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GMO Awareness

Bryan Bradford — Wed, 10 Oct 2018 22:53:00 +0000

If you’ve eaten anything today, chances are you’ve consumed some sort of GMO food. GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism where genetic material is artificially manipulated in a laboratory. According to the USDA, more than 90 percent of corn, soy, and cotton grown is from GM (genetically modified) seeds¹. GMOs were developed for seemingly good reasons such as to increase crop yield, better tolerate harsh environments, and have resistance to herbicides. However, this process also creates combinations of plant, animal, bacteria, and viral genes that do not occur in nature and are not possible to produce by traditional growing or breeding methods².

Are GMOs safe?

Despite what biotech companies say the answer to whether GMOs are safe or not remains unanswered because there have been no long-term studies proving the safety of GMOs³. There is, however, a growing body of credible evidence raising concerns⁴. In animal studies, GMOs have been shown to cause extreme intestinal inflammation leading to altered gut bacteria and new food sensitivities⁵. Further, GMOs created severe liver, kidney, immune system, and heart inflammation in several studies^6,7,8. It is interesting to note that GMOs damaged the detoxifying organs of the body the most.

And then there’s glyphosate.

No talk of GMOs is complete without mentioning glyphosate the main ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup, now the most used agricultural chemical in history⁹. In the early 90s, Monsanto engineered crops that could withstand Roundup so farmers could spray large amounts to control weeds and not affect their crops. Unfortunately, glyphosate is one of the most toxic chemicals known with links to diabetes¹⁰, celiac disease¹¹, gluten intolerance¹⁰, depression¹⁰, hypothyroidism¹⁰, brain cancer¹², birth defects¹³, obesity¹⁰, multiple sclerosis¹⁰, and many more.

What effect do GMOs have on farmers?

Since GMOs are human-made in a lab, biotech companies have been able to patent them thus controlling their use and distribution. Patented plants wouldn’t be so alarming if farmers had alternatives but they don’t. Since 1996, large biotech companies such as Monsanto and DuPont have bought over 200 smaller independent seed companies¹⁴. Today, just four companies, own over half of all plant patents¹⁴. This represents a total corporate takeover of family farms and the global food supply. Because “Big Agriculture” controls the market farmers are stuck paying high royalties to grow crops. Farmers have already been sued and shut down because their crops became contaminated with GMO pollen carried by the wind from neighboring fields¹⁵.

How do GMOs affect the environment?

The vast majority of GMO crops are engineered to withstand herbicides. As a result, the use of toxic herbicides such as Roundup has exponentially increased. Now, over 300 million pounds of Roundup are sprayed in the US every single year¹⁶. Glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, has been labeled a likely carcinogen by the WHO¹⁷, and with such ubiquitous spraying of the chemical, it is becoming impossible to find land or ecosystems that aren’t contaminated¹⁸. To make matters worse, GMOs are now responsible for the creation of herbicide-resistant superweeds and superbugs¹⁹ that can only be killed with powerful poisons like those used in Agent Orange²⁰.

How can you tell if you’re buying GM food?

Over 60 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the EU, require genetically modified foods to be labeled²¹. The United States is not one of them. While recent surveys show that 93% of Americans want mandatory GMO labeling²² the food industry has fought very hard to defeat any GMO labeling legislation²³. Currently, the best way to avoid GMOs is to look for the Non-GMO Project verified symbol on all food products and to make sure all produce is organic as organic foods are not allowed to contain any GMOs²⁴.

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8 Facts You Should Know About GMOs

Bryan Bradford — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 19:16:00 +0000

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Ask the Expert: Barrows GMO

Bryan Bradford — Sat, 05 Aug 2017 21:26:04 +0000

Sunflower Shoppe's Bryan Bradford, C.N. and Mindy Barrows of Bluebonnet Nutrition Inc. discuss what you and your family need to know about GMOs, how GMOs can negatively impact our food supply and you and your family's health.

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The post Ask the Expert: Barrows GMO appeared first on Sunflower Shoppe.

GMOs: The latest news you need to know.

Bryan Bradford — Mon, 05 May 2014 22:22:00 +0000

By Bryan Bradford, Chief Nutrition Officer of Sunflower Shoppe Natural Foods

May 30th, 2014

Big news in Vermont gives consumers the ability to see what the foods they eat are made of, allowing them to make choices.

On May 9, 2014 lawmakers in Vermont passed a bill requiring foods sold on their grocery store shelves must list information on the package stating whether the product has been genetically modified or if any included ingredients have been genetically modified. They believe it is the consumers right to know.

This legislation could eventually impact not only food labeling practices in Vermont, but have an impact in every state across the country.

So, what are GMO’s?

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.

Crops are currently modified to survive herbicide treatment, produce their own pesticides and resist certain diseases. Here is a list of the most genetically modified foods currently in the market.

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)

Most people in the United States don’t realize that they’ve been eating genetically engineered foods since the mid 90s.

In 1994, genetically modified Flavr Savr tomatoes became the first commercially produced GMOs. They were brought out of production just a few years later, in 1997, due to problems with flavor and ability to hold up in shipping. The modification was designed to allow the tomato to delay ripening after picking. Currently there are no genetically engineered tomatoes on the market. As you can see, the trend is heading toward more, not less of this activity, so it is important to educate ourselves in order that we can make informed decisions on whether or not to include them in our diet. There is still much debate on the safety of genetically modified foods and human testing has not yet proven them safe (or unsafe). So here are some pros and cons to consider:

Pros:

It secures the livelihood of farmers, and can make more food available to feed more people.
It can enhance the quality and flavor of food.
GMOs can resist deadly viruses, insect infestations, weed killer and be more drought tolerant, thereby surviving conditions that could reduce or wipe out crops altogether.

Cons:

No research to prove safety for human consumption.
Creation of “super” weeds and other environmental risks.
Introducing allergens and toxins to food.

More to consider:

GMO ingredients are found in 80% of packaged foods in the US. Currently, the U.S. has no restrictions on these ingredients, yet in 40 other countries there are significant restrictions or outright bans on foods containing GMOs.

It’s important to know what’s in the food we eat, and there are organizations that can help. The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization committed to preserving and building the non-GMO food supply, educating consumers and providing verified non-GMO choices. Look for products stamped with the Non-GMO verified label. They believe that everyone deserves an informed choice about whether or not to consume genetically modified organisms.

We here at Sunflower Shoppe couldn’t agree more.
For more information about GMOs or other health topics, come see us at Sunflower Shoppe, where great health is just a way of life!

SOURCES:

http://www.nongmoproject.org/

http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/pages/food-safety.aspx

http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/issues/311/ge-foods/about-ge-foods#

http://healthresearchfunding.org/pros-cons-genetically-modified-foods/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/24/vermont-lawmakers-pass-gmo-labeling-bill_n_5203569.html

The content and opinions expressed in this “Shoppe Talk” blog are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any illness or to provide medical advice. We are not medical doctors and we do not prescribe medication. If you have any questions about the relationship between nutrition and supplements, we recommend that you seek the advice of a qualified and licensed health practitioner. Our opinions are based on the literature and data from a variety of medical doctors, chiropractors, naturopathic physicians, biochemists and other professional researchers. You are encouraged to make your health care decisions based on your own research and the advice of a qualified health care professional.

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