A number of emerging studies are finding that our diets and activities outweigh environmental factors in causing premature death. In the United States alone, the leading causes of death are heart disease, cancer, lung disease, and stroke. However, many researchers believe that there is a looming culprit to blame for all this—genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.

GMOs—Worse than smoking and not exercising?!

Until recently, GMOs have been overlooked if not outright ignored. Nevertheless, their effects are considered by many to be the root of most health issues making them more hazardous than smoking tobacco or not exercising. The truth is if you eat processed food imported from America, then you are most likely consuming:

• corn (in the form of high fructose corn syrup)
• soy (in the form of trans fat vegetable oil)
• sugar beets (in the form of refined sugar)

Unfortunately, corn, soy, and sugar beets are three of the most common genetically engineered crops in the United States. Meanwhile, genetically modified crops grown in Australia include canola and cottonseed. Genetically “engineered” or “modified” means these crops are contaminated with glyphosate, the primary ingredient found in toxic herbicide.

Agriculture out of control

What makes GMO foods so dangerous really goes back to modern agricultural practices. Currently, there are no legal limits on how much or how often farmers use pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other agricultural chemicals are known neurotoxins that damage the brain and nervous system. And the majority of herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides are linked to causing cancer. Even if you avoid eating corn, soy, and sugar beets, agricultural chemicals are used in a broad variety of fruits and vegetables. Fortunately, unlike the united States, farmers in Australia do not feed antibiotics to their animals. Most Australian Beef is in fact organic although not certified, this is due to the large tracts of land over which beef cattle are grazed, and again the majority of Australian beef are grass fed.

8 ways you can live a longer life

Although ingesting GMO foods may seem inevitable, there are several ways you can fight back and avoid preventable disease:

1. Eat only raw, whole, organic, or unprocessed foods—avoiding fructose and other forms of sugar minimises your risk of cancer, insulin resistance, and accelerated aging
2. Limit carbohydrates and increase healthy fats—limiting carbs is also key to keeping your sugar intake low while consuming good fats balances your insulin and leptin levels for a healthy weight
3. Maintain your gut flora—good bacteria naturally reside in your intestine fighting off bad bacteria that can make you ill; yet, you must resupply your good bacteria by consuming probiotics and fermented foods often
4. Exercise regularly—regular high-intensity exercise along with a healthy diet promotes health, strength, and weight loss
5. Manage stress—your emotional stability is as crucial to your health as your diet, so keeping your mental state in check with prayer or meditation is essential
6. Drink lots of water—water is necessary for every metabolic function in your body, so it’s important that you stay hydrated
7. Get your Vitamin D—sufficient vitamin D levels can dramatically reduce your risk of death from all causes, so get as much sun exposure as possible
8. Sleep and sleep some more!—sleep is necessary for a healthy metabolism as well as preventing age-related conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, memory loss, and obesity

For more information on eliminating GMOs from your diet, feel free to ‘Ask a Naturopath’ at Mr Vitamins.