Good info! Thanks!

ShadyGreenThumb said:I went for my first conscious non-GMO shopping spree. I made every attempt to buy non-GMO for our everyday/non-special occasion use, excpet for Sunday Football. I visited The Veggie Lady shop and found a great selection of Organic veggies. They were locally grown or Texas grown. I bought some the ingredients for a non-GMO Spaghetti Squash-spaghetti dinner for Sunday: Spaghetti Squash, onion, peppers, zucchini,yellow squash, and Roma tomatoes.

Then I hit the Walmart Neighborhood Grocery Store (My favorite kind of Walmart, btw-mostly groceries only) and wandered up and down the aisles just to see what had the non-GMO label so I could substitute what we like to eat. Oils will be hard to find and I will have to go someplace else to find it if I can. But I found organic popcorn so at least half of my bad habit will be better for me. I did find organic olive oil. Newman's Own Salad dressings are supposed to be non-GMO but they are "partially" non-GMO. Walmart Saves the day with their organic salad dressing to top my organic Romaine. They have organic Ranch, Oil and Vinegar and thousand Island competitively priced. Snyder's pretzels are also only partically non-GMO so I skipped that brand and found another.

I bought a few other things including organic Parmesan cheese certified organic from Italy. I didn't know I could read Italian but that's what it said! That took care of two birds with one stone. Recently there was a news report about the varying amounts of cellulose in pre-grated Parmesan cheeses. They are required to put the ingrediemt but not how much they have it in. Some brands have up to 45% cellulose! cellulose is basically sawdust or something. Certainly not real cheese!

I wanted cabbage but there was no organic cabbages. I bought it anyway. We are on the way to eating and preparing foods the best we can and I know being 100% about it is near impossible. I thought we've been healthy eaters all along. And for the most part, we eat healthier than most. But there is always room for improvement!

It seems to me that you have done an awesome job of it.

Thanks @newyorkrita. I think I will have to change stores to one a bit farther to get a better selection of organic foods. But nice to know my neighborhood store has a few things to get me by. Once I have my staples, I won't need to go to the store for those things as often as I do for organic bananas/bread etc, which at least my close-by Walmart Grocery Store has.

The Football Spaghetti Squash casserole was delish btw. I didn't buy enough tomatoes to make a good tomato sauce. 10 wasn't enough? So I made it a tomato veggie sauce adding more zucchini and yellow squash. It became a nice vegetable sauce with great flavor. Carrots added the sweetness needed. No sugar added.

ShadyGreenThumb said:Thanks @newyorkrita. I think I will have to change stores to one a bit farther to get a better selection of organic foods. But nice to know my neighborhood store has a few things to get me by. Once I have my staples, I won't need to go to the store for those things as often as I do for organic bananas/bread etc, which at least my close-by Walmart Grocery Store has.

The Football Spaghetti Squash casserole was delish btw. I didn't buy enough tomatoes to make a good tomato sauce. 10 wasn't enough? So I made it a tomato veggie sauce adding more zucchini and yellow squash. It became a nice vegetable sauce with great flavor. Carrots added the sweetness needed. No sugar added.

It is surprising just how much of our food is GMO, especially corn. I eat corn, buy corn on the cob locally all the time. And I never buy organic, just the regular fruits and veggies. If I were younger I would worry about it much more but having reached my old age I hope to be all right.

From my reading, like 88% corn, 93% soy, 85% squash, um, two more....Oh alflafa (Fed to our daiy cows), and beets, and soon apples are grown with GMO. And corn is in everything not just fresh canned corn as we know it. There is a whole list of corn products. It is near impossible to avoid. The best is to "choose Organic". We live on corn on the cob in the summer. It pains me to know what pesticides I have eaten this summer alone. Worse, my 2-Primary Cancer Husband needs to avoid that stuff! Our bodies work really hard to accept the terrible things we subject it to. But sometimes we just need to help ourselves. jmho

GMO didn't start up until the first planting in 1995. Up til then we for the most part, ate cleanly. Most older adult immune systems are fairly strong. So I wouldn't worry so much, @newyorkrita just as long as you keep eating as clean as possible from now on. With all your awesome veggies, you've probably boosted your immune system with the wonderful fresh vitamins provided.

