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How Can You Avoid Genetically Modified Food

February 9, 2012 By
It is estimated that about 75 percent of processed foods sold in the U.S. contain at least some genetically modified food ingredients. Unlike many other countries, there is no law in the U.S. requiring the labeling of foods that contain GM ingredients. But if you know how to identify which foods are most commonly genetically modified, you can reduce how many GMOs you eat.  The best way to avoid GMO products is by buying unprocessed 100% certified organic local whole foods.

Here are some ways to avoid genetically modified foods:

Read the PLU labels. If the five digit PLU number starts with “8,” the food is either genetically modified or genetically engineered.  If the five digit PLU number starts with “9,” it’s organic. Also, by watching for the absence of either the 8 or 9, which means the produce is neither organically grown or genetically modified, you can recognize traditionally grown produce. Ensure your produce is not genetically modified by reading the number on the sticker, and by buying 100% certified organic.100% certified organic food is by law never genetically modified!

  • A 4-digit number indicates the food was conventionally grown and may or may not be genetically modified.
  • A 5-digit number beginning with an 8 is a genetically modified food. However, not all GM foods can be identified because PLU labeling is optional.
  • A 5-digit number beginning with a 9 indicates it is organic, and thus a non-GM food.

Shop at natural food stores. Shopping at a natural or organic food store does not eliminate the possibility of purchasing genetically modified food, although it does increase the possibility of having a wider variety of non-genetically modified fruits and vegetables.

Purchase a share of a Community Support Agriculture (CSA). Basically, a CSA share is purchasing a portion of a farmer’s harvest. The farmer provides you with a basket full of fruits and vegetables every week. Sometimes, a  CSA can also offer raw milk and fresh eggs. Some farmers refuse to grow genetically modified fruit and vegetables. Be sure to ask your farmer before you purchase the share!

Buy direct from the farmer. You can ask the farmer at your local farmer’s market if they grow non-GMO produce. If they don’t know, don’t buy. Be aware that most seeds and plants out there today are genetically modified or engineered. Again, by buying100% certified organic we can avoid genetically modifed foods as much as possible.

Grow your own produce. Look in the seed catalog or on the package for the “Non-GMO” label. If there is no label, you can assume that the seed or plant is genetically modified.

Buy foods labeled “100% certified organic.” Laws in both the U.S. and Canada do not allow food labels that say “100% certified organic” to contain any genetically engineered food, including animals that have been fed genetically modified feed. Be aware, however, that if the food is simply labeled “organic” it can still contain genetically modified ingredients up to 30%.

Look for the labels “non-GM” or “GMO-free.” These can be hard to find, but if you are able to support manufacturers that produce foods that are not genetically engineered you encourage other manufacturers to follow their lead.

Buy whole, fresh foods rather than processed ones. Foods that you cook and prepare yourself are almost always healthier than anything you can buy ready-made.  Cooking healthy food doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming.There are many simple but delicious and healthy meals that you can prepare in less than 30 minutes that do not involve any genetically modified food.

Know which foods and the products that are made from them are most likely to have been the result of genetic engineering. For example:

  • Corn: The ingredient derived from corn that is hardest to avoid is high fructose corn syrup. A huge percentage of processed foods and baked goods contains it, not to mention soda. Any food with a label saying there is corn of any kind in it should be avoided unless it states it is 100% certified organic. Popcorn is an exception, as there is currently no popcorn on the market that is genetically modified.
  • Soybeans: Products made from soybeans include soy flour, soy isolates, soy lecithin, soy protein and isoflavones. Be sure that soy based products such as tofu, soy milk, edamame and such have a label stating it is 100% certified organic to be sure it isn’t genetically modified.
  • Canola or Rapeseed: Made from one of two cultivars of the rapeseed plant, canola oil almost certainly is derived from genetically engineered crops, unless you are located in the EU, where no genetically modified crops of rapeseed are yet grown. You find it used mostly as cooking oil and in margarine. Olive oil is a better choice.
  • Cottonseed oil: Cottonseed oil is a primary ingredient in shortening, vegetable oil and margarine, none of which are healthy fats, and many of which contain trans fats. It is also used to a great extent in processed foods like potato chips and other fried snack foods.
  • Dairy: Some farmers inject cows with the genetically engineered hormone rBGH or rBST in order to boost milk production. Cows also may be fed genetically modified food in the form of grain and alfalfa unless the milk specifically states that it is organic. Look for products that advertise themselves as rBGH- or rBST-free.
  • Sugar beets: There is unfortunately no way of knowing if something labeled as containing “sugar” comes from just sugar cane or if it also includes sugar made from beets, since there is no special labeling required. Beet sugar can be avoided by buying products labeled as being made with evaporated cane sugar, 100% cane sugar or organic sugar.

Avoid aspartame as a sweetener. The sweetener used in many products such as NutraSweet and Equal, Aspartame is derived from genetically modified microorganisms.

Buy 100% organic fruit juices. Though most fruit juices are not derived from GM foods, the sweetener used in many of these juices (and sodas as well) is high fructose corn syrup, which is almost certainly from genetically modified corn.

Buy meat that is 100% grass-fed. Most cattle in the U.S. are grass-fed until the last three to four months of their lives. At this point they are usually shipped to feedlots where they may be given GM corn and other genetically modified foods in order to increase the amount of “marbling” in the meat. Meat from these feedlot animals has higher levels of saturated fat and less of the healthy omega 3 fatty acids than grass-fed and grass-finished animals. To avoid meat that has been fed GMOs, make sure the animal was100% grass-fed or pasture-fed (sometimes also referred to as grass-finished or pasture-finished). For animals such as pigs and poultry that cannot be 100% grass-fed, it’s better to buy meat that is labeled as 100% certified organic if possible.

