Tag Archives: GMOs

Avoid GMOs with These Summer Snacks

The non-GMO movement is gaining steam as more companies are pushing for better labeling of products that contain GMO labeling. Some are even declaring themselves completely free of GMOs. Ben and Jerry’s became the second major food company, after Whole Foods, to commit to only non-GMO products. They plan to work on the transition through the rest of the year and complete it in 2024.

Ben and Jerry'sSeveral Ben and Jerry’s flavors are already GMO free, including Chocolate, Vanilla, Cherry Garcia, and Mint Chocolate Chunk. That flavor list will slowly expand over the course of the year as ingredients are switched to non-GMO and Fairtrade Certified. Now that you can buy ice cream without having to worry about GMOs, why not try some other non-GMO snacks this summer? We’ve put together a list of some brands that are committed to great, natural food. (more…)

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Elizabeth

President Obama Signs Monsanto Protection Act Into Law, Angering Protestors

monsanto

  • On Tuesday, President Obama signed a spending bill, HR 933 continuing resolution, into law. Included in HR 933 is the controversial Section 735, the provision now know as the “Monsanto Protection Act.”
  • The Monsanto Protection Act effectively prevents the federal courts from halting the sale or planting of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetically engineered (GE) seeds and crops regardless of what health consequences may result from the consumption of those products in the future.
  • A major concern is that not enough research has been done on the health risks of GMOs and GE products. If health risks were to become apparent in the future, the Monsanto Protection Act would remove the judicial power to prevent companies from selling them. (more…)
Posted on March 28, 2024 by Elizabeth

Your Wheat Addiction is Making You Fat, Says Wheat Belly Author on Dr. Oz

Dr. Oz asks “are you addicted to wheat?”on his December 3 show. Oz invites William Davis, MD, author of Wheat Belly, to share his opinion on how modern wheat is destructive to human health.

“Nobody, no human, nobody in this audience should be eating this modern creation of genetics research,” says Davis, a cardiologist, on the show. He posits that the wheat today, which is genetically modified, has negative implications that were never anticipated when scientists started producing sturdier, mass-produced crops.

In Wheat Belly, Davis also writes that not only is wheat unhealthy, it is poisonous and addictive. Wheat is poisonous, he says, because it has so many adverse effects on humans. “There’s not an organ system or condition that has not been related to consumption of modern wheat,” Davis tells Oz.

Davis links wheat to stimulating brain receptors into wanting more refined carbohydrates, much in the same way heroin and opium produce cravings. He says that this adds around 440 calories per day to wheat eaters, a number that soon adds up and packs on belly fat.  (more…)

Posted on December 3, 2023 by SarahS

HealthBuzz November 2: Halloween Candy Buy Back, GMO Facts, and Halloween Candy Recipes

We are hours away from the weekend, which means it is time for your weekly dose of healthy news! This week we have rounded up stories from Entertainment Weekly, Best Life Diet, and Yahoo! Shine. And while Halloween may be over, we’ve got treats that can be made with your leftover candy.

Eating Healthy on $12 Per Day Food Stamp Budget is Impossible and How the Next President May Make it Worse

With the elections coming up, government programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, could be changed drastically. DIR’s staff writer Lacy J. Hansen tried to feed her family healthy meals on a food stamp budget and barely made it. Read about Lacy’s food stamp project and tell us what you think!

Vanessa Lembo Lost 120 Pounds After Deciding She Was Worth The Change

This week’s true weight loss story features Vanessa from Upstate New York. After Vanessa’s mother’s passed, she knew she had to start living a healthy life. She ditched the bags of Dove chocolate for cardio and weight training. Tell us what you think about Vanessa’s weight loss journey!

