Ignorance was bliss

I used to dive into a bag of chips without thinking what oil they were fried in or if the corn was real.  Packaged foods didn't phase me. Margarine was a healthy option. Boxed brownies - yummy!

Sure, fresh fruits and veggies and meats also filled my fridge, because that's what I thought balanced out a box of rice to go with dinner. And obviously, the more organic the better.

And besides, the convenience and taste of those chips and the spread-ability of the margarine on my morning toast was great!  And, obviously, it tastes good!

Then, I began researching food.  And my research led me to more research and more reading and my head began spiraling out of control.

I began thinking that if we truly are what we eat, then we need to change what we eat.  And then I got to thinking further, what did the cow eat? What did the chicken eat? Because they're also what they eat and if we're eating them, then we are what they ate. U-G-H.

As you can see, I dug myself into a pit.  I began spinning in a sea of partially hydrogenated, HFCS, genetically modified organisms, tallow, pastured, corn-fed, butter, saturated fat, medium-chain fats, and on and on and on.  One path led to another and I went off on tangents.  I began fermenting kefir on my counter and going through my pantry to read labels and tossing things in the trash. I lamented store bought tortillas and made my own and my Texas heart yearned for a real tortilla.  Ya know, one that actually perished because I realized I could keep them in the fridge for weeks-months without nary a change in them! I began worrying about the chemicals in our soap and lotion.  If something has 29 consonants and 3 vowels and I have no idea how to pronounce it, then what in the world is it?!?!?

Then I stopped.  Readjusted.  And dove in one.thing.at.a.time.

And the biggest elephant in my pantry was genetically modified foods.  Frankenfoods.

GMOs. 

In short, they scare me to death.  And they are in everything.

I was not raised on GMOs.  It isn't because my parents were informed about them, no, it is because they didn't exist.  Nope.  It wasn't until 1996 that GMOs began silently entering our food supply and it was a small percentage - 7% of soy and 1.5% of corn. Now, 80-90% of anything with corn, soy, canola oil and sugar beets (in more things than you realize!) is genetically modified. Check your labels.  Corn and corn derivatives (corn starch and high fructose corn syrup are the big ones) and soy (soy lecithin is in e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g) dominate in packaged foods.  But what is a GMO? Isn't that better than spraying a food with pesticides to keep the bugs away?  I could link you to multiple sources on this stuff, but here's the gist: GMOs have modified DNA.  For corn, Monsanto has infused RoundUp pesticide in the kernel so when bugs eat the corn, they explode.  No thanks.  Frankenfoods scare me to death.  I'm petrified for my children because this is impossible to avoid, but I honestly did not know how deep this went.  And I bet you most Americans don't know either.  Cheerios seem so benign, but the corn starch in them is most likely GMO.  And my toddler can put back a ton of Cheerios!  Each GMO's modification is different, but this is a serious issue since cross-pollination contaminates non-GMO crops.  Oh, and Monsanto corn is now creating super bugs that don't explode so even more pesticides are used. And the bugs are huge.

OK, I'm going to stop for now.  (for now)  So what do I do?  What do we do?  Packaged foods are easy and when I have a baby and a toddler running circles around me, they're nice to have on hand.  And what about cost?  They're also cheap.  I've heard the argument that you can't not afford to make changes to avoid GMOs and such.  Well, I'll tell you I know exactly how people cannot afford organic.  There's childcare to pay for, a gas tank to fill, mortgage to pay, electricity to keep on, and when a child is hungry and needs food, a mother is going to give her child food.  But I stand by my statement that I don't think most people know what Monsanto has done to food.  Frozen corn, ground beef, canned tomatoes and rice can make a good meal!  But the corn is GMO and the food the cow ate is GMO. SIGH.

Look, my family isn't perfect.  I'm slowly incorporating changes because I truly feel the GMO fallout hasn't happened yet.  But chronic illnesses are increasing, autism is on the rise, diabetes is more common, cancer is eating us alive, infertility is a problem with so many couples and more. People don't know. Food, real food, heals and our bodies thank us for real food!

I wish I could leave this post on a warm-fuzzy note, but I can't.  Eat seasonally.  Go to a farmer's market and take out the middle man and pay less for organic.  Grow a garden.  If you don't have land, plant tomatoes in a pot. Find a local farmer who raises cows that eat what they were intended to eat: grass only; it'll be cheaper than the grocery store, you'll be supporting a local farmer, and your meat will be healthy.

I'm not a scientist.  I'm not a researcher.  I admit that and if you're like me an want links, find 'em.  But let me warn you: ignorance was bliss.  Those chips?  They're good.  I didn't link citations, but the information is out there, go find it.  The internet is scary, especially if you search GMOs and those super bugs :-) 

Man, ignorance was bliss...

(and I've barely scratched the surface here!)