WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO OUR FOOD SUPPLY?

Irradiation, GMO’s, & High Fructose Corn Syrup

After reading the impressive list of nutritional qualities, it is easy to see why Wildtree products can be said to have “side benefits” instead of the “side effects” that come with eating products containing MSG and other preservatives, hydrogenated oils, artificial food dyes and high fructose corn syrup. Wildtree does not use any ingredients that are irradiated or are genetically modified. So, why is this important? What is irradiation anyhow?

It is the process of exposing foods – spices, fruits, vegetables or meats, to radiation with the purpose of killing bacteria, insects, parasites or to delay spoilage, sprouting or ripening. On the surface this may seem like a good idea, however, opponents of this unnatural process are fearful of unknown long term effects as well as the destruction of nutrients such as Vitamin C and B vitamins. Marion Nestle, the author of “What to Eat” states in her book: “Unless their labels state otherwise, I assume that commercial dried herbs and spices have been irradiated electronically or with the use of radioisotopes, even though I have never found a box of them bearing a radura label.” By law, irradiated foods are supposed to be labeled with a symbol, the radura, which looks like a flower and the statement, ”treated with irradiation.”

With Genetically Modified (GM) foods, the genes have been deliberately manipulated to give the plants some desirable trait such as having a resistance to insects or viruses. GM foods are supposed to be labeled voluntarily with PLU (product look up) codes that begin with 8, but there is no regulation that states a food manufacturer has to label a food as genetically modified. Just as with irradiated foods, opponents of this process argue that we have no idea what impact these genetically engineered foods are going to have on us down the road.

We are seeing and do know, however, the devastating health effects of high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup, HFCS, which the food manufacturers have worked way too hard to convince us is healthy – is a processed, “man made” substance that is metabolized, like fat, far more rapidly than any other sugar or sweetener. When we eat real sugar, our bodies produce leptin hormones that let us know when we are full. But when we eat HFCS – because it is a synthetic substance that doesn’t act the same way in the body – unlike real sugar –it does not trigger leptin so our sweet tooth never gets satisfied. The average person today is consuming between 12-15 teaspoons of HFCS daily. IT IS IN EVERYTHING! In addition, the Washington Post published an article (January 26, 2009), stating that HFCS is contaminated with mercury – a toxic heavy metal. In the tests that were conducted by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, mercury was found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand name food and beverage products where high fructose corn syrup is listed as the first or second highest ingredient on the food label. The IATP study found the highest levels of mercury were in some snack bars, BBQ sauce, sloppy joe mix, yogurt and chocolate syrup. All with very well-known brands such as Kraft, Hunt’s, Quaker, Hershey’s, Smucker’s and Yoplait. Lastly, and putting the final nail in the coffin of this dangerous synthetic substance, HFCS is almost always made from genetically modified corn – so those who are regularly consuming foods containing HFCS are consuming genetically modified food.

By Donna Hetrick, Wildtree Team Leader/Certified Clinical Nutritionist