Kids Sell Halloween Candy for Cash at Dental Buy Back Programs Across the Country

There is a new trend sweeping the nation – kids selling their Halloween candy back to dentist offices. Tooth decay and cavities are a result of children eating loads of Halloween candy. We found one kid who received $22 for selling his Halloween candy to a local dentist office! This is a neat way to get rid of the sugar high will still giving them a reason to celebrate. (more…)

Posted on November 2, 2023 by Samantha

7 Facts About GMOs to Convince You to Vote Yes on 37

Surely you’ve been hearing the buzz about GMOs by now.  As the vote in California is just around the corner, many more groups are talking about this controversial topic. In case you aren’t sure what all the talk is about, the California ballot next month will ask voters to pass a law to require labeling of GMOs, or Genetically Modified Organisms. If you haven’t decided where you stand about this subject, here are 7 facts about GMOs we hope will persuade you to vote Yes on 37.

1. A GMO is a Food with Altered DNA. Before we get too caught up in the details, let’s start at the beginning and define what a GMO is. GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. Much of our food supply is comprised of these organisms. A genetically modified food is a plant or meat that has had its DNA altered in a lab. Genes from other plants or organisms have been artificially altered to create unnatural compounds in food. This is all done in order to yield larger crops, allow the crop to resist insects, protect against viruses, and tolerate herbicides. This is all done in hopes to create bigger profits and lower costs to consumers.

2. The US is a Global Leader in GMO Crops. According to USA Today, the US leads the world in GMO crop planting. We planted 170 million acres in 2024. That yielded 95% of the country’s sugar beets, 94% of the soybeans, 90% of the cotton, and 88% of the feed corn. (more…)

Posted on October 22, 2023 by Lacy

HealthBuzz October 12: Organic Companies Anti-Prop 37, Sarah Palin’s Diet, and Healthy Caramel Apple Recipes

We’re just hours away from the weekend! So that means it’s time for a dose of healthy news from DIR and our friends. This week’s headlines include a story about major organic companies funding against GMO labeling, a lunch lady told to stop making healthier food, and caramel apple-inspired recipes for fall.

Sarah Palin’s Going Rogue by Writing a Diet and Fitness Book

If you can’t get enough of Sarah Palin then you’ll want to pick up her diet and fitness book when (and if) it is for sale, which she announced is in the works. It will be interesting to read and hear about the things in her book because the former Alaskan governor once bashed the idea of serving healthy snacks in schools. Do you think people will take the book seriously? Tell us what you think!

Paul Ryan Would Leave Joe Biden in the Dust if Politics Was Gym Class

Thursday’s presidential debate probably left some questions relating to America’s future answered and others unanswered. So we were questioning who would win the election depending on who has the best physical fitness and personal diet? Take a look at Congressman Paul Ryan’s and Vice President Joe Biden’s fitness routine and diet habits and tell us what you think!

Major Organic Brands, Like Kashi and Naked, Funding Anti-GMO Labeling Campaigns

The vote for California’s Prop 37 is next month and if it is passed it will radically change the processed food industry. Many Californians and organic brands like Clif Bar, Annie’s and Uncle Matt’s are in favor of Prop 37. However, other organic brands like Kashi, Naked, and Silk are donating thousands-to-millions of dollars to fund anti-GMO labeling campaigns. Do you think the organic companies shouldn’t be donating against GMO labeling and practice what they preach? (more…)

Posted on October 12, 2023 by Samantha

Monsanto’s GMO Sweet Corn Makes its Grocery Store Debut

If you’re like my family, summer dinners mean several delicious seasonal vegetables – preferably vegetables prepared on the grill. Nothing quite says summer like a perfectly grilled ear of corn.

This is the first summer, though, that my family has really questioned our favorite summertime vegetable. This is the first summer we learned we might be eating genetically modified corn on the cob.

According the the Non-GMO Shopping Guide, there are very few fresh fruits and vegetables sold in America that are actually genetically modified. In fact, the only commercialized GMO is Hawaii’s papaya. This fact was true, but it seems that things are about to change.

Just this month, Wal-Mart Supercenters announced they will be carrying a line of Monsanto’s GMO sweet corn, despite the public’s outcries, according to a report from CommonDreams.org. As it is with all GMO foods in America, the store does not have to label the corn, and they said they won’t be.

The type of corn Wal-Mart is selling is a blend that has been modified to resist the toxic impact of being sprayed with chemical pesticides and herbicides.

