Image via pixabay.

In today's modern world we are consuming foods that our ancestors didn't consume. We as consumers are demanding foods that are so different and so food scientists are producing them hence we are changing our foods. Certain foods can be major contributors to inflammation. So, therefore, the foods that we eat can cause inflammation and some can fight inflammation.


Excessive or uncontrolled inflammation plays a role in lots of diseases that affect humans these days.
Allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, asthma, dementia, eczema, lupus, Crohn's disease and psoriasis are all inflammatory diseases which occur when the body's own immune system turns against itself.








1. Refined carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are responsible for many roles in the human body. However, carbohydrates can cause inflammation but it is dependent on the source. In other words, not all carbohydrates will cause inflammation. Refined carbohydrates promote inflammation whereas whole grains, fruits and, vegetables are good sources of carbohydrates that are full of fiber, vitamins, antioxidants and, minerals.


Examples of refined carbohydrates: sugars, high-fructose corn syrup, instant oatmeal, white rice and white flour

White flour. Image via pixabay.

Refined carbohydrates have a higher glycemic load and are processed. The fiber and most of the nutritional value is removed from refine carbohydrates and as a result, we can consume too much refined carbohydrates. So therefore if we consume too much that our body doesn't use then the rest will be converted to pro-inflammatory saturated fat- palmitic acid which increases inflammation. They can also lead to obesity from over-consumption which will increase systemic inflammation.


Carbohydrates are converted to sugar in the blood but refine carbohydrates are converted quicker. When the blood sugar rises it will trigger the pancreas to produce insulin to move the sugar from the bloodstream and into the cells. Consequently, excess insulin promotes the storage of pro-inflammatory body fat.




- Sugar/high fructose corn syrup

Excessive sugar intake can increase your risk of inflammation. Cytokines are pro-inflammatory molecules that are released when you eat sugar.


You can find sugar in sodas and candies.




- Artificial sweeteners

Excess calories from sugar can cause diabetes, obesity and so on and so the food industry has created artificial sweeteners to substitute sugar. Artificial sweeteners are used by consumers because they provide a sweet taste like sugar (that lots of people crave) without having as many calories as sugar and some have zero calories.


Examples of artificial sweeteners: sucralose, aspartame, sorbitol, maltodextrin and, xylitol


How do artificial sweeteners cause inflammation?

There is a community of microorganism that lives in our digestive tract. This community is referred to as the gut microbiome or gut microbiota. There are many different species that form this community and some form a symbiotic relationship with us, others a commensal relationship and some a pathogenic relationship with us. Our good microorganisms/bacteria are necessary for the breakdown of complex carbohydrates, the synthesis of vitamins and so on. The good microorganisms outcompete the pathogens for nutrients and thus keep them in check. There is a balance that exists within the microbiome and changes in a species can disrupt the entire microbiome community. When this occurs it will also affect the host.

This microbiome can be altered by artificial sweeteners. When gut microbiome dysbiosis occurs inflammation will result.



Aspartame

Example of food that it can be found in diet sodas.

Aspartame is a neurotoxin that causes inflammation in the brain.


Animal studies:


Acesulfame Potassium (acesulfame K or Ace-K)

Ace-K is a calorie-free sweetener that can be found in foods and drinks such as soda and candy.


Bian et al. (2017) studied the effects of Ace-K on the gut microbiome and the changes in fecal metabolic profiles using 16S rRNA sequencing and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolomics. They found that the gut microbiome of CD-1 mice that consumed Ace-K was upset after a 4-week treatment. Also, ace-K caused an increased body weight gain of male but not female mice (1).




Sucralose

Bian et al. (2017) studied the gut microbiome response to sucralose and its potential role in inducing liver inflammation in mice. These mice consume sucralose for 6 months at the human acceptable daily intake. They found that this sucralose alters the gut microbiome and its functions in mice. In particular, sucralose alters the gut environment to release more pro-inflammatory mediators and alter functional metabolites, which may contribute to the increased expression of pro-inflammatory markers in the liver, such as iNOS and MMP-2. All this results even though the majority of the sucralose that the mice ingested passed through the gut unabsorbed (2).



