Why GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) are a Bad Idea

An astounding amount of food produced in this country is now genetically modified - especially corn and soy products, which are used in almost all processed foods. The idea behind GMOs is to make food resistent to pesticides and diseases, while simultaneously promoting their growth. While this sounds like a good idea in theory, in practice, we don't actually know what the effects of GMOs on humans are - there haven't been adequate studies. Studies that have been done on rats and hampsters, however, have shown that animals fed diets high in GMOs had significant reproductive problems and growth retardation.

Not only are there very real potential health problems, we have no idea what the long term effects of GMOs on the planet are. Rapidly changing the genetic makeup of plants and animals will effect the ecosystem. Just think about how devastating the effects of introducing new species of plants and animals to stable ecosystems that have no way of dealing with the newcomers has been. Entire species have died out, as well as new ones taking over and becoming horrible pests.

One of the worst aspects of GMOs is that in the US it is not required that products are labeled as being genetically modified, so unless you are actively avoiding them and know what to look for, you are consuming GMOs all the time. An article in the Huffington Post lists the top 10 reasons why we should be labeling GMOs (click on the links in each picture to read more).

For a downloadable guide to non-GMO shopping, go here. The best way to keep yourself GMO free is to eat organic, non-processed foods, and to make sure that the animal products you eat haven't been fed GMOs.