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IMPORTANT Information About Non-GMO Food

Before I begin this post, let me be clear about one thing. I am very, very against GMOs.

I write about the tremendous health risks of GMOs, hold fundraisers to help get GMOs labeled, am a member of the Just Label It! campaign, participate in GMO Right to Know marches, and discuss how GMOs contribute to the toxicity of our water supply.

Most importantly, I do not consume GMOs nor purchase products that contain them.

GMOs are receiving a tremendous amount of attention these days, especially with Whole Foods’ recent announcement that all GMOs in their stores will be labeled by 2018.

All this being said, it is incredibly important that you understand one thing. Non-GMO is not the same, or as good, as organic.

And in my view, it is not even close.

Non-GMO means there are no GMOs. What it doesn’t mean is that it is free from all of the toxic pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides that are sprayed on conventionally-grown crops.

Organic does not allow GMOs nor does organic allow all of the toxic pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides that are sprayed on conventionally-grown crops.

The use of chemicals on crops is very meaningful and should be of real concern to you. Why?

Just look at the cancer rates in this country.

According to the President’s Cancer Panel, 41% of the U.S. population is expected to get cancer and 21% of the U.S. population is expected to die of cancer.

Despite what the chemical industry would like us to believe – that chemicals are safe – the President’s Cancer Panel says otherwise.

In its report, the Panel said that it was “particularly concerned to find that the true burden of environmentally induced cancer has been grossly underestimated. With nearly 80,000 chemicals on the market in the United States, many of which are used by millions of Americans in their daily lives and are un- or understudied and largely unregulated, exposure to potential environmental carcinogens is widespread.”

Additionally, in its recently released report, The American Academy of Pediatrics also believes that pesticides pose a grave danger to children.

The report says that “acute poisoning risks (from pesticides) are clear, and the understanding of chronic health implications from both acute and chronic exposure are emerging. Epidemiologic evidence demonstrates associations between early life exposure to pesticides and pediatric cancers, decreased cognitive function, and behavioral problems. Related animal toxicology studies provide supportive biological plausibility for these findings.”

One recommendation made by the President’s Cancer Panel is to choose “food grown without pesticides.”

So, the next time you go shopping or are at a restaurant and someone tries to convince you that a food is perfectly fine to eat because it is non-GMO, you can now ask that person “yes, but is it organic?”

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A few quick things to point out.

1) If your only choice is Non-GMO or conventional, definitely purchase Non-GMO.

2) The USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) prohibits the use of GMOs, but the NOP does not do field testing for GMOs before awarding the organic certification. Therefore, certified organic crops may be contaminated by GMOs from either the wind or bees. (GMOs are so widespread that there is virtually nothing that is 100% GMO-free.)

There is an organization called The Non-GMO Project, which does field testing and certifies products to be GMO-free (99.1% GMO-free). I will discuss the Non-GMO Project very soon.

If you can buy a product that is both USDA certified organic and Non-GMO Project Verified, that is the best of both worlds.

3) There is a MUST-READ article in The New York Times talks about how industrial chemicals do not have to be tested before they go onto the market. Click HERE to read it.

This is just more proof that you need to be buying “clean”, chemical-free shampoos, soaps, and home cleaning products.

The only product that I use to clean my entire apartment – kitchen, bathroom, etc. – is Vermont Soap Organics Liquid Sunshine. It is amazing and super-strong.

I know that I talk about Vermont Soap Organics a lot, but these are the products that I use and purchase with my own money. That’s how highly I think of them.

Plus, I know the owner of the company personally and he is someone that I trust completely.

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