Saturday, January 28, 2012

The Truth About "Natural" Foods

 
Since starting the diet, I've become much more interested in the scientific basis for the diet and the importance of knowing where your food is sourced from.  My mom sent me an article via Eat This, Not That about a petition to get genetically-modified foods labeled in the US.

Some highlights:

Ingredients made from genetically modified crops, or GMOs, such as corn, soy, canola, and even cotton exist in approximately 70 percent of the processed foods on store shelves, including nearly all foods advertised as "natural".

But there is evidence that genetically modified crops are not as benign as biotech firms would like you to believe. The best-documented problem they pose to people is the potential for food allergies. When plants are crossbred with entirely new species, new proteins are introduced into the crop, and food allergies can develop if your immune system attacks those new proteins and treats them like foreign invaders.

While most genetically modified crops are bred to withstand heavy dousings of pesticides, others are bred to create their own pesticides, and a recent study showed that those pesticides can survive in our digestive systems and even wind up in unborn babies.

Yet another reason I think it's worth it to pay a little more for certified organic produce and grass-fed/pasture-raised meat.  I'd rather not live in fear of the food I eat.  To read the full article, go here.

Mark Sisson has some interesting posts on the subject as well, such as this one.

UPDATE: The initiative made it onto the ballot for November 2012 in California!  Fingers crossed that enough Californians care about their nutrition to vote 'yes' on this issue.



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