Just Label It: A Consumer's Right to Know about GMOs

GMOs are genetically engineered crops and foods. Most of the corn, soy, cotton, canola and sugar (from sugar beets)  in our diets has been genetically engineered to withstand spraying with herbicides. Some GMO crops (corn and cotton) contain a pesticide in every plant cell. 

 But the consumer has no way of knowing if and which foods contain GMO ingredients because unlike other countries, including those in Europe, and Japan, the U.S. does not require labeling. 

Why might we want to know what we're eating and feeding our precious children? Because GMOs have never been tested for long term safety on human populations or the environment. And we have reason for concern.

For one, the herbicides sprayed on GMO crops have unintended harmful consequences to our soil and wildlife. 

Two, GMO crops have the potential to introduce new proteins into our environment that may cause allergic reactions.

 

If you would like to see genetically engineered foods labeled as such, please note that the next two weeks are critical for taking action. The first step in helping the general public wake up to the GMO trespass on our farmland and in our food is a simple food label.

March 27th is  the "due date" when the FDA must respond publicly to the petition calling for GMO-food labeling. Please sign the petition to the FDA if you care about the integrity and safety of our food supply.
Genetically engineered seeds and crops threaten the integrity of organic farms and food because of the likelihood of accidental pollen contamination. Organic food, by law, cannot be genetically engineered.

It's easy to learn more, and send a comment electronically from the  http://justlabelit.org/ website. 

Add your name if you care. The integrity of our food system is at stake. 

Think critically and eat well,

Melinda

    

Pizza's a Vegetable?

Yes, according to Congress, pizza counts as a vegetable serving in our nation's school lunch program -- thanks to the sauce.

Frankly, that's a stretch. I don't recall ever seeing a vegetable-laden pizza at any school my children attended. But I will remain hopeful that with Congress' encouragement, school food service directors and school administrators might get the idea that pizza could look more like a vegetable serving beyond the sauce, and maybe even muster up some PTA support to plant a school vegetable garden, with herbs and veggies to dress up the bland and boring commodity fare.

To help improve child nutrition (and improve test scores, physical and mental development), I'd also add a salad bar at every school to accompany the pizza slice. But the greens wouldn't come in bags shipped half-way cross country. Rather, they'd come from on-site greenhouses.

Does all this sound expensive and time consuming? Not in the long run when you consider the national cost of obesity ($147 billion/yr.). In my experience, prevention is always cheaper than treatment.

If Congress wants to call pizza a vegetable, let's see them ante up the funds to beef up school lunch to make real food an option for all kids. Let's show children we love them by investing in their healthy future by feeding their nutritional needs.

After all, if we don't model what we teach, we're teaching something else.

Think critically and eat well!

Melinda

Gluten Disorder or Diet Du Jour?

Chances are, you know someone who can't eat gluten. And you've likely wondered about the explosion of gluten-free products lining grocer's shelves. Are we witnessing the latest fad diet or is gluten intolerance real?

Rest assured, gluten intolerance is REAL. Its prevalence is on the rise, and even the experts can't explain why.

Gluten is the protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and spelt. And, it’s everywhere in the American diet, from sandwiches and pizza, to cookies and beer; malt is the offending ingredient in the latter. 

Decades ago, gluten-related disorders were an oddity. In fact, dietitians might have counseled one patient with confirmed “celiac disease” in their entire career, and struggled to find affordable, let alone palatable, gluten-free bread and grain alternatives necessary to manage the disease.

Today, we believe that about one percent of the population has celiac disease, but only five percent of those are diagnosed, largely because of inadequately trained physicians and lack of access to quality health care.

Celiac disease is an auto-immune disorder set off by ingesting gluten.  Peter Green, M.D.,  the Director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University in New York says three factors are necessary to develop the disease: genetic susceptibility, dietary gluten, and an environmental trigger.

About 30 to 40 percent of us carry a genetic predisposition to the disease, and all of us are regularly exposed to gluten. Environmental triggers are still a mystery, but might include the timing of exposure to gluten during infancy, or an infection that alters the integrity of  the gut.

The agricultural connection

Alessio  Fasano, M.D., Director of the Mucosal Biology Research  Center at the University of Maryland School of Medicine connects celiac disease to agricultural “advancements.”  Thousands of years ago, nomadic man didn’t eat domesticated grains rich in gluten.

