GMO’s Are In What?! Edition 1

GMO’s are lurking everywhere. They are popping up in places they shouldn’t be and are in foods we wouldn’t dream they would be. The word “healthy” has lost it’s meaning since it can be slapped on basically any food product and cleverly labeled as if it is healthy.

Take for example this package of Arnold Healthy Multi-Grain bread. No one’s wildest dreams envision having to worry about genetically modified Frankenfoods in something as innocent as a loaf of bread. I vividly remember my dad buying this bread and because he did, so did I. Needless to say, I stopped buying it when I realized whole grains really aren’t THAT great for you (they’re way better if they are properly prepared).

I don’t know about you but by the way this label makes it out to be, especially to the normal folk, there couldn’t be anything healthier to accompany a big slab of butter or to dip into a pastured egg yolk. I mean who doesn’t want healthy whole grain bread that has no high fructose corn syrup!?

Until you turn the bread over and take a look at the ingredients…

Yikes! Out of 23 ingredients (wait, since when was it necessary to have 23 ingredients in a loaf of bread?), nine have the 98.999% chance of being genetically modified.

You may be bawking at the idea of sugar being genetically modified but let me let you in on a little secret — if you ever see the word “sugar” in ingredients, the possibility of it being derived from a genetically engineered sugar beet is extremely high. So yes, this bread states it has no high fructose corn syrup but lo and behold, it contains the incognito cousin of HFCS — the GE sugar beet. You can read more about Frankensugar here. You may notice molasses is boxed as well… according to the Non-GMO Project, molasses may have a chance of being genetically modified.

Grain vinegar has the possibility of being genetically modified because we have no idea what variety of “grain” is used — if it’s soy or corn, then you know for sure it’s the Franken-version.

Preservatives may also be GM so it’s a safe bet to say Calcium Propionate has some trace of GM elements to it.

If you’re like me and are wondering the hell DATEM is, well, I did a little research for you and found it is an acronym for Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono-diglycerides. Meaning, it is an emulsifier that is derived from soy, palm, or canola oil — which are very likely to be Franken-fied.

Hmmm.. that’s not promising! As you can see in the photo, I have monoglycerides boxed and according to the Non-GMO Shopping Guide’s website, any mono and diglycerides are without a doubt GM.

Leaving us with a now total of 12 ingredients having the possibility or are indefinitely GMO — that’s more than half of the ridiculously long 23 ingredient loaf of bread.

What to Buy Instead of FrankenBread?

So what bread should you buy? Well, if you’re not in the market to making your own sourdough loaf, my favorite brand is Berlin Bakery. I buy their ‘Old Fashioned Sourdough’ and their ‘Sprouted Spelt Bread.’ It’s a little pricey for a loaf of bread but it beats the GM laden brand for sure. The old fashioned sourdough can take some getting used to as it is made traditionally — not like some other brand’s versions of sourdough. This has a real, sour taste to it and if you’re like me, it takes some getting used to. I personally like the sprouted spelt bread a little bit more.

If you want something a little closer to what you feel “normal” is, my second option is the Spelt bread from Rudi’s Bakery. There are more ingredients than necessary but the bread tastes good and it’s closer in price to Arnold’s bread without the GMO’s and additives and such.