There are many different diets out there. Diets to lose weight, diets to watch your sodium intake, diets that are good for your heart, diets for anti-again and many more. There are also diets that are more lifestyle eating plan specific such as raw food diet, vegan diet, and eating clean diet. I have been really interested in eating clean lately. With all the artificial flavors, colors, additives and chemicals being put in our foods, its really got me worried. Then we come to how our food is processed and sold to us and that makes me worry even more! That brings me to GMO (genetically modified organism) foods and non-organic foods.

GMO’s are foods that have been altered using genetic engineering techniques. There are many questions raised these days on wether or not they are safe to eat and many protests about food being labeled that its been Genetically Modified. Just today some shocking findings were released in a study regarding genetically modified foods (GMOs) and Roundup (weed killer) sprayed foods.

Scientists in France discovered extreme negative health impacts were found in rats when fed GMO foods and foods that were sprayed with Roundup. They found the rats had increased tumors, multiple organ damage and all of this usually led to premature death. ”During the two-year study, the scientists found that up to 50% of the male rats and 70% of females that ate genetically modified corn…died prematurely. That compared to a 30% (male) and 20% (female) mortality rate among control rats that ate conventional corn without Roundup.” There had been studies done before but this one was longer than past studies, so it got a better view of what will happen over a longer period of time. As soon as 4 months hit, the rats showed tumor growth and it just went downhill from there.

I personally am completely disgusted by this and cannot believe these companies that are feeding us these “poisonous” foods can have a clear conscious with what they are doing.

To stay away from GMO or Roundup sprayed foods I suggest buying Certified USDA Organic. This includes any pre-packaged products. Say you are buying a baking mix to make a cake and it has sugar in it – well, make sure the package says “Certified USDA Organic” and you can avoid the GMO sugar. When shopping for produce, seek out farmers markets where you can ask the farmers directly wether their produce is GMO. But the best thing you can do is to start your own organic garden, if you have the space. I don’t have the space for a garden so I did a little research for myself and wanted to help you out a little by giving a list of foods to definitely avoid when trying to stay away from GMO foods.

1. CORN – Most people know, corn is the most genetically modified food in the US. This is done to create its own insecticide. And corn is in practically everything, so keep your eyes on your food labels if you’re purchasing pre-packaged goods. And keep in mind that if you are a meat eater – the animals that were slaughtered for your food were most definitely eating this corn in their feed.
2. SOYBEAN – Is genetically engineered to resist Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup. This includes any soy product: soy milk, tofu, soybean oil, soy flour and can be found in many other products. Check your labels for un-organic soy.
3. ASPERTAME – A synthesized toxic chemical used in many, many products (please check labels). Used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages.
4. SUGAR – From sugar beets. Apparently, Monsanto has been ordered to remove sugar beet seeds from the soil due to illegal approval. They are constantly involved in court cases with the USDA regarding sugar beets. Seek out organic sugar or sugar that comes from other sources.
5. CANOLA OIL – Avoid this – it comes from rapeseed oil which is one of the highest chemically altered foods, and to create canola oil it goes through even more chemical processes. Just NOT GOOD! Could be found in snack foods, baked products and other fried foods, so check labels or ask.
6. PAPAYA – These GMO papayas are grown in Hawaii, they are grown to resist viruses. Check labels on where they are from and buy organic when possible.
7. DAIRY – Always be aware of what you are consuming and where it comes from – for example – milk comes from cows and most cows in the US are shot up with hormones. You drink the milk, you drink the hormones. One fifth of all dairy cows in the US are pumped up with the hormone rBGH (which has been banned in 27 other countries, by the way). If you buy milk, buy organic.
8. MEAT – This includes chicken, beef, pork or any other meat product you consume. These animals that are slaughtered for your food have most likely eaten GMO feed. Plus, like I stated above, they are shot up with hormones usually. Buy organic when you can.
9. COTTONSEED OIL – Found in many products such as fried foods, snack foods, baked goods, and blended vegetable oils. (I cannot stress enough how important it is to read labels.)
10. VEGETABLE OIL – Most vegetable oil and margarine found in restaurant foods and processed foods made in North America are GMO. Unless it says non-GMO or organic, avoid it. Kinda scary eating out if you ask me.
11. VITAMINS – I never knew this but, Vitamins are usually derived from GMO products such as corn and soy. Read labels to see where yours come from.

This is only a handful of products that are genetically modified. Be aware of what you put in your body. This is just as important as following a diet plan to lose weight or halt aging or watch your sodium intake. GMO foods can lead to health problems in the future. I plan to be proactive about my health by watching what I put in my mouth.