Let's Talk Story - Down to Earth Blog

(This is the third installment of a three-part series about the potential risks of foods containing genetically modified ingredients)

As consumers, we value the basic right to choose from a wide variety of foods in the marketplace, to make informed choices as to what to eat and what we feed our families. Presently this right is being denied to consumers around the world who want to know whether a food contains genetically modified organisms (GMO).

(This is the second installment of a three-part series about the potential risks of foods containing genetically modified ingredients)

Genetically modified crops, and products containing genetically modified ingredients, may pose health, safety and other potential risks that far outweigh the purported benefits. A genetically modified organism, or GMO, is the result of a laboratory process where genes are taken from one species and inserted into another in an attempt to obtain a desired trait or characteristic.

(This is the first installment of a three-part series about the potential risks of foods containing genetically modified ingredients)

One of the most dangerous and least understood experiments with human health the world has ever known is currently underway without your consent—in your household and households around the world. It is the wholesale contamination of the world's food supply with genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Did you know that eating a plant-based diet can help reduce your health risks and increase your compassion? We’ve talked before about certain health benefits of eating a plant-based diet – particularly the fact that meat is high in saturated fat, which contributes to cancer, high blood pressure and strokes. However, a plant-based diet offers another health benefit that you may not have considered: the relaxing, immunity-boosting effects of compassion.

Water resources are growing scarce in Asia and experts say the primary culprit is changing diet. Increasing adoption of a western meat-based diet requires more than four times the amount of water to produce than tofu and ten times more than rice.

The traditional Asian diet receives a lot of attention in the United States because many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers, are not as prevalent in Asia compared with the Western Hemisphere. Researchers believe that the traditional Asian diet provides protection against many chronic diseases and contributes to long life spans because it is mainly a plant-based diet consisting of locally grown staple grains, starchy roots, legumes, and other vegetables and fruits. Meat is treated as a side dish rather than the main course.

The trend towards fast food in emerging Asian markets is putting entire populations at risk. This trend is occurring in nations that never used to worry about diet-related disease, so experts around the world are sounding the alarm. Rich in meat—and laden with saturated fat, cholesterol, and artificial chemicals—the greasy and salty food typical of fast foods causes people to get fat and sick.

The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said that food production will need to increase globally by 70% to feed the world's surging population in 2050. The FAO says that efficiency gains in agriculture will be overwhelmed by the expected population growth.

As the global population surges towards a predicted 9.1 billion people by 2050, western tastes for diets rich in meat and dairy products, and which are increasingly being adopted around the world, are unsustainable.

Everyone is talking about "sustainable" solutions for a better planet. It has become a lucrative business for many companies to offer "sustainable" or "green" solutions. However, not all these solutions are as useful, or "sustainable" as one might think.

Natural foods, what are they, and why are they good for you? Unfortunately, there are no commonly agreed upon national or international standards that formally define and regulate "natural foods" or "all-natural foods." The natural products industry defines natural foods as foods that contain no hormones, antibiotics, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives that were not in the original food, and are foods that are minimally processed—either mechanically, chemically, or by temperature.