To GMO or Non-GMO

CrusherKun

So this past weekend I had many of spirited conversations with my BiL about GMO's v. Non-GMO from the stand point of weight loss. I have lost all my weight to date not caring so much about GMO (i.e. using smart balance butter sub vs. using olive oil for the sake of calories) - and while I know "not all fats are created equal" - I still stand by my choices.

My question is....does it REALLY make that much of a difference?

bcattoes

I've never really seen GMO tied to weight loss before. It's usually either a health topic or a "right to know" topic.

I'm not sure how it would matter much for weight loss, unless the calories were different in a GMO vs non-GMO food. Or if one somehow messed with your hormones that control fat storage.

Showcase_Brodown

As far as weight loss is concerned, total calories is what matters.

For general health, GMO vs. non-GMO might be something to consider, although it is honestly not something I have looked into much. At this point, I haven't been able to muster up a crap to give about it. I've picked my battles elsewhere.

richardheath

How would GMO affect weight loss? How would having a gene for glyphosate resistance in corn or soy change the produce's calorie content? I don't get it.

CrusherKun

Let me clarify - His stance was more about not how much you take in but what you take in. Mine was as long as its under calorie who cares. Sorry for the confusion.

bcattoes

Let me clarify - His stance was more about not how much you take in but what you take in. Mine was as long as its under calorie who cares. Sorry for the confusion.

How did he tie it to weight loss? I mean, was he just saying that you should eat "healthier" when losing weight, and he believes GMO foods are less healthy than non-GMO? Or did he actually think the non-GMO led to more weight lost, if calories were equal, than GMO?

CrusherKun

I think his point was that if you don't eat all the processed junk then your will be healthier overall and have better weight management.

richardheath

Well, how is a gene for glyphosate resistance going to alter the other nutritional qualities of a food? [Environmental concerns and dubious business practices notwithstanding.] If I grill an ear of corn does it matter if it is GMO or not in terms of nutrition?

GMO does not mean processed. It's an upstream factor, not a downstream one.

Processed food doesn't have to be junk either, unless your definition of junk = processed. I'd say there is no such thing as junk food anyway. Look at the overall diet, and fit in whatever you like here and there if it makes you happy.

likitisplit

I think his point was that if you don't eat all the processed junk then your will be healthier overall and have better weight management.

You've lost 71 pounds. What has he done?

ETA - I eat dark chocolate daily for the iron. I am less healthy without it and feel fatigued so my workouts aren't as good.
Dark chocolate = better health/better weight management.

likitisplit

Let me clarify - His stance was more about not how much you take in but what you take in. Mine was as long as its under calorie who cares. Sorry for the confusion.

I think you are confused because people are asking questions about HIS rationalization, not yours. Because you are dead-on.

richardheath

I think his point was that if you don't eat all the processed junk then your will be healthier overall and have better weight management.

You've lost 71 pounds. What has he done?

ETA - I eat dark chocolate daily for the iron. I am less healthy without it and feel fatigued so my workouts aren't as good.
Dark chocolate = better health/better weight management.

That should be a meme

mayfrayy

gmo's have been overblown by the media.
carry on.

TX_Rhon

gmo's have been overblown by the media.
carry on.

Hasn't everything been overblown by the media?

OP - congrats on your WL. Just keep doing what you have been doing and ignore the nonsense!

jimmmer

Almost everything you eat has been genetically modified by generation after generation of farmers and cultivators cross-breeding it.

Do it in a lab and all of a sudden "we're all going to die"...

_John_

I give not 2 ****s if there is roundup ready corn/soybeans in my diet. At least those (likely) came from America...

jimmmer

At least those (likely) came from America...

Is this an advantage in some way?

Aaron_K123

GMO vs non-GMO for weight loss? No, I cannot imagine that matters at all.

I can see legitimate ethical concerns for GMOs specifically with regards to corporate patenting of food stocks but in terms of health and nutrition there is a lot of fearmongering out there that doesn't have much substance to it. I don't think they pose any sort of health risk and in fact there are many GMOs out there than have done a lot of good in the world and have saved countless lives.

My take is you can pretty safely ignore the organic, non-organic or GMO, non-GMO type labels for food choices with regards to weight loss. Adds a needless complication imo.

ninerbuff

I think his point was that if you don't eat all the processed junk then your will be healthier overall and have better weight management.

Subjective. I eat quite a bit of processed foods vs my cousin who is vegan and only eats organic. She suffers from anemia and lacks any stamina along with still being quite overweight, whereas I'm very fit (especially for my age) and don't have issues with weight like she does.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

NutellaByTheSpoon

GMO's are bad for you. But they wouldn't effect weight loss and I am a health nut!

