No other produce currently on the market is genetically engineered to our knowledge: Not seedless watermelons, not tomatoes, NOTHING else in the US. There are a small number of GM eggplants in Bangladesh and India.
Knowing this list can help you pick dishes without these ingredients.
If you plan ahead, you can call or email the restaurant you want to eat at and ask specific questions that will serve two purposes:
* You will (hopefully) get a list of healthy non-GMO eating options;
* By informing the restaurant of your desire to avoid GMOs, you add to the growing base of non-GMO consumers that are steadily persuading suppliers to seek more non-GMO sources.
I know this works from personal experience. I’ve seen several restaurants switch ingredients as soon as they realized they were using unpopular GMOs.
Most of the GMO soy, corn, cotton, canola, and sugar beet varieties are “Roundup Ready,” sprayed with lots of Roundup. But this dangerous, cancer causing herbicide is also used on many other foods.
Glyphosate based herbicides are sprayed in grains, such as oats, wheat, and rice. It’s sprayed on numerous legumes, including chickpeas, lentils, and mung beans. Farmers spray on potato fields, in citrus orchards, even in the rows between grapes in wine vineyards.
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For example, you will likely never buy non-organic oatmeal again, once you see those numbers. Forget hummus. You can see the various brands on our list, or just note the levels from chickpeas. Wheat is also high, which is a staple of lots of cuisines.
Now that you understand that many of the restaurant foods that you eat often may contain GMOs and glyphosate, it’s good to be reminded of just how dangerous they can be. This will be the motivation to nudge your decisions through the menu to the safer options. For a hefty dose of motivation, watch the movie
One final word of advice. As you start looking into the ingredients used in your favorite restaurants, you may get disappointed or angry. I encourage you to not dump your anger or frustration onto the restaurant staff. Befriend them, educate them, and have patience. The great news is that the tipping point of consumer rejection is underway in the US and we can see a day soon where the supply chain will be rid of GMOs and glyphosate altogether.
Jeffrey