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Our Intimate Relationship with Food: A Complex Truth
Healthy Child
Monday, August 20, 2007
A famous French political thinker once said that the public would rather believe a simple lie than a complex truth.
The truth behind genetic engineering is extremely complex. It has been used for decades, but it is only in the last ten years that neurotoxins have been
engineered into our food supply.
No one has studied the long term health implications of children consuming foods containing neurotoxins, novel proteins and allergens.
Though to look back over the last ten years, you quickly remember that ten years ago, we didn¹t have to worry about sending a peanut butter and jelly sandwich into school with our children; we didn¹t have to medicate our eight year olds to get them through the school day; and the movie, Rain Man, was all we knew of autism.
Today, at least 1 out of every 17 children under the age of three has a food allergy with at least 5 million American children suffering from this condition (though these statistics are from 2002, over five years old).
Autism, diabetes and obesity are often referred to as American epidemics.
So what has changed?
In 1996, the United States adopted widespread use of genetically modified crops due to growing public concern over the health risks associated with the industrial spraying of insecticidal and pesiticidal toxins.
In an effort to reduce the spraying of these toxins, scientists began using biotechnology to engineer these pesticides and insecticides into the plants themselves.
As these ingredients were introduced around the world ten years ago, government agencies in Europe, Asia, Australia, Japan, Russia and 45 developed countries required them to be listed on food labels, so that consumers could make informed choices when it came to feeding their families.
In the United States, our regulatory agencies do not require these genetically engineered ingredients to be labeled.
So, unlike other developed countries, we have not been informed that almost 70% of our corn, 90% of our soy and 75% of our processed food now contain
neurotoxins, novel proteins and allergens.
Today one out of every three children suffers from allergies, asthma, autism or ADHD. It appears that we have unknowingly and without informed consent engaged our children in one of the largest human trials in history.
Ten years into this human trial, our children are trying to tell us something.
Shouldn¹t we listen?
By Robyn O¹Brien, Founder, AllergyKids
Posted by ideas for classroom door decorations on 02/21/2008 at 08:30 PM
Great article. Very informative especially for my kids assignment.
Posted by Dmitry Zhigalsky on 02/08/2008 at 10:32 PM
Thank you for the great article!
Now when world is “ready” to see GM meat and fish in the stores soon, this information is a must read for everyone. Thanks a lot, and please continue your research and publications. After all, we have to know the “complex truth”...
The Best wishes,
Dmitry
Posted by Sue DeBardi on 09/07/2007 at 12:59 AM
Thank-you Robyn! Please continue the important research you have done on “genetically-engineered foods”!! Most people have never heard of this! Once this information becomes common knowledge, hopefully a positive change will happen and maybe we can spare the next generation of children.
Respectfully,
Sue DeBardi
Posted by Pamela Drew on 09/06/2007 at 09:36 PM
What a fabulous article and amazing gmo graphic Robyn! You have really done the most phenomenal job of assembling resources and talent to help parents navigate this minefield of adulterated foods, to acquire the knowledge and tools to raise, not only allergy kids, but healthier families.
We are all fortunate to have you leading the charge, thanks so much for the hard work and inspiration!
Enjoy and eat well,
Pamela :~)
Posted by Keeley on 08/30/2007 at 09:41 AM
Thanks Robyn! This makes a lot of sense…and now when people ask me, as they often do, why more and more kids have food allergies I’ll have a new, informative answer for them. You do a great job and as a mom with a peanut and egg allergic child I can tell you that every bit of knowledge helps our family so much.
Thanks again,
Keeley
Posted by Nancy Myrick on 08/27/2007 at 05:20 PM
I just got a chill down my spine when I read this. How can we tell now if these things are in our food. I know they still are and it’s only making us sicker. I want to take Sinclair out of the human trail. Thanks for the information even though it’s making me sick at this moment.
Posted by Angie Nordstrum on 08/24/2007 at 12:53 PM
Thank you Robyn for the fantastic work you are doing to create awareness and change for allergic children!! Our children’s bodies are telling us loud and clear that we must drastically change the toxicity of our food and world!!
Organically yours,
Angie Nordstrum
Posted by Beth Aldrich on 08/20/2007 at 08:12 PM
How fortunate we all are to now have a clear-cut explanation of this issue that we can share with our “gmo-eating” friends and family members. Three cheers to Robyn. Thank You!
Beth
Posted by yun shi on 08/20/2007 at 02:58 PM
Thank you for this article. It is very informative. I am so glad that I get to read this to understand it. thank you. I would like to be informed of any new articles and publications that you have.
Sincerely
Yun Shi
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Posted by Celebrity Foods on 02/23/2008 at 10:19 AM
Thank you for the informative article. It is frightening the number of children and adults who may be affected by this. Any ideas on how to become involved in requiring the governing agencies to be more responsible in labeling?