Most Frequently Used GMO Grown Foods – the “Big Five”

On this blog we’ve so far covered the topics like countries that label GMO food, are GMO grown edibles harmful consumed on regular basis and 5 Good Reasons to Choose Organic over GMO Grown Foods. It seems that it’s about time we put some accent on the GMO food itself, right? Let’s introduce most frequently used GMO grown foods – the “Big Five”, as we like to call it.

1.     Soy - Each grocery that contains soy in it has a 93% chances to be GMO, unless it is clearly labeled that it is organically produced. In 2011, the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) exposed an attempt of a Chinese company which used false organic certificates in order to import fake organic food into the US.

2.     Corn - Approximately 88% of US corn is genetically modified. The analysis showed that even some well-known brands of organic corn flakes are largely made from genetically modified corn.

3.     Cotton - Genetically engineered cotton or Bt (biotech) cotton, produced by Monsanto, is currently grown on 25 million hectares around the world, mostly in India, China, Pakistan and the US (although prohibited for growing in Hawaii since 2013). Other countries growing significantly smaller amounts of GM cotton are South Africa, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Columbia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Burma, Australia, and Egypt.

4.     Canola – Meet canola, whose seeds are used for producing cooking oil. Canola oil is considered the healthiest cooking oil due to low levels of saturated fatty acids with plenty of omega-3 fatty acids. But the problem is that today nearly 90 percent of canola is genetically modified.

5.     Sugar Beets - GMO Sugar beet in the US has been allowed since 2005, then banned in 2010 and then again allowed in 2012. GMO sugar beets make 50% of US sugar production.

Negative Effects of Consuming GMO Grown Food

What is the first thing on your mind when you hear the word GMO? Is it the unpleasant overtones of a very dangerous acronym, constant increasing of GMO discussions in the media or the uneasiness you feel deep inside when you think of unforeseeable consequences that GMOs may have on human kind and the entire living world? Generally speaking, most of you are probably familiar with the term GMO. But how much do you really know about genetically modified organisms and negative effects of consuming GMO grown foods? Let’s find out what we know by launching a quick Sherlock Holmes investigation.

How to Form a View about GMO Insanity

                                                                                                                                                            

“Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in your food may make you sick. Studies link GMO’s to toxins, allergies, infertility, infant mortality, immune dysfunction, stunted growth, accelerated aging, and death” - Institute for Responsible Technology

Judging by what the organic food experts have to say, avoiding GMO grown foods would honestly be a smart thing to do. But don’t take our “organic” word for it, have a look at what facts have to say about GMOs:

                                                                                               USDA – Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States, 1996-2015

·      Genetically modified food is derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

·      GMO’s can be defined as organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in an artificial way, wherein the technology used for such an alternation is referred to as genetic engineering

·      GMO grown foods can also be produced by entering selected gene from one organism into another, even among species that are not related.

·      Inserting of new genes gives birth to some of the desired features; some of them are resistance to pests, herbicides, various diseases, drought, cold, increased yield, etc. However, the adverse effects of consuming these foods are almost incalculable.

A Flying Tomato

With biotechnology, tomatoes are no longer just tomatoes. They are crossed with birds, fish with pigs, corn with flies, lilies with grasshoppers. These are merely tips of the iceberg of possible catastrophe that can be better understood if you take a look at how are GMO grown veggies/fruits different from natural, heirlooms or organic. Most predictable and largely proven dangers of consuming GMO grown foods like “flying” tomatoes have been around us for quite a while, causing the following severe effects on human health:

1.     Deaths and near-Deaths

2.     Food Allergy Reactions

3.     Cancer and Degenerative Diseases

4.     Non-traceable Effects on Cancer Rates

5.     Super Viruses

6.     Interior Toxins

7.     Creation of Infectious Diseases

8.     Birth Defects and Shorter Life Spans

9.     Lowered Nutrition

Of course, large multinational agrochemical and agricultural companies like the notorious Monsanto don’t care much about the healthy future of human race, living beings, ecosystem, and nature in general. 

Photo source: www.inspirationgreen.com – Negative Effects of Consuming GMO Grown Foods

 What’s more, risk assessments of GMO foods usage are being made by the very companies that produce this sort of foods. Most of these tests have never been published or subjected to additional independent researches. In 2000, a survey conducted in Spain, showed that out of forty genetically modified crops examined worldwide, only eight studies were published. That barely reached the poor 20% score.

Your Life - Your Food Choice

Now, the question is what move about your diet will you make? The truth is that often we are not even aware of the negative effects of GM foods, which are usually cunningly disguised by large corporation’s stories of cheap and nontoxic food. If you believe in them, you can easily end up with finding yourself one morning with a GMO salad on top of your head instead of hair. Although, most men without hair would probably go for every option in order to get at least something growing on their sculls. 

Back to being serious, the first and only interest should be your health, where you must not allow corporate powers to poison you with who knows what, just because of their insatiable and sick desire for profit. Our planet has enough resources and enough potential for the production of environmentally safe and acceptable organic food. Remember that your choice today will be your children’s future tomorrow.

Scary consequences of poisonous agrochemicals used by Monsanto

By Michael Warren and Natacha Pisarenko / overgrowthesystem.com

Recently, my attention was caught by the article, revealing shocking evidence of consequences by using poisonous pesticides and agrochemicals for crops in Argentina. It's hard to understand, what price these people have to pay...

To read the whole article and see more pictures you can visit this link: http://www.filmsforaction.org/articles/argentina-the-country-that-monsanto-poisoned/

What is determinate/indeterminate & semi determinate tomatoes?

Often, reading about different varieties of tomatoes, we face the terms such as determinate/indeterminate or semi-determinate. What is the meaning and difference between the three?

Determinate tomato - this type of tomatoes are often referred as 'bush' tomato, because they are generally shorter and do not continue growing in size throughout the growing season. Determinate varieties are generally shorter and more compact compare to indeterminate varieties. Pruning for this type of tomatoes is not recommended. Most of determinate plants grows up to 60-90cm (2-3ft) tall and requires little or no stacking. Tomatoes grow to a fixed mature size and ripen all the fruits in a short period (usually within 2-3 weeks). Once the first flush of fruits will ripen, the plant will start to diminish and set little or no new fruits. When the terminal buds set fruits, the plant stops growing and the fruits will be set at the end of the branches. 

The major advantage of planting determinate varieties is early & fast harvest with a large amount of tomatoes all at one time.

Indeterminate tomato - often referred as 'vine' tomatoes, as they will continue growing and producing new blossoms even after the fruits are set. Indeterminate varieties produce fruit clusters along their stems. The plants will continue to grow and produce fruits until the frost kill the vine. Otherwise, they will produce stems, leaves and fruits as long as they are alive. Harvest may  continue for several months. Indeterminate varieties require strong stacking to support heavy plants. 

Majority of tomatoes are indeterminate.

Semi-determinate plants, as the name suggest are in between the determinate and indeterminate. The plants are usually larger compare to determinate varieties but smaller than indeterminate plants growing 90-150cm (3-5ft).