5 Common Food Questions Asked of Dietitians

Minnesota’s CommonGround recently participated in a breakout session at the 2015 Minnesota Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics conference. We presented information about how food is grown and answered many common food questions. At the conference, I asked a number of dietitians what their most common food question was. Here are the top five questions:

5. How can I eat healthy on a budget?

Purchase fresh produce in season and freeze it.
Plan and prep meals around sales.
Use less expensive cuts of meat.
Keep an organized fridge and pantry.
Repurpose leftovers.

Other resources on how to eat healthy on a budget are Choose My Plate and 10 Smart Tips for Eating Healthy on a Budget. Personally, I like to buy Hormel’s 9-11 pound whole pork loin when they are on sale for under $2 a pound. I cut it up and repackage it into pork loin roasts, pork chops and pork strips for stir fry.

4. What are GMOs?

GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not normally occur naturally. It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another, including between nonrelated species. Such methods are used to create GMO plants – which result in GMO food crops. Want to know more about GMOs? Click here.

3. Are GMOs safe to eat?

Every plant improved through the use of food biotechnology is examined by the FDA, USDA and EPA for potential health risks. Tests are done on plants before entering the food and animal feed supply. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that current foods containing biotech ingredients have passed human health risk assessments and no effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of biotech foods. Curious about researching GMO studies? Check out Biofortified (Genera database) website.

2. Are there hormones in our food?

All living organisms have naturally occurring hormones. Some foods, such as milk and beef, can contain a small amount of additional hormones. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and FDA, you should not worry about hormones in your food. With milk, pasteurization destroys 90 percent of hormones. The rest of the hormones are broken down during digestion. Both pork and poultry do not contain additional hormones. More resource on hormones in food here.

And the most common question dietitians are asked?

1. Is organic food healthier than non-organic?

Organic does not necessarily mean a healthier product. In fact, a comprehensive review of some 400 scientific papers concluded organic and conventional food remain equally healthy. All foods – whether organic or nonorganic – must meet certain health and safety regulations before being sold to consumers.

For more answers to common food questions, visit CommonGround and Best Food Facts.

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10 Things You May Not Know About GMOs

May 12, 2015 By Wanda Patsche

Confused about GMOs? Are you constantly bombarded with news that GMOs are harmful and then turn around a few minutes later to read they are not harmful and safe? There is no question GMOs (Soy, corn, cotton, canola, sugar beets, alfalfa, papaya, squash) are front and center in many food conversations and news sources. I have put a quick list of some GMO facts that you may not know:

1) GMOs are not foods.

GMOs (genetically modified organism) are a breeding technology. Sometimes when I talk with people about GMOs, I get the feeling they really don’t know what GMOs are. So let’s start with these three fast facts:

GMOs are not Monsanto.
GMOs are not Round Up or Glyphosate.
GMOs are not chemicals.

So exactly what is GMO? Our food has been genetically modified for thousands of years. GMO technology allows us to be more precise in the genetic modifications. According to a Popular Science article – “Scientists extract a bit of DNA from an organism, modify or make copies of it, and incorporate it into the genome of the same species or a second one. They do this by either using bacteria to deliver the new genetic material, or by shooting tiny DNA-coated metal pellets into plant cells with a gene gun. While scientists can’t control exactly where the foreign DNA will land, they can repeat the experiment until they get a genome with the right information in the right place. That process allows for greater precision. With GMOs, we know the genetic information we are using, we know where it goes in the genome, and we can see if it is near an allergen or a toxin.”

2) Herbicide resistant weeds, or “superweeds” are not caused by GMOs.

The reason we have “superweeds” is because weeds continually change to resist pesticides. Superweeds are not new. Weeds have always changed (on their own) to resist pesticides. What would happen if they didn’t? Weeds would be extinct.

Yes, farmers have relied on Round Up (glyphosate) for quite a few years because it was so effective, low cost and much safer than other pesticides. But as weeds do, they are becoming resistant to Round Up as well as other herbicides used in the past. The solution? Farmers have been slacking. They need to continually change their weed plan using several methods, including crop rotation and other pesticide control measures to combat weed pressures in their fields.

3) The medical community uses GMOs.

Perhaps the most popular is insulin, which is used by million every single day. Other medical uses of genetically engineering is drug treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s and cystic fibrosis. Our world is much better because of these medical treatments – all which are genetically modified organisms. And another common misconception – GMOs do not cause autism. Millions are alive today as the direct result of GMO technology. Period.

4) GMOs do happen in nature.

The sweet potato was modified, in nature, some 8000 years ago. Soil bacteria entered the plant and modified the sweet potato plant. According to Jan Kreuze, “People have been eating foods, as the result of GMO technology, for thousands of years without knowing it.”

5) Europe IS importing feed/food that uses GMO technology.

One issue that is constantly brought up by consumers is Europe has banned GMOs. And then it is always followed up with, “why doesn’t the U.S. do the same?” The reality is Europe never banned GMOs (only two countries have outright banned GMOs), but rather, had not approved them. The EU has now authorized the importation of 17 GMOs for food/feed uses.

6) GMO’s are not causing the increase in food allergies.

Food allergies are mostly caused by eight major food products – milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish. All GMO foods are required to be tested extensively for these eight food products and biotech developers work closely with the FDA to assure any new GMO foods do not produce any new allergens. And, perhaps, the coolest thing about this technology is we can use the biotechnology to remove known allergens from foods. Imagine a world where someone can eat peanuts without the “peanut allergen.”

7) Long Term Studies on GMOs.

