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Of course you want to buy the healthiest foods for your family, but it can be very difficult to read all the different food labels on every single thing you buy.  For me personally grocery shopping needs to be done "Supermarket Sweep" style (you know that old game show?)...fast.  I'm a girl on a mission with kids in tow and standing around reading every food label I put in my cart is not an option. 

And even if I did read every food label that still would not tell me if something was GMO or not, it would still leave me guessing.  Here in the United States genetically modified foods are not labeled as such...but there is a little known trick I learned that guarantees the food I buy for my family is GMO free.

There is an amazing new company out there, the first of its kind that guarantees any product they carry is Non-GMO.  They regulate this very heavily and pledge to never carry GMO products.  This is great news as it takes away all the guess work and label analyzing so that I can feel 100% confident we are consuming only healthy non-GMO foods.  This is a really big deal as there is no other store or company that has this pledge and with all the dangerous health risks associated with GMO foods it's a company I am very glad exists.  I know that my kiddos are getting good clean food that their bodies desperately need to grow into healthy adults.

One other thing I really like about them is I can order right online and have it shipped (for free!) to my doorstep which as a busy working mom saves me a ton of time.  They are also so much cheaper than Wholefoods or the organic section at my grocery.  (Just to give you an idea the Gluten free oatmeal I buy at my local grocery is $5.99 a box, the same oatmeal at this store is $3.04!)  So I save money, time, and know without a shadow of a doubt I am feeding my family Non-GMO foods...can you say Super-Mom!!

Click on the picture above to check them out, or click here, I know you will be just as impressed as I am!

 
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Maybe you've heard of GMO, or maybe you have not.

It's a very controversial and complex issue.  Just think about the term "Genetically Modified" for a sec...It definitely does not sound like something I would like to eat, let alone let my kid's eat it!

Using genetic engineering techniques scientists alter organisms to give it a new DNA.  This new genetically modified seed now will produce a plant that will not die even when sprayed with the potent Round Up pesticides.  Not only does it encourage the use of pesticides but farmers tend to use MORE pesticides than before which is sort of a double whammy because you get the health risks of the genetically modified seed itself PLUS all the pesticides.

There is absolutely no benefits to GMO seeds, other than it being a huge money maker for Monsanto.  Even half of the European Union finds no benefit to genetically modified food and in fact some countries are banning the use and sale of GM food altogether. 

Which may raise the question, why is GM food good enough for the U.S.?  It all boils down to politics. Monsanto is a company that dominates the American food chain.  They developed a seed that would resist Monsanto's own herbicide, Roundup, allowing farmers to spray their fields with the weed killers without killing the crops.  Commercialized GMO crops in the U.S. include soy (91%), cotton (88%), canola (88%), corn (85%), Hawaiian papaya (more than 50%), and some zucchini and yellow squash.  Other sources of GMO are products derived from the above, including oils, soy protein, soy lecithin, cornstarch, corn syrup & high fructose corn syrup.

Other sources are meat, eggs, and dairy products from animals that have eaten GM feed (and the majority of the GM corn and soy is used for feed); dairy products from cows injected with rbGH (a GM hormone);food additives, enzymes, flavorings, and processing agents, including the sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet®) and rennet used to make hard cheeses; and honey and bee pollen that may have GM sources of pollen.

GMO foods are NOT safe.  The only feeding study done with humans showed that GMOs survived inside the stomach of the people eating GMO food. No follow-up studies were done.

Various feeding studies in animals have resulted in potentially pre-cancerous cell growth, damaged immune systems, smaller brains, livers, and testicles, partial atrophy or increased density of the liver, odd shaped cell nuclei and other unexplained anomalies, false pregnancies and higher death rates. Studies have found the pesticide producing genes (BT Toxins) in the intestinal flora of mothers and unborn fetuses. Source 

GM foods are not labeled, so it's a little tough to know exactly what to look for.  The easiest way to avoid GM foods is to look for is the certified organic seal.  If the product has this seal it cannot be GMO.

I prefer to take the guess work out of it and buy our groceries here because they pledge not to sell any products containing GMO giving me piece of mind.  ANYTHING I buy from here is non-GMO which means I can feel confident knowing I'm giving my girls foods that will actually nourish their bodies not cause harm.

There is a huge push in Congress to get food companies to label GM foods but Monsanto, the maker of GM seeds, is incredibly powerful and is said to be "in bed" with Congress. For more information on GMO and how you can help get them labeled visit The Institute For Responsible Technology.

 
Kashi GMO
Grocery shopping could not be more confusing.  You think you are doing the absolute best job you can by reading food labels and carefully selecting the healthiest food for your family.  But what do some of those labels really mean?  

A small Rhode Island grocery store recently discovered that Kashi cereal is made primarily of Genetically Modified Round-Up Ready Soybeans, therefore not 100% Natural as it claims to be has sparked public outrage and personally makes me crazy.  I'm sure you've seen the Kashi commercials where the Kashi people are venturing through the forest to find wholesome, fresh, natural ingredients.  Leading consumers to believe their ingredients are as "pure" as nature intended.  It's no wonder we feel cheated and duped.

Food manufacturers are recklessly using sneaky marketing slogans to trick consumers into buying their products using terms like "All Natural".  Unfortunately, there are no laws requiring the labeling of Genetically Modified Ingredients making it really difficult to identify,

What does "All Natural" really mean anyway?   According to a 2010 Hartman Group poll, more than 60 percent of consumers believe that the "natural" label implies or suggests the absence of genetically engineered ingredients.  

This is a huge misconception.  In fact, currently there are no rules or regulations for using the label "Natural" and food manufacturers are taking advantage. 

Here is the ugly truth behind what's really in Kashi's food:

All Natural GoLean Shakes
 – composed almost entirely of synthetic and unnaturally processed ingredients including sodium molybdate, phytonadione, sodium selenite, magnesium phosphate, niacinamide, calcium carbonate, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine, hydrochloride, thiamin hydrochloride, potassium iodine and more.

All Natural Heart to Heart Waffles - synthetic and unnaturally processed ingredients constitute the primary ingredients. There is more leavening  (combo of sodium bicarbonate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, and monocalcium phosphates) than all Seven Whole Grains and Sesame Flour combined.

All Natural Cereals- All the soy used in Kashi cereals is genetically modified soy. And when tested those grains they found pesticides known as carcinogenics and hormone disruptors.
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When reading food labels and choosing the best foods for your family the only label you can really trust is the USDA Organic label and shop at a place you can really trust.  This is so important because food matters and it's the one thing you have to get right.

I only shop at this store because they pledge to never carry anything GMO and take this very seriously.  This takes out the guess work for me, and I can shop with confidence knowing my kids are eating truly natural foods.  Click here to see for yourself and start shopping!

 
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It's hard enough to go grocery shopping with kid's, let alone having to read EVERY label you put into your cart.

The produce section is not exempt from labels.  I used to just pick fruits and vegetables with not even a glance at the code on it.  This was a very DANGEROUS mistake!!  

Here's the 411 and why you NEED to know:
  • If the number starts with 8, GREEN light!  This is organically grown.
  • If the number is 4 digits, YELLOW light!  This is conventionally grown.
  • If the number begins with 9, RED light!  This item is Genenically Modified (GMO), that just sounds bad doesn't it!  Put it back, and choose something else!. 
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