Dr. Oz and the GMO Debate Part 2

After Dr. Oz introduced GM (genetically modified) foods to the audience, as well as some of his concerns about them in Part 1 of this segment of show, he introduced the three expert panelists invited to speak on the topic of genetically modified foods.

•  Jeffrey Smith, author of two books on the subject of GM foods,
• Dr. Michael Hansen, who works for Consumer Reports and has studied GM foods, and
• Dr. Pamela Ronald, a Plant Pathologist and author of the book and blog of the same name: Tomorrow's Table

Dr. Oz also mentioned that he extended an invitation to someone in the Monsanto company, but they declined, providing a statement, of which he shared this bit:

image from The Dr. Oz Show episode originally aired on 12/7/2010

 Part 2 of Dr. Oz's GMO Segment - The Debate begins
Genetically Modified Foods, Pt. 2 (this video clip is 5 minutes and 29 seconds long)

As Dr. Oz began to engage each of the panelists in their viewpoints of the place GMO foods have in our world and in our diets, he paused to give voice to the major questions raised by the proponents and opponents of this technique of food/crop development. I think it is very important to take note of them, here, again:

image from The Dr. Oz Show episode originally aired on 12/7/2010.

What struck me as this graphic hit the screen was the question marks. So often, being exposed to extremist views in a topic of debate, it is easy to forget that they actually belong there. Are these benefits? Are they always true? Are none of these things possible with non-GMO food? Why does it provide a cheaper food supply? How do they improve the lives of farmers?
More questions rose the more I let these settle...

image from The Dr. Oz Show episode originally aired 12/7/2010

And then the opponents' questions hit the screen. Where is the evidence of each of these harmful effects? I have heard them all before, it is one of the reasons I avoid GMO whenever possible, but when I heard about them, there were no question marks. I began to wonder, what is the flip side to this story, sure Monsanto did not show, but what does Dr. Pamela Ronald have to say? I would like to hear both sides to the story and then make my decision.

I had really high hopes for this episode when I first heard about the panel of GMO experts - for once, I thought, I'll be hearing both sides of the story, even if it is on a short segment of a show! However, I was disappointed by the seemingly one-sided nature of the show (even if it did lean in my direction). Jeffrey Smith spoke of all of the things that he learned through his research for his books (he worked with doctors and scientists, he is not one himself). His claimed that evidence was found to for all of the maledictions in the graphic above, he actually said at one point that all doctors should, "prescribe a non-GMO diet to all of their patients." When he was done, Dr. Oz asked Dr. Ronald to chime in. She claimed that all of Mr. Smith's evidence has been refuted and listed a number of websites (bioforitifed,org, ucbiotech.org and academicsreview.org) to go to in order to see those studies. I thought to myself, "Here we go. This is going to be good," and then Dr. Oz cut her off! I was shocked. He said people don't want to hear about websites, "...they think either you're full of it, or Jeffrey's full of it." That's true.

Her response was spot on, she said, "...Science does not make policy, but we need to make policy based on the best science..."and then got in one more dig that Mr. Smith is not a scientist.

The question in this debate: WHAT IS THE BEST SCIENCE?

I agree with Dr. Ronald. I understand the suspicion of Jeffrey Smith's results, but what about Dr. Hansen?

This debate continues in Part 3 of Dr. Oz's Show on Genetically Modified foods...

Books written by people on the show:

 

Dr. Oz and the GMO Debate Part 1

On the December 7, 2010 episode of The Dr. Oz Show, the topic of genetically modified foods was addressed and some excellent questions were raised. If you missed the show, don't fret, the show has put the video segments on their website for all to see and share in three parts. I decided to also approach my blog discussion in these three parts, as dealing with it all in one post would be an incredible amount of information to digest in one sitting.

 Genetically Modified Foods, Pt. 1 (video clip is 4 minutes 34 seconds long)
Dr. Oz's intro to GMOs and the Non-GMO Project


Dr. Oz began his show about genetically modified foods by saying the fact that we hadn't noticed the "Non GMO product" label on the bread he displayed bothered him. Well, Dr. Oz, it bothered me too. I am a label looker! I am constantly searching for evidence of a food-stuff's value and I had never seen the label he showed before the airing of his show! I immediately took note of the website on the label and got to investigating.


