Being the mom of a son who has food allergies, I can’t express how deeply troubled I am by our food supply. The more I’ve learned in the last year about what lurks on our grocery store shelves and in our home cupboards and freezers, the more I want to scream. It’s almost too much to handle somedays. My husband can attest to the sheer anger that has welled up in me in the last 12 months as I’ve learned the reasons why my son’s body rejects what should be healthy and safe proteins.
And we’re not alone. Finn is one boy. There is an epidemic stirring in the next generation with the 4A’s – ADHD, allergies, asthma, and autism. In her book, The Unhealthy Truth, Robyn OBrien shares that approximately 30 million children deal with at least one of these epidemics. Think back to your school days. You didn’t see these issues among your friends and classmates, did you? But our kids do and they will continue to. Why? The immune systems of these innocent children are screaming at us to listen. I’m no expert. I’m just a mom learning how to best take care of her family. As a result, I’ll sprinkle in a little of what I’m learning, the reasons why more than one-third of our kids are dealing with at least one “A.” It’s overwhelming; it’s frustrating; it’s political; it’s wrong.
One of the biggest issues in our food supply is the vast use of GMOs or GEOs, genetically modified organisms or genetically engineered organisms. Our food, and I use that word skeptically, has been drastically altered for years without our knowledge. Shockingly (complete sarcasm here), the FDA does not require foods that have been modified to be labeled. However, consumers in Europe, England, Australia and Japan, just to name a few, are fortunate enough to have these products labeled. Why does their government care more about what’s in their food supply than ours? I’ll give you one guess.
A funny… and true… “rap” video about how our food supply is being overtaken by literal garbage was recently released. Take 5 minutes to watch it, and if you’re so inclined, I encourage you to view a few of the mentioned documentaries. Even if you’re a skeptic, go crazy and trust a mere 20% of what is shared in these documentaries. You just might be peeing in your pantsuit, too.
Agree or disagree, I’d love to hear your thoughts. All are welcome here!
Agree, agree, agree! I remember the summer before I went to Wartburg, I was learning about all this stuff and I felt OUTRAGED! Madder than a hornet.
Sometimes I still get wrapped up in eating convenient food and not worrying about hormones, GMOs, etc, so thanks for this great post and good reminder.
The quality of our food supply is a responsibility and priority we all share.
I have to admit, I am ignorant about this issue! This really opened my eyes and, well, freaked me the H out! Thanks for the post!
I was totally ignorant, too! We all start somewhere!
Would love to hear what else you learn and what impacts you if you decide to do further digging!