Another blend has been growing this summer, too. MotherJones.com reported that a drought-tolerant corn was approved by the USDA in December 2024. They said farmers could begin growing and testing this crop this summer. Given the drought we’ve had this year, it lent a perfect excuse for such a blend of corn. (more…)

Posted on August 22, 2023 by Lacy

Join Us For a Twitter Chat August 10 to Help Get GMOs Labeled

Election day is drawing near. In just a few months, we get the opportunity to exercise our right to choose who and how our country will be ran. This is one of the greatest freedoms we have as Americans, and it should never be undervalued. Many people in the world have absolutely no say in how their lives are run.

No matter whose side you’re on this coming November, there is one health issue both parties should desire to support. That issue is the labeling of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

In brief, a GMO comes from a lab where genes from one species are inserted into another in an effort to create a desired trait. This lab process is called Genetic Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM).

In many cases this process is done at seed level. The seeds are crossed with the food and a pesticide and then grown into products that are placed on our supermarket shelves. These foods grown with the genes of a pesticide and other lab creations are not required to be labeled differently, and consumers are not able to determine what’s really in the food they’re purchasing. (more…)

Posted on August 6, 2023 by Lacy

Are GMOs Making You Fat?

While health experts and non-experts alike continue to take stabs at the solution to our nation’s obesity crisis, the answer still seems rather illusive.

Some say we need more exercise. Others suggest we need less food. Still others contend we need incentives and rewards to get off our duffs and lose the weight. But perhaps the answer is as simple as what’s in our lunch.

New research from the Norwegian School of Veterinary science is pointing the fat finger at genetically modified organisms, a term we now affectionately know as GMOs.

Researchers are suggesting that while GM foods may not be directly making us sick, they might be causing weight gain which can in turn contribute to illnesses.

To conduct the 90-day study, researchers studied how rats and salmon responded to genetically modified food. One group of rats was fed GM corn and scientists watched as they slowly got fatter than the group that was being fed non-GM foods. Researchers also noticed that the GMO rats ate more and grew faster. (more…)

Posted on July 24, 2023 by Dana

True Food Shopper’s Guide: Your Guide to Non-GMO Foods

The term genetically modified organism or GMO is sneaking into many news stories as of late. Consumers are becoming more vocal about their rights to know what is in the food they’re purchasing. Currently, the U.S. has no laws requiring companies to label their foods as a GMO. Thankfully, The Center for Food Safety has created a food guide to aid shoppers the next time they head to the store.

The True Food Shopper’s Guide is a perfect tool for those looking to navigate any grocery store and avoid purchasing the unlabeled GMOs on the shelf. GMOs are foods that have been created in a lab. In these GMO labs, genes are artificially inserted into the DNA of foods crops or animals. The resulting GMO can be engineered with genes from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals, or even humans.

When polled, the majority of Americans said they would not choose a GMO food, if it were labeled. Since we do not have the luxury of labels, unlike most other industrialized countries, knowing what our foods contain is a mystery. However, the shopper’s guide takes away the wonder and puts the right to know back in the consumer’s hands. (more…)

Posted on May 2, 2023 by Lacy

Monsanto Children’s Book is Nothing but Propaganda

Giant biotech company Monsanto has taken a bold move with their latest project. The company has released a children’s activity book that is aimed at teaching the goodness and beneficial effects of biotechnology. Many critics, and there are many, are calling the books nothing more than propaganda.

Monsanto has been responsible for many negatives actions in the past. Some of their fouls have included dumping toxic waste in the United Kingdom and polluting creeks in Alabama with Mercury and PCB materials for 40 years. One of the most hurtful acts was how Monsanto essentially bullied local, family-owned farms with high-priced lawyers and court fees causing many to lose their farms. While all the actions prior have caused an outcry, this new light hearted children’s book has struck an even deeper chord.

In the midst of gaining approval to begin growing the first genetically modified corn seed, Monsanto has collaborated with several other biotech companies to release Biotechnology Basics Activity Book. The aim of the book is to teach children about biotechnology. It is doubtful the book will take an objective view as one excerpt explains how the process is actually a positive step for the environment.

(more…)

Posted on April 5, 2024 by Lacy