5 Reasons to Avoid GMO Foods

Yes, yes- many people won’t agree with me here but many will, so we are going to proceed. GMO’s are everywhere and there have been plenty of studies showing that they aren’t safe. But in case you are just now catching up, here are five reasons why you should avoid GMOs:

1. GMOs are unhealthy. Many doctors urge their patients to stay away from GMO foods, citing animal studies which show organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility. And human studies show how GM food can leave material behind in our bodies, possibly causing long-term problems. For example, genes inserted into GM soy can transfer into the DNA of bacteria already living inside us. Since GMOs were introduced in 1996, numerous health problems have increased: the percentage of Americans with three or more chronic illnesses jumped from 7% to 13% in just 9 years; food allergies have skyrocketed, and disorders like autism, reproductive disorders, digestive problems, and others are on the rise.

(Before you get too excited because you’ve read this initial study was retracted- its been republished and the authors have one a number of judgments against those who tried to silence them.)

2. GMOs contaminate forever and harm the environment. Because GMOs cross pollinate and their seeds can travel, it is now impossible to ever fully clean up our contaminated gene pool. And this could affect the health of future generations. But not only that, GMO contamination causes economic losses for organic and non-GMO farmers who want to keep their crops pure. And GM crops and their associated herbicides, “can harm birds, insects, amphibians, marine ecosystems, and soil organisms. They reduce bio-diversity, pollute water resources, and are unsustainable. For example, GM crops are eliminating habitat for monarch butterflies, whose populations are down 50% in the US. Roundup herbicide has been shown to cause birth defects in amphibians, embryonic deaths and endocrine disruptions, and organ damage in animals even at very low doses. GM canola has been found growing wild in North Dakota and California, threatening to pass on its herbicide tolerant genes on to weeds,” reports the article.

3. GMOs increase herbicide use. Most GM crops are “herbicide tolerant” which means that you can spray all the weed killer you want on them and they will be perfectly fine (like Monsanto’s “Roundup Ready crops”, which are designed to survive multiple applications of their Roundup herbicide). The lie we were sold was that with GM crops, farmers would use LESS herbicide on GMOs, but that’s not been the case. Responsible Technology reports, “Between 1996 and 2008, US farmers sprayed an extra 383 million pounds of herbicide on GMOs. Overuse of Roundup results in “superweeds,” resistant to the herbicide. This is causing farmers to use even more toxic herbicides every year. Not only does this create environmental harm, GM foods contain higher residues of toxic herbicides. Roundup, for example, is linked with sterility, hormone disruption, birth defects, and cancer.”

4. GMOs do not increase yields, and this works against feeding a hungry planet. While bullies like to pretend that Golden Rice and the GM Banana may increase the bioavailability of Vitamin A, which is needed for so many on this planet, this just isn’t true.

5. Independent research and reporting is attacked and suppressed. Many scientists who have discovered problems with GMOs have been threatened, denied further funding, attacked, or fired. The journal Nature even acknowledged that there is a large group of scientists who denigrate research by other legitimate scientists in a knee-jerk, partisan, and emotional way. However, try and expose that and you’ll hear nothing but crickets…the mainstream media won’t touch it. Don’t you wonder why?