Genetically
Modified Foods
by Barbara D. Allan
Author of Conquering Arthritis
Today,
roughly 75% of US processed foods contain some genetically
modified (GM) ingredients. This is according to the Grocery
Manufacturers of America.
Nearly every product with a corn or soy ingredient,
and some containing canola or cottonseed oil, has a
GM element.
No Regulation
Most Americans haven’t worried about GM foods
because they trust the regulatory system. But the sad
truth is that not only are there no labeling requirements,
there is also no regulatory system in the US for GM
foods. Currently, companies developing GM foods voluntarily
send their data to the FDA, but there is no official
approval before
products go on sale.
Biotech companies in the US have successfully lobbied
to avoid GM regulation. Claims are often made that GMs
are harmless. But with no system to track health problems
caused by GM foods, it's difficult to have faith in
these claims. And even if you wanted to track them,
the lack of labeling for GM foods makes that next to
impossible.
What Does This Mean for People
with Arthritis?
In addition to the larger questions about the safety
of GM foods, many people with arthritis face another
concern.
If your arthritis is caused by food sensitivities,
which it is true for many folks, the prevalence of GM
foods, combined with the lack of labeling, may make
it harder than ever to make sure you are getting safe
food. Why?
Let's say, for example, that regular old canola oil
has never been a problem for you. Then a company decides
to create a new variety of rape (the plant that canola
oil is made from) that has a gene inserted from some
other species of plant.
What happens if you have a food sensitivity reaction
to the protein made by this new gene? If you live in
the United States, you are simply out of luck. There
is no way to tell from the label whether a product contains
GM ingredients or not, much less what those genetic
modifications are.
This creates two kinds of problems. First, unless you
are actively in the testing phase of dealing with food
sensitivities, you have no way of immediately discerning
what food has caused your inflammatory/pain response.
Second, once you are able to identify canola oil as
the culprit, in order to avoid GM canola oil in the
future you either have to avoid all Canola oil or go
out of your way to find canola oil produced by companies
that certify that they use no GM ingredients.
How Can You Make Sure Your
Food Is Safe?
Option 1: If you can afford it, shop
at a health food store. Most health food stores carry
at least some brands advertising that they contain only
non-GM ingredients. Eat only this organic, non-GM food.
It would be nice if this solution were easy and practical,
but for most people it isn’t.
Option 2: Apply the food testing principles
described in my book to food from your mainstream grocery
store. To do this, you will either need to shop temporarily
at a health food store while you are testing the mainstream
supply, or do this while breaking a fast. If you do
okay with GM ingredients, then great. If you don’t,
then you know you need to find a good source of organic,
non-GM foods. However, you'll need to stay alert for
the return of symptoms that may be caused by new GM
alterations that occur unbeknownst to you.
Option 3: Lobby your legislators to
impose labeling and regulatory oversight on GM foods,
so we can at least know what is in our food.
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