Cutting down on GMO's... Where to start???

bergerbride

It all started when I started looking for a formula to supplement my 5 month old bf baby. My mom mentioned that I should make sure it doesn't have GMO's... So I checked and was shocked to find only ONE infant formula made without GMO's!! Now I'm freaking out after researching a bit more... GMO's are in nearly everything I eat!!!!   I was thinking about trying to cut some of it out... But where to start? Is organic enough? Or am I totally overreacting?? I never thought that much into it...but my dad passed away if cancer so now my mom is constantly on me about what Im feeding my family  

monlyn9

I suggest checking out the website 100daysofrealfood.com. She has a lot of useful information. Anything that is organic is automatically GMO free. If you have a Meijer in your area, their line of Meijer Naturals is all GMO free. They have lots of products available. I also think that any Trader Joe's brand item is GMO free. There is a free app from the Non-GMO project that gives products and brands that are free of GMOs.

Breesy14

It may be helpful to know that the term GMO covers a very wide variety of foods.  All of the wheat processed and sold in America is GMO as is something like 97% corn and 95% soy products.  EVERYTHING that contains variations of these products could potentially be labeled as a GMO.  Some GMOs are good - hardier, healthier plants that produce more and are naturally pest resistant.  Some GMO's are bad - modified in unnatural ways that have untested longterm effects on people.  Also the term GMO is not well regulated by the FDA.

 

National Geographic Magazine recently ran a very well researched article about this.  It was maybe in April??  Probably can find the article online.

 

Check the FDA website for more information.  Stay away from Monsanto if you can - they practically own everything though! (google list of Monsanto products)

 

It is SO SO SO important to do your research and check your sources.  There are so many sides to this story!  Personally, I fear pesticides and pollution more than GMOs.  It is more harmful in the short and long term.  GL with your search.

bergerbride

Thanks ladies!! I'm off to do more research...  

pb_bride

Like PPs said, buying organic is one option.  I SAH so I have time to cook from scratch, meaning that I use mostly fresh ingredients and avoid processed foods as much as possible (including sauces, or so-called "meal helpers").  I read ingredients list, basically the shorter the list, the better it is.

bennikki

As PP's have said, the term GMO is very broad.  As a society we have been genetically modifying our food for centuries in order to grow heartier, sweeter, higher yielding, more palatable produce and animal products.  

We eat whole foods and no grains in our house, so I don't have to concern myself with "round-up ready" corn, wheat, or soy.  These 3 are what I would really worry about!  

I've heard you can make your own baby formula.  You might want to look into that.  Then you know exactly what your child is getting.

bnik

ORganic Is Great. Its Obviously Late In Growing Season But Next Year Im Going To Do A Window Box GardeN For The Veggies We Eat Most. TheN I Will Can Stuff Myself. I Also Buy StuffWhen Its A Good Deal For Sauce Ir Dinners And Freeze It .

lcherian

This is not true. GMOs have only existed since the 90's. It is nowhere near the same as hybridization, which is what you are referring to.

bennikki said:

As PP's have said, the term GMO is very broad.  As a society we have been genetically modifying our food for centuries in order to grow heartier, sweeter, higher yielding, more palatable produce and animal products.  

We eat whole foods and no grains in our house, so I don't have to concern myself with "round-up ready" corn, wheat, or soy.  These 3 are what I would really worry about!  

I've heard you can make your own baby formula.  You might want to look into that.  Then you know exactly what your child is getting.

DawnLilly

If this were me... I'm prepared for flaming... Go straight to milk. Not store bought pasturized homogonized comes in a plastic carton stuff. Goats milk or raw cows milk. The bacteria called campylobactor is what people transitioning to raw milk sometimes have trouble with but your body will adjust and become immune to it. My son seems to have no trouble with it but 5 years ago when I started drinking it I got stomach cramps. Ask the supplier what their somatic cell count is. Anything under 250,000 is okay but aim for one with a consistent rating below 200,000.

GMOs surprised you, look up the milk they've been pushing 3-5 servings a day of for decades. I would suggest raw milk over a powdered formula milk substitute. Also, avocados provide many of the same nutritional benefits as milk but i realize she's only 5 months old. Something to look into for down the road is also Almond milk but I don't know much about it and introducing a tree nut product to someone so young.