The Non-GMO Project

The label to look for.

I am still trying to figure out how I missed this one. Here's a blurb from the Non-GMO Project website explaining who they are:

The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization, created by leaders representing all sectors of the organic and natural products industry in the U.S. and Canada, to offer consumers a consistent non-GMO choice for organic and natural products that are produced without genetic engineering or recombinant DNA technologies.

It sounds like a great idea, in fact, it sounds like exactly what I've been looking for, so, I asked, "Where the heck is it?" The website is very useful to this end as well as it provides links to find participating products sorted by brand, category and/or name. They also provide a link to find participating retailers by location and/or name.

While this is a step in the right direction, it is important to know how the non-profit organization determines which products get the label. In the Understanding Our Seal portion of the website, a brief explanation is given. I will summarize even further:

• every ingredient is tested, but not necessarily every product.
• testing happens at various stages in product development.
• the test must indicate that the ingredient is below 0.9% GMO, which is evidently in line with the European Union laws.

Finally, if you are impressed, perhaps you feel that you will not buy GMO products now that they are labeled and you are informed. When asked the same question, 80% of the studio audience at The Dr. Oz Show said they wouldn't. The non-GMO Project wants to hear that commitment from you - they provided the Non-GMO Consumer Pledge on their website.



Before We Get Into the Panel & Part 2

While you are making that commitment, you may also want to do your part to stop new genetically modified foods from making it to the market. I have written about various opportunities to contact your representatives about genetically modified fish and organizations to follow for the latest information in the "food fight",  let today be the day you take one of those actions!


Next up: From The Dr. Oz Show - Genetically Modified Foods Part 2: A Panel of Experts on Both Sides

Gluten Free Pancakes, Anyone?

After reflecting on my meatless Mondays experience and realizing I starting slipping when it came to treating myself right for breakfast and lunch each day, I decided to learn from it. I woke up, got my butt to the kitchen and made myself some über-yummy gluten-free pancakes!

Taking time for me is worth the work!

Sure, I have a bunch leftover, but I am going to see how they stand up in the freezer. Maybe I can have pancakes some other morning without breaking my whisk (don't worry, it was aging and cheap... I knew it was going).

Extra special thanks go to:

• the chicken, from Pete & Gerry, who laid the egg I used,
• the hazelnuts that were somehow milked (??) for my Pacific Natural Foods Hazelnut milk that I used
• the wonderful people at Bob's Red Mill that made the gluten-free pancake mix I used (and wrote the recipe on the back), and
• my whisk, who sacrificed itself for the greater good of my sustenance:

R.I.P. whisk... I am sure I will still use you until we find a suitable replacement (hopefully with a more comfortable handle!)

Now... what the heck  should I have for lunch?!

What I Learned from Meatless Mondays

As Monday is upon us again, I am, omnivore again, reflecting on the five weeks that passed and how they changed my vision of my consumption in my future.

I began this challenge to honor those vegetarians and vegans that eat a restricted diet all year round. When I learned that November was World Vegan Month, it seemed there was no better time to take the leap. So I decided, after months of talking about what's the right meat to eat, where to find it and how much do I really have to pay for it?! I dedicated my husband and I to five meatless Mondays - not a tall order, but some change for us.

My husband and I had spoken of going vegetarian in the Spring when we first saw the film Food, Inc. and when I had just finished reading Eating Animals. However, as my health waned in the months that followed, survival seemed to be our only concern. When I finally saw a nutritionist, her call to order was cutting out gluten and dairy, so any other restrictions seemed to cause too much of a learning curve all at once. Five months later, we were a little better prepared for the task at hand.

So How Did It Go?

Total transparency here: if it weren't for this blog, I don't think I would have made it. As each week passed I knew my husband's resolve was failing, had I not (1) written out a goal for myself, and (2) posted it publicly on the Internet, I think I would have eventually acquiesced and given my husband some meat on at least one of three Mondays that I can recall.