Uebanso et al. (2017) also studied the effects of low-dose non-caloric sweetener consumption on gut microbiota in mice (3).


Uebanso et al. (2017) stated:

"In conclusion, we found that consumption of low-dose sucralose, but not acesulfame-K, affected the relative amount of the Clostridium cluster XIVa in fecal microbiome and cholesterol bile acid metabolism in mice, even at levels within the ADI."



Would/do you eat artificial sweeteners?




2. Alcohol

You can find alcohol in beers and wines.

Wine. Image via pixabay.

A high/excessive consumption of alcohol regularly causes inflammation which will lead to lots of conditions and diseases. For example, chronic alcohol consumption can lead to increased cytokine secretion and inflammation in the heart and brain resulting in damage to these organs (4).



Tsung et al. (2013) investigated the effects of ethanol on physiopathology and cytokine levels following hemorrhagic shock in acutely alcohol-intoxicated rats. Their study found that heavy alcohol intoxication increases proinflammatory cytokines and aggravates hemorrhagic shock-induced organ damage in rats (5).


People abuse alcohol on a regular basis. Alcohol is a psychoactive drug and it is also a macronutrient. The main site of alcohol metabolism is the liver (alcohol is converted to acetaldehyde by the liver and is toxic) hence it's the organ that is most likely injured due to excessive alcohol consumption. Alcohol metabolism will lead to fat accumulation in the liver which will lead to a fatty liver/steatosis (it is not the only mechanism by which this occurs). This can lead to inflammation of the liver called alcoholic hepatitis. When you continue to drink excessively with alcohol hepatitis it can lead to cirrhosis of the liver. Liver cancer can result when drinking with cirrhosis.


Other conditions and diseases that chronic alcohol consumption can lead to are an increase the risk of metabolic disturbances, heart disease and, dementia.

Research articles for additional reading on alcohol contribution to inflammation

• Alcohol, Adipose Tissue and Lipid Dysregulation
• Modulation of Inflammation by Alcohol Exposure 
• Cytokine Changes following Acute Ethanol Intoxication in Healthy Men: A Crossover Study
• Alcoholic Liver Disease: Role of Cytokines 

3. Vegetable oils

Two types of polyunsaturated fatty acids are omega-3 and omega-6 and we require both of these fatty acids from our diets. However, we need a certain ratio of these fatty acids and if we consume excess amounts of omega-6 fatty acids and a very high omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (too much omega-6 fatty acids and too little omega-3 fatty acids) then that can lead to health issues like inflammation. That is it can make us susceptible to or worsen inflammatory diseases (6).


Changes have taken place in our diet over the years. One such change is in the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6. Our ancestors had a healthy balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fats. They used to consume fish, meat, eggs, nuts, etc that contain omega-3 fatty acids. But that diet has changed due to modern agriculture. With modern agriculture animals are fed feeds that consist mainly of grains as opposed to animals that used to graze back in the time of our ancestors. This also lead to the production of vegetable oils from sunflower, cottonseed, soybean, corn, etc. How is vegetable oil related to this? The problem with vegetable oils is that vegetable oils are rich in omega-6 fatty acids and poor in omega-3s and we consume too much vegetable oils and not enough of omega-3 fat food sources. As a result, the modern diet contains much higher amounts of omega-6 fats as opposed to omega-3 fats.


Omega-6 fatty acids: grain-fed animals, eggs and dairy products, vegetable oils: sunflower, cottonseed and corn

Omega-3 fatty acids: fatty fish

Oil. Image via pixabay.

More into the inflammation

Inflammation through this food has to do with the Cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes which build larger fat molecules. The issue is that omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are in competition with each other for the same binding site on the COX 2 enzymes (a type of COX enzymes). This enzyme converts omega-6 fats into inflammatory prostaglandins and omega-3 fats to anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. So therefore if too many omega-6 fats are consumed more of these enzymes will be used by omega-6 fats and will consequently decrease the body's ability to build anti-inflammatory fats from omega-3. So if you have more omega-3 fatty acids then they will block the binding sites of these enzymes by binding to them their self and thus fewer omega-6 fats are able to convert to prostaglandin.