I realize your direct question wasn't about formula but I'm a dairy farmers wife so.... I also suggest Meijer Brand Naturals if you have one in your area.

Amores0121

DawnLilly said:

If this were me... I'm prepared for flaming... Go straight to milk. Not store bought pasturized homogonized comes in a plastic carton stuff. Goats milk or raw cows milk. The bacteria called campylobactor is what people transitioning to raw milk sometimes have trouble with but your body will adjust and become immune to it. My son seems to have no trouble with it but 5 years ago when I started drinking it I got stomach cramps. Ask the supplier what their somatic cell count is. Anything under 250,000 is okay but aim for one with a consistent rating below 200,000. GMOs surprised you, look up the milk they've been pushing 3-5 servings a day of for decades. I would suggest raw milk over a powdered formula milk substitute. Also, avocados provide many of the same nutritional benefits as milk but i realize she's only 5 months old. Something to look into for down the road is also Almond milk but I don't know much about it and introducing a tree nut product to someone so young. I realize your direct question wasn't about formula but I'm a dairy farmers wife so.... I also suggest Meijer Brand Naturals if you have one in your area.

In my state, buying raw milk is illegal. After finding out what was in milk, I did my research and saw that raw milk was best, but then found out I couldn't legally buy it. So I switched to Almond milk. Which I really like, but  my DH and DD did not. So I switched to organic milk and stopped buy Almond b/c it was getting wasted. But then I started going to a store that sells local farmers meat/butter/milk and other good stuff and started buying milk from there. It is cheaper than the store and while it is not organic, it is hormone and all that other crap-free. 

I try to do my best to limit high fructose corn syrup and also have started buying things with less ingredients. But at the same time, I don't have the $ to buy ALL organic and everything all natural. It just costs to much. I buy the things that are most important to me-milk, eggs, meat, chicken and try to get the rest with the least amount of ingredients as possible/or make from scratch. It's a process. And it's really hard when you live check to check. If I had a lot more money to spend I would try to buy everything natural and GMO free!

magdusia

check this out.  https://www.ewg.org/ (environmental working group - great starting resource)

I accidentally just stumbled upon this page.  We're about 90% GMO free in my house.  I started learning about it 3 years ago after my son was diagnosed with food allergies (milk/eggs/nuts/sesame/soy) -he's outgrown a few since.  So we buy almost everything organic.  All fruit, even the ones with hard shell on it (especially bananas).  

I have an app on my phone called NxtNutrio (has an eggplant on it) which allows me to create a profile and add what to watch out for (in my case it's my son's allergies and GMO) so when i shop i can scan the food and it will alert me if it has any of the ones i put in my profile. 

We do have processed food in the house but i'm hoping to eventually take my family to a Altered Vegeterian paleo diet.  I'm already a vegeterian but not my boys. Paleo diet pretty much like a caveman diet, there is absolutely NO processed foods. 

magdusia

Here is my favorite TED video by Robyn O'Brien.  It will blow your mind (at least it was life changing for me)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rixyrCNVVGA

LittleNugget93

I aim for buying products with the least amount of ingredients, no artificial colors, flavors, or "enriched" foods. Anything that is enriched has been so over processed that it actually, on it's own, no longer has any nutritional value and therefore needs to be enriched with more processed vitamins and minerals. Annie's is one of my favorite brands. I also absolutely LOVE Ezekiel bread. Look to see if you have a Mother's store in your neighborhood. They have a lot of great GMO free brands

111emd

Gmo's are one of my very favorite topics!  I like this website that my SIL got me into: https://foodbabe.com/

Pintrest, strangely enough, is also a great resource, just search GMO and lot's of information becomes available. 

I don't have a baby yet, so I cannot recommend a non GMO formula, however if you were to listen to the PP's you need to make yourself aware of the laws where you are because I have heard about children being taken away from parents who give them raw milk. It's absurd to me that something that has been considered nourishing for so many years is now deemed dangerous and franken formula is being shoved down babies throats. It's disgusting. But, that's where we are in America. If you do choose to go with raw milk, do not EVER tell your pediatrician!  

ki06

@bergerbride USDA laws has stated that for something to be certified Organic it has to be  non GMO as well.
Organic = Non GMO always