Choose True Health: What are GMO's?

What are GMO's anyway? GMOs are “genetically modified organisms". These are plants or animals created through genetic engineering or GE . The genes are cut  in special bioengineering techniques that create organisms. 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.

Now let's think about that for a second, food that we are having cannot exist in nature or reproduce properly in the wild once they are modified. To bring this in perspective, the United States is said to have 80% of the processed foods to contain GMO's.  It may be difficult for patients to distinguish what is good and what is bad.  So, below I have put some information to help you make a choice, Choose Health! 

These are the high-risk crops that should be avoided especially if you have an autoimmune disorder.

• Alfalfa (first planting 2011)
• Canola (approx. 90% of U.S. crop)
• Corn (approx. 88% 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)

These high-risk crops create ingredients in our processed foods. Some of the most popular ingredients that are derived from GMO crops are:

• Amino Acids
  
• Aspartame 
  
• Ascorbic Acid
  
• Sodium Ascorbate 
• Citric Acid
  
• Sodium Citrate
  
• Ethanol
• Flavorings (“natural” and “artificial”)
• High-Fructose Corn Syrup

• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein 
• Lactic Acid 
  
• Maltodextrins
  
• Molasses
  
• Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
  
• Sucrose
  
• Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
  
• Xanthan Gum
• Yeast Products
  

To learn more, please visit these resources:

• GMO Myths and Truths 
• Non-GMO Project
  
• Moms Across America
• Food Matters, 6 Easy Ways to Avoid GMO's