Food Allergies and GMOs

The Truth about Food Allergies May be Hard to Stomach

Do you remember when food allergies and sensitivities were almost never heard of?  That was before more than 80,000 man- made chemicals were dumped into our water, air and soil beginning in the 1980s.₂ It was before genetically modified foods hit the supermarket shelves in an estimated 30,000 products.₃

Since 1990 there has been a reported 265% increase in allergy related visits to hospital emergency rooms. Peanut allergy cases doubled between 1997 and 2002. One in three children are diagnosed with autism, and/or ADD related to food allergies.₁ It seems like no family is left untouched by the food reactions epidemic.

Since 1994, Health Canada has approved the sale of over 81 genetically modified (GM) foods, including canola, corn, lentils, potatoes, rice, soybeans, squash, tomatoes and wheat. Our government has deemed many GM foods to be safe, however, no studies have been done to substantiate this.

Are these foods safe? Doctors in Quebec discovered that the Bt toxin which is present in Monsanto's "safe" GMO seeds  and which kills insects by rupturing their stomachs, was circulating in the blood of 93% of pregnant woman tested and 80% of their unborn babies.

As a Canadian consumer, you will likely not know if the foods that you buy have been genetically modified since there is no mandatory food labeling of GM ingredients. GM corn can be used in many other foods such as cereal, yogurt, frozen entrees and canned soup. In other parts of the world like Europe, it is mandatory to label GM foods.₄ For export only, our food industry giants reformulate their products to comply with non GMO standards.

What can we do right now to protect our health and reduce adverse food reactions?

1. Eat natural, whole, organic foods

Learn what labels and produce stickers mean

• A 4 digit PLU code means grown "traditionally" with pesticides.
• Five digits starting with "8" means it is genetically modified.
• Organic produce will have a 5 digit number beginning with "9".

Organic foods by definition cannot be genetically manipulated, or grown in soils with chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides for at least 3 years.

Look for labels that state "Non GMO" and "Made without genetically modified ingredients".  

2. Avoid eating packaged, processed foods

 Avoid packaged foods containing soy, corn, and vegetable oils (especially canola) artificial and corn syrup sweeteners. Beware of commercially raised meat, fish, eggs or dairy where the animals have been fed GM foods as again, long term health effects to humans are not yet known.

3. Monitor your food intake and note our body's reactions

If you react to only a few foods or chemicals, try abstention to see if your health changes. If you react to many foods or toxins, do not experience change from eliminating them from your diet, or if you have other unresolved health issues that you suspect are food related, then you might seek help from a practitioner trained in an allergy elimination technique.

When it comes to healthy food choices for you and your family, you cannot be too vigilant. As a consumer, you have the right to demand a healthier food supply in the grocery stores. 

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Cathy Lidster, Health Educator/Nutrition Practitioner offers free nutrition classes monthly (see ad for schedule).  She can be reached at Centennial Building Wellness Centre, 250-819-9041, or cathylidster@gmail.com

References:  1- Unhealthy Truth, Robyn O'Brien, 2009 Broadway Books; 2- Physicians for Social Responsibility, www.psr.org; 3 - Dr. Curt Hamilton, CCN, and Science & Environmental Health Network; Health Canada, http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/. 4 -www.eatrightontario.ca