Masters of Health Magazine March 2021 | Page 26

GMO chemical farming is a primary source of toxicity and, therefore, one of the leading causes of death in America. And, guess what? None of this information is required to be on the label of the final product. Even worse, it's generally the cheapest food because the government subsidizes this massive toxic infrastructure.

2.Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) Meat and Dairy - This is the meat, eggs, and milk that are not organic, pasture-raised, or grass-fed. In most cases non-organic meat comes from livestock raised in concrete factory-style pens, thousands of them crammed together, pecking each-other, biting each other’s tails, and barely able to move.

They are living in toxic levels of ammonia from urine and the stench of feces particles that foster disease. Many are fed hormones to have them grow faster or produce more milk. Almost all are provided GMO grains sprayed with glyphosate. Some may be fed non-GMO grains, but that does not mean the grains have not been sprayed with glyphosate as a drying agent.

Glyphosate studies have shown damage to gut bacteria and increase health issues in animals. Therefore CAFOs administer high levels of antibiotics to prevent sickness. This then gets into our food products (along with the glyphosate) and can contribute to weakening our immune system.

3.Organic food - This food can be 100% organic only if stated on the package that every ingredient is organic.

The word and logo for USDA organic (or approved certifiers such as CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers or Oregon Tilth) can be used on the package if only 95% of the ingredients are organic.

Food manufacturers can also say “Made with Organic” on the box as long as 70% of the ingredients are organic. This food can be grown on thousands of acres but is usually grown on a few hundred or less. Usually, the farmer grows a variety of crops, such as vegetables, beans, grains, and flowers, which increases the biodiversity of the beneficial insects and reduces the need for pesticides.

These farms have far more life, and the soil quality is better than GMO farming because of the lack of toxic chemicals and GMOs. It is the safest and most accessible of the food types listed. However, most organic farmers do till the soil and leave the earth bare. Therefore, this type of farming can also be a significant contributing factor to reducing the release of carbon into the air.

4.Regenerative Organic food - Although challenging to find in the grocery stores and mostly available online, this new category of food was born out of an inspired reaction to climate change. Food movement leaders realized that by increasing the soil’s organic matter by only .4% per year, we could draw down all of the carbon currently in the air in 25 years. If we also reduced emissions and stopped clearing forests for lumber and animal farming we could significantly improve the environment. We could save the human species from potentially going extinct—clearly, a worthy endeavor. Regenerative Organic agriculture uses minimal to no-tilling. Diverse cover crops protect the soil and feed the microbiota, increasing its nutrient density and organic matter. Larger amounts of organic matter not only sequester carbon, but absorb water, preventing devastating impacts from drought. This type of farming uses free-ranging animals to gently till up the soil with their hooves and claws while they deposit their nutrient-dense urine and manure into the ground. This soil then becomes a part of the solution for environmental degradation. It’s gaining traction for a good reason. Note: Organic food could be grown as regenerative.