If you don' really understand enzymes and binding sites here's a simpler explanation
Prostaglandins are made from the fats that we eat. So if both of these fatty acids are converted to prostaglandins then what's the point? Omega-6 produce pro-inflammatory prostaglandins and omega-3 produce anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. This is because the prostaglandins that are formed from omega-3 fatty acids are less active than the ones that are formed from omega-6 fatty acids so some prostaglandins promote inflammation and some reduce it.

In conclusion, the balance of pro-inflammatory to anti-inflammatory prostaglandins is determined by the types of fats we consume.



Can imbalance lead to obesity?
Another problem with too much omega-6 fatty acids and too little omega-3 fatty acids is that it is associated with weight gain in both animal and human studies (7). Inflammation can be caused by obesity. The layer of fat beneath the skin is metabolically active and contains many white blood cells. So, therefore, the more body fat present the more white blood cells will also be present. Pro-inflammatory substances are released from these cells or obese- fat cells plays a role in the creation of the messengers that cause inflammatory disease.



Foods fried in vegetable oil
When fats are subjected to high temperatures they are chemically modified. For example, foods fried in vegetable oil. So if you fry certain foods (eg. chicken) in vegetable oil advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are created. AGEs are created by a reaction from both fats, proteins and sugars. AGEs can promote oxidative stress and inflammation (when we consume these foods immune cells will produce large amounts of cytokines to protect the body from these substances).





  4. MSG

Monosodium glutamate or more commonly call MSG is used as a flavor enhancer in foods. MSG can cause liver inflammation. Additionally, it can cause weight gain.


Some other names for MSG are yeast extract, glutamic acid and hydrolyzed protein.

Examples of foods that contain MSG: potato chips, croutons, processed meats, salad dressings and seasonings



 5. Gluten

Gluten can cause gut inflammation- bloating and digestive problems and contribute to leaky gut to those who are sensitive to it.
Gluten is found in wheat, barley and rye grains. So, therefore, foods that contain these will cause inflammation.


Want to read other gluten-related posts? If yes then check these posts below.

• What is gluten in food?
• Health effects of gluten
• How to remove gluten from your diet

  6. Trans fats

Examples of foods that trans fats can be found in: fried foods, cakes, cookies, some margarine and fast foods


Trans fats are unsaturated fats. Artificial trans fats/hydrogenated oils are created from liquid oils. Trans fats interfere with the action of COX-2 enzymes and as a result, cytokines are produced that signal the need for inflammation to begin and also the release of C-reactive protein.





7. Saturated fats

Example of foods that contain saturated fats: animal products like red meat and butter


Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and they trigger inflammation in adipose tissue.




Concluding remarks

Chronic inflammation can be caused by our diets and as a result, a cause of inflammatory diseases is the diet. Additionally, some of the foods that cause inflammation in the body are foods that our ancestors didn't consume.

Related post: 25 foods that fight inflammation in the body


xoxoxox
Nadina






References

1. Bian X, Chi L, Gao B, Tu P, Ru H, Lu K (2017) The artificial sweetener acesulfame potassium affects the gut microbiome and body weight gain in CD-1 mice. PLoS ONE 12(6): e0178426. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0178426


2. Bian, X., Chi, L., Gao, B., Tu, P., Ru, H., & Lu, K. (2017). Gut Microbiome Response to Sucralose and Its Potential Role in Inducing Liver Inflammation in Mice. Frontiers in Physiology, 8, 487. http://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2017.00487

3. Uebanso T, Ohnishi A, Kitayama R, Yoshimoto A, Nakahashi M, Shimohata T, Mawatari K, Takahashi A. Effects of Low-Dose Non-Caloric Sweetener Consumption on Gut Microbiota in Mice. Nutrients. 2017; 9(6):560.

