This post is part of a series of posts covering topics related to CAGJ’s new book, “Our Food, Our Right.” The author, Meagan Nelson, is the Publicity Coordinator at Community Alliance for Global Justice and has a background promoting liberal causes, working in communications and outreach on campaigns for Seattle City Councilmember Jean Godden, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, and President Barack Obama. Nelson is studying Communication, Law, Economics and Government at American University and aspires to make the sustainable food movement and its related health and environmental benefits an active political issue in American lives.
In America, our culture values big quantity, for less quality and money, and food is no exception to this value. Why, might you ask, are Americans able to buy and consume so much food, and are experiencing several health problems in addition to this? Well, the answer, which many people may not think about, are genetically modified oganisms. Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are organisms that have had their DNAs altered in order to make it grow bigger and faster.
While the agricultural industry says that these GMOs are able to increase food quanitity while avoiding pests, what they do not tell us is that GMOs have been linked to “reduced fertility, lowered immunity, organ damage, accelerated aging, severe allergies, (especially to soy), and other ill effects (MindBodyGreen). Additionally, GMOs have significantly decreased diversity among different crops, especially wheat and soybeans.
So, what can we do about all this? Here’s a few tips to live a healthy, happy lifestyle GMO-free:
· Eat organically
· Take probiotic and prebiotic supplements to support your digestive system
· Combat food allergies and maintain a healthy immune system through medicinal mushrooms
· Prevent cancer from GMOs by taking honokiol and Citris Pectin
Currently, a bill is being proposed in Washington State called WA-522, which gives Washingtonians the right to know exactly what is in thier food based on food labeling. Under this initiative, genetically engineered foods to be labeled could include chips, cold cereals, soft drinks, candy, corn and soy. According to WA-522,”Our food is already labeled with abundant nutritional information including calories, fat, sodium and vitamins. Many foods, from fruits and vegetables to fish, have Country of Origin labels. Additionally, American companies are already required to label genetically engineered food in 64 other countries. They should provide the same information to American consumers.”
Data taken from Mind Body Green
