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Miso Soup with Shiitake

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How can you get your miso soup to have the great depth of flavor that it does when you have it at a Japanese restaurant? The secret is in the broth. Traditional miso soup requires a dashi broth which is most commonly made from dried bonito (skipjack tuna) flakes and konbu (kun bu/kelp). Both ingredients can be purchased at most health food stores, the Asian section of regular grocery stores or Asian markets. Miso soup is very easy to make and is extremely nutritious for everyone.

It is particularly good for those that are undergoing cancer treatment; many of the ingredients have been shown to have antitumor properties. I’ve highlighted the medicinal properties of the ingredients below. Just reading it will make you want to make a healthy bowl of delicious miso soup right now!

Konbu, as it is called in Japanese, is kelp or kun bu in Chinese. Chinese Medicine categorizes konbu as having a salty therapeutic flavor and a cold post digestive temperature. Konbu is high in iodine and can be used to treat thyroid disorders. It resolves many different types of swellings and nodules. It is a diuretic and also reduces blood sugar and cholesterol levels. It is recommended for all types of swellings, nodules and abdominal masses, as well as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Shiitake is high in iron and has a sweet therapeutic flavor and a neutral post digestive temperature, according to Chinese Medicine. Shiitake strengthens qi and has been shown to improve the immune system, lower cholesterol and inhibit tumor growth and viruses. It is recommended for reduced appetite, fatigue, diabetes, high blood pressure, leucopenia (low blood counts), high cholesterol, cancer (especially stomach and cervical cancer) and a weakened immune system.

Miso is most commonly made from fermented soybeans, rice and salt. Miso has sweet and salty therapeutic flavors and a neutral post digestive temperature, according to Chinese Medicine. It is high in the beneficial bacteria, Lactobacillus. Miso strengthens qi and alleviates toxins. Soybeans alone are particularly difficult to digest but the fermentation process, which turns the soybeans into miso, makes the soy easily digestible. Miso stimulates the appetite, improves digestion and has been shown in Japanese studies to treat radiation sickness. It is recommended for fatigue, weakness, emaciation, malnutrition, edema and cancers due to radiation exposure.

Ingredients for Dashi Broth:

1 piece of 4-inch konbu (kun bu/kelp)
4 cups of water
1 cup bonito flakes (loosely packed)

Ingredients for Miso Soup:

2 dried shiitake mushrooms
4 tablespoons white miso
4 ounces tofu (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
1 scallion (thinly sliced)

Dashi Broth Instructions:

Fill a 2-quart pot with the water and soak konbu and mushrooms in the water for 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms. Pull off and discard the mushroom stems, slice thinly and then set the mushrooms aside. Place the pot over medium heat, bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the konbu for 5 minutes and then remove it immediately.

After the konbu has been removed, return the water to a simmer and add the dried bonito flakes. Simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the bonito flakes to sink to the bottom of the pot.

Pour the broth through a strainer, retaining the broth. Discard the bonito flakes (or feed them to your cat who will be weaving between your legs by this point.) Our cat loves the flakes. We chop them up and add a little to his food).

Return the dashi broth to the pan.

Miso Soup Instructions:

Bring strained dashi broth back to a simmer and add the sliced shiitake. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the tofu to the mushrooms and broth and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove soup from the heat.

Spoon about a 1/2 cup of the dashi broth into a small bowl or mug. Then dissolve the miso into this small reserved portion of the broth.

Once the miso is fully dissolved, add the mixture into the rest of the soup and gently stir. Each miso will vary in its strength and sodium content. Dissolving the miso into a smaller bowl of the broth makes it easier to be sure that there will be no clumps in your soup and also allows you to add the miso mixture into the soup, a little at a time, until you have achieved the desired strength.

Note: Do not bring the soup to a boil after the miso has been added, as this will kill off the beneficial bacteria that is in the miso.

Garnish with chopped scallion and serve right away!

Black Bean & Quinoa Salad

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This recipe is a staple in our summer meal planning. It is tasty and really quick and easy to make.  It is also a really forgiving recipe that lends itself well to substituting ingredients.

