Say No to GMO

Written by Jen Tran, BSCN RN

Diet and nutrition for our kids can have us pulling our hair out. One day they’re exploring new foods and gobbling up their green veggies, and the next day you can’t even sneak the good stuff into a smoothie. Suddenly your kiddo will only consume crackers and mac and cheese without an epic meltdown.

Frustrating much?

We have so much more information about healthy eating compared to what our parents knew back in the day. The food choices we make for ourselves and our kids can impact and improve our health long term, with lasting benefits for healthy eating habits and even lessening the likelihood of cancer in adulthood.

A really simple choice you can implement right way is nourishing your family with fruits and vegetables and choosing healthy diet with Non-GMO foods.

GMO stands for genetically modified organisms, which essentially translates to foods that have been changed in a way that does not occur naturally.

There are lots of reasons to be weary of GMOs — pesticides and superweeds, environmental harm, and the list goes on. Most notably, as a young woman, studies have often shown negative impacts on fertility and infant health.

This lead me to begin a clean eating habit once I was pregnant with my little guy. I paid careful attention to what I was eating, because he was essentially having everything that I did.

Being more conscious and aware of the ingredients somehow took me down a rabbit hole of GMO and really woke me to the reality of what we put into our body everyday.

It might surprise you to know that GMOs are found in almost 90% of formulas… in either soy or dairy.

Health effects seen in animals fed GMO foods:

Poor growth
Damaged immune and organ systems
Gene expression changes
Infertility and reduced litter sizes
Birth defects
Shortened life spans
Accelerated aging
Increased disease rates

Health effects seen in people fed GMO foods:

Allergic reactions and skin issues
Antibiotic resistance
Neurological problems and pain
Headaches
GMO-programmed pesticides in women and their babies
Immune system suppression
Increased chronic disease, such as irritable bowel

Don’t be overwhelmed. As mothers, we want the best for our children. Improving their diet is important. Keep it simple. You can start just start by putting a little more thought into your choices at the grocery store.

“I paid attention to everything I was eating because he was essentially consuming everything that I was”.

Here are some tips for finding Non-GMO. You just need to ask, and answer, three simple questions about food:

What are the ingredients?
Are these ingredients nutritious?
Where do these ingredients come from?

By asking these three questions you’ll put yourself—and your loved ones—on the path to a healthier diet.

Also look for the following:

Eat whole, unprocessed foods. By choosing fresh fruits and vegetables and bulk grains and beans you can easily avoid most GMO risk crops.
Look for the seal. Look for the butterfly to be sure that what you’re buying have been tested for GMOs. For the gold standard in product sourcing, look for the Non-GMO Project Verified label AND the USDA organic label. Although organic products are not tested for GMOs, the organic label is your assurance that rigorous practices have been followed for avoidance of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. The two labels together signify the safest, healthiest products you can buy for your family.
Choose Non-GMO Project Verified supplements. From prenatal vitamins to fish oil, your doctor has likely advised supplements during pregnancy and postpartum. You take these specifically for your health, so it’s very important that they be Non-GMO. High risk GMO are common in vitamins and supplements, so choose products that are verified by the Non-GMO Project’s rigorous standard.
If you eat animal products, you are what they eat. Most GMOs grown are used for animal feed. It takes significant commitment and effort to source Non-GMO corn and soy, and the Non-GMO Project label is the only third party assurance that the feed has been tested for GMOs.

Don’t let this keep you up at night, or throw the contents of your entire pantry in the green bin! Start small and simple with smart choices at the store and have your kids explore and select new healthy recipes with you.