GMO Talk With Tanya

Happy Saturday! Scott and I are currently staying in Scott’s hometown of Branson, MO, the “live music show capital of the world.” We arrived yesterday afternoon and plan to spend today out on a boat with his family. Let’s hope the weather is on our side!

But, more about my weekend later…

Today we are talking about GMOs! Do you remember a few weeks back when I shared my concerns about soy products? How ever since I have become aware of how some brands I rely on to “eat healthy” also include chemically altered ingredients? How a little bit of my heart has died a little?

These days, I have been trying my best to educate myself on how to look for real natural ingredients, sans GMOs. But how does one completely change over? And why should we?

Instead of rambling and trying to figure out the best way to describe it myself, I have turned to a new friend of mine for the answers… someone who has made this discovery long before me, and has done her best to share her story.

Tanya is a healthy living enthusiast who enjoys running, yoga, any classic episode of Friends (which we have obviously bonded over), and label reading. She has been a loyal reader of the blog for a while, and when we realized we had a mutual friend in “real life”, I actually met her in Chicago!

She’s awesome to hang out with and although she doesn’t blog, has agreed to step out of her comfort zone to help a sister out on this subject. She has some great tips to share with you, so show her some love will ya?

Take it away, Tanya!

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Hello, Housewife Glamour readers!

Wow, still can’t believe I just typed that, and it’s real life. I’ve been following Heather’s blog now for a little over a year, and when she approached me about guest posting my journey with GMO’s I literally almost fell out of my chair with nervousness excitement. 😉

Loving the WIAW series, I always look forward to reading what bloggers eat and comparing it to what I usually eat. I get a lot of great ideas from them and I like to use these lovely ladies as my accountability, (since many of my “real life” friends don’t always share my healthy passion). A few weeks back, Heather posted on many different soy options, and I decided to ask her thoughts on GMOs.

The first thing I found out? Not many people are aware of GMO’s. I wasn’t for a long time. I literally cleaned house at a Borders closing sale a few years back, and one of the books I picked up changed my life. So, here I am today to give you a little of my research, while trying not to bore you to death in Heather’s absence. Ready? Let’s get started.

GMO stands for “Genetically Modified Organisms” and is something that haunts our society today. But what are these little buggers?

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“GMOs, or “genetically modified organisms,” are plants or animals created through the gene splicing techniques of biotechnology (also called genetic engineering, or GE). This experimental technology merges DNA from different species, creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.” Source

I know. I didn’t get it either. Basically what this is saying is that the food your grandparents grew up on is not the food you are currently eating.

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So, why should you avoid them?

“Did you know… genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not safe? They have been linked to thousands of toxic and allergenic reactions, thousands of sick, sterile, and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ and system studied in lab animals.” Source

Gulp.

After I read Jillian Michael’s book “Master your Metabolism”, my bargain bin find, (Please don’t tell her it was $4) I went through my entire kitchen. Sure enough, I was guilty of “toxic” products on multiple accounts. I couldn’t believe it. I’m not one for change, but armed with these facts, how could I ignore it? I immediately researched until my eyeballs almost fell out. Lucky for you (and your eyeballs) I have summarized my findings in this post.

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There are six common sources for GMO, and I was guilty of having all of them in my kitchen. Canola Oil? Yep. Soy? Oh yeah. Processed foods? Let’s not even go there.

I’ll be honest with you. Label checking sucks. Just like becoming gluten free or dairy free, there is a learning curve and research required before you feel comfortable in your routine again. For me, it was a very emotional break up with some of my favorite foods. But guess what? I’m surviving. I have my days still where I find out things I love are GM, and I get so discouraged, (Naked Juice). But there are still good products out there, you just need to make yourself aware of them.

For example, when you’re buying fruits and veggies, check the PLU number. I was totally blown away by this. Never in a million years would I ever have known this (thanks, Jillian!) and now I am very picky about my produce.

The only problem is that few states have passed a GMO labeling law, so it’s not required to label just yet. So to be safe, I stick to organic produce.

For meat, go grass fed, or 100% Organic. If it’s not, that means the animals have been typically fed GM feed, which they then digest. That, my friends, ends up on your plate. Not to mention the hormones they use are also harmful to you. This goes for eggs too.

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Stay away from processed foods as much as you can. High fructose corn syrup is genetically modified. When you first start label hunting, you will feel like it’s in everything. That was a tough one for me. I liked convenience because of my demanding work schedule. I swore to myself I didn’t have time to “make” anything. Ch-ch-ch-channnges.

As if trying to get food without corn syrup wasn’t hard enough, soy is what actually blindsided me. I ate protein bars. I had just ventured into Tofu. Morning Star spicy black bean burgers were dinner 1-2 times a week. I thought I was being healthy, and they were all culprits!

The good news is that a lot of manufacturers are coming around to the non-GMO, and clearly label it. But until everyone does, here are a few good tips for the grocery store:

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Have I lost you yet? I hope not!

Cutting out processed/GMO foods was not an overnight thing. But trust me, it gets easier. You feel better. And then you get to be a guest blogger on Housewife Glamour! 😉

I’ll leave you with a few helpful tips I’ve learned along the way:

• Trader Joes Brand is GMO Free
• My new favorite brand of protein bars is Genisoy. The chocolate mint is ridiculous.
• Whole Foods will be GMO Transparent in the next 5 years
• Cascadian Farm Cinnamon Raisin Granola is my favorite ever!
• The App Fooducate is really helpful.
• Annie’s dressings are GMO free! (Thank goodness!)
• If you can help it, try to prepare your food at home. But if you are like me and love to eat out, just try to choose the best option on the menu.
• This is a helpful list of manufacturers that label GMO-Free
• The Non-GMO Project is a good place to start

Again, I would like to thank Heather, for giving me the opportunity to share with you what I have learned in my GMO journey. I hope this inspires you all to take a look further into what you are putting into your body!