Non-GMO Shopping Guide

Yesterday I talked about GMOs and why there is some controversy surrounding them. I also provided some tips for avoiding GMOs in the food you purchase and consume. Today, I will go into more detail around which foods are safe, and which ones may contain GMOs.

According to one source, most fruits and vegetables that are grown in the United States are NOT genetically modified. Even products such as seedless watermelon are considered non-GMO. Some zucchini, yellow squash, and sweet corn may be GM, as well as about half of the papaya that comes from Hawaii.

However, I find it difficult to believe that most fruits and veggies are non-GMO. I know at one point tomatoes were often GM and could be altered to stay fresh about 6 weeks from when they were picked, which is about a month longer than regular tomatoes. And sometimes you see fruits or vegetables in the grocery store that just look too enormous to NOT be GM – or at least that’s what I think. But, my source says most fruits and veggies are safe, so let's stick with that!

In the meat, fish and eggs department, it gets kind of complicated. There are no genetically modified meat, fish or eggs that are approved for human consumption, so in theory they are all safe. However, many of the foods we consume come from animals who were raised on genetically modified grains. Therefore, the negative affects of eating GMOs are passed through to the meat, fish or eggs. Some tips for avoiding animal products that were fed GM grains include the following: consume wild – not farmed – fish, because farmed fish are often raised on GM feed; and consume animals and animal products that are 100% grass-fed. Some non-GMO meat and fish brands include Organic Prairie, Tropical Traditions, and Vital Choice. Some non-GMO egg brands include Egg Innovations Organic, Eggland’s Best Organic, Horizon Organic, Land O’Lakes Organic, Nest Fresh Organic and Organic Valley.

Since soy is one of the biggest ingredients to watch out for in terms of GMOs, “alternative” meat products made from soy often contain GMOs. Brands like Boca (owned by Kraft), Gardenburger, and Morningstar Farms (owned by Kellogg) may contain GMO ingredients, unless you purchase the organic line. Non-GMO alternative meat product brands that are safe include Whole Foods’ 365 brand, Amy’s, EcoVegan, Small Planet Tofu, and Vitasoy.

In the dairy department, basically anything that is certified organic is considered safe. Even if the label says that the product was produced without rbGH or rbST, the cows could still have been fed GM feed, so look for that certified organic label.

I think the baby foods and infant formulas are particularly important to watch out for, because we want to be extra careful about what we put into those growing little bodies! Milk or soy protein is the basis of most infant formulas, and some brands even contain GMO-derived corn syrup, corn syrup solids or soy lecithin. Non-GMO baby brands include: Baby’s Only Organic, Bella Baby, Earth’s Best, Gerber, HAPPYBABY, Mom Made Meals, Organic Baby, PediaSmart, Plum Organics, and Tastybaby. The baby brands that may include GMO ingredients include Beech-Nut, Enfamil, Good Start, Nestle, and Similac/Isomil. Stay away from these if possible.

For those of you that have an iphone, there is now an app that helps you shop GMO-free. It’s called ShopNoGMO, and it’s FREE! I just downloaded it and it seems like they have a lot of brands in their database, so it will be helpful. There is also a website you can utilize: www.nongmoshoppingguide.com. Good luck!

Genetically Modified Organisms

Since we’ve all been hearing so much about genetically modified foods recently (also called GMOs), I wanted to give you guys some basic information and tips for avoiding foods made with GMOs.

To genetically modify a food means to artificially insert genes into the DNA of food crops or of animals. Genes used to modify these foods come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or humans. GMOs are used in biological and medical research, for the production of pharmaceutical drugs, and in agriculture. Certain crops are modified to become resistant to specific herbicides or to enhance nutritional content of the food. The US company Monsanto owns the largest share of GMO crops.

Many people are concerned about the potential dangers of consuming too many modified foods. Therefore, there has been a recent push amongst certain people to buy only non-GMO foods and avoid any unknown consequences of GMOs. Many worry that GMOs will introduce new allergens into our food, or possibly contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance that we are seeing so frequently now.

I recently was sent a “Non-GMO Shopping Guide” and I think it provides some really valuable information. There are 3 tips for avoiding GM crops:

• Buy Organic: Certified organic products are not allowed to contain any GMOs. Anything labeled “100% organic,” “organic,” or “made with organic ingredients” should not contain any GMOs. Foods labeled "made with organic ingredients" are only required to contain 70% organic ingredients, however they are also required to be completely GMO-free.

• Look for “Non-GMO” Labels: Some food companies may decide to label their products this way. When buying dairy products, look for labels such as “no rBGH or rBST” and “artificial hormone-free”.

• Avoid At-Risk Ingredients: Try to minimize or avoid any products that are made with crops that are genetically modified. The most frequently genetically modified crops include corn, soybeans, canola and cottonseed. All of these are highly used in processed foods. Remember, there are certain ingredients that may not appear genetically modified, but they can be. For example, sweeteners such as fructose, dextrose and glucose are all made from GM corn.

Tomorrow I’ll go into more detail on which foods are considered “safe” and free from GMOs.