Three Little Letters

Hey everyone!

Have you ever wondered what makes the US so different from other countries around the world? We all know the obvious things like economy, language, culture, and our love for fast food, but there are many other things that make a HUGE difference. Ok so if you recall in my first post, I said that ALL of my problems went away while in Spain. What most of you may or may not know is that in Spain they eat A LOT of bread. The fact that we are now looking at Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance as one of my main issues was very surprising to me. How could that be? We ate a loaf of bread a day while I was in Spain. It was used as another eating utensil besides the fork, knife, and spoon. That is one thing that I didn't mind about Spanish culture because I loveeee bread!

With all of that being said, how could I eat gluten in Spain and not be able to handle it in the US? Well I am about to expose you to something most people who live in the US have no idea about. It is three little letters that make up this HUGE problem... GMO. This stands for Genetically Modified Organism. I had no idea that almost all of the foods containing seeds--anything with gluten--is genetically modified. This means that our cereals, breads, pastas, etc. are all UNNATURAL!

So what does this mean for us? Well as seed that is genetically modified contains 50% MORE gluten than a natural seed! This now puts the puzzle pieces together for me. I was able to handle the low amount of gluten found in European products, but my body cannot handle the larger amounts found in genetically modified seeds. GMO's are allowed in practically anything in the US, but for a GMO to be allowed in Europe, it must pass through an approval system which is intended to assess its safety for humans, animals, and the environment called The GMO Panel of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). With that being said, stricter regulations mean less food with GMO's.

Producers of GMO's think that they are mimicking the natural process perfectly. But they aren't. Research done in Australia on GM peas proved this wrong. Mice who ate regular peas were fine. Mice who ate the genetically modified peas showed an immune response, producing antibodies to the GM protein. That's the key. The protein that is being produced is different and foreign and therefore producing an immune response to the consumers of that product. Another reason for GMO's is that Mansanto, the seed company who controls the seeds in the US, has made their seeds to be resistant to their main herbicide, RoundUp. I know that most of us have used this product on our own lawns, but this company is responsible for a lot more than killing the weeds in your yard. They are responsible for the majority of GM seeds in this country.

Be on the look out for GMOs. Brands that use them include: Kellogg's, M &M/Mars Co., Frito Lay, Nestle, Heinz, Hershey's, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Dannon, Similac, Cadbury, and  PepsiCo. These are just some of the more popular brands, but there are plenty of others. To find a list of companies that do NOT use GMOs go to: nongmoproject.org to find a great list of your available options! If you have a gluten intolerance or sensitivity this is especially important for you, but these companies are taking it a step further and are now creating GM corn, soy, and even trying to enter into the dairy sector. Good luck and happy shopping! :)

Besos,

Courtney