GMO: Frankenstein Foods

The sausages and deli meats you eat for lunch, flavor-enhancing bouillon cubes, instant soups that are so easy to prepare after a long day's work, the formula you use to feed your baby and the chocolate you enjoy popping in your mouth may not be as innocent as they seem. GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are found in many foods without being labelled as such. When you consume these foods instead of real foods as a means of nutrition you are filling your stomach and feeding your intestinal flora with with bacteria that never die, which is why they are called Frankenstein foods.


Genetically modified foods (GMOs) are created by inserting genes from one organism into another to produce a new organism. Seeds are the first link of the food chain and plant production, and through agriculture become the food that we eat every day. What should concern consumers most is if a seed that has been genetically tampered with becomes a genetically tampered food. Cultivation of GMO foods started in 1996 in 6 countries using 1.7 million hectacres, and today are produced in 25 countries using 300 million hectacres. Possible side effects People against GMO foods, researchers and activists who want people to be aware of GMO food production and consumption claim that foods containing GMOs can damage the immune and central nervous systems, reduce the efficacy of antibiotics in fighting bacterial infections, and cause cancer and allergic reactions. To avoid these side effects we should be aware of when we are eating them. Since many foods contain GMOs under different names, this matter falls into the hands of the consumer. What to avoid Certified organic foods are not allowed to contain GMOs. If you're not buying organic, avoid products containing the 'Big Four' GM crops: corn (corn flour, corn starch, sweetners, modified food starch), soybeans (soy flour, lecithin, isolate, isoflavone, vegetable oil, soy protein), canola and cottonseed. By taking time to look at the ingredients in the foods we eat, and trying to avoid foods that contain GMOs, we can protect our own health as well as that of future generations and the environment. Note that for a chemical to become widely used on people, 20 years of work are needed. Since GMO technology started at the end of the 1990's there is still time to act. Why are GMOs harmful? GMO plants are different from plants produced by nature, and contain genes in their genome that don't belong to their species. In addition to health concerns, in countries where these plants are grown, questions are raised about the important risks to environmental and socio-economic structures that have yet to be answered. For people: Can cause allergic reactions. Reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics. Have a toxic effect. For the ecosystem: Threaten normal and organic agriculture. It doesn't matter how distant the field is, wind and bees carry them to organic fields. GMO fields deplete pest-eating bird species. Reduce the breeding of live species and destroy bio-diversity. Dust from GMO crops can mix with crops of the same species and change their genes. The new attributes that plants take on destroy the flora in their environment, bio-diversity of natural plants, and variety and balance of species in the ecosystem. They may make wild species which create new genetic sources extinct. Foods containing GMOs Baby formula, cookies, sweets and chocolates with additives, instant soups and cakes, coffee creamer, ketchup, mayonaise, margarine, whipped cream, sodas, tuna, powdered fruit drinks, baking powder, products containing gelatin, toothpaste. Related articles: Do You Know What You're Eating?