Two growing dangers you can’t ignore

In honor of Earth Day tomorrow, I’d like to talk about two growing dangers in our environment that you cannot ignore any longer because they could eventually cost you your health or your life.

Genetically modified foods and glyphosate (Roundup®) use.

Here is what you must know about these two “grim reapers” and how you can help minimize their harmful effects on you.

GMO foods—not just pollen experiments
To create genetically modified foods, scientists are playing Mother Nature and not in a good way.

To create a genetically modified food, they alter the genetic code (DNA) of plants by splicing in DNA from a completely unrelated species, crossing different kingdoms of organisms.

For example, chicken genes have been spliced into potatoes and fish genes into strawberries.

Rodent genes have been inserted into tobacco, and bacteria and viruses are spliced into cucumbers and tomatoes.

What has resulted is a series of "alien foods” that we know nothing about.  That includes knowing zero about their safety because only a few very limited studies have been done by the biotech industry…so you can guess how objective those were.

Plus time will tell what the long-term health effects of these “Franken-foods” will be.

I predict that we will see increased immune reactions (like allergies and sensitivities) as well as eventually even chronic diseases like cancer.

Neither the FDA nor the US Department of Agriculture requires biotech companies to prove that GMO foods are safe for human consumption before new modified crops are put on the market.

Currently, the most widely-produced GMO crops in the US are sugar, corn, soy, and wheat—foods which the average American eats in abundance.

Here’s the icing on the cake—glyphosate is typically used in the farming of GMO crops and glyphosate residue has been found in GMO food items!

Glyphosate—kills weeds (and maybe you)
Roundup® is a very popular product that is used in landscaping to kill weeds.
While Monsanto claims that Roundup® is safe, a peer-reviewed report out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), revealed how glyphosate can, in fact, harm human health.

Monsanto has claimed that Roundup® is harmless to animals and humans because it uses what is called the shikimate acid pathway to kill weeds, and this metabolic pathway is absent in people and pets.  However, this pathway is present in BACTERIA, and that’s how it can cause bodily harm in both humans and animals—through your gut bacteria.

Glyphosate disrupts bacteria’s ability to function.  What makes this worse is that glyphosate prefers to attack your beneficial bacteria, thereby allowing dangerous organisms to flourish and overcome your friendly flora.  At that point, you become a candidate for any number of viruses, infections, and diseases.

Plus glyphosate has been linked to certain cancers (including lymphoma), and to DNA damage, premature births, birth defects and ADHD.

In addition, glyphosate can also destroy the villi in your intestinal wall, and reduce your body’s ability to absorb nutrients.  This can increase your risk for deficiency diseases as well as obesity.

Minimize your exposure!
Here’s how you can help minimize your exposure to GMO and glyphosate dangers:

Read labels
When buying fresh produce look at the codes on the little stickers on the items:

• 4-digit code:  Traditionally grown (non-GMO) produce
• 5-digit code:  Look at the first number: 

• If it starts with a 9, it's organic
• If it starts with an 8, it's a GMO

Avoid processed foods
GMO crops are used extensively in packaged/processed foods, and the labels don't need to disclose that.  As a matter of fact, unless a packaged food is 100 percent organic, you should assume it has GMO ingredients.

The answer here is easy—stick to real foods and avoid the packaged junk as much as possible.

Buy organic whenever you can
Organic foods by definition do not contain GMO ingredients, so if you want snack chips, cereals or other packaged foods, at least opt for organic brands.

Try to buy as much organic meat, milk and produce as possible. 

If you're on a tight budget and can't afford to go 100 percent organic, here are the produce items which are the most tainted and are important to buy organic:

• Celery
• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Apples
• Blueberries
• Nectarines
• Bell Peppers
• Spinach
• Cherries
• Kale/Collard
• Greens
• Potatoes
• Grapes

Help your gut bacteria recover
Unless you’ve been diligent about eating 100 percent organic, chances are excellent your gut bacteria may have already taken a harmful hit from GMOs and glyphosate.

In addition to a healthy diet of real foods, supplementation with a top-quality probiotic can help your gut bacteria bounce back and provide their sickness and disease-fighting protection. 

Remember YOU alone are responsible for your health--not biotech companies and food companies.

Don't offer yourself up as a guinea pig, jeopardizing your health while you help to grow their bottom lines.

When it comes to real health, natural is always best.