Quinoa is a power packed little grain which is really high in fiber, protein, antioxidants, iron, calcium, magnesium and other micronutrients. It is a complete protein and it is gluten free, so this little powerhouse of a grain is well suited for those on a vegetarian or gluten free diet. Research has shown that quinoa has an anti inflammatory effect on our body, reducing inflammation and lowering cholesterol in animals, making it an excellent part of heart disease prevention. Quinoa also has a much lower glycemic index than other grains and starches so it is an excellent choice for those with diabetes and those trying to minimize spikes in blood sugar.

I was so sad to hear Christopher Kimball, of America’s Test Kitchen, disparage quinoa on one of his radio show episodes. I definitely disagree with his stance that quinoa is bitter and not worth cooking or eating. The bitter components of quinoa, saponins, nearly disappear with cooking leaving a light and very flavorful grain that is so tasty it can be eaten plain, if one so wishes. So give it a try. Not only does it taste good but it is incredibly good for you too!

This recipe is one of our favorite ways of eating quinoa. The version pictured above, uses cilantro fresh from our garden and a pint of cherry tomatoes picked today at The Small Farm in Stow, MA. They have a great pick your own Cherry Tomato Maze where children and the young at heart are more than welcome to sample all they can eat from a number of colorful and delicious varieties. Our garden tomatoes are still green on the vine so my two year old daughter was delighted to eat sweet ripe tomatoes to her heart’s content. For a completely different meal try substituting chickpeas (for the black beans), lemon (for the lime), parsley (for the cilantro) and cucumber (for the carrot). Or substitute any vegetable that you have on hand for those listed in the recipe!

Ingredients

3 teaspoons grated lime zest
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
41/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon cumin (optional)
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed & drained
4 scallions (or 2 shallots), finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 carrot, grated
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

Whisk together lime zest and lime juice, olive oil, scallion (or shallots), maple syrup, salt, cumin and black pepper in a large bowl.

Put quinoa in a sieve and rinse under cold water. Combine quinoa and 2 cups of water in a 4 quart sauce pan. Cover, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes until cooked. (Hint: You can make quinoa in a rice cooker using the same proportions. Just combine quinoa and water and cook on the white rice setting. A good rice cooker lets you set a timer so that you add the water and grains to the cooker in the morning and have it ready for you when you get home in the evening!)

Let quinoa cool, add dressing and combine well. Stir in remaining ingredients and add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with sliced avocado.  Serves 4.

Improve Your Health with Acupoint Zusanli

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Stomach 36 or Zusanli is a very important and effective point for building and maintaining health. This versatile acupuncture point has been used for thousands of years to promote longevity, strengthen the immune system, treat stomach problems, digestive problems, fatigue, chronic disease and problems with the knees and lower legs.

Zusanli is located four fingers widths directly below the outer eye of the knee and one finger width away from the shin bone. On some people you will find a slight indentation in the muscle where the point is located.

You can massage or moxa this point daily. Moxa is a form of cured mugwort herb that is burned over acupuncture points to warm and stimulate them. This technique is called moxibustion and a description of its use first appeared in an ancient Chinese medical text written in 500 AD. It is believed that burning moxa daily over Zusanli promotes longevity. In fact Dr. Shimetaro Hara, who did much research on moxa, applied moxa daily over Zusanli and lived to be over 100 years old.

In Japan, yomogi (Japanese mugwort), has been used to celebrate festivals in addition to its use as a healing herb. During the Edo period (1603-1868) burning moxa on acupuncture points became very popular and was typically an annual event. The Japanese poet Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), famous for his long journeys about Japan on foot, writing poems at famous spots along the way, writes in the beginning of his book Narrow Road to the Interior (Oku no hosomichi) that he has darned his socks, fixed the strap of his bamboo hat, and burned moxa on his legs to strengthen them, and is thus ready to set out on a long journey.

Our patients can purchase a moxa kit with instructions, if they are interested in using moxa on Zusanli at home. Alternately you can massage this point daily, on infants, children and adults, to prevent and treat colds, allergies, fatigue and a number of digestive problems including abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, hiccups, indigestion, diarrhea and poor appetite. This is a powerful form of self care that is free, quick and simple to do at home for yourself and your family.

