GM crops and other food nasties

[Defren]

Since diagnosis my diet is super healthy as I'm sure many of yours are too. Ultra low carbohydrates, no wheat or grains, and organic meat, milk (I no longer drink milk but my family do), cheese, eggs, butter, cream, olive oil, fruit and veg, infact anything that I use that I can find organic goes into my trolley. I ALWAYS eat my 5 a day, today I did 8 a day I eat fresh organic veg, salad and berry's. I very rarely eat processed anything, and if I do it will be a small amount of cooked meat, which comes from the deli counter, rather than pre packaged, once in an exceptional blue moon do I eat sausage, even though I do like Debbie and Andrews low carb variety. I will eat bacon maybe once a week, perhaps a little less. I will usually have a piece of organic meat, poultry or fish with a good sized mixed salad, or lots of steamed veg. I also have Greek yogurt and berry's every day. I drink loads of bottled water and mainly green tea, I do have 2-3 cups of coffee with a good slug of single cream, and I bake quite a lot, all low carb and only carefully chosen ingredients (today I made coconut cake) and when I make cakes they get a good dollop of double cream whipped nice and thick.

So all nice and healthy, and I can feel the difference, BUT - I saw a program on Youtube about a certain biochemical company that shall remain nameless, and they showed a map where GM grow. The UK is part of the map as I had expected. I then began to think about the foods that I eat thinking I am eating really healthy, but am I? I did change to soya milk soon after diagnosis, but then realised that almost all soya beans are GM so gave that up. How can we choose a exceptionally healthy diet if our foods are being played with by multinational firms, long before they ever see a greengrocer or supermarket? I am lucky (I think) I buy all my veg from my local greengrocer, and have learned I am fortunate indeed to have one local, the produce I buy is all organic and local - Brilliant.

So, is GM or other food nasties part of the diabetes epidemic in some way? Is there something that helps us get fat quickly in foods that have been played with, and once we are diabetic, are we then caught in a trap of illness and problems simply by the food, no matter how healthy we think it is?

Just a thought that crossed my mind, so over to you...

 

[Elc1112]

Wow. That is a very healthy diet you have there! I wish I had as much will power as you! I have to be honest, I don't tend to go for the organic stuff. I eat a lot of fruit and veg, but just tend to go for the 'normal' stuff. I grow some stuff at home ad have some chickens, so have some 'homegrown' eggs.

Seems everything is bad for you, no matter how healthy you try to be! It sounds like you've got a very good diet so, personally, I wouldn't worry about it too much

Em

 

[lucylocket61]

I see your diet as a shining beacon of what to aim for Defren

Unfortunately I cant afford organic or good meat and stuff most of the time, but do what I can to buy as best as i can. Tuesday afternoons at the supermarkets here seem to be good for price reductions in the fresh section

 

[Defren]

Thanks Em and Lucy. I will be honest I eat to live rather than live to eat so my diet can be a bit samey, but I'm fine with that. I absolutely love salad and veg, so am happy to have one or t'other every day. I also have Greek yogurt and berry's every day. I do bake quite a bit but that just changes the protein part of my meals mainly, unless I make cakes/muffins like I did last night. Snacks I can vary a bit, with crustless quiches, and things from the low carb recipe forum.

I absolutely agree about the price of organic, but I will pay the extra to try to keep what I eat as pure as possible. That said, I have ranted today about an organic chicken from Sainsbury's I picked up today. The regular chickens were £5-£6 I payed almost £10 for a spuggy sized organic one, but I will feel better knowing it is pure. Guess for us all it's horses for courses and we do what is right for us, and within our budget.

 

[Paul1976]

I'm going to put my name on the waiting list for an Allotment so I can grow fresh,organic produce,there's still a few in the town although the others succumbed to new build housing as is the way,I'm hopefully going to rescue some battery hens for my garden and nurse them back to health for free range eggs.I would love the idea of self suffiency but that's something that we as a family could not manage the way things are at present but who knows,one day maybe..

