Ways to avoid genetically modified foods
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| Image via pixabay |
Are you a consumer of GM foods? If it's way cheaper than non-Gm foods would you purchase them? Some persons don't want to consume GM foods simply because they fear that they might be dangerous for their health. Instead, they consume foods from organic and conventional production.
GMO is short for genetically modified organism.
So what is a genetically modified food?
Basically, it's the food that comes from a GMO!
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| Image via pixabay |
Some GM crops and ways in which they are used:
corn : high-fructose corn syrup - use to sweeten foods
cornmeal
soybeans : oil
soy proteins
canola : oil- use in processed foods
cotton : oil
Note:
Not all the corn, soybeans, canola and cotton grown are genetically modified.
If your not a consumer of GM foods, then how do you avoid them in the supermarkets (or wherever you shop) when you shop? Below are ways in which you can avoid genetically modified foods:
- Read labels carefully
This is very important! Read the labels on foods before you purchase them to see if they contain GM ingredients.
- Only buy foods with labels
Without a label, you have no way of knowing if the manufacturer used GM ingredients.
- Buy organic foods
Organic foods contain no GMOs and so you are certain.
- Buy the foods that are most likely to be genetically modified in organic
You should try this if organic is too expensive and as a result, you can't afford all your foods in organic or you're afraid of hidden ingredients. For example, buy organic soy and its products.
- Avoid buying foods that are produced from crops that are mostly genetically modified
These include corn, soybeans, canola, cotton, etc. The majority of these are genetically modified. For example, don't buy high fructose corn syrup and foods that contain it, like some cereals, candy, etc.
- Buy foods from trusted companies
Some food products have hidden GM ingredients in them because manufacturers don't want you to know. Also, some companies are not listing all of the ingredients on the labels. In order to avoid this, buy from companies that you know and trust.
- Cook your own food
Restaurants can be using GM ingredients in the foods that they cook! So a great solution to this is to cook your own food so you know what you're eating.
- Educate yourself
For example, there are different names for high-fructose corn syrup and so you need to learn all the different names. This is necessary because if the manufacturer uses a name that you don't know, you will be consuming GM high-fructose corn syrup and you wouldn't even know it.
- Look for signs
In some supermarkets, there are signs placed to say that certain foods are GMO-free and so you should look for those.
- Avoid buying food from a particular country that produces a lot of GM foods
If you normally purchase foods from the international section in the supermarket, buy foods from countries that don't produce a lot of GM foods.
- Avoid buying too much processed foods.
The majority of processed foods contain genetically modified (GM) ingredients so you should try to stay clear of them.
We need to be smart when we shop for the foods that we consume!
Tags:
Healthy Food Choices
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