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Maravilla,
GMO food is poison, pure and simple. However, it is useless to try and educate some people. Nice try with Victoria, though, but I am sure you have realized over the years that at some point, the effort becomes a waste of time.
(Paraphrasing an article)
There is always a large segment of the world population living in some state of denial. One common thread runs through this very human condition: people are presented with information that is too frightening or threatening to be absorbed or openly acknowledged. The information is therefore somehow repressed, disavowed, pushed aside or reinterpreted. Or else the information “registers” well enough, but it its implications-cognitive, emotional or moral- are evaded, neutralized or rationalized away.Here in the States, it is nearly impossible to avoid GMO food. It is reported that 80% of the food in most grocery stores are GMO. I wonder, though, if it is any better in Costa Rica. I know that many Tico farmers like to use all the popular insecticides. How healthy is the produce at the farmers’ market in San Ramon?
Well at least 80% of prepared foods in the grocery store have one or more GMO ingredient in it. That % can go down a lot if we switch to fresh fruits and vegetables and stay away from stuff in cans and boxes. Lets hope that proposition 37 passes in California. If it does, at least we will know which foods contain GMOs since it isn’t likely that food producers will make one label for California and another for the rest of the country. At least we will have the option to avoid them if we choose. It could encourage manufacturers to reject GMOs entirely if people quit buying the foods with GMOs. Heaven help us if Costa Rica lets GMO seeds/crops in the country. At least we don’t eat cotton but GMOs make farmers dependent on a third party for seeds and pesticides. No more saving seeds. The GMO seeds are either sterile or the holder of the patent can make the farmers pay for the seeds even if they do save them.
There ain’t no “emotion” here in this video, it’s pure scientific fact and as long as you’re OK eating food which has proven to cause a 600% increase in deaths in rats compared to normal food then munch away:
French researchers secretly studied, [b]for two years[/b], 200 rats fed with transgenic maize. Tumors, serious disorders … full-fledged slaughter. And a bomb for the GMO industry.
any packaged food has at least one GMO — either in the form of soy, corn, or HFCS. i don’t eat ANYTHING that is processed, nor do i eat in any restaurants because most restaurants here use soy oil and that is 100% GMO. chicken feed here is usually gmo corn if you buy the big sacks of it that are generally imported. i know all the farmers at the market — i know pretty much who uses what chemicals, and surprisingly there are lots of people who don’t use pesticides but they are not certified organic. i try to buy most of what i eat from the organic stand then supplement from other vendors for the items that have the least pesticide residue.
Schopenhauer said it best, Sprite:
“All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed; Second, it is violently opposed; Third, it is accepted as self-evident.”
? Arthur SchopenhauerFor anyone to deny this French study seems pretty irresponsible to me. just how much evidence would it take to convince a person that consuming a product that has no long term studies at all on HUMANS would be a prudent thing to do. if GMOs are so great, why are they banned or labeled in 50 other countries. the evidence to their dangers is there but as i always say, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it think!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-bK8X2s1kI&feature=share
This short and powerful film is narrated by Jeremy Irons and drives home the inherent evil of any corporation to own the patents on seed with the agenda to control the world’s food supply. If you aren’t up to speed about the importance of the anti-GMO issue, this will give you a good foundation for understanding the basis of our fight. If you eat food, this applies to you.
[quote=”maravilla”]The 3 year French study condensed to a 12 minute video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Njd0RugGjAg
[/quote]
I watched this short video and it was quite startling. Thank you for posting it.
The only thing I have to take a little issue with is some of the posters’ blame on it for obesity and sickness. Doesn’t lifestyle and genetics play a huge part in obesity and sickness? 25 years ago we didn’t have cell phones, texting, internet etc., and kids were outside playing with their friends rather than sitting on their beds texting, playing on the computer and watching tv (all at the same time). People have become very lazy. Plus, fast food and take out have replaced home cooking.
Genetics play a part in sickness. Unfortunately, in many cases, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are hereditary. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take care of ourselves. But some of it is beyond our control. My father lived to be 86 and ate red meat his whole life and smoked for 2/3 of it, and 5 of his 10 siblings are still around who are going to be 91, 90, and the others are in their 80’s. None of them have really lived a ‘healthy’ lifestyle but are still going strong. Genetics.
Thank you again for posting that video. It was very informative. I think we should all do what we can to take care of ourselves and our kids. I also believe moderation is key.