 

[Defren]

I'm going to put my name on the waiting list for an Allotment so I can grow fresh,organic produce,there's still a few in the town although the others succumbed to new build housing as is the way,I'm hopefully going to rescue some battery hens for my garden and nurse them back to health for free range eggs.I would love the idea of self suffiency but that's something that we as a family could not manage the way things are at present but who knows,one day maybe..

Ahh an allotment, how I would love to grow my own. Himself and I have touched on this and he seems quite keen, but I am wary of pushing the issue and scaring him off. We live in a small village and there are loads of allotments locally, as well as a massive supply of horse manure, so it would work easily. Then I would do my part in this venture, go pull the produce as needed and cook it. Equal division of labour. :lol:

 

[Paul1976]

I'm going to put my name on the waiting list for an Allotment so I can grow fresh,organic produce,there's still a few in the town although the others succumbed to new build housing as is the way,I'm hopefully going to rescue some battery hens for my garden and nurse them back to health for free range eggs.I would love the idea of self suffiency but that's something that we as a family could not manage the way things are at present but who knows,one day maybe..

Ahh an allotment, how I would love to grow my own. Himself and I have touched on this and he seems quite keen, but I am wary of pushing the issue and scaring him off. We live in a small village and there are loads of allotments locally, as well as a massive supply of horse manure, so it would work easily. Then I would do my part in this venture, go pull the produce as needed and cook it. Equal division of labour. :lol:

Sounds fair to me! :lol: I think I'm more keen than my wife but she is coming round to the idea and as I do the cooking she's happy enough as long as we eat well! :thumbup:
The massive supply of Horse manure sounds interesting,that would be useful fertilizer if I could source it for free but bringing it home in our new car might put me in the doghouse! :lol:

 

[Defren]

I'm going to put my name on the waiting list for an Allotment so I can grow fresh,organic produce,there's still a few in the town although the others succumbed to new build housing as is the way,I'm hopefully going to rescue some battery hens for my garden and nurse them back to health for free range eggs.I would love the idea of self suffiency but that's something that we as a family could not manage the way things are at present but who knows,one day maybe..

Ahh an allotment, how I would love to grow my own. Himself and I have touched on this and he seems quite keen, but I am wary of pushing the issue and scaring him off. We live in a small village and there are loads of allotments locally, as well as a massive supply of horse manure, so it would work easily. Then I would do my part in this venture, go pull the produce as needed and cook it. Equal division of labour. :lol:

Sounds fair to me! :lol: I think I'm more keen than my wife but she is coming round to the idea and as I do the cooking she's happy enough as long as we eat well! :thumbup:
The massive supply of Horse manure sounds interesting,that would be useful fertilizer if I could source it for free but bringing it home in our new car might put me in the doghouse! :lol:

I have this all planned out, "I 'ave a cunning plan" said Rene Artois from Allo allo. Explain or better still take Mrs Paul to the local supermarket, show her the price of ordinary chickens, then organic (yes I am still bloody fuming at a £10 organic spuggy :lol: ) say "darling, imagine eating all our own organic foods, eggs, fruit, veg, think how much healthier that would make us". Then you give out a huge sigh and say "I would do all the hard work and bring home all the fresh veggies". She will say "oh honey, I can't expect you to do it all" you then shout "ok then pet you take the barrow to Farmer Giles up the road and shovel some sh*t for the carrots". Sorted.


On reflection maybe not, I would hate to be the cause of any divorces, in a new spate of veggie wars. :angel: :lolno:

 

[lucylocket61]

Just a tiny word of caution about the allotment.

We have had one for years and grow loads of stuff. But by the time we have paid for the rent and water n the allotment £120 a year, plus seeds, manure, and everything else, its not a cheap alternative. But it does taste great.

Also when you have a year like this year, nothing grows. A green house (more expense) is a very good idea if you have room even for a tiny one.

 

[Defren]

Just a tiny word of caution about the allotment.