_John_

GMO's are bad for you. But they wouldn't effect weight loss and I am a health nut!

OH FFS...

Meerataila

At least those (likely) came from America...

Is this an advantage in some way?

Possibly. Depends on what laws are in place in other countries banning dangerous pesticides as well as what laws are in place guaranteeing (or not) that foods those pesticides were used on will not come across our borders.

I prefer both domestically grown as well as non-GMO when I can get it. But not for weight loss. I figure our prostitute politicians gave Monsanto immunity from lawsuits for a reason. Better safe than sorry.

likitisplit

I think his point was that if you don't eat all the processed junk then your will be healthier overall and have better weight management.

You've lost 71 pounds. What has he done?

ETA - I eat dark chocolate daily for the iron. I am less healthy without it and feel fatigued so my workouts aren't as good.
Dark chocolate = better health/better weight management.

That should be a meme

Doesn't even hold a candle to the time I needed 6grams of protein and some carbs to round out my day.

Chocolate chip cookies.

Aaron_K123

GMO's are bad for you. But they wouldn't effect weight loss and I am a health nut!

Unless they are good for you or neutral for you, like with anything else. There is nothing inherently wrong with GMOs.

defauIt

Genetic engineering has been happening for as long as humans have been around. Why is it only suddenly an issue? Should we be frightened of all the "unnatural" breeds of dogs that humans have created? What about cats? Should we be scared of every crop we eat today that only exists because of selective breeding over thousands of years?

Aaron_K123

Should we be scared of every crop we eat today that only exists because of selective breeding over thousands of years?

You mean all of them?

Meerataila

Genetic engineering has been happening for as long as humans have been around. Why is it only suddenly an issue? Should we be frightened of all the "unnatural" breeds of dogs that humans have created? What about cats? Should we be scared of every crop we eat today that only exists because of selective breeding over thousands of years?

If they go back to doing it the old fashioned way, I'll quit worrying. But new methods have the potential to create new problems.

And even if they strictly follow the old fashioned way, breeding plants that tolerate higher levels of pesticides still has the potential to cause the humans that eat those plants more problems, since it might mean our food contains previously lethal to plants levels of pesticides that might then be lethal to us.

Also, any company that uses its influence to buy its way out of our legal system is not to be trusted in any case. For that reason alone, I will do everything I can to avoid Monsanto products.

Aaron_K123

Genetic engineering has been happening for as long as humans have been around. Why is it only suddenly an issue? Should we be frightened of all the "unnatural" breeds of dogs that humans have created? What about cats? Should we be scared of every crop we eat today that only exists because of selective breeding over thousands of years?

If they go back to doing it the old fashioned way, I'll quit worrying. But new methods have the potential to create new problems.

And even if they strictly follow the old fashioned way, breeding plants that tolerate higher levels of pesticides still has the potential to cause the humans that eat those plants more problems, since it might mean our food contains previously lethal to plants levels of pesticides that might then be lethal to us.

Also, any company that uses its influence to buy its way out of our legal system is not to be trusted in any case. For that reason alone, I will do everything I can to avoid Monsanto products.

There are ethical concerns with some companies but I really wish people kept in mind that GMO does not equal Monsanto. There are many, MANY GMO products that are vital to our health out on the market today that most people don't even realize are GMO. Much of modern preventative medicine relies heavily on GMO production.

Complain about Monsanto's buisness practicies all you want, I'll even join in...but don't just attribute the poor ethics of one companies buisness practices to the incredibly useful and helfpul tool that is GMOs themselves.

Meerataila

Genetic engineering has been happening for as long as humans have been around. Why is it only suddenly an issue? Should we be frightened of all the "unnatural" breeds of dogs that humans have created? What about cats? Should we be scared of every crop we eat today that only exists because of selective breeding over thousands of years?

If they go back to doing it the old fashioned way, I'll quit worrying. But new methods have the potential to create new problems.

And even if they strictly follow the old fashioned way, breeding plants that tolerate higher levels of pesticides still has the potential to cause the humans that eat those plants more problems, since it might mean our food contains previously lethal to plants levels of pesticides that might then be lethal to us.

Also, any company that uses its influence to buy its way out of our legal system is not to be trusted in any case. For that reason alone, I will do everything I can to avoid Monsanto products.

There are ethical concerns with some companies but I really wish people kept in mind that GMO does not equal Monsanto. There are many, MANY GMO products that are vital to our health out on the market today that most people don't even realize are GMO. Much of modern preventative medicine relies heavily on GMO production.

Complain about Monsanto's buisness practicies all you want, I'll even join in...but don't just attribute the poor ethics of one companies buisness practices to the incredibly useful and helfpul tool that is GMOs themselves.

