Are GMOs Making You Fat?

It’s no secret that Americans are getting fatter. And sure, the usual suspects—more processed food being packed into our diets and too-frequent fast food fixes—clearly play a part, but now there’s another theory: genetically modified (GM) crops, according to new research.

As part of a long-term project studying the health effects of GM foods—crops that have had their DNA modified to resist pesticides and drought—researchers from Norway fed food containing GM corn to one group of rats and food containing non-GM corn to another group. Over the course of 90 days, the rats on the GM-corn diet grew fatter and ate more food than the rats on the non-GM diet. The researchers also noticed that rats got fatter when they ate fish that had been raised on GM corn.
 If the same effect applies to humans, how would it impact people eating this type of corn over a number of years, or even eating meat from animals feeding on this corn?. 
Then there’s the nutrient issue. Research from the nonprofit Organic Center has found that nutrient levels in modern crops are anywhere from 10 to 25% lower than they were 50 years ago, likely because the crops are bred for higher yields, as many GM crops are. As nutrient levels go down, we have to eat more to get the recommended levels of nutrients we need, which may explain why GM crops led to overeating rodents

 Chemical companies often say GE crops will reduce the use of pesticides, but the opposite is actually true. "The concern is that, just like Monsanto's genetically engineered corn that is resistant to RoundUp (glyphosate) herbicide, the approval of a cultivar resistant to 2,4-D will cause an exponential increase in the use of this toxic agrichemical,"

100% Natural' Foods—Exposed

 

Natural Foods That Aren't

Unless you have a green thumb, lots of outdoor space, and the time to grow your own grub, sticking to a diet free of processed ingredients can be challenging. (If you are that person, can we come over for dinner?) Otherwise, you do your best, eating whole foods whenever possible, and opting for the most unadulterated, natural options you can find when you buy from the box or the bag. Or so you think.

Without getting so much as a wrist slap, so-called “natural” foods can still contain a wide range of processed sweeteners, lab-produced “natural” flavors and colors, additives and preservatives.

The problem is, labels can be misleading. You’d need several pairs of hands to count the number of “100% Natural” claims you see in just one aisle of the supermarket. Lately, though, some brands’ health halos have been showing some tarnish.But those are just two examples—unfortunately, there are many others. Here, we take a look at the ingredients in some of your favorite “natural” foods, so you can decide for yourself what's real and what's not.

1. Granola bars

What could be more natural than granola, you ask? Well, unless you're baking it yourself with whole ingredients, plenty. While many granola-bar brands have removed high-fructose corn syrup from their products in response to consumer concern, a laundry list of other less-than-natural ingredients remain, including processed sweeteners such as corn syrup, fructose, and invert sugar, and the vague "natural flavors"—an umbrella term for flavors derived from natural sources, but which are often processed in a lab like artificial flavors.

2. Yogurt

The ultimate health food, right? Not always. Natural and artificial flavors and processed sweeteners abound in many packaged yogurts, so don't assume that blueberry flavor (not to mention the purplish hue) is coming only from real blueberries. As always, scrutinize the label, and buy organic if you want to avoid dairy from cows given artificial growth hormones.

3. Non-dairy and soy cheeses

Not surprisingly, "natural" cheese substitutes often contain added colors and flavors to make them more, well, cheese-like. One common ingredient? Carrageenan, a processed carbohydrate that may upset some people's stomachs.Additionally, soy is one of the most commonly genetically modified crops around—roughly 94% of the soy grown,so if you're wary of frankenfoods, make sure you're buying organic.

4. Bottled iced tea

Beverage companies love to tout their tea drinks as a healthy alternative to soda—and what could be bad here? After all, black and green teas are loaded with antioxidants, and herbal brews can help digestion, an upset stomach—even rattled nerves. But if you check the ingredients list of your "all-natural" bottled iced tea, you may discover a few surprise ingredients in addition to leaves and water. Some sweetened teas rely on high-fructose corn syrup instead of real sugar. And if you're sipping a fruit-flavored tea, you likely won't find real lemons, raspberries, or peaches in there, but instead "natural flavors."

5. Salad dressing

"All natural" shows up on lots of salad dressing labels, but take a look at the extra-long ingredients lists on many of the big brands and it's hard not to feel skeptical. High-fructose corn syrup and "natural flavors" abound (not to mention the fact that bottled dressings are often heavy on other kinds of sweeteners and saturated fat, making them total diet disasters). If you don't want to spoil the healthfulness of your salad, try mixing your own dressing at home with a little extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar or lemon juice.

6. Honey

Bad news: Nature's perfect sweetener isn't always 100% natural. The jarred honeys you'll find in an average grocery store have all undergone various levels of processing, and it's hard to know how much just from looking at the labels. In fact, according to research by Food Safety News, most store-bought honey isn't technically honey at all, because virtually all of the natural pollen has been filtered out. For truly natural honey—and all the immune-boosting and allergy-fighting benefits that come with it—head to a farmer's market, where you can buy it raw from local beekeepers.

7. Ice Cream

Many so-called "all natural" ice creams contain way more than milk, eggs, and sugar—such as "natural flavors," highly processed sweeteners like corn syrup, modified starches (additives processed from naturally occurring food starches that are often used as thickening agents), and juice concentrates (used as flavors and sweeteners). Not exactly how you'd churn it at home, right? If you're picking up a pint at the grocery store, look for one made with a short list of whole ingredients.

8. Breakfast Cereal

Stroll the aisles of your local grocery and you’ll find countless cereal brands that bill themselves as “all natural” and "good sources of fiber and whole grains" but are full of sugar and artificial colors. (Some of the 10 worst kids' breakfast cereals come to mind.) But even brands we think of as healthy don't always live up to their reputation. Kashi came under fire on social media sites this year for calling its cereals "natural" despite being made with GMO soy.

9. Flavored Waters and Sports Drinks

Does this sound like a healthy way to top off your workout? A bottled beverage "naturally sweetened" with barely pronounceable ingredients like erythretrol and crystalline fructose. We'll take a glass of tap with a splash of lemon, thank you very much.

Pls be awake!