GMOs: Friend or Foe?

Here is a piece on GMOs that I wrote for Nuvita LLC. I work as a health coach for Nuvita, and I am so lucky to have a job where I can teach the truth about heathy eating and living to so many people at once!

Chances are, you are eating genetically modified organisms (GMOs) every day, and don’t even know it. GMOs are organisms, which have undergone specific changes to their DNA, with the intention of making them resistant to herbicides (used to kill the weeds around them) and resistant to insects (by producing their own insecticide).  A growing body of peer-reviewed studies link genetically engineered foods to allergies and other health problems. Despite these warnings, long-term health studies have not been conducted, and the US FDA requires no health or safety testing -- even though the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association say testing should be mandatory. The companies claim their genetically engineered foods are safe, but many people are skeptical of these studies because the companies are allowed to control the science and suppress research. While we wait for independent studies, it is wise to avoid GMO foods, which unfortunately, have been in our food supply for the past 20 years.

Here are just a few examples of study findings on GM-food crops that prove reasonable doubt of their safety. All of these studies included a control group, which was fed the non-GM version of the GM-food crop being tested.

·         Rats fed GM tomatoes developed stomach lesions (sores or ulcers). This tomato, Calgene’s Flvr Svr, was the first commercialized GM food.

·         Mice fed GM soy over their lifetime (24 months) showed more acute signs liver aging than the control group fed non-GM soy.

·         Rats fed GM Bt maize over three generations suffered damage to liver and kidneys and alterations in blood biochemistry.

·         GM Bt maize DNA was found to survive processing and was detected in the digestive tract of sheep. This raises the possibility that the antibiotic resistance gene in the maize could move into gut bacteria, an example of horizontal gene transfer. In this case, horizontal gene transfer could produce antibiotic-resistant disease-causing bacteria (“superbugs”) in the gut.

·         Rats fed GM oilseed rape (canola) developed enlarged livers, often a sign of toxicity.

 The DNA of GMO corn, or GM Bt Maize as it is named,  has had the gene from the DNA of a bacteria (bacillus thuringinesis) spliced into its DNA, which causes the corn to produce the bacteria’s signature toxin, the bt toxin. This toxin kills insects by causing the insects’ stomach to explode after ingesting the corn.  Are you wondering what GM Bt Maize might do to your stomach and entire digestive system? Or maybe you’re thinking of someone you know with a debilitating digestive disorder. Keep in mind that if corn is not USDA Certified Organic, then there is a good chance that it is GM Bt Maize, since 85% of US maize crop is GM. Other foods which are commonly GM are soy (95% US crop), canola (93% US crop), Cottonseed (93% US Crop) sugar beets (50% of sugar used in products is from sugar beets, and 95% US crop is GM) and Hawaiian papaya (80% is GM).  Now, just think about all of the ways GM crops make their way into your diet. Let’s go through a likely day of eating.

Breakfast:

1 cup of Kashi Go Lean (contains textured soy protein concentrate and canola oil) and Milk

Snack:

Chex Mix (made with corn) and roasted nuts

Lunch:

2 Tyson Buffalo Chicken Strips (contains corn starch, yellow corn flour and corn-derived maltodextrin), 1 cup of Healthy Choice Tomato Basil Soup (contains modified corn starch, corn-derived maltodextrin),Green beans with Smart Balance (contains canola and soybean oils and soy lecithin)

Snack:

Nature Valley Protein Bar (contains soy protein isolate, high maltose corn syrup, soybean oil and canola oil)

Dinner:

6 oz conventional  beef steak (corn-fed), 1 cup Stove Top Stuffing (contains partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oils, high fructose corn syrup, hydrolyzed soy and corn protein, soy flour, sugar, corn syrup, corn oil…not to mention MSG!),2 cups salad with Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (contains soybean oil and sugar…again, not to mention MSG!)

How on Earth are we to avoid GM crops? Here are 3 big tips:

1.       Get away from packaged and processed foods. Heard that before? Just like it works for avoiding trans fats, MSG, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, chemical additives and dyes, it works well for minimizing GMO exposure.  Stick with real, simple foods.

2.       Buy organic, especially when purchasing foods or products made with the aforementioned food crops. Additionally, look for the non-GMO Verified label on food products.

3.       Check the PLU (product look-up) number code on the sticker on most produce. If the number code is simply four digits, the produce is conventionally grown, which means it is not genetically modified and not organic.  If the PLU code is a five digit code beginning with an “8”, the product has been genetically modified. If the PLU code is a five digit code beginning with a “9”, the product is organic, and also, by definition of organic, not genetically modified.

Masala-Esque Black Bean Chicken Stew

It's soup season, and I am using my pressure cooker today for the first time in months. Since this method means much less cooking time, I was inspired when conjuring tonight's dinner to look a little further into my spice cabinet than I have been lately.
Tonight we're having a black bean and chicken thigh soup with lots of onion and garlic, as well as green bell pepper and eggplant. I got the notion to use some ginger and then came cumin, bay leaf and sambhar masala. The latter is a spice blend of coriander, cumin, chilli, Bengal Gram, Black Gram, Pigeon Pea (seemingly a type of lentil or dal), fenugreek, rice common salt, curry leaf, tamarind, turmeric, cassia and asofoetida. That's a lot of spices right there--some of the more bitter variety, which means we're fighting inflammation, supporting liver detoxification/biotransformation and preventing cancer with our soup spoons tonight, baby! Yeah! In all honesty, I did not buy this. I think my mother-in-law bought it and made us a particularly wonderful soup with it when she was here visiting once upon a time. Works for me!

As the temps fall outside, we have to think about keeping the temperature and heat of our foods up. In my own attempts to improve my digestion, this is my task lately. No more cold stuff. Gone are the sweet potato-berry smoothies and ice-cold mineral water-tea spritzers (my favorite!)  and raw veggies. In come the soups, cooked veggies, hot cereals, warming spices and teas. The asofoetida in the Sambhar Masala is particularly good for digestion, which is what compelled me to start using it in my cooking. Asofoetida, or hing, as it is known is an East Indian herb, used commonly in the medical science and tradition of Ayurveda.

Masala-Esque Black Bean Chicken Stew
4-boneless, skinless chicken thighs, preferably local organic free-range
2 cups black beans, previously soaked overnight
1 medium red onion coursely chopped
Several cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and whole
1 large bay leaf
1 tsp freshly grated ginger (or a 1 suare inch piece)
1 TBSP ground cumin
1 tsp Sambhar Masala (optional)
3 diced bell peppers (any color will do)
1 medium eggplant, chopped into bitesize pieces

Combine all of this,with just enough water to cover the beans by about an inch, and start your pressure cooker. From the time that pressure is sufficient, cook time is about 30 minutes. Add sea salt to taste after cooking. I use Real Salt, which can bought bagged or in bulk. I encourage you to try for all organic ingredients. Remember that organic is not only better for us via reduced pesticides and increased nutrients, particularly antioxidants, it's good for the Earth. And what's good for the Earth is good for us!

By the way, this recipe was SOUPER easy, and my family loved it! Here's to easy, flavor-packed and healthy dinners, all in one pot. Enjoy!