Are you rolling your eyes right now, thinking “not another genetically modified discussion?” I once was in your shoes, confused why some people were so passionately fixated on ruining my meal, trying to make me feel guilty for the way I ate.
Please understand, no one is trying to make us feel guilty. Concerns for food safety are in no way pointing fingers at the people consuming them. These foods are actually engineered to appeal to us; sugar and salt added to make our taste buds cry for more. No, there is nothing to feel guilty about, there is no need to “should” all over our diets.
About four years ago, I first heard about GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms). A peer was passionately giving a presentation about the danger to our food supply, but as with many GMO presentations, there was a heavy focus on chemistry and science. There was talk of corn, cancer, rats dying in experiments. I zoned out, thinking “oh, who cares, I feel fine.”
Ignoring the GMO “stuff” for quite awhile longer, I thought, “I’m working so hard to eat healthy, certainly I can’t handle one more thing!” It gets annoying. It is exhausting. It made me want to throw my hands up and say “forget about it! I’m tired of caring, tired of eating!”
But that is the reaction that major food corporations want us to have- to keep throwing our money at “food-like” substances, buying up what they can produce on the cheap. Luckily, there are those who are committed to digging, to finding out the truth about what is actually hidden in our food. Why is it so exhausting when they announce new findings? Well, isn’t it easier for corporations if it’s confusing, so that they can make money while we grow weary of reading the labels, stop withholding from spending our dollars on poison?
Many years ago, I thought “hey, if it’s food, certainly it’s safe to eat!” thinking there was an agency out there that cared about the health of Americans. The day I realized this was not true, that cancer, diabetes, childhood obesity, autoimmune disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, infertility, food sensitivities, allergies were skyrocketing, were preventable but increasing, were even within my own power to prevent, I started getting angry.
Last June, I had the opportunity at the Young Living Convention to see William Davis, MD, Author of Wheat Belly, and one of those speaking out about our food. He said,
“Genetic modification and hybridization of the plants we call food crops remain crude science still fraught with unintended effects.”While reading Seeds of Deception by Jeffrey M. Smith, I’m learning that there are very few experiments done to find how GMO’s affect humans. The few that have been performed are terrifying! Do you want to be an experiment for corporations that simply want your money?
My husband was reading a magazine and excitedly pointed out to me, “Look! This article says there’s no credibility in studies saying that GMOs are dangerous- it says they are perfectly safe to eat.”
I jokingly said, “Well, we know who’s paying to plant that misinformation. Those big, scary food corporations are buying the media now!”
But then I read about that exact same thing happening in England. Consumers started hearing about the lack of scientific evidence on the safety of GM foods and they started speaking up. This went all the way up to the British government, who immediately launched a counter campaign saying GM foods are safe (yes, that’s how high up the generous bioengineering funding can go), while writing reports to discredit the disturbing GM food studies. At the same time, The Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP-a committee of British government) had begun secretly launching a study that “would specifically look for increases in childhood allergies, cancer, birth defects, and hospital admissions” in people buying GM foods in supermarkets, based on purchasing records of consumers with loyalty cards. That report was leaked and then the study was sheepishly abandoned. Luckily, in England the people were heard and GM foods banned. Now how much more imperative is it for the U.S. to remain eager participants in the billion dollar industry? And I thought it was scary when I was joking.
So what does the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have to say about genetically modified food? Since 1992, their claim is that they do not believe it is “necessary to conduct comprehensive scientific reviews of foods derived from bioengineered plants.”
I don’t know about you, but I always thought there was someone somewhere testing this stuff before it showed up on my plate! How else could it be labeled as "food" and sent to my grocery store?
According to Arran Stephans, founder of Nature’s Path Foods,
“Most of the foods in your local grocery store are now contaminated with GM food ingredients, without your knowledge or consent. As many have said, we are now in the middle of the largest feeding experiment in history and we human beings are the guinea pigs.”In Seeds of Deception, Jeffrey M. Smith writes that “hungry African nations won’t even accept our [United States] food aid.” I’m sorry, what? What is in our food?
Frances Moore Lappe remarks, “just as with the risks of feedlot beef, now contributing to heart disease, groundwater depletion, antibiotic resistance, and more, no citizens were asked to weigh the risks of GMOs against possible gains. Yet today most of us are eating them, while kept completely in the dark as to the hazards we may be facing- for ourselves, our children, and the farming ecosystems on which our lives depend.”I share these alarming facts with you not to scare you or judge what’s on your plate, but because this information is not openly available or accessible. Please, continue to question what is called “food.” Start to learn about what we are actually putting into our bodies every day. Then, take little baby steps to minimize processed foods if you have not already. Also, it is best to avoid corn, soy, conventional potatoes, and even conventional zucchini.
What we can do: Look for foods that have the “Non-GMO Project” verification stamped on it. This is a non-profit organization that performs rigorous research to be sure certain foods are free from GMO’s. You can even check your favorite products to see if they are safe.
After all of that information, it's a great time for some comfort food. This was another amazing recipe shared by Alyssa Gustwiller- Thank you!
Make this delicious oatmeal while you are sleeping and wake up to a sweet and creamy breakfast! SO easy!
Apple Cinnamon Steel-Cut Oatmeal (Slow Cooker)
Ingredients:
2 apples, peeled, cored, cut into half inch pieces (2.5 to 3 cups chopped)
1 1/2 cups almond milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons Earth Balance Butter spread
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I also added 3 drops of cinnamon YL essential oil- yum!)
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1/4 tsp salt
Optional garnishes: chopped nuts, raisins, extra maple syrup, brown sugar, additional almond milk or butter spread
1. Coat inside of 3 1/2 quart (or larger) slow cooker with cooking spray. (I use a slow cooker liner, but I'm sure I'm about to find out they are made from pure evil...)
2. Add all ingredients (except for optional toppings). Stir, cover, and cook on low for about 7 hours.
3. Spoon oatmeal into bowls, add additional toppings, if desired.
4. Rub tummy, say "mmmmm" and thank Alyssa.
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