Good Morning I am so excited to be blogging on my new website. What do you think? Are you enjoying the content? I’d love feedback and now you can comment at the bottom of each blog! I can’t wait to hear from you!
Today I want to talk about cleaning out your pantry. As you walk down this path of healing you will find that things change. Companies get sold to Big Food and what is in our favorite foods change – not always in a good way. Take, for instance, Hellman’s mayonnaise. Do you use it? Do you have some in your pantry or fridge? If so, take it out and read the label. For those that don’t have it, this is what it says: “Contains a BIOENGINEERED ingredient.”
Before I explain the importance of that statement, let’s talk about cleaning out your pantry. This should be done twice a year. Check your labels for things like above, but also for artificial colors, artificial flavors, preservatives, ingredients you don’t know (you know the ones with really long unpronounceable names), and ingredients that are not healthy for you – seed oils, sugar, etc. Pull them out, set them aside, and continue through also checking expiration dates as you go until you are done. As you are going through, if you find things you don’t know what they are – google is your friend. Go check them out so that you understand the food you are using in your meals.
Remember the things you pulled out and ensure that your trips to the grocery store or Co-Op don’t include these. As I said before, things change. I was shocked to find that Hellman’s contained bioengineered ingredients – and if you don’t look for it, you will miss it completely. The fact that it is in small print and practically hidden should tell you something.
Bioengineered and GMO are nearly synonymous.
In essence, all “bioengineered” organisms are GMOs, but not the other way around (Edmisten, NC State University). The term “bioengineered” is more specific than GMOs and is thus, preferred by scientists. GMOs are a little more challenging to define as several techniques can alter the genes of a crop. From Eurofins US
If you are unfamiliar with the issues of GMO foods, consider the following. Why are they modifying our food? What does that mean for me? How does it affect me?
Much of the justification for GMO foods is that they are resistant to pesticides and herbicides. Meaning, the farmers can spray the crap out of them, and they are “not affected.” Another reason is to increase yields especially in areas where crop growing isn’t optimal. They can tout all the good stuff all they want, but if they don’t share the bad side, they are lying to people. Don’t you want to be the person to decide what is best for your consumption?
So, why are GMOs and bioengineered foods bad? Beyond the fact that they are changing the genetic makeup of the food we consume?? Isn’t that bad enough? The changes that are genetically made to GMO foods are not recognized by our bodies. They are considered a foreign substance and are rejected which can cause inflammation and problems in the digestive system. IBS, Leaky Gut, Reflux all can be affected negatively or developed because of GMO foods. Additionally, due to the way that some GMOs and bioengineered foods are created, they may be resistant to antibiotics of any kind. As a result, that person – or animal (that you eat) – may become antibiotic resistant.
This means that if you eat GMO or bioengineered foods or meats, your body will react negatively and increase inflammation and digestive track diseases.
I’ll leave you with several links below so that you can decide for yourself. Clean out that pantry! Get all that bad food out. I highly recommend you toss any prepackaged foods and begin creating wonderful dishes from scratch. If you don’t know where to start, my recipe page has many dishes that can be whipped up in 30 minutes. Try them out and let me know your thoughts!
Recommended reading: What you need to know about Bioengineered (BE) Food Labeling
More recommended reading: GMOs and Bioengineered Food Labeling: What you Need to Know
More recommended reading: What is Bioengineered Food? New Laws, Bioengineered vs. GMO + Risks
If you ever have the chance, push your community to open a cooperative. This will provide you with better sources of dry goods, cured meats, fresh eggs, milk, and cheese that aren’t irradiated.
If you are unfamiliar with Co-Ops check out this link which provides a map of them for the US specific to your area: Food Co-Op Finder. Obviously, this won’t show them all, but it is a good place to start!
Happy Cleaning!
Blessings ~ E