Babies around that time ingested unknown amounts of pesticides. If they aren't currently showing immune system disorders r.e. dermatitis and other allergies, I wonder what will happen as they age? And Dairy? They already know girls are developing earlier and earlier. They blamed milk and hormones added as recent as 15 years ago. Since around 1996 cows have been fed GMO alfalfa, resistant to pesticides, but getting sprayed with the carcinogenic pesticide (Roundup) anyway. Who's to say our children aren't being affected by the diary products coming from these cows? OK off my soapbox now. I will continue reading and learning. ~Cheryl, who'd rather eat plain and simple again

Edited to add: I just want to say I understand and sympathize with Farmers and their battle with Mother Nature. Every season they stand to lose their livelihood. I just don't think planting GMO is the right answer. In fact I believe it may be the demise of the Farmer we know today.

ShadyGreenThumb said:From my reading, like 88% corn, 93% soy, 85% squash, um, two more....Oh alflafa (Fed to our daiy cows), and beets, and soon apples are grown with GMO. And corn is in everything not just fresh canned corn as we know it. There is a whole list of corn products. It is near impossible to avoid. The best is to "choose Organic". We live on corn on the cob in the summer. It pains me to know what pesticides I have eaten this summer alone. Worse, my 2-Primary Cancer Husband needs to avoid that stuff! Our bodies work really hard to accept the terrible things we subject it to. But sometimes we just need to help ourselves. jmho

GMO didn't start up until the first planting in 1995. Up til then we for the most part, ate cleanly. Most older adult immune systems are fairly strong. So I wouldn't worry so much, newyorkrita just as long as you keep eating as clean as possible from now on. With all your awesome veggies, you've probably boosted your immune system with the wonderful fresh vitamins provided.

Babies around that time ingested unknown amounts of pesticides. If they aren't currently showing immune system disorders r.e. dermatitis and other allergies, I wonder what will happen as they age? And Dairy? They already know girls are developing earlier and earlier. They blamed milk and hormones added as recent as 15 years ago. Since around 1996 cows have been fed GMO alfalfa, resistant to pesticides, but getting sprayed with the carcinogenic pesticide (Roundup) anyway. Who's to say our children aren't being affected by the diary products coming from these cows? OK off my soapbox now. I will continue reading and learning. ~Cheryl, who'd rather eat plain and simple again

Edited to add: I just want to say I understand and sympathize with Farmers and their battle with Mother Nature. Every season they stand to lose their livelihood. I just don't think planting GMO is the right answer. In fact I believe it may be the demise of the Farmer we know today.

I drink soy milk, can't stand dairy milk.

But lots of veggies I eat fresh all summer long I never buy in the store once my own garden is done. But I do buy lots of fruits. Try not think about what was sprayed on them.

I do wonder about the younger generations and what will happen. But it seems like nothing can stop all this change.

There is non-GMO soy milk. Here's a story:
Dean Foods is the maker of Silk, the soy milk et al company. They switched to GMO soy. The customers did not like that one bit! So they stopped buying Silk. There are a few other non-/Organic brands on the market. I am sure they went elsewhere for their soy milk.

Well, it was enough to affect the Silk Soymilk market. That made Dean Food rethink their decision and bring back non-GMO soy in their product. Score one for the Consumer!

I was very, very surprised at all the organic/non- GMO items I was able to find yesterday. It didn't used to be like that. I have a limited choice at my once store, but the choice IS there! I am almost proud enough of Walmart, I think I will shoot off a complimentary letter.

Truth be told, I don't live in a very Green area. Most people don't even use their Recycle bins! We are heavy with fast food chains and all you can eat places. Consumers here seem to be more interested in more bang for their hard earned buck than healthy eating. Let's face it. Eating organic is going to cost me more. But I am willing to spend it while most are not. I think if more people bough organic products, there would be a call for them. And like Dean Foods, seeing they are losing out, perhaps companies will start offering an organic alternative? Like Tostitos. One can only hope!

I didn't know that about the Soy Milk. I do buy Silk as I just can not stand Dairy Milk. But nice to know that is is non GMO.

The scariest thing about genetic modification is the modification of protein DNA in our immune system. Since soy is a source of vegetable protein, what a modified protein can do to our bodies is anyone guess at this point.

ShadyGreenThumb said:The scariest thing about genetic modification is the modification of protein DNA in our immune system. Since soy is a source of vegetable protein, what a modified protein can do to our bodies is anyone guess at this point.

And really there isn't much we can do about it.

Yes, fighting the deep pockets of the GMO-supporting corporations would be something too large for most groups to attempt. But we *can* do something for ourselves. Today. Right now. The Non-GMO label is not madatory and the FDA has left it up to the discretion of the food companies. It becomes a hide and seek item for those if us who would like to avoid GMO for whatever reason. But they are out there. There are lists of non-GMO companies/brands. After awhile, you would eventually know what to look for as we tend to buy the same things over nand over again. So it's basically just a Consumer re-learning process, or teaching yourself how to buy different brands than what you are used to.

