Watching for GMO’s: Our first grocery trip

Yesterday we went to the grocery store as a family. I was determined to buy as much organic & non-GMO food as I possibly could. After a trip that was a little longer than normal (needed to look at more labels) & spending about $20 more than our average grocery bill, it was a success!

We went through the dairy section and bought some cheeses & organic 2% milk (Stonyfield Farm – i also like to support local businesses as much as possible), then through a couple different aisle’s to grab some cereal, Newman’s Own organic pasta sauce & other miscellaneous items.

Carter wanted to pick out his own cereal. I gave him a choice between a couple & he chose ‘Peanut Butter Panda Puffs’ made by Nature’s Path. (Nature’s Path is organic and also gluten & wheat free – a trusted brand that I feel confident giving to Carter.)

I try to avoid the center aisles, because I know they’re mainly all processed foods. When you’re trying to eat healthy or lose weight, a great rule of thumb is to shop the outside walls of the grocery store. That’s where you will find everything thats fresh & perishable and best for you; look for organic! We then went through the meat section and bought some organic chicken at a whopping $4.99 a pound. I just bought one package for $8.03 and plan to use it for a couple meals.

This morning I made Carter & myself a fresh fruit, organic spinach & organic milk smoothie. He absolutely loved it and polished it off along with a small bowl of his panda puffs.

Next, I made some wraps for Matt for lunches. He has to be up & out of the house early for work so I figured if he had something healthy to grab before he leaves, it would mean fewer stops on the road for processed foods & more money in his pocket.

I made some chicken wraps with a little olive oil mayonnaise, organic shredded carrots, organic cucumbers, organic spinach & a few pinches of shredded cheddar cheese.

I found this very helpful website that is very helpful when trying to avoid GMO’s

http://www.chiro.org/nutrition/FULL/Avoid_GMOs.shtml

This is a blurb from the website –

“Genetic Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM) of food involves the laboratory process of artificially inserting genes into the DNA of food crops or animals. The result is called a genetically modified organism or GMO. GMOs can be engineered with genes from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals, or even humans. Most Americans say they would not eat GMOs if labeled, but unlike most other industrialized countries, the U.S. does not require labeling.

This Non-GMO Shopping Guide is designed to help reclaim your right to know about the foods you are buying, and help you find and avoid GMO foods and ingredients.

Tips for avoiding GM crops

• TIP #1: BUY ORGANIC:   Certified organic products are not allowed to contain any GMOs.  Therefore, when you purchase products labeled “100% organic,” “organic,” or “made with organic ingredients,” all ingredients in these products are not allowed to be produced from GMOs. For example, products labeled as “made with organic ingredients” only require 70% of the ingredients to be organic, but 100% must be non-GMO.

• TIP #2: LOOK FOR“NON-GMO” LABELS:   Companies may voluntarily label products as “non-GMO.” Some labels state “non-GMO” while others spell out “Made Without Genetically Modified Ingredients.” Some products limit their claim to only one particular “At-Risk” ingredient such as soy lecithin, listing it as “non-GMO.”

• TIP #3: AVOID AT-RISK INGREDIENTS:   Avoid products made with any of the crops that are GM. Most GM ingredients are products made from the “Big Four:” corn, soybeans, canola, and cottonseed, used in processed foods. Some of the most common genetically engineered Big Four ingredients in processed foods are:
  

  Corn
  Corn flour, meal, oil, starch, gluten, and syrup
  Sweeteners such as fructose, dextrose, and glucose
  Modified food starch*

  Soy
  Soy flour, lecithin, protein, isolate, and isoflavone
  Vegetable oil* and vegetable protein*

  Canola
  Canola oil (also called rapeseed oil)

  Cotton
  Cottonseed oil

  Sugar
  Anything not listed as 100% cane sugar

  *May be derived from other sources

  In addition, GM sugar beet sugar recently entered the food supply. Look for organic and non-GMO sweeteners, candy and chocolate products made with 100% cane sugar, evaporated cane juice or organic sugar, to avoid GM beet sugar.”