Hello!
You all know – I’m a big believer in quality – aka nutrient dense – food.
You also know about me – balance is important.
2 things I coach often:
1- what you bring into your home // keep in your kitchen matters most!
2- eat at home more than you eat out.
If you’re living this way – when you DO eat out, it will have less negative (think: inflammatory) impact – aka your body can manage it more efficiently.
Ok, that’s great wisdom, but what does it have to do with GMO’s?
Glad you asked 😉
You may have seen the non-gmo label on food packaging.
(see bottom of email for a visual)
Let me define GMO’s for you to help clarify – GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) are defined as any organism (plant, animal, etc) whose DNA has been altered via genetic engineering.
This is an issue when we are consuming said plants and animals because it means when their DNA has been altered from it’s natural state, we will not be able to properly digest and assimilate (use) it’s nutrition. Instead, it can cause anything from hormone disruption to cognitive issues to weight gain to gut disbyosis to a host of other health ailments when consumed on a regular basis.
It is common to hear about GMO’s and less common to hear about glyphosate which is the active ingredient in Round Up – a.k.a the most heavily sprayed pesticide worldwide – which causes plants, etc. to become GMO’s. (Still with me? 😉)
Let me simplify: glyphosate ultimately equals GMO’s in the foods you consume.
We’ve known for years that GMO’s are hormone disruptors. Taking a quote from a 2015 paper from EcoWatch (4-5 min read) – “Glyphosate has never been studied by regulators or the chemical industry at levels that the human population in the U.S. is being exposed to (under 3 mg/kg body weight/day). This is a huge hole in the risk assessment process for glyphosate, as evidence suggests that low levels of the chemical may hack hormones even more than high levels—a higher dose does not necessarily mean a more toxic, hormone disruptive effect.”
^^aka it doesn’t take much to have an impact.
According to a new 2023 study (1-2 min read) – glyphosate has been linked to cognitive decline, hearing loss, and depression. (Don’t forget the quote you just read above – add to this hormone disruption as well – think: irregular and/or painful, highly symptomatic female cycles, lower levels of testosterone in men, inability to lose weight due to hormonal impact on thyroid, etc, etc.)
And this is why it is important to be extra mindful of the quality of foods you bring into your home and eat at home more often than you eat out. It is challenging to manage the exposure we get to GMO’s when we eat out as we don’t know the quality of produce, protein, oils, etc a restaurant is using (most of the time).
Here are some more specific suggestions for watching your exposure to GMO’s:
1- buy organic, wild, free range, grass fed/finished, pastured proteins.
2- buy organic produce when you will eat the skin, peel or leaf – like berries, leafy greens, apples, etc. And, save your money by sticking with conventional produce when there is a thick, protective peel, like avocados, pineapple, onions, watermelon, and citrus (unless you will zest it).
3- regardless of organic or conventional produce – WASH IT WELL.
(I suggest a spray bottle with a 1:1 ratio of white or apple cider vinegar to filtered water – spray on produce, let sit for a few minutes, rinse well.)
4- when buying packaged foods – be sure it has the USDA Organic and/or Non-GMO Verified label on the front.
5- be extra careful with corn and grains of any kind as these tend to be the most highly sprayed crops (this is why it’s so important to buy protein that is feeding off of their wild // natural habitat because ultimately – we eat what the animal eats) – you want to be SURE corn and grains are at least USDA Organic and/or Non-GMO Verified.
FYI – there is always a cross-contamination risk, but farmers cannot legally use glyphosate in organic farming – aka if it has the USDA Organic label, it is also non-gmo.
(see below for an example of both labels you will find on food packaging)
As always, I’m here for questions!
Set your intentions for how you want to show up in your self care this week.
Sending each of you the biggest hug!
xoxo
Alix