Good point. And I'm not actually against GMO. Or just about anything science. I'm all for better living through chemistry and for that matter biology, physics, or whatever combination of whatever sciences your heart desires.

What I am against is no testing or shoddy industry controlled testing and a general eh, who cares attitude. And of course I'm against buying lawmakers.

defauIt

Genetic engineering has been happening for as long as humans have been around. Why is it only suddenly an issue? Should we be frightened of all the "unnatural" breeds of dogs that humans have created? What about cats? Should we be scared of every crop we eat today that only exists because of selective breeding over thousands of years?

If they go back to doing it the old fashioned way, I'll quit worrying. But new methods have the potential to create new problems.

And even if they strictly follow the old fashioned way, breeding plants that tolerate higher levels of pesticides still has the potential to cause the humans that eat those plants more problems, since it might mean our food contains previously lethal to plants levels of pesticides that might then be lethal to us.

Also, any company that uses its influence to buy its way out of our legal system is not to be trusted in any case. For that reason alone, I will do everything I can to avoid Monsanto products.

So because we're better at it, it suddenly has become a concern. The old fashioned way as better because it was slower and we were worse at it?

We're better at traveling now too - should we go back to the multi-month journeys across America by horse and carriage? Or should we go back even farther to before the wheel?

Should we be scared of every crop we eat today that only exists because of selective breeding over thousands of years?

You mean all of them?

That was what I was getting at, yes.

Meerataila

Genetic engineering has been happening for as long as humans have been around. Why is it only suddenly an issue? Should we be frightened of all the "unnatural" breeds of dogs that humans have created? What about cats? Should we be scared of every crop we eat today that only exists because of selective breeding over thousands of years?

If they go back to doing it the old fashioned way, I'll quit worrying. But new methods have the potential to create new problems.

And even if they strictly follow the old fashioned way, breeding plants that tolerate higher levels of pesticides still has the potential to cause the humans that eat those plants more problems, since it might mean our food contains previously lethal to plants levels of pesticides that might then be lethal to us.

Also, any company that uses its influence to buy its way out of our legal system is not to be trusted in any case. For that reason alone, I will do everything I can to avoid Monsanto products.

So because we're better at it, it suddenly has become a concern. The old fashioned way as better because it was slower and we were worse at it?

We're better at traveling now too - should we go back to the multi-month journeys across America by horse and carriage? Or should we go back even farther to before the wheel?

It's not just a matter of it taking longer, it's a matter of new possibilities, therefore new potential dangers. For example, I don't care how long you load up the mood music and try to breed a goat with a spider the old fashioned way, you will never get a goat you can milk for spider thread protein.

Aaron_K123

Genetic engineering has been happening for as long as humans have been around. Why is it only suddenly an issue? Should we be frightened of all the "unnatural" breeds of dogs that humans have created? What about cats? Should we be scared of every crop we eat today that only exists because of selective breeding over thousands of years?

If they go back to doing it the old fashioned way, I'll quit worrying. But new methods have the potential to create new problems.

And even if they strictly follow the old fashioned way, breeding plants that tolerate higher levels of pesticides still has the potential to cause the humans that eat those plants more problems, since it might mean our food contains previously lethal to plants levels of pesticides that might then be lethal to us.

Also, any company that uses its influence to buy its way out of our legal system is not to be trusted in any case. For that reason alone, I will do everything I can to avoid Monsanto products.

So because we're better at it, it suddenly has become a concern. The old fashioned way as better because it was slower and we were worse at it?

We're better at traveling now too - should we go back to the multi-month journeys across America by horse and carriage? Or should we go back even farther to before the wheel?

Should we be scared of every crop we eat today that only exists because of selective breeding over thousands of years?

You mean all of them?

That was what I was getting at, yes.

Not that I am arguing the anti-GMO side, definately not, but to be fair GMO tech has opened up possibilities of combinations that would never practically occur in nature. This strikes people who think everything natural is good as a clear indication of its evilness. Thing is I don't feel that way, I don't see any indication that nature is our buddy or has our best interest at heart....if anything quite the opposite.

Do we need to be cautious with any new technology? Absolutely. Should we shun and fear anything new? Absolutely not, not without reason and so far I haven't heard a lot of reason on the anti-GMO side. The one valid point I have heard is against specific company practices (such as Monsanto) using GMO tech as a way of patenting and almost copywrite protecting living things that are then released into a non-controlled enviornment. I agree that is ethically questionable and not necessarily a brilliant idea. What I dislike though are people taking that rational concern and running with it into total crazy town decrying GMOs for nothing other than being GMO.