4. Obad A, Peeran A, Little JI, Haddad GE and Tarzami ST (2018) Alcohol-Mediated Organ Damages: Heart and Brain. Front. Pharmacol. 9:81. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00081

5. Tsung-Ming Hu, Ru-Ping Lee, Chung-Jen Lee, Yi-Maun Subeq, Nien-Tsung Lin, and Bang-Gee Hsu, “Heavy Ethanol Intoxication Increases Proinflammatory Cytokines and Aggravates Hemorrhagic Shock-Induced Organ Damage in Rats,” Mediators of Inflammation, vol. 2013, Article ID 121786, 9 pages, 2013. doi:10.1155/2013/121786

6. Patterson, E., Wall, R., Fitzgerald, G. F., Ross, R. P., & Stanton, C. (2012). Health Implications of High Dietary Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2012, 539426. http://doi.org/10.1155/2012/539426

7. Simopoulos, A. P. (2016). An Increase in the Omega-6/Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio Increases the Risk for Obesity. Nutrients, 8(3), 128. http://doi.org/10.3390/nu8030128

Beans are highly nutritious - they're are an excellent source of healthy plant protein. Canned and home cooked beans are the options available when you go grocery shopping. Which one do you prefer/purchase, canned or home cooked beans? I use both beans but prefer home cooked beans and as a result, use it more often.

Examples of some beans are:
black beans
pinto beans
chickpeas
kidney beans
black-eyed peas

Canned vs home cooked beans

CANNED BEANS

What are canned beans?
Canned beans are dried beans that have been cooked and packaged in a can.

These days lots of people are using canned beans simply because it's fast/convenient. They don't require cooking but price wise it's more costly. Some varieties of canned beans can be healthy whereas others can be unhealthy. Some unhealthy varieties contain lots of unhealthy ingredients like:

• sodium (salt)
• sugar
• fats (lard, butter, animal fats)
• other harmful ingredients

Tips on avoiding BPA

• Cut back on canned beans/discontinue using the ones that are packaged in BPA cans
• Don't heat the BPA can

Another disadvantage of using canned beans is that canned beans are not as tasty as home-cooked beans. This, however, can depend on the brand that you purchased.

If you're going to use canned beans then you can:

• check to see if they contain the unhealthy ingredients that I've mentioned above. If they do then you should also check the ingredients list to see how much of unhealthy ingredients per serving they contain
• purchase low-sodium/sodium-free ones
• purchase fat-free/reduced fat ones
• buy the healthy brands
• discard the liquid that it came in and rinse thoroughly to remove as much salt as possible. Rinsing reduces the sodium in the beans so always rinse before cooking or serving.
• purchase canned beans with labels that say BPA- free/ use BPA - free cans of beans

HOME COOKED BEANS

Home cooked beans are dried beans that you purchase and cook. The biggest disadvantage of dried beans for most people is that it takes a long time to cook/time-consuming. I consume cooked beans more than canned beans because I have an easy method to cook them which I'll share with you. Home cooked beans are healthy, taste better and have a better texture than canned beans.

Tips

• Cook them faster with a pressure cooker
• Another tip is to prep them ahead of time. Make a big batch of them and portion them and freeze. Alternatively, I like to cook them on a weekly basis also. So I'll only cook the amount that I'll use for the week and refrigerate it.
• With home cooked beans you control what you put into it like sodium. Sometimes I'll put some salt and sometimes I won't or I'll use a reduced amount. You can also flavor it however you'd like or with what you'd like.

Ingredients

- dried beans of your choice
- salt to taste/ to your liking (you can omit it if you'd like, I do most times)
- water to cover the beans


Instructions

1. Soak your beans in some water over night (or for a minimum of a couple hours). The water should cover the beans and if any time during the soaking process the water has dried out add more water to cover the beans.
2. Wash/rinse the beans.
3. Place your beans into a pressure cooker, pour water to cover the beans and close it.
4. You can add additional water if needed during the cooking process.
5. Cook/pressure the beans in the pressure cooker until they are soft or done to your liking. 
6. Strain the beans at the end of the cooking time through a strainer/colander and discard or keep the cooking liquid.
7. Place the beans into containers and store however desired (refrigerate or freeze).
8. Defrost/heat when ready to use.

Additional cooking notes

- I use a pressure cooker to cook my beans in because it shortens the cooking time tremendously - they cook faster (under an hour). If however, you don't have one you can use a pot.