6 Ways to Stay Healthy This Winter

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The more you are able to align yourself with nature, the greater health you will experience. If you watch and pay attention, you will notice that winter is a time of rest, inward retreat and reflection—a time of quietness and restoration. Heed the season’s suggestion and you will emerge in the spring, like a crocus, with vibrance, health and energy. Here are 6 ways to align yourself with the winter season and keep you and your family healthy:

Increase Your Vitamin D Intake

You get vitamin D from some foods and from exposing your skin to the sun which causes your body to manufacture vitamin D. As the days shorten and the weather gets colder your body will make less of this sunshine vitamin. Vitamin D is an important part of a healthy immune system. Low levels have been linked to frequent colds and flus, cancers, osteoporosis, joint pain, depression and even heart disease. Low fish diets, northern winter climates and the overuse of sunscreens can lead to vitamin D deficiency. Current daily nutritional need for vitamin D is set to 600 IU, for adults, however many suggest 1,000 to 2,000 IU may be optimal.

As the days get shorter and the sun is lower in the sky, it becomes difficult, if not nearly impossible, to make vitamin D from the sun.  During this time, dietary sources of vitamin D become increasingly important. Whenever possible eat natural dietary sources of vitamin D rather than processed foods enriched with the vitamin. Cod liver oil and fish such as wild salmon, wild sardines and wild tuna are excellent natural sources of vitamin D as well as healthy Omega-3 oils for heart, brain and immune system health. Just a 1/2 filet of wild salmon provides 1400 IU of vitamin D. Six raw oysters provide 269 IU and one can of sardines provides 250 IU of vitamin D. Eggs and mushrooms such as maitake, chanterelle, morel, shiitake and oysters provide vitamin D ranging from 121 IU for just one maitake mushroom to 31 IU for a single shiitake mushroom and 44 IU for one egg.  So head out for some oysters on the half shell, grill up some wild salmon, try a sardine salad or sandwich and add the rich flavors of mushrooms or eggs to your breakfasts, soups, stir fries and stews this winter. As your vitamin D levels rise you will feel yourself getting happier and healthier.

Drink More Water

The winter season is associated with the water element and the Kidneys. Taking care of your Kidneys during the winter is of utmost importance for your health during this season and for preventing illness during the spring season that will follow. Your body needs water for removing wastes products, lubricating your joints, skin and mucus membranes and for running all of your metabolic and physiologic processes. Most people do not even drink the bare minimum of 64 oz of water each day and as a result are suffering from water retention, weight gain, kidney stones, headaches, muscle cramps, fatigue and dry skin. (By the way we are talking about pure water here. The water in your tea, coffee and soda does not count toward the 64 oz minimum! In fact these beverages are actually dehydrating you rather than hydrating you.) As the dry cold wintery air settles in and your heat is working full-time, you need more water than ever to keep your body functioning properly and your skin and mucus membranes moist enough to do their germ blocking job. Your skin and mucus membranes are the first immune barrier to colds and flus and they need to be moist and intact to do their job well. In addition to drinking plenty of water, getting a humidifier for your home and eating healthy fats, like those found in fish, eggs, coconut and avocados can also help keep the ill effects of dry wintery air and its colds and flus at bay.

Get More Sleep

Lack of sleep has been linked to a weakened immune system and health problems such as increased susceptibility to autoimmune disease, infection and heart disease. Your body’s need for sufficient and proper rest increases in the winter time. If you do not heed the seasonal demand for increased “hibernation” your adrenals and immune system will become depleted during this season and you may find yourself battling colds, flus, allergies or worse this winter and during the spring season which follows. Our current society of high stress and overwork drastically depletes our Kidney system, leading to anxiety, depression, adrenal exhaustion, infertility and year round allergies. Remember winter is associated with the Kidneys, so it is important to pay special attention to this organ during the winter season. How do you do this? Go to bed early—no later than 10 pm! If you regularly have trouble sleeping and are getting less than 7 hours of sleep a night, then it is time to do something about this! Turn off the computer and TV and try stretching or meditating for 30 minutes before going to bed. I also like Traditional Medicinals “Organic Nighty Night” or “Organic Easy Now” teas for a gentle way to help unwind before bed (hint: go ahead and double up on the tea bags for a more therapeutic herbal dose). Also keep in mind that eating too much in the late evening or drinking alcohol or caffeine will disrupt your sleep so use moderation. If you still need extra help sleeping, remember that acupuncture induces a relaxation response, reverses the negative effects of stress and may help you start sleeping better almost immediately.

