What are GMOs & what’s it got to do with ME?!

GMO stands for “Genetically Modified Organism”.  It means that someone somewhere altered the DNA of a plant to make it bigger, prettier, more resistant to illness or immune to Roundup (as in the “Roundup Ready Soybean” by Monsanto–which allows farmers to spray Roundup over soybean fields killing the weeds and leaving the soybeans alive).

Why does it matter?  Well, you are now eating foods that are not found in nature.  As a result, your body may have difficulty identifying these organisms and see them as intruders.  The result is a stimulation of your immune system, and an overactive immune system is the cause of food intolerances, food allergies, autoimmune disorders and asthma just to name a few.  The situation is so serious that there is currently legislation on the table in California to attempt to label GMO foods so that consumers will know what they’re eating and can make informed choices about their foods.

The government on one hand says that GMO foods are no different than traditional foods but on the other hand, limits the amount of GMO content in a food allowed to be labelled as “organic”.

And let’s clarify terminology.  You now know that GMO means that the DNA of a plant or animal was altered by man.  This is not the same as a “hybrid”–which is when two naturally-occurring organisms come together to create a “mixed breed” of plant or animal… such as a zebra and a donkey mating (possible in nature) or one plant’s flower being pollinated with another plant’s pollen (also possible in nature).  Hybrids are a strange combination of naturally-occurring organisms.  In terms of plants, you cannot save the seed of a hybrid plant and grow it again because of the way it was created.  It requires cross-pollinating or cross-breeding.  So when it comes to your body identifying foods, hybrid is not an issue because there has been no genetic tampering with nature.

Read more about it, and get vocal with your politicians about this aspect of your food supply!

Food Standards of Australia and New Zealand: “Genetically Modified Foods – Standards”
Consumers Union division of Consumer Reports: “Consumer Rights Victory as US Ends Opposition to GM Labeling Guideline”
NY Times: “Why aren’t genetically modified foods labelled?”
Chicago Tribune: “With no labeling, few realize they are eating genetically modified food”