by Sean Croxton

I want my GMO check.

I’m ready to get paid.

Every so often I cop a squat at Whole Foods and flip through a weekly publication called the San Diego Reader. The Reader is the go-to magazine for finding fun stuff to do in SD, and best of all it’s FREE.

In order to make such a widely circulating publication available at no charge, advertiser funding is a must. Crack open this week’s Reader and you’ll surely find the first twenty pages or so crammed with ads for gastric bypass surgeries, anti-aging potions, and a plethora of hair loss cures.

The ads that stand out to me the most are the ones seeking participants for prescription drug trials. You know, the ones that shout out in big letters…

ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM SOCIAL ANXIETY?

GOT THE BLUES?

IS YOUR MEMORY NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE?

If so, you’re asked to dial 1-800-GUINEA-PIG to learn how you can take part in a study testing the efficacy of a new breakthrough drug. In fact, they’ll even pay for your participation. Easy money. It’s the best of both worlds — a company pays you cash to help solve your health challenge with the latest in pharmaceutical technology. In today’s economy, for many people, this is a no-brainer.

Then again, subjecting oneself to a relatively untested drug may come at a cost. To be one of the first to consume a brand new combination of chemicals never before encountered by any human body in the history of Earth is quite the precarious situation to be in. You would not believe the stories I have read about these trials — the unforeseen side effects, the sky-high drop-out rates, the deaths.

Yes, people die.

Subjects are paid in exchange for the data they provide as well as the risks they take. All are informed of the drug’s potential benefits and its side effects, otherwise known as informed consent. There are no guarantees. That’s why these studies are called trials. Who know’s what’s going to happen.

As insane as these trials may seem, I must remind myself that this is America, a country where we are free to choose what we wish to do with our bodies; a place where we can legally end pregnancies (whether you agree with it or not); where you can cover every inch of yourself in piercings and tattoo ink; and where you can willingly sign up to be a pharma company’s guinea pig for a payday.

America is also a place where we are free to choose the foods we wish to put into our own bodies…

Or maybe not.

In a country so perched on the bedrock of choice, it is ironic that a freedom so basic as choosing the foods with which we wish to nourish ourselves has fallen by the wayside.

No, our government does not make us eat anything, rather it has enrolled each and every one of us into its own nationwide food experiment. This uncontrolled trial is known as the genetic modification (GMO) of our food supply. We are guinea pigs consuming foods unfit for guinea pigs.

No ad was posted in the Reader.

No phone number to dial.

No informed consent.

And of course, no payday.

I want my GMO check. Like today.

I want my GMO check for the many years I was clueless about the dangers of GM foods, all because the FDA — and the companies responsible for genetic modification — thought it would better if I did not know.

I want my GMO check for the FDA’s failure to follow its own scientific staff’s conclusion that these foods are not to be presumed safe and may in fact be dangerous. Instead, this evidence was hidden.

I want my GMO check for the possibility that the genetically-modified Bt corn — you know, the one that makes its own pesticide — is breaking open the cells that line my gastrointestinal tract, leading to leaky gut syndrome, food sensitivities, autoimmunity, cancer, and more.

I want my GMO check for the possibility that the Roundup Ready soy I used to frequently consume may be transferring its DNA to my gut bacteria, as reported by a human feeding study. Not good.

I want my GMO check to cover what I paid in taxes to cover what I have contributed to the cleaning up of our waterways polluted by the ever-rising use of chemicals on GM fields.

I want my GMO check because I was intentionally not allowed to choose between GMO and non-GMO foods due to industry’s influence over government. As of now, no labeling is required.

I want my GMO check because I am not a guinea pig. I am an American. Must I remind my own government of the precepts upon which it was founded.

As a participant in this stealth feeding trial, I — and the other 300 million unwitting subjects — request payment for the data I provided, the risks I took, and the side effects I experienced.

Pay me.

And next time let me choose.