Eat Homemade Soups and Stews

Homemade beef and chicken bone broths have luckily regained popularity with recent interest in the Paleo diet. However Chinese Medicine has been advocating for the health benefits of soups and stews for thousands of years. Homemade bone broths are packed with superb flavor and restorative health effects. In general, it is best to eat mainly cooked foods because they are more gentle on your digestive system, leading to easier digestion and better absorption of nutrients and overall health. It turns out that western science has now confirmed that your gut is responsible for 60-80 percent of your immune system! Eating homemade soups and stews is one of the best ways to repair and care for your digestive system and your overall health. The immune boosting effects of your basic chicken soup can even be enhanced with the addition of herbs, such as huang qi, as found in our Immune Boosting Chicken Broth. If you are looking for one pot meals packed with nutrition and preventative health benefits, homemade soups and stews are the way to go this winter! Be sure to ditch the prepackaged broths or boullions and make your own. Afraid to make your own chicken broth? Do not fear! Follow our Chicken Broth recipe and we will walk you through each step of the process.

Reduce Stress

Stress weakens your immune system and makes your body more susceptible to a whole host of illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, depression, autoimmune diseases, irritable bowel syndrome, infections, colds and flus. The science demonstrating the connection between stress and weakened immunity is quite remarkable. Most of us know that stress is not good for us and winter is a great season to do something about it! Stretching, meditation, guided relaxation and breathing techniques, exercise, massage and acupuncture are all great tools for managing stress. Sometimes you also need to make changes in your daily schedule in order to reduce stress. Other times you just need to change your mindset, take a deep breath and commit to viewing your life differently—with more gratitude and less angst and rushing around. What would happen if you left the house 10 minutes earlier each morning? Could you take a deep breath and find something to enjoy in the moment on your way to and from work? Could you say to yourself, “this isn’t so hard…I’m making this harder than it needs to be!” If for some reason you really can’t enjoy what you are doing, make yourself move at a slower pace or change your perspective on your current stressful situation, then you can use this season to contemplate and prepare for makings changes in your life that will allow you to better enjoy life with less stress. Use the inward nature of this season to rest, reflect and de-stress!

Get Acupuncture

Acupuncture induces a relaxation response, relieves stress, strengthens your immune system and prevents illness. It has been used for over 3,000 years to prevent and treat colds, coughs and flus. By affecting our central nervous system, acupuncture has a modulating or balancing effect on your immune system—strengthening it when it is weak and calming it down when it is overactive (as in the case of autoimmune conditions). Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are excellent ways to treat colds, coughs and flus when they do hit. When my family gets sick we alway use acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine to reduce the length of the illness and prevent complications. I’m regularly amazed at how quickly my family recovers from illnesses that others grapple with all winter long, such as sinus congestion and coughs. In my daughters daycare class, many kids are running around with phlegmy coughs and green boogies nearly all winter long. This reminds me of just how effective acupuncture and herbal medicine is at quickly resolving these nagging colds and coughs. Usually within a week my daughter is symptom free (adults may take a bit longer to heal especially if we are not following the suggestions above)! Compared to what conventional medicine has to offer for cold, cough and flu care, acupuncture is a near miracle!

Staying healthy means you are able to create balance—balance between work, play and rest and balance between yourself and your environment. Your body is a microcosm of the world around you. You are not separate from your environment, therefore acheiving balance means taking into account the season within which you live. Winter in New England provides cold dry weather, short days and long nights. By following the suggestions above, you will be working with the winter season, rather than against it, to create true health for this season and setting a solid foundation for the year to come.

Acupuncture Tips for Staying Healthy during Autumn

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Autumn has arrived in all its perfect glory this year. The cool crisp air, the rolling hills of apple orchards and pumpkins, the kite flying breeze and the brilliant reds, yellows and oranges of our trees here in Massachusetts. The harvest season has peaked and as we turn the corner we see the hints of winter-to-come—the slowing of activity and life and the waning of light and heat. In Chinese Medicine your body is viewed as being a microcosm of the macrocosm around you. When you yield to and follow the wisdom and limits of your body and its surrounding environment, including the seasons, you achieve optimal health and slow the aging process.

Autumn is associated with our Lungs and immune system and it is associated with the emotion of grief. Imbalances of the Lungs often include an unyielding disposition, sadness and depression, fatigue, allergies, asthma, coughs, colds and flus.

