Another Acronym

Hubby's brother is an active service man and I can hardly keep straight all the acronyms for the military. However, I'm all about shortcuts. We ate BLTs for dinner last week. I mean, even Michael Jackson made his mark on history with PYT.

The newest acronym on my lips lately is GMO, which stands for genetically modified organism, another name is GE or genetically engineered. They've relatively new (~20 years?) and no one really knows the full ramifications of them.

If you eat corn (high fructose corn syrup) or soy, both of which are in most EVERYTHING in the Standard American Diet, you are consuming large quantities of GMOs.

Kelly the Kitchen Kop wrote a short and helpful post on GMOs. Cheeseslave's great post says that upwards of 75% of products in our local grocery store have GMOs in the ingredients (which includes baby formula!!) She links to a video that shares:

• Cornell University did a study and found that the BT toxin released from the crops is lethal to monarch butterflies.
• Experiments performed on other animals resulted in pre-cancerous cell growth, smaller brains, livers and testicles, damaged immune systems, liver malfunctions, lesions in the liver, stomach and kidneys, inflammation of certain organs, cell malfunctions, higher blood sugar levels, fertility problems, and unexplained increases in death rates.
• In the Philippines, people living next to a GE cornfield developed recurring skin, respiratory and intestinal problems. Blood tests done on 39 of the Filipino residents revealed that their immune systems had been compromised by the BT toxin.

Below is an interview with Jeffery Smith, an expert on GMOs. Watch it. Educate yourself.

From everything I've read on the subject, the only people for GMOs are the people who are making money from them. Here's a link for more reasons why to avoid them. Down right scary, if you ask me. Don't just take my word for it. Do your homework. You could start by visiting Real Food Media's blog carnival. Join in - spread the word.

It used to be that I bought organic produce because I was concerned for pesticide residue. Now, I'm buying organic to steer clear of GMOs - especially corn products. You won't find high fructose corn syrup in my pantry. Well, except for the 711 Starbursts.

To help you remember which foods are most important to buy organic, here's a handy pocket guide. (Thanks Christy for the idea!)

As the old saying goes, "Pay me now or pay me later." I prefer to pay for organic (or local) now than to pay with my health later.

GMO may be on my lips, but I'm working not to put them in my stomach.

Related posts: SLOW Changes in Eating Habits Part 1, 2, & 3.