Should you avoid GMO foods?
GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, are plants that have been altered with the aim of becoming more appealing to a mass consumer population. This direct manipulation of an organism’s DNA in scientific laboratories has led to the presence of many unwanted and dangerous toxins in much of our food supply, such as fruits and vegetables genetically engineered to grow to several times larger than their natural size.
Needless to say, this fabricated image of health and nourishment has had a drastic effect on the well being of the consumers. Unknown to many, these GMOs have found their way into so many products that it is difficult to imagine how so little is known about them.
Okay, please sit down because GMOs are nearly everywhere!
Many well-known GMO-containing products include:
Corn
Soy
Sugar
Aspartame
Papayas
Canola
Cotton
Dairy
It’s worth checking out the brand of product you’re purchasing beforehand to check what they contain, but fortunately, functional medicine can help you even if you’ve already consumed these products.
Health risks of common GMOs include:
Increased susceptibility to allergies
Antibiotic resistance
Lowered nutritional value of foods
Inflammation
Ensuring a higher level of non-GMO and organic foods in your diet is a key functional health method to encourage your body to heal from the damage caused by GMOs. As with anything, this kind of healing takes time. It is important to think of this as part of a long-term plan to regain overall health and vitality, rather than a quick fix solution.
One simple action you can take to reduce the effects of GMOs seems simple, and it is – stops BUYING THEM!
This is easier said than done, however, as many GMOs sneak into our kitchens under the guise of foods we’d regularly consider as ‘healthy’ and some even labeled as ‘natural products’. So we suggest your action can simply be to become more aware.
Here are some facts about common GMOs:
– Up to 90% of soybeans have been genetically modified to be naturally resistant to herbicides which farmers use to kill the weeds surrounding the beans. Not only does this create a GMO, but it creates a product FULL of chemicals.
– Canola oil is derived from rapeseed oil and is considered one of the most chemically altered oils available.
– One-fifth of the dairy cows in the United States have been given growth hormones to help them grow faster and increase their yield. These hormones can be found in the milk produced by these cows. It’s also been proven that these growth hormones have negative effects on the human body.
Many other products like corn, sugar beets, yellow squash, zucchini, and papaya are also pumped full of chemicals to increase their resistance to herbicides in agriculture. Until a solution has been found whereby farmers either discontinue the use of these chemicals or find another more natural way of protecting crops, it’s likely that GMO creation will continue.
