Comments on Food, Inc.- a film about the misdeeds of America's food industry

I don't even know where to start.
So, I watched a film called "Food, Inc" today on Netflix. I feel it is something everyone should watch.

It tells of what goes on behind closed doors in our meat and crop industries- the truth is frightening.

I'm actually a little afraid to say some things, being that there are laws in place to keep people from badmouthing certain products. Bet you didn't know that. Oh yeah, Oprah got sued for badmouthing hamburger meat; look it up. It's all in an attempt to keep consumers in the dark- consumers like you & I.

As common sense, what is supposed to be a cow's main source of nutrition? Grass. Did you know that most of the cattle in the US is fed a diet of corn and soybeans. This unnatural change in their diet can make acid-resistant E. coli in the stomach of these animals more common. Because this pathogen is not killed by the stomach acid, it poses a threat to anyone who consumes this meat. The meat industry knows this.....

and is doing  nothing.

The food production industry is fully aware of the past and possible future contamination of spinach, apple juice, and peanut butter, etc, from run off from these slaughterhouses.......

and does  nothing.

Not even an "I'm sorry" for  Barbara Kowalcyk, who's two year old son, Kevin, died after eating a hamburger tainted with e. coli while on vacation.

Decades ago, we had thousands of slaughterhouses- we now have only 13 in the US. This is dangerous because it places all the power in just a few huge company's hands. And these companies do not care about our health and the crap we are eating. Did you know in one package of ground beef there is meat from upwards of a thousand different cows? This makes the risk of spreading and consuming these diseases much higher.

One of the best quotes of this film:
"We're not really eating a tomato, we're eating the 'idea' of a tomato."
It's so true.

Take a look in your food cabinet. How many items contain some sort of soybean or corn product? Most of it. Maltodextrin, high fructose corn syrup, absorbic acid, lecithin, monosodium glutamate, sorbitol...... At last estimation, 93% of soybeans and 86% of corn grown in the US were genetically modified. A company called Monsanto owns the majority of these GM soybeans. Not only are we eating a diet rich in STARCHES, but we're eating food that has been chemically engineered and altered....

What does this mean for us? A sickly population.
We're eating things that our bodies are not meant to eat. Because of it, we can already see changes in our health. Obesity rates are at an all time high. One out of every three of our youth born after 2000 will contract type 2 diabetes....

Politicians and CEO's have fought to keep these foods unlabeled. You could be eating cloned meat. You're definitely eating genetically modified foods.... and they don't want you to know it. Because of cost & because they don't care as long as the optimal amount of money is in their pockets. Until we MAKE them care.

We have to stop this; for our planet and for our children.
YOU can make change. The consumer has more power than it perceives. Supply comes with demand. If we demand only the most wholesome and least processed foods, then that is what our food producers will have to supply.

What can you do?

-Protest.

-Buy locally grown foods from farmer's markets.

-Buy ORGANIC!

-Buy from companies who treat their workers, animals & products with respect.

-Most of all, STOP funding and purchasing from the companies who are feeding you these FRANKENFOODS.
(And you'd be surprised how many companies are, but to avoid possibly getting myself into trouble, I wont name drop, but you can easily research this)

For a printable Non-GMO Shopper's Guide:
http://truefoodnow.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/cfs-shoppers-guide.pdf

For more info, visit:
www.takepart.com/foodinc

Watch the trailer for Food, Inc. HERE!

GMO's: To eat or not to eat.

DEFINITELY not to eat !

The sad thing is, if you consume corn, soybeans, or canola in the United States, there is a good chance that it is GM.

So what are GMO's, you ask? GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. Basically, these are foods that scientists have genetically altered to possess traits Mother Nature never gave them by utilizing viruses to sneak genes into the nuclei of these organisms. Before this was possible, the only way (and healthier way) was for farmers to use breeding techniques to produce different strains and selected the desired traits from each generation that followed. Which would you rather eat?

I'm a firm believer that if you weren't born with it, you weren't meant to have it! But I also understand the necessity in finding ways to increase the crops we yield to feed our expanding population. The concern I, as well as many others, have about GMO's is this: If these genes can sneak their way in and change traits in foods, by consuming them, can they do the same and alter our own DNA?

Scientists DON'T KNOW. And call me crazy, but I'm not into taking chances with my DNA! If this fear is true, the results could be devastating, although not necessarily apparent right away.

A good example of this possibility was printed in an article of Vegetarian Times :
"...if plants that are genetically engineered to produce their own pesticides were to transfer this ability to your gut bacteria, the result could be unintended toxicity." ( pg 26-27, April/May 2011, Vol. 37, Issue 384, No. 4)

The good news is that you can avoid MOST of these foods with a little bit of knowledge.:)
I FREAKED when I read about this, 6 months pregnant. I vowed to do all I could to keep these franken-foods far, FAR away from my baby. And the answer is simple: Eat organic!

Organic foods are grown using wholesome, basic farming techniques. They are free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. They are not irradiated or genetically modified. They are as nature intended them to be. But I will talk more about organic foods in a future blog entry.

If you are not ready to commit to an organic lifestyle, you can seek out brands that are labeled as "not GM". In the way of produce, most oranges, bananas, broccoli, and apples are not GM, however, to be safe, you can check the PLU numbers. A PLU code is the number that cashiers use to ring up fresh produce, usually a 4-digit number. If the code is preceded by the number 8, it is genetically modified.

Admittedly so, organic foods can cost a little more than their irradiated/modified/potentially toxic alternatives, but it is well worth it. Whenever I am close to caving on a better deal, I think of a radioactive Kellan with three heads and missing vital organs, and that is enough to sway me. This is, after all, for him.

I look at him, a giggly, healthy 5-month-old, and I know that someday he will appreciate it. I want him to stay this way, not small and innocent, but as healthy and unpolluted as possible. And not only that, I'd like to be as healthy as possible for him as well, so I can live a long life and be around for him. I shudder to think of what our generation will look like when we are older, sick and cancer-stricken by the crap we call food nowadays. But I am doing my part, with the hope that someday everyone will follow. :)

For more on GMO's, their potential effects, and alternatives, visit:
http://www.saynotogmos.org/

If you're interested in protesting:
(and to scare you a little, hehe ;) ):