Anyone who knows me, knows that I am psychotically passionate about educating people about the impact that GMO’s have in our food and ultimately on our bodies.
A GMO, or genetically modified organism, is a plant, animal, microorganism or other organism whose genetic makeup has been modified in a laboratory using genetic engineering or transgenic technology. This creates combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and virus genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods (nongmoproject.org)
I have attached this link so you can further your knowledge. https://www.nongmoproject.org/gmo-facts/what-is-gmo/
I learned about GMO’s around 15 years ago from who else, my brother. I started researching Monsanto and the sorted history behind the company itself. Monsanto, now known as Bayer (which everyone knows as safe, it’s the maker of aspirin!) The name change discussion will come later on, back to the OM, original Monsanto.
The world’s largest seed company, was also the creator of PCB’s, DDT, dioxin, aaaand the infamous Agent Orange- the defoliant and chemical weapon (this was what was sprayed all over American and Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnam war) saccharin, aspartame, and the glorious weed killer, Round Up (glyphosate).
Side note- our male veterans have suffered more aggressive forms of prostate cancer directly linked to the use of agent orange during the Vietnam war. I know this personally as well, as my father, an Army veteran was diagnosed with directly connected prostate cancer. Side, side note- my dad is alive and healthy, with no cancer. https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/prostate_cancer.asp
Ok, now that you have been brought to school on the AMAZING chemicals Monsanto has brought us, let’s talk about how they apply to our food.
Good old Round Up. Used by millions with hopes to kill those pesty dandelions and crab grass. It works and it works fast. Why? Because it literally burns the weed to death within hours and voila! No more weeds. Nice looking lawns, but at what cost? The same chemical that burns your weeds, is also genetically engineered into the DNA of 90% of the seeds that are used for the food in our country. The majority of the world has banned Round Up and importing GMO crops, which mainly come from the US. The link I shared above shows the crops that are Round up ready seeds, which ultimately end up in our foods. YUM.
The “hippie” organic crowd had it right for a reason. Knowing where and how your food is grown is paramount. Having all of this knowledge pre-kids was immensely helpful when it came to food knowledge and meals for my son. He has been raised on grass fed beef, organic fruits and veggies, and both non-gmo and high fructose corn syrup (hcfs) free snack foods only. HCFS will be a blog entry of its own. Not because it deserves recognition for being awesome, but because it is one of the core factors that has lead to our nations TRUE public health crisis, Diabetes.
I will probably stop here for now. There is so much more information to be shared surrounding the education behind GMO’s. I love connecting with other “March Against Monsanto” comrades, so if you are one of those people or want to join in, please give a shout out and let me know!
You have the right to know what’s being put in your food. You have the right to object and make an informed decision. It’s worth paying attention to.
Much love and respect.
Xo -e
The Underground Momma 