Here are tips, that I’ve observed as an acupuncturist in my practice in Concord, Massachusetts, that can help you align your body and mind with the autumn season so that you can stay healthy and enjoy this season to its fullest.

Go to bed early. As the days get shorter your body needs more sleep. Make it a priority to go to bed early. You can’t expect your body to go, go, go like it did at the peak of summer. That is what we should have been doing with our long summer days—living life to its fullest and most active. But autumn is a season where our energy begins to move inward. It needs to keep active but also needs some extra rest and internal reflection. Go with it and hit the hay early. Maybe do some guided relaxation, meditation or journaling before bed to give yourself some “you time” and help calm and clarify your mind and body before retiring for the night.

Protect your immune system. This is the best season for attending to imbalances in your immune system. Make sure you take a regular vitamin D or cod liver oil supplement, which is high in vitamin D and eat foods that are also high in vitamin D. (See our 6 Ways to Stay Healthy this Winter article for more details on vitamin D). Acupuncture and immune boosting herbs such as the classic Chinese herbal formula Yu Ping Fang San or Host Defense’s Stamets 7 mushroom capsules can do wonders for those that struggle with allergies or frequent colds throughout this season. Custom herbal formulas are often needed for those with more complex and serious lung problems, such as asthma.  Also if you run on the cold side and don’t have a hearty immune system made of steel, then bundle up when you go outside. Wear a hat and scarf in order to keep warm so your body doesn’t need to work so hard to stay warm and fight off colds.

Eat homemade soup broths.  Your body benefits from eating soup on a daily basis, no matter what the season, even summer! But if soup is not your thing in the summer time, it is an absolute must in autumn. Homemade soup broth is not only more delicious but it is full of nutrients and immune boosting nourishment. So fill your house with the simmering smells of our Immune Boosting Chicken Broth and sip it as a tea or use it to cook up your favorite soup for lunch or dinner each day.

Breathe deeply. The season of the Lungs mandates some additional attention to your breathing. Most of us use only use 50% of our total lung capacity. Make it a point to spend time each day exercising your lungs and practicing some deep belly breathing outside in fresh air and sunshine. This will boost your qi or energy, calm your mind and help dissolve sadness and depression. There are many ways to practice deep breathing. Exercise naturally deepens your breath and improves your lung capacity. Whether you walk, run or practice yoga, the cool dry air and beautiful fall landscape make it a perfect season to take your exercise routine outdoors. Another great way to practice deep breathing is to just start paying attention to your breath. Sit comfortably and notice what your body feels like as you inhale and exhale. Don’t change anything, just become aware. Does the air feel cold or warm going into and out of your nose? Does your belly rise and fall with each breath or are your ribs and chest just expanding to accommodate your breath? If your mind wanders, don’t worry, just catch it and go back to paying attention to your breathing. As you pay attention, your body will relax and your breath with naturally deepen.

Quit smoking. There is no better time than now to kick this habit. Although there is no magic bullet for overcoming addiction of any sort, a strong will combined with various supports, such as acupuncture, can help you succeed this time around. Make sure you take breaks from your work, get outside and breathe deeply. Having been a smoker in the past, I noticed that regular breaks, deep inhalation and exhalation and social camaraderie are often some of the “benefits” that smokers enjoy. However, you don’t need to smoke cigarettes to breathe deeply, take a break and strike up conversation with your coworkers. Set an alarm or schedule your breaks right into your computer calendar. Give yourself the permission to stop, breathe fresh clean air and enjoy some down time and conversation just for its own sake. Remember to breathe through the cravings and uncomfortable sensations. Just breathe right into them—don’t wish them away, but connect with the sensations instead—and keep breathing. Overtime this practice will dissolve your craving.

Practice gratitude. Make it a daily practice to name and think about the small and large things that you are grateful for in your life. It may be as small as your morning cup of coffee, or the driver that stopped to let you pull out it traffic or it may be larger things like your health, the health of your family, the presence of your children or your beautiful home. Only when you accept and are grateful for the present moment—no matter how difficult or peaceful that moment is—can you find true balance, peace and health. There is no better season than autumn to practice focusing on what is good in your life and challenge your mind’s natural tendency toward negativity. If you are feeling pretty depressed and find it impossible to do this exercise, then you may need some help treating your depression. Acupuncture and herbal medicine can help reduce stress, dissolve your brain fog, get you unstuck and give you a boost out of that rut. We harvest the seeds we plant. Be certain to continually plant the right seeds in your mind so you can reap the full potential of your life in this season and in all seasons to come.