Buy wild caught fish. Farm raised fish are fed fish meal containing GM grains and sometimes meat and bone meal.

Buy 100% certified organic eggs. Eggs should be labeled 100% certified organic, as those with only a “free-range,” “natural,” or “cage-free” label are not necessarily free of GMOs.

Buy your meat and produce at local farmers’ markets. Most genetically modified food is grown on large industrial farms. The farmers’ market allows you to talk directly with the farmer to find out how the food was grown. These markets also usually provide a range of other products, such as organic honey, grains, baked goods, etc. Another place to find healthy, non-GMO products is your neighborhood co-op.

Our guest blogger is Debra Lynn Dadd. Hailed as “The Queen of Green” by the New York Times, Debra Lynn Dadd has been a pioneering consumer advocate since 1982, specializing in products and lifestyle choices that are safer for human health and the environment. She is the author of Home Safe Home.

Source from: Web MD,  Healthy Begins Here with Healthy Child Healthy World, March 23, 2011

Filed Under: Grocery Shopping

Plan Your Grocery Shopping

October 25, 2011 By

An Instructional Shopping Trip

Richard Caldwell

This winter when Wisdom by Nature was in Sacramento, California, I went on a shopping venture with founder and team member Chalyce Macoskey. We went t to a store that touted healthy foods and products .Thinking that we were at a store that promotes healthy sound purchasing; this was the best place to shop. Chalyce patiently pointed out the food labels of some of the items I was looking to purchase. This was a revealing experience that really surprised me what I was purchasing was just a.

For one concern  was the ingredient of soy? I knew that soy was not as healthy as widely promoted, since there may be  adverse side effects to long term consumption of soy in the diet.  Many variations of soy have been “improved” with genetic adaptations, thus making it a GMO (Genetic Modified Organism). I really pointed these out to Chalyce as we went through the shelves, seeing how soy has been labeled as the main alterative ingredient in energy products, cereals, condiments, drinks, and numerous products.

Observing the ingredients for soy, I soon noted that some of the cereals on the aisles are mainly made from grains such as corn, wheat, and oats.  What I know, some of these grains may have been harvested from GMO plants. Again, research that is independent from food producers and processors has proven adverse side effects on continual consumption of these foods. There has been a movement to place a label on the front panel of food products such as cereals stating it is Non-GMO. Also, The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a label that does signify a product as organic. That is any product that is labeled as such must have been grown in an environment free of synthetic, chemical interventions in its growth.  A food processor or producer who displays this label must be certified by the USDA as organic.

I do like potato chips, veggie chips, or wheat chips. I looked at the “healthy” oils that were used in the processing of tees treats. What is wrong with canola oil? It is claimed to be better than lard, corn oil, or vegetable oils. I knew vegetable oils when processed in heat result in a near toxic mix.  As informed, it can produce complications when it is boiled or fried. Hidden within the message of health, there was a culprit ready to take my health. Chalyce allowed me to purchase one of the treats as long as it was made with safflower or sunflower oil.

I realized that process, white sugar, mainly processed from beet sugar was not a good choice since it has a GMO history. Cane sugar could be close to safe expected for the processing to a white sugar could involve a possible dangerous chemical change. Chalyce did introduce me to the idea that a high consumption of sugar does cause   inflammation that can affect further health problems from colds to joint conditions. She noted that sugars that promotes   high Glycemic output does result in possible damage to organs. I looked at a brand that touted that it had stevia. What’s wrong with stevia? Chalyce pointed at the label. Some forms of stevia are processed with a form of atoll to draw the sweetness out of the leaves. Where did this alcohol come from?   Unusually, alcohol is derived from corn (GMO issue) or from grain (again the GMO issue).  Reading further on this label, the company that processed this company was a bedfellow of a pharmaceutical giant famous for touting GMO food products and the production of synthetics. Chalyce took me over to the coconut sugar and syrups. This product has historic claims of a low Glycemic index and has not been touched by any company to make it a GMO.

We went over to the meat section. I knew that having the official USDA mark of organic would make the meat safe from any additives, antibiotics, or GMO raised grain used to feed the animal. The prices were high. I saw some meats as “natural” with the label free of antibiotics, hormones, additives the prices were less and appeared to be “clean”. Chalyce pointed out that it may be naturally processed “clean”, however, where is the proof  this animal was not given hormones, antibiotics prior to their trip to the processing plant?. If a person was highly sensitive to these conditions, it might be wise to stay with the USDA trademark. Instead, Chalyce and common sense directed me to the labels free range or grass fed as another alternative.

We did go over to the vitamin and the cosmetic section of the store. Even though I take my supplements from Young Living Essential Oils, I looked at the products. Not all these products are questionable. If they labeled as 100% whole and from natural ingredients with no additives, a person can make some wise choices. It is wise to remember that some pills that appear in hardened capsule form may have binders in them to keep them firm. What are these binders? Where did they come from?  I just remember a man from a sewer plant stating that he sees thousands of these pills in the processing plant still in hardened form. Lastly, it is important not to fall for those products that is not labeled and can be proven to from natural sources. A laboratory can almost make anything but what chemical was used to make the product. It is the concern that any essential oils are essential and therapeutic. That is, are these oils ones that you can put on the skin, ingest, and aromatic. Some oils may say are they are pure essential oils. However, they have additives to enhance, dilute, or preserve. Being observant for proven natural products is very important.

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