Thursday, February 14, 2013

Post Valentine's Day/ The GMO Crisis Part I

TGIF!!! With Valentine's Day in full swing, let the cooking at home begin!!! I have to admit, for someone with a severe soy and nut allergy, I am pretty obsessed with Asian cusine, whether it be Japanese, Chinese or Indian...I love it all, but it is very risky and deadly business eating many of the dishes in restaurants. So I've been on a mission on Pinterest, compiling my favorite Asian recipes and finding substitutions......lo and behold, you can find any recipe your heart desires in that little search box at the top left of the Pinterest page....

Today I made my P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps using a soy-free soy sauce recipe using organic chicken (I use one from Whole Foods since Perdue causes a soy allergy reaction for me).
Yes, when I cook, I like to go ALL OUT!! I'm kind of a foodie--I LOVE big flavor so I find only the tastiest looking recipes and use only the best quality ingredients. I substituted the peanut butter with sesame seed butter also known as 'tahini'--Kevala Organic Tahini 16 oz but (only do this if you know for sure you're not allergic to sesame seeds). You can also add Go Raw Sprouted Sunflower Seeds(Pack of 3) to replace the peanuts and add nice texture and flavor.

After this taste extravaganza, I made some homemade fudge, using a package of Enjoy Life Mega Chunks soy-free Non-GMO Semi-Sweet Chocolate -- 10 oz and
Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract Madagascar Bourbon 4 oz.using the Never Fail Fudge Recipe on the back of the Fluff Marshmallow Spread, (1) 7.5-Ounce Jar. Yippeee!!!

The result was nothing short of guilt-ridden perfection, which had me trekking to the gym an hour later, only to have me now spooning it into my belly at 12 midnight. Don't judge me.


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I feel like Mister Squishy Face.

So now I'm back home, kinda itchy (since I always get itchy after working out, but that's another story).....

Since we are on the topic of post Valentine's Day, I came across a lovely candle company I used to buy from pretty frequently at Wild By Nature here in Long Island...they were my favorite votive candles for a long time because they actually smelled healthy to me while burning. I know that sounds a little bonkers but I'm highly sensitive to fragrances and chemicals in the air....just always have been. I was pleasantly surprised to read I was correct and that the scents were created with pure essential oils and 100% palm wax.

So today I happened to stumble onto their website when googling search terms for soy and imagine my surprise when I see all these amazing articles about why they don't use soy candles and all the ways the soy industry is deceiving people and so on....I even found some articles about GMOs and the toxins allowed in our food.

Here is a PDF from that site which goes into detail about how anything (not USDA Certified Organic) with soybean oil, 'vegetable' oil or soy protein is likely contaminated with hexane, a neurotoxin and air pollutant.

If people on this planet knew about this, Proposition 37 would have gone through and people would have seen past the expensive campaigns paid for by major companies like Hersheys, McCormick, Land O Lakes and Dole, just to name a few.

For the past several weeks, I have noticed a rise in important petitions that greatly affect the food allergy community and basically the world at large. One such petition I invite you to sign is "Hershey's, Kiss Monsanto Goodbye" campaign. Your name makes a HUGE impact and the principle of this matter, is not just about Hershey, its the fact that if this petition can cause one company to start labeling GMOs, other companies might follow suit. Change elicits change and it begins with one big monster company. Share this with your friends and family, so that our children's health is affected by their own choices and not chosen for them.

As if GMOs weren't enough to worry about, a toxic gene has recently been found in the chickens and livestock that are fed GMO corn and soy. This gene slipped passed the radar and now the "safety" of GMOs is in question.

I feel like if people were more educated on the dangers of GMOs and sufficient evidence was presented, people would be more likely to want to know what's in their food. Much of the public is still blinded by deceptive media or campaigns that may cost more than what they may earn in their lifetime. The companies become a bunch of attorneys and we are the jury; but the sad fact is, soy allergy and food allergy sufferers make up a very small percentage of that jury. It is up to us to first educate others and then get their vote.

I have a lot to say about this topic which I will go into more in-depth in my Part II....

Hope everyone has a lovely start to their 3-day weekend! Until we meet again.















 

2 comments:

  1. Signed that petition and shared it with my readers! Hopefully they will sign it, too! I really wish people would be a little more aware and care about what they put into their bodies and the damage it can cause! Thanks for sharing this with us so that I could pass the word along! :)

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  2. Good! Yes, the more we get the word out about the dangers of soy GMOs, the more compelling our argument becomes for people not sensitive or allergic to soy.

    Thank you Julie for stopping by and for your support =) Hope you are having a pain-free and healthy week!

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