BTW, has nothing to do with anything, but what about the 16+ oz. surgary drinks ban in NYC? They can’t stop people from buying 3 Big Macs, or from spending $10 a pack on cigarettes. It all comes down to personal responsibility and making our own good or bad choices.
there is a lot of speculation that gmo’s which were not always in the food supply are in fact responsible for the obesity epidemic — at least in part. of course, it all boils down to personal choice and responsibility, but when cheap, fast, and unhealthy food is cheaper than an apple what do you think poor people are going to buy? on top of that, HFCS is made from gmo corn — we don’t even know what the long term effects of consuming these products are going to be but since their introduction, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease have risen exponentially. when i was growing up i never saw a fat person. there were no fat kids in my school, my mother had no fat friends, nor did my grandmother. now look around — it’s just amazing to me what has happened to society — more than 2/3 of the entire population of the US is either overweight or obese. they didn’t get that way eating healthy food. these two documentaries are all about the manmade epidemic and the worldwide consequences it is wreaking on healthcare systems.
http://documentarystorm.com/the-weight-of-the-world/
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/weight-nation-consequences/
There’s another really good doc called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. I can’t find the link now, but you start to see how the additives and bastardized ingredients in our food-like products (basically anything in a box or can or package that has been processed and is something other than whole, real food) contain gmo’s with questionable value. and yes, Bloomberg was right to ban those drinks. if i were him i’d expel all those fast food restaurants, too. ugh
[quote=”maravilla”]there is a lot of speculation that gmo’s which were not always in the food supply are in fact responsible for the obesity epidemic — at least in part. of course, it all boils down to personal choice and responsibility, but when cheap, fast, and unhealthy food is cheaper than an apple what do you think poor people are going to buy? on top of that, HFCS is made from gmo corn — we don’t even know what the long term effects of consuming these products are going to be but since their introduction, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease have risen exponentially. when i was growing up i never saw a fat person. there were no fat kids in my school, my mother had no fat friends, nor did my grandmother. now look around — it’s just amazing to me what has happened to society — more than 2/3 of the entire population of the US is either overweight or obese. they didn’t get that way eating healthy food. these two documentaries are all about the manmade epidemic and the worldwide consequences it is wreaking on healthcare systems.
http://documentarystorm.com/the-weight-of-the-world/
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/weight-nation-consequences/
There’s another really good doc called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. I can’t find the link now, but you start to see how the additives and bastardized ingredients in our food-like products (basically anything in a box or can or package that has been processed and is something other than whole, real food) contain gmo’s with questionable value. and yes, Bloomberg was right to ban those drinks. if i were him i’d expel all those fast food restaurants, too. ugh
[/quote]
There weren’t a lot fat people around 20-30 years ago because they were more active and they ate moderately proportioned meals. Kids were out riding bikes, playing basketball, etc. There weren’t sitting on their butts with a bag of chips in one hand and playing video games or texting in the other. This has become a very sedentary society.
I know quite a few people (of all age groups) that are thin, some too thin, that eat junk food but are very active and keep the pounds off…and take no medications of any sort.
We should all eat right and exercise. But it doesn’t explain why a half brother of mine who ate right and exercised his whole life died at 64 from a heart attack compared to a 86 year old future MIL who still sneeks cigarettes, eats KFC and Oreos or my ex MIL who is 80, still smokes like a chimney and has had two heart attacks. I look at each of those people (not to mention my own blood family) and I see they are following exactly in their genetic history.
Yes, I agree that we should watch additives in food, not drink from aluminum cans, etc., etc., etc., but genetics and lifestyle play a huge part.
As far as Bloomberg, what about cigarettes, red meat, ice cream, fruit loops, even whole milk which is very high in calories and fat? Where does it end? Why doesn’t he just initiate requiring people to exercise one hour per day and everyone will drop a quick 20 lbs. in one year?
I agree we should be mindful of what we ingest and I, too, don’t like what it does to our healthcare costs. But there are many other variables to account for why things are the way they are. Thank you, again, for forwarding the videos.
all the experts agree that genetics is really a small part of nearly all illnesses — lifestyle is the most important factor. the obesity epidemic started with the introduction of certain chemicals and GMOs in mainstream food in the 80’s. bloomberg taxes cigarettes so now a pack costs something like $12 a pack, and whole milk is actually better for you than low fat milk. esp if you can get it raw. during the 8 years i’ve lived here, i’ve seen an increase in obesity and now all the news reports talk about how diabetes, heart disease, and obesity are the main health concerns not only among adults but children, too. it’s a global crisis. and i blame the food industry for most of it. all they care about is profits. they are not held accountable for the crap they make that people can’t stop eating because of the addictive chemicals they put into packaged food. what a sad and very fat and unhealthy world we have become. ugh enjoy the videos. you will be shocked at what you learn.