We have had one for years and grow loads of stuff. But by the time we have paid for the rent and water n the allotment £120 a year, plus seeds, manure, and everything else, its not a cheap alternative. But it does taste great.

Also when you have a year like this year, nothing grows. A green house (more expense) is a very good idea if you have room even for a tiny one.

Would you think that the yield you get on say an average year would be worth it, considering I eat veg 7 days a week, salad 7 days a week and I do buy organic?

My greengrocer sources local organic and there is still soil on the veg (it's wonderful) and not a shred of chemicals anywhere?

I love the smell of greenhouse tomato's and stand a chance of moving my bed into the greenhouse once the toms start to grow :lol:

The more I think of this, the more I want to do it, to get the freshest veggies and salad possible. Chemical free.

 

[lucylocket61]

I think it is definitely worth it. On a good year we break even, but thats not the main point of doing it.

Great taste, very fresh and the joy of working outside. We dont have a garden as such

But I was just trying to point out that not everything grows all the time, so be prepared for it to supplement your veg buying, not replace it.

and most allotment (round here anyway) dont permit chicken keeping - but yours might. We had chickens in our tiny garden bit for a while, but they were too noisy for the neighbours - even though we didnt have a cockerel. The lead hen took on the role of the cockerel at dawn :lol:

 

[Defren]

I think it is definitely worth it. On a good year we break even, but thats not the main point of doing it.

Great taste, very fresh and the joy of working outside. We dont have a garden as such

But I was just trying to point out that not everything grows all the time, so be prepared for it to supplement your veg buying, not replace it.

and most allotment (round here anyway) dont permit chicken keeping - but yours might. We had chickens in our tiny garden bit for a while, but they were too noisy for the neighbours - even though we didnt have a cockerel. The lead hen took on the role of the cockerel at dawn :lol:

I think I would wring the chickens neck myself if it woke me at dawn. :lol:

Thanks for the info, just need to persuade himself, get an allotment and off we go. Wish me luck, talking himself into it could be my biggest hurdle!

 

[Braunwatches5]

In the past, plants have been improved by breeding them with other, better plants - a natural process which takes years. But with GM foods, it's done quickly and artificially, and lots of people are worried about it.

 

[WhitbyJet]

Defren/Joanna - I so agree with you. My husband and I buy organic whenever we can, have done for a long time, we buy our meat in bulk, organic, free range, grassfed.
Ideally we should eat seasonal produce, but must admit we fail on that quite a bit. but I freeze a lot of veg and berries. I am not a gardener, but grow masses of herbs, tomatoes in pots.


**Speaking of berries, dont forget to collect elderberries this year, freeze, they are delicious with your granola and ice cream and as coulis with low carb chocolate cakes/muffins PLUS strengthen the immune system to help you deal with colds/flu (Google Sambucol - its a elderberry extract, sold to boost immune system/cold remedy, if you collect berries you get all that for free).

Good health to you all x x

 

[witan]

We have all learnt the hard way that Bankers and Pharmaceutical companies can't be trusted, yet you believe that all the 'organic' produce you get is genuine. Regardless of the trade bodies that vet the suppliers, how easy, to double their profit, would it be for any shop, small or multinational, to just slip one or two (or more!) non-organic items in amongst the others. How would you ever know without the trouble and expense of getting a DNA test done!

It's true that plant breeding and selection has gone on for centuries, but slowly and within the limits of what can be done naturally, giving the human body some time to adapt and compensate (except in a few cases where sensitivity and allergies occur in a small part of the population). However GM gives us the ability to engineer changes that would never happen in nature and to suddenly switch from one variety to a new GM one - no time to adjust. And with the huge risk of uncontrolled breeding between GM and non-GM who knows what we are eating!

Is this the cause of the increase in food allergies and sensitivity?

 

[IanD]

Monsanto's Cloned Growth Hormone Contaminates US Milk

IS rBST safe? That depends on who you ask. Companies like Monsanto, the original producer of Posilac (an rBST) product had to reluctantly put safety warnings on the sides of their packages - admitting that it has about 20 "toxic effects" on the cows.
.....
Interestingly, numerous large and wealthy countries have banned the use of hormones in milk including all countries of the European Union, Norway, Switzerland, Japan, Canada, and New Zealand. The United States, obviously has not.

