I am so grateful to have a store like Whole Foods nearby where I can purchase relatively fresh organic produce and other groceries. My preference though is to shop at the Farmer’s Market on Sundays at the civic center (where I run into a lot of you). I also LOVE my bananas and mangos even if they’re not local!
Whether you shop at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s or Safeway, consider the following information before you put something in your shopping cart!
Avoid GMOs like the Plague
Learn the truths, myths and hazards of genetically modified foods (GMOs). These are modified crops that are made to tolerate the highly toxic glyphosate pesticide (Monsanto’s Round Up) that is polluting our planet and our bodies. GMOs also can have one species’ genes inserted into another species to give it a certain trait. For example, cold water fish genes are injected into tomatoes to make them more resistant to cold weather. This is highly unnatural and has not been properly tested.
I highly advise against eating GMOs. More than any other substances avoid them like the plague.
More and more foods and products are being genetically engineered or contain genetically engineered ingredients, often deceptively hidden in alternative forms.
Here are eight of the most common GMOs:
- Alfalfa
- Canola
- Corn
- Cotton
- Papaya
- Soy
- Sugar Beets
- Zucchini and Yellow Summer Squash
The same thinking must be put towards canola (canola oil is cheaper than olive oil, but it’s not healthy and isn’t part of a natural diet for humans), soy (soy isolate, soy oil, soy lecithin, etc.) cotton (cottonseed oil) and sugar beets (sugar!).
Hawaiian papayas have been genetically modified - so again, if they’re not organic I wouldn’t advise grabbing them at the market. I rarely, if ever, see organic papayas even at Novato Whole Foods but they do have organic ones at the Good Earth in Fairfax.
If you thought everything at Whole Foods is safe and natural, think again.
Whole Foods sells a large amount of GMO foods, not only the non-organic produce items like corn and papaya, but a large portion of their 365 brand or other brands of processed products that aren’t organic use canola oil, or soy, corn, or sugar. Check ingredient lists.
On Whole Foods website, they say, “Whole Foods Market currently sells 3,300 Non-GMO Project verified products from 250 brands, more than any other retailer in North America.” They say they have many non-GMO Verified products, more and more all the time. But what use is a non-GMO label on a package of frozen blueberries? Blueberries haven’t been genetically modified… The numbers are misleading.
At Whole Food’s deli case, hot soup and prepared food area; and salad bar you will also find an array of soups and hot dishes that contain canola oil, soy oil, and corn products – and it’s likely all GMO. It’s so disappointing!
Ninety percent of Americans want what consumers in more than 60 other countries already have, mandatory labeling laws or bans on GMOs.
After public pressure in response to the California Label GMO initiative (Prop 37, which failed by a small percentage of votes) Whole Foods agreed to label all their GMO products, but not until 2018. Even Target is doing better than that; their new line called “Simply Balanced” which is about half organic will be GMO-free by 2014. Currently, Chipotle fast food restaurant is already labeling GMOs, check out the menu on their website!
If you would like to have more ready-to-eat options at our local Whole Foods that do not contain GMO ingredients (this is as easy as eliminating a few things like canola oil or soy oil), consider writing them a request, they make it easy to do so. If enough of us who would appreciate better quality items request them, they might start providing better options. I think Whole Foods, in principle, should not have any GMO products.
If you have questions, include them below and I will do my best to answer them!
Stay tuned, for the second article of a 4 part series on healthy grocery shopping.