Sean Croxton
Author, The Dark Side of Fat Loss

by Sean Croxton

Holy Moly…

Day 1 of The Real Food Summit was a HUGE success, thanks to you!

In fact, the term “Real Food Summit” was a top ten trend (worldwide) on Twitter all day yesterday!

What better way to celebrate than to keep this party rolling along with another day of presentations.

But before we get to today’s agenda, I’m super excited to announce that both Joel Salatin and Paul Chek will appear on UW Radio TONIGHT for a live Q&A session at 5pm PT/8pm ET!

This is your chance to get ON THE AIR with two real food legends!

Here’s THE LINK to listen live via internet or to catch the replay.

To listen live by phone, just dial 347-237-5608. This number will also get you on the air (press “1” when the system picks up) to ask my special guests your question(s).

You may also post your question(s) on the Underground Wellness Facebook page.

Now for today’s presentations…

In Room 1, we’ve got Paul Chek presenting on how eating whole foods impacts your mind, body, and soul.

Paul covers a TON of topics, including soil science, the impact of chemical pesticide usage, the problems with isolated vitamin supplements, the truth about organic labeling laws, and how food affects mental function and the soul.

Watch Paul’s presentation HERE.

Room 2 features Jeffrey Smith, the world’s foremost expert on genetically modified foods. Everyone needs to watch this! By the time you finish, I guarantee you’ll know more about GMOs than 99% of the population! This is serious stuff.

Watch Jeffrey’s presentation HERE.

In Room 3, Sarah Pope drops some knowledge on an old school food that is making a major comeback — bone broth.

Sarah covers the three primary benefits of bone broth, how gelatin improves digestion, and how the amino acid glycine found in bone broth helps with detoxification. You’ll also learn how to make it at home!

Watch Sarah’s presentation HERE.

See you tomorrow. You guys are going to fall in love with Chris Masterjohn’s brain!

Oh! Actually, I’ll see you TONIGHT on UW Radio for Q&A with Joel and Paul.

JERF! (Just Eat Real Food)

Sean
Author, The Dark Side of Fat Loss

When I was just a little guy, one of my favorite movies was Weird Science. I wanted to be just like Gary and Wyatt, taking magazine clippings of their ideal female features, hooking them up to electrodes, and creating Lisa, the perfect woman.

Fast forward 20 years and reality is swiftly becoming weirder than fiction. No, the perfect woman has yet to be developed. Well, unless you’re my amazing girlfriend, of course. But if the fossil record is correct and fish were truly the first to evolve into land dwellers, we may be well on our way.

It all began with fish.

Yet again, history is on the precipice of repeating itself. Pandora’s Box is on the verge of losing its lid. The fish is back at it. This time it’s genetically modified and it’s ready for your plate.

The FDA never ceases to amaze me. Just when I thought I had seen and heard it all, the Big Brother of Food Policy has announced that a genetically modified line of Atlantic salmon pending approval poses no harm to humans. When you cut through the doublespeak, this means:

“Pretty soon we will be approving GMO salmon and will require zero labeling for it, so you will have no idea if the salmon on your plate is a Frankenfish or not. Unfortunately, we have no long-term research on this new fish that has never been consumed by human beings in the history of the world, but you’ll be okay. We promise! Actually, even though we’re the federal food police, we did absolutely no research of our own on this fish. We left it up to the company who invented it and also stands to profit from it. Anyway, you’ve been unknowingly eating GMO corn and soy by the boatload for years. You’ll be just fine!”

Boy, do I feel safe.

Let us not forget that this declaration of safety comes from the very same agency that can’t seem to get a handle on the normal food supply. Eggs, anyone?

The engineering of Salmonstein (I like that one better) requires a growth hormone producing gene from the Chinook salmon along with a promoter gene from the ocean pout, an eel-like creature not so easy on the eyes.