Probably the most common statement I have seen or read is, “There are no long term studies on GMOs.” There have been GMO studies done on animals where the results show no negative effects on animals. And then the question also becomes, what is considered long term? For the naysayers, there will be no amount of time that will satisfy them. In addition, there have never been long-term studies required on any other new seed variety or crop. GMOs are the only crops that require extensive pre-marketing scrutiny. And think all natural plant foods are always good for us? Think about rhubarb leaves and pits of peaches – all which are poisonous to humans.

8) GMOs only affect 1-4 genes, where traditional breeding plants affect 10,000 – >300,000 genes.

And the 1-4 genes that are changed? Scientists know everything there is to know about them.

9) GMOs = Sustainability

Using GMO technology allows farmers to use less pesticides. Less pesticides = good for people and the environment. Not only do farmers use less pesticides, but newer GMO varieties include a drought-tolerant trait where plants require less water. There is also the possibility of GMO plants using nitrogen already present in the soil as a nutrient. Presently, plants have a hard to time accessing and using the nitrogen already present in the soils. Biotechnology possibilities are endless.

10) ***Farmers* *care***.

Farmers really do care about what they grow. Our goal is to grow safe, affordable food. Farmers rely on expert advice that helps them determine the best seeds to plant. We can plant whatever seed we choose. We are not forced into any seed technologies, choices or certain companies. In fact, read what life was like before GMOs.

Farmers choose to plant biotech seeds. We do need to sign a technology agreement that says we cannot save any seed back to plant for future years. We know that and understand that. Personally, we have farmed for over 35 years and we have never held back any seed to be used for the following growing season.

And, finally, our farm field (where GMO corn and soybeans are grown) is literally in my backyard. Why would we grow something dangerous to our health right in our backyards? We really do care. We know GMOs are not the only solution, but just a single tool in our farming toolbox. And it seems farming requires multiple tools and I also believe our “toolbox” will continue to grow in the future.

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Is It Time To Relook At GMOs?

April 28, 2014 By Wanda Patsche

Periodically I like to challenge myself and take a step back and question my beliefs about GMOs (genetically modified organisms). I have always been comfortable with GMO studies I have read and researched. But I would be lying if I said that I never questioned my beliefs about GMOs when I hear how strong other people’s convictions are about their harmfulness. So, is it time to relook at GMOs?

Yes.

Is It Time To Relook At GMOs?Corn Plant Research — Corn Plant Research Conducted at Danforth Plant Science Center

Believe me, there is no shortage of anti-GMO information. I wanted to see for myself the research behind the anti-GMO movement. I emailed GMOFREEUSA and asked for a list of their independent GMO research. This was their reply:

We only research and compile peer-reviewed independent scientific research. We don’t conduct our own studies – at least not at the moment. The list of studies is in the GMO Science section of our website: http://gmofreeusa.org/gmos-are-top/gmo-science/.

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Why I’m Pro-GMO

January 26, 2014 By Wanda Patsche

Guest blog post by Kristie Swenson as she explains why she’s pro-GMO.

Danforth Plant Science Center GMO — Plant Science Center

The topic of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) is complex, challenging, and emotional, regardless of your stance. I have yet to have a straightforward conversation where we simply talk about one aspect of the GMOs because it’s so hard to talk about just one aspect when there are so many sides to the issue. If one starts talking about the science itself, or the methodology used to genetically modify an organism, the conversation often goes on tangents like research, ethics, side effects, chemical use, labeling, corporations, and so on. It is so hard to separate each individual issue because they are connected and they are all valid issues that should be addressed.

Straight away, you should know that I am pro-GMO. I do not believe that GMOs are the silver bullet or the solution for everything, but I do believe that GMOs have merits that should be considered on a case-by-case basis. Do I think every single organism needs to be genetically modified? No, I don’t. But I do believe that genetically modifying some organisms can provide us with benefits, and I think those modifications should be researched.

Take papayas, for example. In the 1990s, Hawaii’s papaya crop was devastated by the ringspot virus. A Hawaiian scientist, Dr. Dennis Gonsalves, developed a virus-resistant variety of papaya through genetic modification and found a way to help the papaya industry. In Hawaii today, both GMO and non-GMO papayas are produced. (Read this article for an interview with Dr. Gonsalves.)

Am I saying that since I see GM papayas as a good thing, that all GMOs are a good thing? I’m not going to use one positive situation to blanket the entire topic of GMOs. I’m just saying that there are other industries that could benefit from genetic modification. The citrus industry comes to mind, as it’s been hit by citrus greening (the scientific name is Huanglongbing, or HLB). In this particular case, biotechnology could save our citrus. Here are two articles that further explore the citrus greening issue: Article 1 and Article 2.

To me, genetic modification and biotechnology are tools. Having multiple tools to pick from enables us to determine which tool fits the best for the situation at hand. People will choose tools based not only on the situation, but also on their personal preference. You and I may be faced with the same situation, yet we may choose different tools to achieve similar outcomes. And that’s ok – it is ok to have different opinions, different beliefs, different comfort levels.

I understand people have questions and concerns. It’s so easy for us to look to sources of information with which we are familiar, or which share our perspective. In today’s society, with the constant barrage of information and the vast amount of information available, it is so hard to sort out what’s fact from opinion; what’s twisted from what’s true. What one person finds credible may not be a credible source for someone else. I encourage you to seek out sources of information that provide facts rather than perpetuating myths, to have respectful conversations with people who work with biotechnology, and to think critically about what you find. I encourage you to continue asking questions until you are satisfied with the answers, and to know not just what you believe, but why you believe it.

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