[quote=”costaricafinca”]Spoke with a [i]very reliable source[/i] yesterday, who explained that Monsanto has leased a large area in which they are experimenting with GMO cotton. They have planted both this and ‘regular’ cotton and the company who planted and give the TLC must account for [i]every seed planted[/i].
Of course, this is with the approval of the government. of Costa Rica.
[b]camby,[/b] the are lot’s of obese people here…[/quote]True, enough, obesity and GMO/additives making the world obese, but statistically, USA leads the world in obesity, Mexico 2nd……
Got stuck on something and never got to see the video, meant to at least download it for future viewing:cry:
Likely, will be somewhere near future to see it….
[quote=”Versatile”]Blaming everything about Americans health on GMO is flawed.[/quote]
fair enough, but no one, far as I have heard, has gotten obese on veggies, esp organics….the flabby tummy, often out of proportion to other parts of body, is common is people that eat a lot of breads and corn products from GMO…..the fast food tummy some call it…result not only of GMO, but other chemicals and additives…..
When in Europ last yr, could easily tell the USA,Brits and Canadians from the Germans, French, Italians…older people tended to be heavier at times, but the middle aged and youth, much more lean and athletic then Americans,Brits……studies seem to correlate with this and obesity in UK vs France, Germany,etc…so, not only GMO, but other food and lifestyle choices……still, dont want chemicals forming toxins in the tummy, can tell when I stray off the path of diet, feel it and look it….This article appeared in AM Costa Rica this morning. I hope we go the way of other countries who have absolutely banned the introduction of GM crops into our food system.
Cultivated corn was domesticated from teosinte more than 6,000 years ago. During the process, corn lost the ability to survive in the wild, but gained valuable agricultural traits. The suppression of branching from the stalk resulted in a lower number of ears per plant but allows each ear to grow larger. The hard case around the kernel disappeared over time.
Origin of corn
Nicolle Rager Fuller, National Science FoundationNew group seeks to protect native corn from modified species
By the A.M. Costa Rica staffCosta Rican individuals and organizations have joined to ask the government to declare maize a cultural heritage.
The effort is related to one by the Red por Una América Libre de Transgénicos to seek the same designation from the U.N Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
The efforts seek to prevent the importation of hybrid or genetically-modified corn that may crossbreed with species here.
The local organization, which calls itself Semillas, Sabores y Saberes, cites a controversial French study that found that rats fed genetically-modified corn and others who ingested water laced with Roundup suffered from a disproportionate number of tumors. Roundup is a weed killer made by Monsanto Co., a U.S.-based firm. The genetically modified corn, NK603, is unaffected by Roundup, so farmers can use the chemical to kill weeds in the corn fields.
The study is controversial because Gilles-Eric Seralini of the University of Caen, who conducted the study, is an outspoken opponent of genetically modified foods.
The local group is made up of individuals from The Universidad de Costa Rica, the Universidad Estatal a Distancia, the Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje and the Asociación Cultural Sol de Vida in Santa Cruz, according to an announcement.
The local organization said they wanted not only the corn but all the rituals, recipes and traditions that stem from it recognized as cultural heritage. The group did not identify the type of maize they wish to be protected except as native maize.
The corn plant itself is a product of thousands of years of selective breeding. Scientists think the modern plant came from a grass called teosinte, which has a similar genetic structure as
corn, “A teosinte ear is only two to three inches long with five to 12 kernels. Compare that to corn’s 12-inch ear that boasts 500 or more kernels, said the University of California at Irving in a 2005 press release reporting the genetic discoveries. The valley of México is considered the origin of corn. The grain was and still is a major component of Central American food.The local organization also appears to oppose hybrid corn, too. Most U.S. corn comes from hybrid seed that does not breed true in the subsequent generations. Farmers have to buy seed each year, something they are prepared to do because of the higher yield of hybrids.
Genetically modified plants are different than those created by selective breeding. Monsanto said it has been producing plants that are tolerant to herbicides like Roundup since 1996. The first were soybeans and canola.
The company said that the only difference between genetically modified and other crops is a different protein introduced into the DNA. Says the company, using the term GM for genetically modified:
“When a new protein (not normally found in that plant or in other commonly consumed foods) is introduced into a plant, the safety of that protein does need to be addressed. It is standard practice to use animals to test any introduced proteins. Animal testing requires very high doses of the test substance to be given. These levels are, by design, many times higher than those which people would actually consume. In GM crops and foods derived from them, introduced proteins are usually present only in minute amounts. Because the levels of protein are so low, it is impossible to test high doses by feeding crops directly to animals. Instead, a purified version of the introduced protein is used in animal studies.”
The local organization notes that because corn is openly pollenated, a field of genetically modified corn can spread its DNA far and wide into other corn varieties.
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