When I studied life sciences in school, I studied that ancient fruits were not the same what we eat today. The way animals and humans evolved and they got genetically modified based on the environment and adaptability, but in case of food items, humans developed modified genes to modify them. Earlier, bananas and grapes used to have multiple seeds and were never sweet and juicy what we get today. Even pineapples, papayas and squashes are also genetically modified.
What is Genetic Modification Organisms (GMO)?
Genetic modification (GM) is the scientific technology through which scientists insert modified DNA into the genes of a living organism. If the scientists are planning to genetically modify a specific plant, then they will insert the newly modified genes within the pre-existing plant genome. The Royal Society says that characteristic features of all living organisms vary from one another and their interaction and adaptability changes as per the changes in environment which shows up.
Nowadays, you will see a tag “GMO” on the packaging of many food brands. You can mainly see this on the packages of pasta, breads, sauces, lentils, legumes, noodles, ready to eat food gravies, frozen fruits, etc. GMO-free means food items which are NOT genetically modified. Once the GM process is done in the labs, the new seeds/saplings will automatically adopt the new genome of the modified structure.
Even if you plan to plant the seeds of some chilies or coriander, only the genetically modified version will come out from the seeds; until and unless you are doing it from the organic and GMO-free seeds.
Sharing a YouTube video link for your better understanding. https://youtu.be/M5Qly-VQfbo
Why GMO food items are harmful?
Don’t know how many of you have noticed this, but the ancient form of fruits and vegetables were smaller in size and less juicy. They were high with fibre content. These days, most of the teenagers and youngsters are suffering from type 2 diabetes or abnormal glucose fluctuations. Somehow the GM food items are closely involved in this. As the fruits are juicier and sweeter, people are facing sudden glucose fluctuations in their body which they are not aware off.
Jessie Inchauspé in her 2022 book named “The Glucose Revolution” mentioned how our diet is mainly responsible for diabetes, PCOS, inflammation, psychological disorders and so on. That’s why she is suggesting people to consume whole food, which are organically produced, tested and coming straight from the farms to the local shops. She also says that, blood sugar is a tiny molecule in our body but is highly responsible for many diseases, if not taken care at the proper time.
In 2022, FDA recognised, Alzheimer’s as type 3 diabetes. Here’s the simple equation I understood by reading research papers and by listening to the scientists over the last 5 years.
We eat sugary, starchy and deep fried food —> It converts into glucose inside our body —> It impacts the mitochondria (generate chemical energy which is important for the cells of our body to function) —> it swoops in all the unnecessary fat and insulin and stores within our cells and muscles —> that’s how we gain weight, find weight loss difficult —> leads to diseases like type 2 diabetes, hyperthyroid, obesity, PCOS, PCOD, low energy, fatty liver, respiratory issues, unnecessary dopamine hit —> Leads to more frequent sugar cravings —> and the cycle continues from the beginning
Solution to remove GMO from your diet
Now after reading all of the above facts, you all must be thinking, how to remove GMO from our diet. GMO food are very common nowadays. Specially, at supermarkets most of the vegetables and fruits are genetically modified, which they don’t mention most of the times. Here are 3 simple tips:
- Go ORGANIC: It’s always better, when it’s natural. You have to make this proverb as an ultimate tip to buy healthy kitchen supplies. Always visit organic stores and buy from there. It might be slightly expensive than the GM food items, but at the end of the day it’s a healthier choice.
- Ensure NON-GMO labels: Before buying your required food items, always turn the package and check for the non-GMO labels. It’s a certification approved by that state/country’s government and that approval comes after several levels of lab testing.
- Avoid high risk ingredients: There are few high risk ingredients which are highly unhealthy and are mostly genetically modified. Such as, corn, sugar, soy, canola oil and cotton seed. These are known as big 5 GM ingredients.
Mindfulness is the key over here. If you are being a clever and mindful buyer for your kitchen, then you can easily avoid consuming genetically modified food items. Try to keep your infants’ and toddlers’ food as natural as you can because GM can slowly poison their system without you knowing about it.
We keep saying that, our grandparents generation was way healthier than us. They used to eat pure and non-adulterated food. Their food grains, vegetables and fruits were mostly organic and non-modified in any form. So their body cells received all the healthy ingredients to grow and built their own ecosystem to survive longer without major health issues. Its high time that we can bring up the same today to protect ourselves and the generations to come.