- You can cook one type of bean at a time or a combination of beans but this will depend on the individual cooking time of each bean. So if you have two beans with different cooking time, place the beans with the longest cooking time into the pressure cooker first and when it is left with the cooking time of the other bean to cook place the other bean inside to cook along with it.

- The soaking process softens the beans and they cook even faster. After they have finished soaking your nails can stink into them. It speeds up the cooking time in a pot too but obviously, the pot method will still take longer to cook than the pressure cooker method.

- If you're cooking more than one bean then you should soak them separately. This is necessary because they are going to go into the pot at different times. You can soak beans together that has the same or around the same cooking time.

- You can even add seasoning to them (which I do).

- Wait until the last minute to add the salt as it slows down the cooking.

Image via pixabay

We all know that we should eat more vegetables. Unfortunately for some of us knowing so doesn't actually make us eat more. This is because we are too busy so we settle for food that has little or none at all in them, are lazy, don't like eating them, don't know how to prepare them, etc.

How to eat more vegetables

Some ways on how to eat more vegetables are:

- Acquire vegetables (either purchase or grow your own) so you'll always have it on hand
This is the first thing that you have to do! You can't eat it if you don't have it.


- Have your veggies already prepped (chopped or whatever) beforehand. Basically ready to be cooked or eaten (if you want to consume it raw).

Image via pixabay

or

- Purchase already cleaned and washed ones.
This is great if you're busy or lazy (like me). Busy because you won't have the time to prep them and lazy because you won't want to do it.

- Add some to juices and smoothies or use vegetables to make juices (like carrot juice)
This way you won't really taste them (great if you hate the taste of them) and you are getting them.

Image via pixabay

- Use vegetables as dips
I make some really delicious dips that are made mostly of vegetables. Two are a roasted eggplant dip and a tomato dip.

Image via pixabay

- Learn how to cook vegetables if you don't know how to cook them
If you don't know how to cook them then you might not eat them.


- Purchase your take out food more smartly
Purchase at healthy restaurants, like vegan and vegetarian restaurants- their meals will consist of vegetables and the vegetables can make up most of an individual meal. You can also purchase healthy vegan and vegetarian meals at non-vegan and non-vegetarian restaurants also.


- Start your day off with vegetables, don't wait for later in the day
You can add some vegetables to your omelet.


- Always try to add vegetables to all or at least most of the foods that you cook

Image via pixabay

Food containing gluten. Image via pixabay.

Many many years ago our ancestors were hunters and gatherers and so their diet consist of foods that they would hunt and gather like meat, fish, eggs, fruits, nuts, vegetables, etc. About 10,000 years ago humans started the domestication of animals and crops and as a result gluten containing grains like wheat became apart of their diet. This wheat however had changed a lot since then.

Some people are living a gluten-free lifestyle these days! The negative health effects that gluten has on their health is the reason why they're eating gluten-free foods. Do you think that you should? For your health? There are indeed health effects associated with gluten! In this blog post, I'll list these health effects. Also, it is important to know that not all persons are affected by gluten the same way and that some persons are not even affected at all.

• headaches
• itchy skin
• eczema
• Dermatitis herpetiformis
• gas
• diarrhea
• constipation
• abdominal pain
• villous atrophy
• anemia (B12 or iron deficiency)
• heartburn
• fatigue
• osteoporosis
• weight loss
• weight gain
• depression

 


Do you know how to make a healthy grocery list? If not, then keep on reading!

A balanced diet is necessary for a healthy body. So therefore we need:

• carbohydrates (which include fiber)    
• proteins
• fats
• vitamins
• mineral salts
• water

Nutrients that our bodies need

There are natural substitutes for sugar (refined) but you must understand that these substitutes are still sugar and so they must be eaten in moderation. Do you want to know of some natural substitutes for sugar? In this post, I'm going to list some much healthier options (natural substitutes) for sugar so keep on reading.

Image via pixabay.

What comes to your mind when the word bacteria is mentioned? When we hear the word bacteria we often think that these prokaryotic microorganisms are going to harm us? But did you know that not all bacteria will harm us? The truth is there are bad bacteria as well as good bacteria. These good bacteria are called probiotics and they are needed for a healthy gut and overall good health. There are however different species of probiotics and they are found within the human body.