Green, too, says “there’s good evidence that ancient grains didn’t have any of the toxicity that current wheat does for people with celiac disease. ... wheat has been bred to be more glutenous because that’s what gives bread the quality that we all like -- the taste and the consistency.”

According to Green, our digestive enzymes don’t fully break down  gluten, so we’re left with large molecules, that in susceptible individuals,  can pass through the gut, causing an immune response, inflammation, and damage to the absorptive surface of the small intestine. 

Symptoms, care and treatment

Celiac symptoms range from diarrhea, gas, bloating and cramps, to more vague, system-wide reactions to inflammation and nutrient malabsorption including: fatigue, anemia, muscle cramps, skin rash, osteoporosis, joint pain, peripheral neuropathy, and even constipation. 

While there is no “cure,” the good news is, avoiding gluten controls symptoms and  heals the damaged gut. Keep in mind that if you have celiac disease, even small amounts of gluten can cause harm, regardless of the degree of your symptoms.

If you’re curious to know if you might have celiac disease, talk to your doctor and ask for a blood test that identifies antibodies produced in response to the gluten in your diet. It’s important to take the proper blood tests before making any dietary restrictions.  

Use the holiday season as an opportunity to talk with family members about medical history. Individuals with celiac disease in their family, Down’s syndrome, Type I Diabetes and other auto-immune diseases are at greater risk for having celiac disease.

Learn More:
* Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic, Peter Green, M.D., and Rory Jones (Harper Collins, 2010)
* Celiac Disease Center, Columbia University: www.celiacdiseasecenter.columbia.edu/
* Real Life with Celiac Disease: Troubleshooting and Thriving Gluten Free, Melinda Dennis, M.S., R.D., and Daniel Leffler, M.D,  (AGA Press, 2010)
* Gluten Free Diet, A Comprehensive Resource Guide, Shelly Case, R.D. www.glutenfreediet.ca/
* Food Sleuth Radio: Four-part series on celiac disease, and the gluten-free diet: www.kopn.org  (airs 9/15/11 – 10/6/11; Click on “Food Sleuth” for archives)

Gluten-free Foods to Enjoy in Your Diet:
Amaranth, brown rice, buckwheat, corn, flax, legumes (dried beans and peas), millet, nuts, oats (only if labeled “gluten-free”), potatoes, quinoa, seeds, sorghum, soy, tapioca, teff, wild rice.

Foods that Can Hurt:
Wheat, including durum, graham, spelt, kamut, semolina, wheat bran, cracked wheat, wheat germ, couscous and wheat starch, barley, rye, triticale, oats (due to contamination with wheat), malt, brewer’s yeast.

Beware of  processed foods. Read ingredient labels carefully and call manufacturers.
Chips, candy, French fries, gravy, matzo, grain and rice mixes, sauces, soy sauce, and soups may all contain wheat.

The full article on celiac disease and gluten intolerance was first published in the Nov. 2011 issue of ACRES Magazine:  http://www.acresusa.com/magazines/magazine.htm

Harmful Herbicide Alert
Tyrone Hayes spoke at the University of MO today about Atrazine (herbicide), feminization of multiple species, breast and prostate cancer, industry (Syngenta) denial, and environmental (in)justice -- guess who gets exposed more often – African Americans, Hispanics -- industry workers and agricultural workers). The EU has banned Atrazine. If we were smart, we would too.
You can listen to my interview with Tyrone Hayes on 8-12-10 at www.kopn.org; click on "Food Sleuth" to go the archives.

HFCS: Not So Sweet

I'm frequently asked about my thoughts on high fructose corn syrup, or HFCS for short.
There's been debate for a while about whether HFCS uniquely makes us fat.

However, rarely discussed are the reasons beyond body weight why I'm not a fan of HFCS. For example:
1. HFCS is made from genetically modified corn. Because I'm steeped in the precautionary principle, I'm not so keen with the idea of putting ingredients made from GMO crops into my body at this time (which is one of many reasons why I favor the organic label – no GMO).

2. Politics. Biotech agribusiness giants who make the GMO corn seed haven't been so good for small family farmers in my neck of the woods. The film Food Inc. did a good job describing some of the issues. I'm especially concerned about contamination, concentration, and seed patents. So a vote for a product containing HFCS is a vote for the corporations who produce and sell the seed that produces the corn that goes to make HFCS. I like to vote with my food dollars... while I still can.