You can look for the "Certified Organic" label. In order to earn that label, the food has to be non-GMO. That is the other option. I bought a pricey, cellophane-wrapped, 98 cent white potato from ProHealth Potatotes for life. It doesn't have the non-GMO label on it but it does say "non-GMO" and describes the Pure Wash System used to wash the potato . Again, there are no standards for using the Non-GMO label yet as there is for "Certified Organic". (61 other countries in the world do have label standards) So I wonder?? I will visit their website to see what they say.

I think the more consumers support non-GMO choice, the more it will become a choice. But stopping GMO? I don't think that's possible. There are too many people making BIG money from it.

MISSINGROSIE said:Only if you are gluten sensitive! Otherwise a whole wheat may be better.

The best gluten free Inhave EVER had was sweet potato and buckwheat....it actually stretched which is saying something for gluten free.

She apparently can't have wheat. And really being gluten free started late in life for her and somewhat recently.

The pasta is based on rice. Tastes good but not exactly the taste I am used to in pasta.

She shared another dinner dish with me the other day.

We have diet restrictions too- low sodium low saturated fat for me and low carb for my diabetic husband. Since I'm the only cook in the house, we eat the same things. We pretty much stick to whole clean foods and avoid processed stuff. I do eat some things like low sodium tuna or soups. Trader Joe's has some low sodium soups (I like the low sodium tomato and roasted red pepper soup, low sodium butternut squash soup), Pacifica and Nature Valley make some too. (I like the Nature Valley lentil soup, low sodium).

Gingin, maybe you could ask you doc for a dietary consult. I think you'd find it helpful in learning to count your carbs, and they could give you suggested carb limits per meal. As soon as my husband was diagnosed we both went to the classes and it helped immensely. (The doc didn't recommend it first, I had to ask him to do it. I think all doctors should see that patients are armed with the information they need to care for themselves). I agree that you shouldn't give up fruit and even corn and potatoes. Rather, stick to small portions. Measure your food in cups and get a food scale to weigh things like potatoes and pasta. Set a carb budget for meals and snacks. I think you'd find these things very helpful

Karen

Agree with Karen @kqcrna Those dietitians are worth their weight in gold! It is hard to understand why in a restaurant you should clean your plate. And why more food for your money (Super size me!) is not always better. We have been duped for years as to what a proper serving of foods are.

ShadyGreenThumb said:Agree with Karen @kqcrna Those dietitians are worth their weight in gold! It is hard to understand why in a restaurant you should clean your plate. And why more food for your money (Super size me!) is not always better. We have been duped for years as to what a proper serving of foods are.

Sorry, but if I am eating out I have paid and I want to get my money's worth. Yes, I clean my plate or I bring it home.

It can be heartbreaking when we do see what a serving size looks like.

If I had a patient with a limited ability to grasp...I provided a styrofoam plate that I drew on with a marker. I "cut" that plate up into pie wedge shapes. A great big wedge for salads and steamed veggies...a narrow wedge for dessertora carb..a medium wedge for protein.. It worked. .try to eat the food according to the wedge sizes on the plate....one day a patient and his wife came by and asked me for another marked plate ....it was a bit confusing...what happened to the first??
He had been USING it...putting actual food on it night after night. It fell apart!! Lesson learned.

Now...Medicare will pay for visits for a diabetic educator ..and for some dietician visits if there is a condition that warrants ..I am not sure how many.

Rosie, are you a dietition?

Karen

No. But I had to teach classes on lung disease and what you eat has a HUGE impact on how you breathe with diseases like COPD I worked alongside dieticians and PT for years and so I picked up,a lot from them as they did from me about pulmonary and heart disease

Cool.

Karen

Yes, we have been taught to get more bang for our buck, more food for less money, and that includes eating out. I am not saying to leave it behind. Often I ask for a box early, portion out what I am not supposed to eat and place it in the box for lunch or dinner the next day. In fact, I've learned to enjoy left overs for lunch or dinner the next day. Most restaurants in our area are used to handing out boxes. Maybe some of our population is learning portion control?

There was a Black Bean Quesadilla plate at Chili's that they used to serve that when portioned out correctly, I could make 3 full meals from. Hard to know that unless you understand what a portion is. Rice is cheap. They put 3 full portions of rice on that plate ALONG with the 3 serving portions of Quesadilla. How did I know that? I learned it from a dietitian.