By Sarah A.
LoBisco, ND
The quality
of our food supply has reached a tipping point! We are at a crossroads in
choosing if we will follow the European guidelines which prohibit Genetically Modified
Foods (GMOs) into their own body and into their children’s mouth.
On my homepage blog (dr-lobisco.com), I discussed all the negative health, environmental, economic,
and societal consequences of consuming GMOs. These include:
1. Health Detrimental Effects: Animal studies link the consumption of GMOs to harm the
reproductive system (including infertility), the digestive system, liver, and
kidneys.
2. Environmental Effects: The increase of the use of toxic pesticides, hormones, and
mono-agriculture on our environment.
3. Economic Effects: The banning of our food products to certain countries due
to their GMO content.
4. Political Effects:The political division and the controversy about the Monsanto Protection Act.
This past
weekend, Dr. Mercola reported on some very exciting news about our power to
make a decision. Specifically, the tipping point in consumer spending for
verified Non-GMO or GMO-free sales has leaped by 15-30 percent since the Prop.
37 campaign to label GMOs in California. What this means is that within the
next few months, what consumers buy will ultimately determine our democratic
voice to be heard by food producers, governmental organizations, and political
parties.
So, what do moms, pets, and faith have to do with GMOs? These groups,
based on love, facts, and belief have sparked this change to begin with! According to Dr. Mercola’s article:
The Institute for
Responsible Technology began a massive campaign this summer to drive the
non-health conscious shopper – the Walmart and Safeway shopper – into the
non-GMO product category by focusing on the following four categories:
- Mothers. Moms may sometimes not switch
their own diet for themselves but they’re dedicated when it comes to
protecting their children, and there’s ample evidence showing that
children are most at-risk from GE foods. An impressive 1.7 million people
watched Jeffrey Smith’s film “Genetic Roulette” during free-showing weeks
in 2012, and many of them were parents, who immediately acted on the
information and saw the results for themselves. Says Smith:
“I
was speaking at MIT recently and someone from the audience said, “We saw the
film. Before that, my six-and-a-half-year old was violent and out of control.
They wanted to take him out of school and actually label him retarded. After
changing his diet, a month later, I had a new child. All of those problems went
away.” We’re getting that information out to the moms.”
- The sick, and their doctors.
Mounting research has linked GE foods to a number of diseases and
disorders. Studies are also implicating two of the main toxins related to
GE foods, Roundup and Bt toxin, to all sorts of diseases.
“I
go around the country and ask audiences, “How many of you have significantly
removed GMOs from your diet? And then I say, “Okay, tell us all what
improvements you’ve noticed.” We hear: allergies; headaches; fatigue;
gastrointestinal disorders; kidney- and liver problems; diabetes; high blood
pressure; skin problems; aggression; depression; infertility.
Someone said, “My
client couldn’t get pregnant for five years, switched to a non-GMO diet, and
was pregnant three weeks later. Another woman said, “My four-year-old started
talking.” We hear from parents of autistic kids -even from an autistic person
directly – who told me when they switched to a non-GMO diet, the symptoms
alleviated. An autistic man in his 60’s came up to me and said, “I would never
be able to come to this meeting with you had I not changed my diet, because
these symptoms were preventing me from this type of social interaction… A lot
of people also lose weight when they get rid of GMOs. It’s another main feature
that we have to highlight, which we haven’t done a good job at.”
- Religious groups. The Institute is also talking to
people of various religious faiths, whose scriptures tell them to respect
the natural way of things.
“They
realize when they look inside this technology of mixing and matching across
kingdoms and species and forcing DNA into new species that have never been
there before, that it is against their faith. And then when they see the
evidence showing that it’s actually causing health problems, it confirms what
they believe. Many of them are getting onboard to direct their congregations to
avoid GMOs.”
- Pet owners. Many pet owners will tell you,
their animals are just as much part of the family as any child is. And, as
with children, animals are also among the most at-risk.
“We
are finding – based on the experiences of veterinarians and pet-owners – that
animals that eat the byproducts of the human food supply are suffering from the
same diseases and disorders that humans are suffering from. We have veterinarians
saying that animals and livestock – pets and horses – are all suffering from
eating GMOs and improve when they get rid of GMOs,” Smith says.
Mercola, J. How
Genetically Engineered Foods Will Be Eradicated. Mercola.com. September 1,
2013.
Furthermore,
maternal nutrition prenatally could have lasting impact even before baby is
born and have consequences on the health of our future generation. For this reason, I’d like to add pregnant moms as the fifth most influential group.
According to these two highlighted studies
below optimal maternal nutrition
saves lives:
- A series of interventions — half of them involving
micronutrients — could save close to 1 million lives every year among
those suffering from a chronic lack of vitamins and minerals - Maternal multiple micronutrient supplementation, energy
protein supplements, and calcium supplementation during pregnancy, along
with salt iodization, are estimated to save 102,000 lives a year - Vitamin A and zinc supplementation for children are
estimated to save 145,000 lives a year - Promotion of early and exclusive breastfeeding for 6
months, and continued breastfeeding for 24 months, is estimated to save
221,000 lives a year - In the US, many people are also suffering from
unidentified nutritional deficiencies, often due to consuming an overly
processed diet
Mercola, J.
Vitamin Intervention Could Save a Million Lives Annually. Mercola.com. August
26, 2013.
The Lancet.
Maternal and Child Nutrition: Executive Summary of Maternal and Child Nutrition
Series. thelancet.com. Published June 6, 2013.
Mom’s Diet and Child’s Risk of Cleft
Palate
The use of the maternal Western diet
increases the risk of offspring with a cleft lip or cleft palate approximately
two fold. Therefore, dietary and lifestyle profiles should be included in
preconception screening programs.
Vujkovic M,
Ocke MC, van der Spek PJ, Yazdanpanah N, Steegers EA, Steegers-Theunissen RP.
Maternal Western dietary patterns and the risk of developing a cleft lip with
or without a cleft palate. Obstet Gynecol. 2007 Aug;110(2 Pt 1):378-84.
Prenatal Probiotics and Asthma
Prevention Study Results
Prenatal and/or early-life probiotic
administration reduces the risk of atopic sensitization and decreases the total
IgE level in children but may not reduce the risk of asthma/wheeze. Follow-up
duration and strain significantly modified these effects. Future trials for by CouponDropDown”>asthma prevention should
carefully select probiotic strain and consider longer follow-up.
Elazab, N,
et al. Probiotic Administration in Early Life, Atopy, and Asthma: A
Meta-analysis of Clinical Trials (abstract). Pediatrics. Published online August 19, 2013. (doi:
10.1542/peds.2013-0246)
SO, come with me, BREAKFREE of poor quality food with
poor quality health results. Join the tipping point! Find out how on my
homepage.
