As an eco-friendly mom, I want to ensure that I’m avoiding genetically modified (GM) foods whenever possible possible. This can be difficult because much of the food on today’s grocery shelves contains GMOs. These foods can potentially pose health risks to humans such as decreased immunity, accelerated aging, infertility, and changes in major organs. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned the public about possible side effects. These include allergies, toxins, and nutritional problems that can result from their consumption. Instead, these warnings have gone largely ignored.

Scientists at the FDA performed long-term safety studies and found that mice ingesting GM corn over a long period of time had fewer and smaller babies. In the UK, soy allergies increased by 50% when the GM version of soy was introduced. Studies also found that GM foods caused lesions on organs and even changed enzyme levels in the liver and pancreas. How, then, do we go about avoiding GMOs?

 Tips For Avoiding GMOs

Here are some helpful tips to keep GM foods out of your diet:

Look for “non-GMO” labels: When companies opt to label their products as “non-GMO” or “Made Without Genetically Modified Ingredients,” it’s easy to avoid certain foods. Only some products label “at risk” ingredients, though. Choose brands that openly advertise that they are “non-GMO,” such as Pop Art Snacks, featured in our Ecocentric Mom December 2016 Boxes.

Stay away from at-risk ingredients: The Big Five are the worst culprits and are as follows: corn, beet sugar, soy, canola and cotton. These include derivatives such as corn flour, corn oil, starch, gluten and syrup. Canola oil, cottonseed oil, and soy flour are also derivatives of at-risk ingredients. Many of these additives are frequently found in processed foods.

Buy organic: Purchasing organic food is the only true way to ensure that you’re not consuming GMOs. However, this isn’t always possible! Opt for organic as your budget and lifestyle allow. To be considered organic, food must not be derived from GM ingredients. If you’re eating out, keep in mind that dishes labeled as “made with organic ingredients” only require 70% of ingredients to be truly organic.

Avoid aspartame: Aspartame is derived from GM products. It is found in more than 6,000 products including candy, desserts, yogurt, sugar packages and soda. Aspartame can also be found in some pharmacy products such as sugar-free cough drops and vitamins.

What do you think, moms? Do you avoid GMOs?