GMO

GMO. Genetically Modified Organism. Genetic Engineering.  These words are thrown around all the time, but what exactly do they mean? I was listening to my favorite talk show host on the radio a few weeks back, and he was interviewing a farmer and a dietitian about genetically modified crops.  And now this is a topic I am passionate about and usually when I am passionate about something on this show, I text in.  As I listened to the conversation about genetic engineering and how this dietitian was stating how we are so lucky to live in a country that our food is so safe, my heart started pounding and I was trying to articulate my facts and opinions about this topic fast enough to text in.  The information swarmed in my head, but I couldn’t get to my point fast enough.

I decided to get the information I know about GMO out there and how it affects you from a nutritional standpoint, so people can make up their own decision.

Genetic Engineering is when scientists take two different seeds or organisms, one seed from north America, for example, and another from another continent that would never otherwise cross pollinate, and they create a plant or an organism that that would never existed in nature.  They contain similar properties but are not the same as the original seeds.  Studies have been conducted on these genetically modified organisms or plants, and they prove to be "SIMILAR" to the proteins from the original plants but not IDENTICAL.

A study done in the UK on GMO potatoes fed to rats showed that they caused stress on the digestion and definitely strains the immune system. Scientist recognize GM potatoes as alien. 

The problem with humans ingesting proteins that are similar, but not identical to proteins found in food is that our bodies do not know how to recognize these proteins.  Our body is extremely smart where it is designed to create enzymes that break down the proteins we ingest into amino acids that our body need to function optimally. When our body is breaking down proteins that are similar, but not identical to the food it is supposed to be like, our body doesn’t recognize these proteins and cannot absorb them, therefor they are identified by our bodies as chemicals or toxins that float around our blood, and that now have to be filtered by our livers, the mastermind behind our body’s detoxification system. 

When the liver is over burdened by the detoxification process, it gets clogged up, it can no longer do any of the other tasks it is required to do such as:

• Stores bile
• Regulates hormones
• Metabolizes fats
• Stores nutrients
• Filters the blood
• Stores glucose
• Regulates cholesterol

And many many, other amazing jobs to keep our body’s functioning.

If we are constantly eating genetically modified foods that contain proteins that are similar to, but not foods, and are void of nutrients, our liver is constantly working on eliminating these foreign proteins and you start getting symptoms of a sluggish liver which are:

• PMS
• Fibrocystic breasts in woman
• Gynecomastia (breast enlargement in men)
• Hypoglycemia
• Food Allergies and sensitivities
• Chemical hypersensitivities
• Elevated blood cholesterol
• Fatigue, Depression, Headaches and Dizziness
• Difficulty getting up in the morning
• Nausea
• Bad Breath
• Constipation
• Bloating
• Greasy stools
• Intolerance to ingested fats
• Tender liver, gallbladder problems
• Itchy, peeling or dry skin.
• Psoriasis
• Rashes
• Fat- soluble vitamin deficiencies (A, E, D and K)
• Weak or achy joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons
• Emotional excess, moodiness
• Puffy eyelids, or dark circles under the eyes
• Inability to fall asleep

An under functioning liver will also affect digestion of anything else that in ingested as the liver is responsible for regulating the bile that flows to the duodenum (the space between the stomach and your small intestines) causing problems such as too much or too little bile in the system.  One of the functions of bile is to disinfect the colon: too little leads to constipation, too much causes gastrointestinal irritations.
​
Very little studies have been done on the safety of human consumption of genetically modified organisms. The GM seeds are designed and created to withstand round up ready pesticide.  When round up ready pesticide is sprayed on the crops of the genetic engineered seeds, it continues to grow while the organic plants around it such as the weeds, all die. These chemicals kill organic organisms, but the genetic engineered crops still grow after being sprayed.  You cannot wash round up ready off plants.  When we consume GMO foods, not only are we eating foreign proteins, but also the chemicals that are sprayed on them. The most common GM crops are

• CORN
• CANOLA
• SOY

But that’s not to say that there are not others, these are just the most common.
​
Now, that you know how a genetically engineered organism can affect your body on a digestive level, do you want to be ingesting them?