Six Common Foods with Hidden GMOs (Part III)
I don’t know about you, but I’m beginning to notice that, when it comes to ferreting out genetically modified food ingredients and additives, it’s not always enough to simply read the labeling on the packages -- you also have to learn how to read between the lines. Here are the last of Althealthworks.com's six common foods that shouldn’t harbor GMO ingredients but, unfortunately, likely do.
5. Olive oil -- The health benefits of the olive oil-centric Mediterranean diet have been touted for decades, and olive oil is among the healthiest oils available, provided that it isn’t used for cooking at high temperatures. In fact, a recent study conducted by an international team of researchers has determined that consuming extra virgin olive oil (olive oil that has been extracted by physical, rather than chemical means; oils labeled “cold-pressed" have also been extracted without the use of heat) may reduce the damage to DNA caused by ingesting genetically modified soybean products. But, while the olives themselves have not been genetically modified, most olive oils produced in the United States have been surreptitiously mixed with other “junk" oils such as canola and soy, and we already know what that means. Again, you’ll need to do your research to avoid GMOs look for olive oil imported from Italy (where the penalties for planting GMO crops include jail) or Tunisia, or buy only American oils that are completely organic.
6. Sodas that advertise “real sugar" -- Have you noticed the recent commercials for Pepsi bragging that they’ve eliminated high fructose corn syrup from their sodas and gone back to using real sugar? Not so fast; what Pepsi and other “real sugar" soda manufacturers are putting into their recipes now is genetically modified beet sugar which, you’ll recall, has been engineered to withstand mega-doses of carcinogenic herbicides and pesticides. Yes, Pepsi and Coke are unhealthy drinks to begin with, but this “real sugar" marketing campaign is nothing if not deceptive. When questioned by a customer about whether their new “Natural" Sierra Mist soda contains GMO sugar, PepsiCo replied with the non-answer that they “could not verify whether the sugar is GMO or not." Please, do they honestly expect consumers to believe that?
Besides diligently reading labels, another suggestion made by Althealthworks.com -- and one that I roundly endorse -- is this: if you happen to discover that a product you’ve been buying and enjoying for years is now tainted by GMO ingredients, contact the manufacturer and let them know just how displeased you are. You might also add that you won’t be buying their product(s) again as long as they continue to use GMOs. To paraphrase an old saying, the only way to a corporation’s consciousness is through its wallet!