proteins. Maybe the dairy marketing board should change their slogan from “Got Milk?” to “Got Gross?”
Non-organic and Synthetic Vitamins—You’ve read about enzyme supplements, but other nutritional supplements are commonly made from genetically-modified ingredients. Choose ones that are made from natural (not synthetic) nutrients and organic ingredients.
Papaya (Hawaiian)—Papayas from Hawaii are largely genetically-modified. They contain genetic material from the Ringspot virus.
Sausage—Most sausages contain ingredients derived from genetically-modified corn, including: corn syrup or corn syrup solids. Choose only organic sausage free of these ingredients and preservatives.
Soy and Lecithin—Most soybean crops are grown from genetically-modified soy, which has been linked to a host of health problems, including cancer. Lecithin, which is a product made from soy, is also contaminated with harmful trans genes and used in many processed and packaged foods as a thickener. Choose only certified organic soy. Ideally, choose certified organic soy that has been fermented (like miso)
Squash—Many varieties of squashes have been created with genetically-modified gene sequences and are best avoided unless they are certified organic.
Sugar Beets—Sugar beets are used to make about 35% of the global supply of white sugar. Consider that the average person consumes 150 pounds of sugar each year. That works out to over 52 pounds of genetically-modified sugar on average. That’s not only a lot of sugar, it’s a lot of genetically-modified organisms, and potentially a large amount of the herbicide glyphosate (Roundup) which is used on many sugar beet farms.
Tomatoes—Since the release of Flavr Savr tomatoes, the first genetically-modified tomatoes, many more frankentomatoes have been released on an unsuspecting public. These tomatoes contain a DNA sequence that has been reversed to prevent softening and allow for a longer shelf-life, and therefore more money for the agribusinesses that sell them. Research shows that they have lower nutritional value than their organic counterparts.
Vegetable Oil—Most “vegetable oil” blends are derived from genetically-modified corn, cotton, canola, or soybean oils. These are four of the most heavily genetically-modified crops, making foods made with vegetable oil among the worst frankenfoods.
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