We form a mutualistic relationship with these good bacteria (probiotics) that live in our gut. This simply means that we both benefit from each other and so we depend on each other.

Bacteria in the gut. Image via pixabay.

Two probiotics are:
Lactobacillus acidophilus
Bacillus subtilis

Where can I obtain probiotics?
Active live cultures of these good bacteria/probiotics are added to certain foods and they cause fermentation to take place in these foods. So, therefore, you can find them in fermented foods. They can also be found in some supplements.

Some fermented foods that contain probiotics are:
                                                       
                                                                 

Yogurt. Image via pixabay.

• yogurt
• kefir
• kimchee
• milk
• miso
• soy
• sour cream
• sauerkraut
• cottage cheese
• dietary supplements

Did you know that we can kill our probiotics?
Yes, we can!
Two ways:

1. The use of antibiotics
2. Unhealthy diets

Read: 10 smart ways to reduce your sugar intake

5 health benefits of probiotics:


Health benefit #1: Probiotics protect us from some harmful pathogens/microorganisms that are found in our bodies. They achieve this by producing substances that hinder the growth of other harmful microorganisms that can cause diseases. So if your good bacteria are killed, then these other bad microorganisms will start to increase/multiply (and eventually flourish) and will in turn harm you. Bottom line they keep bad microorganisms to a limit.

Health benefit #2:
Probiotics are used for the prevention of diarrhea that is caused by taking antibiotics. Diarrhea can occur when you take antibiotics because antibiotics have the ability to kill your good bacteria. 
One such "bad one" is Clostridium difficile and consequently as stated above (health benefit #1) this bacteria will multiply in the absence of the good bacteria. Toxins are released when this happens and will damage the cells lining the intestinal wall and cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, etc. to occur. To prevent this from happening, it is best to take probiotics when you take antibiotics.

Health benefit #3:
The bacteria that are found in our gut (healthy gut) is vital to our well-being! Why? Well, because there is where the absorption of nutrients take place. And these nutrients are needed by all parts of our bodies (cells, tissues, organs you name it) to function. Good bacteria are needed for the absorption of these nutrients.

Health benefit #4:
They help to eliminate toxins from our body.


Health benefit #5:
They are used to produce/manufacture certain B vitamins (such as B6, B12, B3, etc) and  vitamin K from our foods that we eat.

In conclusion, probiotics are vital to our well-being!

Ginger. Image via pixabay.

All around the world, people are using ginger in so many ways. People use ginger in foods and drinks. They even use it to treat certain illness- ginger has many medicinal uses. Ginger provides a natural remedy for many problems associated with the body. This is possible because as you will see below, the nutrients that it contains are very beneficial for the body. These nutrients are needed by the body and that's what makes ginger so effective in treating many conditions.

Image via pixabay

An enormous number of persons are either obese or diabetic (or both) these days! Are you one of them? Excessive intake of sugar has been linked to obesity and diabetes. One can control these medical conditions by simply reducing the amount of sugar that they consume.

Did you know that a large variety of foods and drinks that supermarkets carry contain lots of sugar? If you didn't, then you might be consuming lots of sugar and don't even know it in addition to the ones you knowingly consume. Did you know that our bodies convert the excess sugar that we consume into fat?

We as consumers need to be smart when it comes to the food that we eat!

Below are ways in which you can reduce you sugar intake:

1. Drink less or eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages/drinks
Two (2) examples of sugar-sweetened beverages are sodas and fruit juices. Sweetened store bought fruit juices contain lots of sugar as opposed to home made ones. You can avoid the sugar by making your own fruit juices from fruits at home instead. So the next time you crave orange juice, you can make a freshly squeezed one at home from oranges.

Image via pixabay

2. Reduce the amount of sugar you add to your foods and drinks (or don't always add)
You can also sweeten your drinks with natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, etc.

3. Purchase foods and drinks with reduced sugar or ones that are sugar-free
Some manufacturers produce foods and drinks with reduced sugar and some that are sugar-free.


4. Substitute sweet snacks for healthy snacks
Instead of eating a cupcake, try munching on some carrots instead!
You can also achieve this by:

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!

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.