If you don't know how to distinguish genetically modified foods from normal foods but you know you want to, pay attention. With these points we offer you a guide to recognize them in a much simpler way than you thought. You will be able to clear up any doubts quickly, in addition to clarifying some questions about what these products consist of.
What are transgenic foods?
- Transgenic foods are those that are produced from an organism modified through genetic engineering.
- In this way, they are a series of foods to which genes from another organism have been incorporated in order to obtain the desired characteristics.
- Although so far it has not been proven that these types of foods represent a real danger to our health, the truth is that the possible consequences of their intake are still being studied.
- In addition, you have to be very careful with these genetically modified products, because they can cause allergic reactions.
- So, if you have an allergy to a certain food and you ate a product that contained genes from that food, you could end up suffering a reaction.
- This is why it is so important to always look at the labels.
- However, not all foods included in this group are genetically modified, although they have been altered with chemicals at some point during mass production.
- In this group we could find the hormones and antibiotics that are supplied to dairy cows, for example: Thus we would discover that the product obtained is an altered milk that cannot be considered natural.
What are organic foods?
- Regarding foods of organic origin, say that they are those that did not have any type of intervention from pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers during their production.
- This type of food is free of additives and synthetic substances. For example, in organic foods, the raising processes of animals that will later be destined for human consumption are done with natural foods. Furthermore, at no time is the natural rate of maturation of these animals accelerated.
- Organic foods do not need to be fortified, since the organic diet includes all the nutrients that a person needs to live.
- In addition, toxic pesticides are not required to combat pests, because there is no risk of mutations in the food itself due to exposure to genetically altered plants.
Look at the product labeling
- Natural products have a series of brands that represent them.
- Look on labels that say they are “100% organic”, “Organic” or “Made with organic ingredients” products.
- This way you can know that the food itself does not have genetically modified components.
- Also look for phrases like “Non-GMO,” “Non-GMO,” and “Made without genetically modified ingredients” on the label.
- Although these foods may contain genetically modified organisms, in no case would it be present in more than 0.9%.
- In the United States and some products in Mexico, fruits and vegetables are marked with a 5-digit PLU code on the label (the internal code that the management application assigns to the items). If the food is genetically modified, this five-digit code will begin with 8. If it is organic, the five-digit code will begin with 9. If the code is four digits, it means that the product has been grown conventionally, with pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
Observe the food itself
Genetically modified foods have a perfect appearance: an impeccable shape, an identical size to each other and are preserved for much longer, since the new genes allow them to be resistant to external factors.
- To know if a product is natural or not you will have to see if the vegetables or fruits are damaged by insects.
- If the answer is yes, you are most likely looking at a natural product.
The most harmful foods
If you want to avoid this type of food, you should keep in mind that 78% of soybeans, 33% of corn, and 64% of cotton and 24% of rapeseed in the world are genetically modified.
In addition, you should also keep in mind that these types of products are added to foods such as:
- Sausages
- Dairy
- Precooked and flour mixes
- Dry breakfast products
- quick oats
- Bread and other baked goods
- Sweet drinks
- Peanut butter and cottonseed oil
- Mayonnaise
- Chocolate syrup
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