The EU has its uses after all.

 

[Defren]

Defren/Joanna - I so agree with you. My husband and I buy organic whenever we can, have done for a long time, we buy our meat in bulk, organic, free range, grassfed.
Ideally we should eat seasonal produce, but must admit we fail on that quite a bit. but I freeze a lot of veg and berries. I am not a gardener, but grow masses of herbs, tomatoes in pots.


**Speaking of berries, dont forget to collect elderberries this year, freeze, they are delicious with your granola and ice cream and as coulis with low carb chocolate cakes/muffins PLUS strengthen the immune system to help you deal with colds/flu (Google Sambucol - its a elderberry extract, sold to boost immune system/cold remedy, if you collect berries you get all that for free).

Good health to you all x x

Thanks Judith. I don't want to be filling my body with chemicals, GM foods or any other unnatural thing. I want to eat and drink as pure as possible. Flour which is bleached and then cleaned with gasses to make it white and stable for good baking? What's all that about? I am glad I don't eat anything made with wheat flour. There is also legislation that says, a certain amount of insect parts, and rodent parts (by this they mean mice hair and/or droppings) are also acceptable in flour. This is US law by the way, but is UK law the same? Are flour mills allowed to sell flour with insect parts or rodent hair and/or droppings in them here too? If they are, what really is in bread, pastry etc? Shudder.

Sorry, bit of a tangent, but that is just one example of why I buy and eat organic and as pure foods as possible. Even so, I am still not convinced it is as pure as I would choose it to be, but as I don't grow any of it, nor am I ever going to slaughter my own meat, I have to accept what I am told. In the the past accepting what we are told has led to catastrophic mass problems and deaths, but what choices do we have?

 

[Defren]

Monsanto's Cloned Growth Hormone Contaminates US Milk

IS rBST safe? That depends on who you ask. Companies like Monsanto, the original producer of Posilac (an rBST) product had to reluctantly put safety warnings on the sides of their packages - admitting that it has about 20 "toxic effects" on the cows.
.....
Interestingly, numerous large and wealthy countries have banned the use of hormones in milk including all countries of the European Union, Norway, Switzerland, Japan, Canada, and New Zealand. The United States, obviously has not.

The EU has its uses after all.

I heard about the bovine growth hormone and the problems it caused via milk in the US. I don't drink milk, but I do eat other dairy produce, so keeping this out of our dairy herds is most welcome. However, the EU did agree to GM soya beans, and other GM crops being grown in the UK. what good is given with one hand is taken away with the other!

 

[phoenix]

GM labelling in the UK
http://www.food.gov.uk/safereating/gm/gm_labelling
If an animal feed contains GM ingredients this doesn't have to appear on labels
You can find individually Supermarkets policies for GM online; it does seem that you have to buy organic meats/eggs to be certain that the feed doesn't contain GM modified grains.
DEFRA on GM crops/trials in the UK
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/gm/

(of course those of us successfully using modern insulins benefit from genetic modification)
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/insulin/analogue-insulin.html

 

[Defren]

GM labelling in the UK
http://www.food.gov.uk/safereating/gm/gm_labelling
If an animal feed contains GM ingredients this doesn't have to appear on labels
You can find individually Supermarkets policies for GM online; it does seem that you have to buy organic meats/eggs to be certain that the feed doesn't contain GM modified grains.
DEFRA on GM crops/trials in the UK
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/gm/

(of course those of us successfully using modern insulins benefit from genetic modification)
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/insulin/analogue-insulin.html

I knew this but thank you for posting. THIS is the reason I buy every product I can get organic. You simply cannot tell when grains have been sneaked in otherwise, and you end up getting them into your body.

Sainsbury's have an offer on organic cheese at the moment, so I grabbed some extra, so happily I can eat more safely!