I have eliminated GMOs from our diet while at home.
What are GMOs? (from the NonGMO Project)
GMOs, or “genetically modified organisms,” are plants or animals created through the gene splicing techniques of biotechnology (also called genetic engineering, or GE). This experimental technology merges DNA from different species, creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.
Why are we not eating GMOs? (the short version)
My youngest daughter has always been sensitive to foods. At 2 months old we discovered that she was sensitive to dairy, soy and possibly nuts, since I was nursing I had to remove them from our diet until she was 18 months old. She seemed to tolerate those foods at 18 months and we went back to a regular diet. She would sometimes complain about her stomach hurting but it was not all the time, there always seemed to be a reason or it would only last a little while. During the second half of first grade, her stomach started hurting almost everyday about an hour after lunch. She was in the nurse's office 2 or 3 times a week. The school and her doctor just thought she was upset or worried but I knew it was something more. Over the summer we took a trip and her stomach really started to bother her and I figured out it was artificial dyes and preservatives (both are made from petroleum). We eliminated dyes and those preservatives from our diet, which sounds easy but dye is in so many things even white cake and marshmallows.
I thought I found the entire reason her stomach hurt and she was so much better. I was only part right, since she would still get stomach aches but not all of the time. She was having acid reflux (burb throw up as she called it) and her doctor wanted to put her on Prilosec at 8 years old. I was not going to put my child on a maintenance drug she might need for the rest of her life at 8 years old unless it was the only option. I decided to try diet modification first. I had recently seen Genetic Roulette – The Gamble of Our Lives and thought GMOs might be at least part of reason. I had already been eliminating GMOs from out diet but now I got rid of everything that had GMOs.
It worked!! The only time my youngest gets a tummy ache now is when we eat out since it is hard to avoid all GMOs when not at home.
What maybe a GMOs? (from the NonGMO Project)
(When shopping I assume anything on this list is GMO unless it is organic or NonGMO verified)
High-Risk Crops
Alfalfa (first planting 2011)
Canola (approx. 90% of U.S. crop)
Corn (approx. 88% of U.S. crop in 2011)
Cotton (approx. 90% of U.S. crop in 2011)
Papaya (most of Hawaiian crop; approximately 988 acres)
Soy (approx. 94% of U.S. crop in 2011)
Sugar Beets (approx. 95% of U.S. crop in 2010)
Zucchini and Yellow Summer Squash (approx. 25,000 acres)
Common Ingredients Derived from GMO Risk Crops
Amino Acids, Aspartame, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbate, Vitamin C, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Corn Syrup, Corn Starch, Ethanol, Flavorings (“natural” and “artificial”), High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Lactic Acid, Maltodextrins, Molasses, Monosodium Glutamate, Sucrose, Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), Xanthan Gum, Vitamins, Yeast Products.
How do we avoid GMOs?
I buy NonGMO project verified products whenever possible. For my animal products (meat, dairy and eggs) I only buy organic since almost all non-organic animal feed is GMOs. I only buy wild caught fish as farmed fish are usually feed GMOs and sometimes dyed to look like wild fish. If I can't find organic or NonGMO verified then I only buy products that have cane sugar (beet sugar is mostly GMO) and nothing listed above unless that specific ingredient is listed as organic.
What do I buy?
I will be posting reviews of nonGMO foods my family buys and eats.
