Having worked in chiropractic offices, Petty Michel & Associates, and being a chiropractic patient myself, I have become more health conscience over the past decade and becoming more aware of the health concerns sugars cause in children, I began to look for a different approach to the traditional passing out of candy for this Halloween. I stumbled upon an article put out by the Green Halloween Organization that put it into perspective and solidified my concern to make a difference in promoting a healthier life style for the little ghouls this year.
GMOs or genetically modified organisms are not something new, yet we often times fail to think about them and how they affect our health when it comes to a holiday such as Halloween and all the fun candies we traditionally pass out to all the costume wearing children that ring our door bells.
Many common GMOs are found in the favorite trick-or-treat candies on the market today. Genetically modified organisms are plants or animals created through the gene splicing techniques of biotechnology (also called genetic engineering, or GE). It is an experimental technology which merges DNA from different species, creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.
Picture The Mad Scientist in the lab mixing varies potions(GMOs) to create monsters(candy) and then feeding it to your children and/or grandchildren.
Listed below are 10 GMO ingredients found in Halloween Candy.
- Sugar (GMO sugar beets)
- High fructose corn syrup (GMO corn)
- Corn starch(GMO corn)
- Soy lecithin (GMO soy)
- Soybean oil (GMO soy)
- Modified food starch (GMO corn)
- Fructose, dextrose, glucose (GMO corn)
- Cottonseed oil (GMO cotton)
- Canola oil (GMO canola)
- “Other” ingredients: isolates, isoflavones, food starch, vegetable oil.
The number one reason to avoid GMOs as listed on the Institute for Responsible Technology is that they are just plain unhealthy. The article states: The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) urges doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets for all patients. They cite animal studies showing organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility. Human studies show how genetically modified (GM) food can leave material behind inside us, possibly causing long-term problems. To read the full article go here [Link] Chiropractic has known this information for years and has always promoted an organic or unmodified diet for a healthier lifestyle in addition to getting adjusted regularly.
Studies show some of the most common illnesses linked to GMOs are. Is this what we want for our children or grand children? I don’t think so.
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Osteoporosis
- Atherosclerosis
- Various types of cancer
- Allergies
- Lou Gehrig’s disease
With at least 10 GMOs found in Halloween Candy, you ask yourself what can I do to provide a healthier treat selection for the ghost and goblins at my door this year? As a grandma wanting a better life style for my grandchildren I ask myself, what can I put in their trick or treat bag that will make me feel better about the choice I’ve made and still be as enjoyable to them.
Here are a few ideas I came up with for healthier treats:
- Halloween themed pencils
- Money
- Balloons
- Stickers
- Organic snacks
This Halloween treat your trickers with a healthy treat that will lessen the toxins they may currently be exposed to.
More information on GMOs and additional ideas for healthier treats and snacks can be found at: http://www.greenhalloween.org/2011nongmoguide.pdf
This helpful guide is provided by the partnership of Green Halloween http://www.greenhalloween.org and Non-GMO Project http://www.NonGMOProject.com