3. Mercury. Some HFCS contains traces of mercury. You'd think manufacturers would want to do everything they could to get that stuff out with all the kids who drink sweetened beverages. No level of mercury is safe to consume.


If you'd like to read more about HFCS, mercury, moderation and more, check out my Food Sleuth column on the topic.

I like Mary Poppins' approach to sugar: a spoonful helps the medicine go down, not the equivalent of 17 teaspoons, which is what you'll find in a 20 ounce bottle of soda.

When you do want to sweeten your food, and who doesn't, then choose organic, fairly traded sugar, local honey or maple syrup.

Think critically and eat well,
Melinda

Manufactured Demand: The Insanity of Bottled Water

Happy World Water Day everyone. And do I have a great new video for you. Annie Leonard and Free Range Studios, who brought us the "Story of Stuff," have just released "The Story of Bottled Water. Annie, with her common-sense, consumer-empowering approach tells us how we've all been duped into thinking bottled water is superior to the time-honored tap. Hah! There's a lot more to the story. Enjoy and pass it on to everyone you know.
Then visit the United Nations and learn about the state of our world's water.

Think critically and drink well!
Melinda

What IS "Healthy" Food?

This morning I received an email from a friend. Lisa and her husband, John, are writing a cook book and they've been debating the term "health." They wanted to know how I defined "healthy food," and if their food and recipes fit with my definition.

"Granted," Lisa wrote, "a lot of it boils down to marketing and word choice, but we don't want to appear/be something we are not either."

This is why I love Lisa and John. They have integrity. They think critically. And let me assure you, their home grown food IS "healthy."

However, depending on the diet-of-the-decade, headline-of-the-week or nutrient-du-jour, Americans' perceptions of "healthy" are largely driven by billion dollar ad campaigns. We learn early on that "healthy" foods are low in fat, sugar and calories. They carry labels bearing "lite," "fat free," "low carb," and "diet." Rarely are farming or processing methods part of the discussion.

Let's take a closer look at fat. Avocadoes, nuts and olive oil are laced with critical nutrients. Should we give them up because they're" high in fat?" Heavens NO!

Step into my kitchen and I'll show you how to bake the best pie crusts -- with a mixture of organic lard and butter and whole wheat organic pastry flour. I top them with organic whipped cream, never a "lite" fake whipped topping. Organic fat is "safe fat" I tell my guests as I offer cream with their fairly-traded, organic and shade-grown coffee. That's because fat soluble pesticides tend to settle in an animal's fat tissue. "Healthy" food is free of pesticide residues.

Plus, a little bit of fat makes food more palatable. "Moderation" is key here. And if you want an easy lesson on moderation, check the plate and bowl sizes of your grandmother's china.

As for carbohydrates, organic whole grains fit my "healthy" definition. I prefer to buy them directly from my farmer, or scooped out of a cooperative grocery bin to cut down on package waste. Healthy food doesn't burden the environment with excessive waste and it gives farmers a fair cut on their labor.

When it comes to sugar, I stand with Mary Poppins. A spoonful helps the medicine go down, not the 17 teaspoons in a 20 ounce bottle of soda. When I was recently asked what I thought of high fructose corn syrup I said: I don't consume it because I don't want to support the food system it represents. High fructose corn syrup comes from genetically modified corn; it's highly processed, and some of it may be contaminated with mercury. I prefer organic, fairly traded sugar, honey from my local farmer, or maple syrup, because my nutrition decisions extend beyond myself. "Healthy" food protects the planet for future generations.

Which brings us to meat. You may have heard that white meat is healthier than red. Not so fast. I'll take a steak from grass-fed, organically raised cattle over an industrially-raised pork chop or chicken breast any day. Birds and animals raised in confinement on factory farms typically receive routine antibiotics to speed their growth and prevent disease. Healthy meat, no matter red or white, does not contain antibiotic, or synthetic hormone residues. It is raised and processed humanely. And it does not poison the environment with concentrated wastes.

Healthy food is safe food, but safety extends beyond bacterial contamination.
Lisa and John eat organic food, mostly raised locally by family farmers they know personally. By voting for truly sustainable agriculture with their food dollars, Lisa and John protect our common environment from contamination with genetically modified and patented seeds. They preserve biodiversity and help keep our air and water clean, and our soil fertile.

Last, but certainly not least, healthy food is served in a loving environment to aid in digestion and absorption of nutrients. Is it any wonder "healthy" food tastes so good?

Think critically and eat well!
Melinda