• There was one week when my mother-in-law invited us over to dinner just as I started to prepare our meal. I would have said, "No problem, if you want to go over there, I can stop what I am doing and save it for some other day."
• There was, of course, the horrendous reaction to the idea of black bean burgers which broke my heart. I nearly told him to pick up chopped meat on the way home with his burger buns! Then I thought, "No... My blog! How could I write that?!" So I stood my ground and let him "suffer" (if I remember correctly, I believe that turned out OK).
• Of course, there was week five. When I started this I was excited about the fact that November 2010 was such a Monday-packed month, however, after dealing with the meatless Monday GRINCH all month, I dreaded the final Monday's reaction. If not for the blog, I probably would have said, "OK, Hon, you did a great job - four Mondays is a typical month, so you are off the hook!"

What I Learned
One of the benefits I really hoped to gain from this experience was to expand my horizons as a cook. To learn more recipes, techniques, or just get some ideas for meals of our future. I did succeed in learning a lot, both in the kitchen and out. Here are some lessons learned:

• Planning meals, or meal types is fun for me. Having the limitation of a meatless dinner really made me think every Sunday night and Monday morning. I enjoyed the experience, but understand that a lot of what it possible is the fact that I am home on medical leave. This labeling of Monday night dinners has inspired me to think about labeling every night of the week so that I don't get caught in a coking rut!
• Eating gluten filled foods really messes me up. Unfortunately, when I tried the Gardien Sante Fe product on meatless Monday #2 I did not read the label (forgetting that the first time I tried it was BEFORE I started eating gluten free). While I did not enjoy the experience, I am very happy it happened while I was not working so I could truly understand how gluten affects me. This helps me express myself more clearly to doctors as well as friends and family who are curious about the seemingly sudden need to go gluten free.
• I need to take care of me a little bit better. I noticed (I don't know if you did too) that, as the weeks went on, my breakfast and lunch were not as well thought out as dinner. Now, is this because I was spending the day planning dinner? Maybe. But that is still no excuse. There is a distinct difference between my well though-out breakfast of week one with gluten-free cereal, a large glass of water and a bowl of mixed berries that I cut for myself and my week five breakfast that I "worked through" eating an apple and following it with some more grab-able fruit for "lunch."
• Eating vegetarian is very filling, satisfying and nourishing. I did not feel like I needed meat.
• Due to my dairy-free restrictions, many of the things I eat are verging on vegetarian, anyway.

The Food, Nicole! Tell Them About THE FOOD

Alright, let's get to it.

• My absolute favorite Monday of meals was probably week three, even though I didn't have lunch. I made the apple cinnamon quinoa breakfast and vegetarian chili for dinner. I have already used both of those recipes again, so I have to give it props for that. 
• Week 2, although it ended with my gluten consumption got me to do something I have wanted to do for a really long time - write down the recipes for my mother-in-law's potato salad and for the black beans.  
• Last week was a personal favorite with lentils and macaroni with a new twist I hadn't tried before. I know I will be making this one again, I just wonder if it will be for me alone, or if my husband will join me. 
• My least favorite of them all would probably have to be the black bean burgers from week four, but I think with some spice adjustments they might make a reappearance (I am thinking about having a burger showdown for my husband - black bean vs. beef vs. salmon vs. turkey, ok, ok I KNOW too many "vs.", I'm working on it!!). 
• Finally, it isn't fair for me to throw week one into the competition - the marinara sauce that has been passed down in my family has a special place in my heart and taste memory, I doubt that any flavor could surpass it if I were asked, but I am aware that I am completely biased!

I am so happy that I participated in this meatless Monday challenge. I am aware that many do meatless Mondays all year round and that many have meatless lives, but, for now, this is where the Riveras stand with their commitment upheld at five meatless Mondays in the month of November. Shall we go for more? It remains to be seen. Maybe we'll be complete mavericks and go meatless on some other day of the week, but tonight, although the rest of my day might be meatless, there will be meat on our table.