Print
Hi Everybody! Hope you’ve all been well since my last article! In this article, I’ll be talking about GM foods—especially fruits and vegetables. There are many reasons why genetically modified foods are not good for you. But before we even delve into all that, it’s important for all of us to understand what GM food really is.
Genetically modified foods, or GM foods, are any kind of food that has purposely had specific changes made to its DNA. These changes have been made by humans and are not brought about by natural means over time.
It’s natural for all organisms to change over time, whether it’s an extremely gradual change, or a relatively quick change caused by mutations, radiation, and other environmental factors. These changes help the organism adapt to its environment and typically make it stronger.
With genetically modified foods, human interaction forces the organisms to change–unnaturally. Certain genes in the organism’s make-up are purposely removed or introduced to the organism’s DNA. Whether it be a gene to help the organism grow faster, brighter, juicer, etc., the bottom line is, it is certainly not natural.
The theory and reasoning behind GM foods is such: If humans can manipulate nature, and produce foods that are “better” for us, then the end result will surpass the questionable means and we (humans) can benefit from these “better” foods.
However, many studies have shown that GM foods are less nutritious and can actually be harmful to humans and other animals. Lab rats, fed GM foods, were shown to develop lesions in their stomachs and other intestinal problems. GM foods have also been shown to cause liver, kidney, and heart damage in mammals.
In addition, many GM fruits and vegetables are much lower in the nutrients found in non-GM foods. Some of these include calcium, iron, phosphorus, and vitamin C. Studies have shown that over the last two decades, these nutrients have been on a steady decline in our fruits and vegetables! What is the point of eating fruits and vegetables if you’re not getting any of the nutrients normally derived from these plants?!
The draw to GM foods is, of course, that they grow faster and produce more. But we can’t just look at the short-term benefits of these foods; we need to consider the long-term effects as well. And I truly think that anyone who does their research and discovers the long-term effects of these foods will be willing to wait a bit longer to enjoy food the way God intended it to be!
