GMO foods are creeping into everything we eat. Awareness for GMO foods is increasing, however, many people still have questions. What are GMOs? Why are they bad? What difference does it make? The answer to these questions have been broken down into 5 easy reasons why you should avoid including GMO foods in your diet. The reasons span from your personal health to affecting the world we live in.

What is a GMO? 

GMO

noun

1. Genetically modified organism: an organism or microorganism whose genetic material has been altered by means of genetic engineering.

Why should you avoid GMO foods?

1. GMOs are unhealthy for you. 

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine urges doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets for all patients. The American Public Health Association & American Nurses Association are among many medical groups that condemn the GM bovine growth hormone, because the milk from treated cows contains the hormone IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), which is linked to cancer.

Did you know: 70%-80% of food consumed is a GMO.

2. GMOs can endanger our environment.

GMOs reduce bio-diversity, pollute water resources, & are unsustainable. GM crops eliminate habitats for monarch butterflies, whose populations are down 50% in the US.

Did you know: More than 60 countries have either significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs.

3. GMOs and non-GMOs cannot co-exist.

Through cross-pollination, transgenic pollen, & wind GMOs will be uncontainable. A recent study in North Dakota showed 80% of wild canola plants tested contained at least 1 transgene. Cross-pollination is unavoidable, however, crops engineered with suicide genes for male sterility have been promoted to contain or prevent the spread of transgenes. GM canola has been found growing wild in North Dakota and California, threatening to pass its herbicide tolerant genes on to weeds.

4. Less pesticides? Hardly.

Though GM industies have promoted GMOs to be safer for the environment by lowering the consumption of pesticides, GMOs have shown no increase in yield in the food industry & have shown no decrease in pesticides. GMOs are repellent against pesticides, however, this process requires testing using massive amounts of pesticides,herbicides & fungicides.

Did you know: EPA considers 60% of herbicides, 90% of fungicides, and 30% of insecticides to be potentially cancer causing.

5: By not buying GMO foods, you are supporting natural agriculture and lessening the demand for GMOs.

Big Biotech firms are known for their sketchy track records. They have a history of toxic contamination, deceit & suing small farmers. Since GMOs give no consumer benefits, if even a small percentage of consumers reject brands containing them, GM ingredients will become a marketing liability.

5 reasons why you should avoid genetically modified foods.

© 2015 Heritage Health Food, Inc.

Sources:

organicauthority.com

care2.com

saynotogmos.org

nongmoproject.org

fda.gov/forconsumerupdates/ucm352067.html