Tag Archives: Monsanto

GMO Sugar: How Sweet It Isn’t

Brown Sugar

Our daughter Claire definitely falls into the category of picky eater.  Her sensitivity to taste limits what she eats, and I’m always trying to make the most of the food she’s willing to eat. One of those is pumpkin pie.  She loves it, and pumpkin has good nutritional value. On Sunday, we decided to try a different recipe than our usual.  I needed brown sugar, so I ran to the closest supermarket and picked up a pack of Domino’s brown sugar.  I felt my GMO radar go off, but nonetheless it was time for Claire and I to make a yummy pie, which we did.

The next day, I bought some organic brown sugar for future pies and felt better.  Yet I knew I hadn’t done any real research on GMO sugar, so I looked into it.  Here’s the scoop.

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Stepping into The Twilight Zone: Attack of the GMOs

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are always on my radar screen.  I’ve understood for some time that genetically engineered food is something I do not want to ingest if I can help it.  Keeping them out of my family’s diet is a daily priority for me.  Yesterday, I saw on Facebook that Peru had officially banned GMOs.  Wanting to get clear on how many countries have banned them – in the hopes that these bans matter – I did some further investigation and ended up in…The Twilight Zone.

Countries that have banned GMOs include Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Russia, Austria, Greece, Poland, Egypt, Kenya, Madagascar and, for the most part, the Nordic countries.  Kudos to these countries for standing up to the biotech companies pushing these seeds!

Now, take a look at this map, which shows in red all the places where GMOs are thriving.

sott.net May 2012

That is one frightening visual.  Here’s why.

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Halloween Candy: On Childhood Joy and GMOs

Another Halloween has come and gone. After hopping from house to house in a celebratory frenzy, our little Ninja Claire came home, plopped on the living room rug and began the ritual carried out for generations: the sorting of candy. I remember doing it myself as a kid, with great excitement, wondering if I had more Sugar Babies this year than last. For Claire, it’s Nerds, Dots and Laffy Taffy that top her list. Twizzlers, too. Watching her sort with joy and precision, I pushed down the sadness and confusion I felt, knowing how happy she is to have all this candy. Knowing it’s all made with genetically modified corn syrup.

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Poisoned Water, Poisoned Air and Other Scary Monsters

My daughter Claire says she has a lot of monsters that live under her bed. They include vampires, zombies, giant furry things, etc. They are her friends, and only she is allowed to visit them. One day, after talking about her monster friends, Claire asked what really scares me. I think she was hoping I’d come up with something that has glowing red eyes, long crusty fingernails, green fangs and a hair-raising howl. Pondering her question, I stared out into space, letting all the monsters that haunt me race through my head.

Cancer, cancer, cancer, I thought; that everywhere-you-turn monster that’s consuming humans at a frightening pace. Cancer scares me. What scares me even more is the constant poisoning of our water, air, soil and food. Modern industrial life has brought with it a plethora of toxic chemicals that have saturated our society.

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OMG GMOs

On Mother’s Day of this year my husband took my daughter Claire and me out to dinner, which I was definitely happy about. Cooking dinner day after day is often a trying experience for me, though I honor it as part of my contribution to the family.

We went to the usual Japanese restaurant because it’s the only place Claire truly enjoys eating out. As my husband and I dined on sushi, Claire dove into her favorites – white rice, dumplings, edamame and miso soup. She expressed her enthusiastic delight in the tasty nature of the food, a big smile on her sweet face, which made me very happy – that is until I began my investigation into genetically modified foods the following day.

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Seeds of Greed Part II

I am not a science experiment

I am shocked, outraged and frightened
Now enlightened
About the truth of genetically modified food
Food my child has ingested
Food that hasn’t been long-term tested
To be safe for human consumption
It’s a no-win situation
That is poisoning our nation
And the biotech companies don’t care
Preferring we be unaware

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Seeds of Greed

I am not a science experiment

GMOs are on the rise
Sweeping the planet before our eyes
Causing harm that will arise
In our children
The future’s prize

I say we can stop this mess
Say we won’t allow success
To corporations who choose to poison
The precious lives of girls and boys in
Which the promise of tomorrow
Is all too tainted with unnecessary sorrow

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