The ocean pout is known for its ability to have an extraordinary tolerance for extreme cold. Transferring its antifreeze gene to the salmon allows the fish to grow year-round, even in freezing conditions. The pout gene is the on-switch (promoter) that activates the borrowed growth hormone gene. As a result of this science experiment, the modified salmon grows twice as fast. What would have taken 3 years to reach full size is now ready for your spicy salmon hand roll in 18 months. Sounds strikingly similar to what we did with hormones in cattle and chicken feed. How’s that working out for us?

I could almost hear the Weird Science theme song as I wrote that. Oingo Boingo rocks!

According to its developer, AquaBounty Technologies, their fish is just as safe as farmed salmon. But wait, farmed salmon isn’t safe. I wouldn’t wish farmed salmon upon my worst enemy. On top of being fed corn (a food fish were never meant to consume) and loaded up with antibiotics and toxic PCBs, the fish is so sick that its pink color is actually painted on! So what they’re saying is that their altered fish is just as safe as an unsafe fish.

SMH (shaking my head)

My first reaction to hearing this nonsense was fear that the GMO fish could escape from their ocean pens to mingle with and eventually contaminate the wild salmon population. Fortunately, AquaBounty was one step ahead of me, as they are committed to keeping their fish in inland tanks away from the ocean.

They also assure us that all fish will be female and sterile.

Okay, that’s just weird. I am NOT eating that.

Then again, if Salmonstein is no different from farmed fish, then why the isolated quarters? That’s either an admission that the fish in fact are different or it’s a public relations move to keep the environmentalists quiet. They can be a loud bunch.

Speaking of public relations, the FDA has one heck of a task on its hands. One anonymous government official was quoted as saying, “It’s going to be a PR issue”. You got that right. While most of the country let GMO corn and soy slide, there‘s not a chance they’ll turn a blind fork to Salmonstein. Americans are dead serious about their main courses.

Then again, just how will we know if the salmon at the seafood counter is on more growth hormone than Roger Clemens (low blow, I know)?

We won’t.

Supposedly the FDA will be holding a public hearing to discuss labeling. But we all know that this is just a formality. Let the little people have their day.

If the FDA mandated GMO labeling for Salmonstein, then the corporate food giants who have fought long and hard to keep labels off of their GMO foods would be pressed to follow suit. Corn chips. Soft drinks. Milk. Bread. Soy burgers. Over half the supermarket would require a label. Definitely not good for food companies who would rather you had no choice.

The most significant fallout of this fiasco is the future. What’s next? Once salmon swims through the FDA’s nets, more will follow. GMO versions of beef, chicken, and pork will be here before you know it. Once the fish passes, there is no going back.

Being the optimist that I am, maybe there’s a bright side to Salmonstein. Genetically modified foods are now part of the national conversation. Okay, it’s a side conversation, but people are talking. The FDA has provided us foodies and health advocates with an opportunity we did not have prior to this story hitting the web.

The overwhelming majority of Americans do not know that 90% of soybeans and 60% of corn are GMO.

They don’t know that some of the foods we consume everyday make their own pesticides.

They’ve never heard of gene guns, the imprecision of gene insertion, and the potential for collateral damage.

Nor do they know that there are many countries that will not accept GMO food into their food supply. The very same processed foods containing GMO ingredients here contain non-GMO ingredients elsewhere.

They don’t know about the sudden rise in allergies when GMO foods were introduced.

They don’t know that when given a choice, animals will not eat genetically modified feed.

They don’t know about the small farmers who have been ruined by GMO seed giants like Monsanto.

They’ve never heard of Jeffrey Smith or ever been told the story of Dr. Arpad Pusztai.

Napoleon Hill once said, “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed on an equal or greater benefit.”

Let us use this case of federal ineptitude as an opportunity to educate, not just to complain.

Twenty years later, Weird Science is still one of my favorite flicks. But if I had the technology that Gary and Wyatt had, I wouldn’t create the perfect woman. I would build a more perfect Food and Drug Administration.

It begins with the fish. It ends with the fish.

Say NO to GMO salmon.

Sean Croxton
Owner, Underground Wellness
sean@undergroundwellness.com
http://www.undergroundwellness.com