Are GM Foods Safe?

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Many of us do not know that we have been eating genetically modified (GM) foods since their entry into the market in the 1990’s. Genetic modification is the transfer of one or more genes from one organism into the DNA of a different organism in order to create a new desired trait. Currently with food, this is usually done to create some supposed economic or environmental benefit, such as the ability for a crop to contain its own pesticide and therefore theoretically reduce or eliminate the need to spray pesticides on crop fields.

The Potential Risks of GM Foods

The most common GM foods that are in our stores right now are soybeans, corn, canola, cotton (used to make cottonseed/salad oil) and sugar beets (used to make sweeteners). Since their introduction into the market, there has been much debate regarding their safety. Currently the FDA, EPA and USDA consider GM foods safe. However there are a number of scientific studies, case reports and conflicts of interest in the research and regulatory agencies, as well as an overall lack of long-term research and human trials, which together cast doubt on these claims of the safety. The main human health concerns include the possibility for GM foods to cause (1):

  1. increased allergies and introduce toxins into the food supply
  2. increased spread of antibiotic resistance
  3. transfer of new (modified) genes and their components into the cells of our intestines
  4. changes in stomach and intestinal structure and metabolism
  5. changes in growth and development

Aside from possible public health concerns, there are also environmental, economic, agricultural and sustainability concerns which are beyond the scope of this article. For those who want to learn more about the potential human health risks of GM foods you can read “Genetically Modified Foods: Are They a Risk to Human/Animal Health?,” by researcher, Arpad Pusztai, Ph.D. So why is there doubt about the safety of GM foods if our government is telling us that they are safe?

How GM Foods Are Regulated

The FDA, EPA and USDA share oversight of genetically modified plant foods. Careful review of their respective safety regulations reveals exemptions and assumptions, which are questionable. In fact most GM crops regulated by the FDA are actually exempt from the need to prove safety and are “presumptively GRAS [generally recognized as safe] (2)” because they are considered to be substantially equivalent to their non-GM counterparts. Any safety data submitted to the FDA is therefore voluntary on the part of the industry. Crops modified to contain a pesticide within the plant itself, such as Bt corn, would fall under the regulatory domain of the EPA. The EPA also has a series of exemptions and assumptions that reduce the requirements for proof of safety and presume safety of the crop in the absence of adequate, scientific data (3). A good example of this is the case of Bt corn.

Bt Corn: An Example of Insufficient Safety Regulation and Testing

Bt corn is genetically modified to contain the bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which produces a toxic protein that has been used as a pesticide. Because the bacteria was safely used as a pesticide spray for many years, its incorporation into the plant itself is assumed safe by the EPA. The EPA writes that “The basic premise relied on for the toxicology assessment is the fact that all the Bt plant-incorporated protectants are proteins. Proteins are commonly found in the diet and, except for a few well described phenomena, present little risk as a mammalian hazard. In addition, for the majority of Bt proteins currently registered, the source bacterium has been a registered microbial pesticide which has been approved for use on food crops without specific restrictions. (4)”

There are several flaws in these assumptions made by the EPA. First, just because something is a protein does not make it safe. There are many toxic proteins that we know about. Tetanus, botulism and diphtheria are all toxic proteins. The protein in this case, the Cry protein, is also a toxin to some organisms, which is why it is used as a pesticide. These toxic proteins are not “commonly found in the diet.” Secondly, Bt toxin sprayed on the surface of the plant as a pesticide is not the same as Bt toxin being genetically incorporated into the plant. The crux of the safety testing depends upon isolating the different proteins between the non-GM version of the food and the GM version. However, what proteins are produced by a plant’s DNA actually varies a little depending on the environmental conditions in which the plant is growing. Additionally, over time the DNA of the plant can change and mutate, again possibly changing the proteins produced by the plant. This means we cannot be entirely certain what proteins the new Bt gene will produced in the corn both now and in the future.

However, because of these assumptions, the EPA required only superficial safety testing. The safety studies cited looked at acute toxicity of Cry proteins in mice and some allergy, digestion and breakdown characteristics of the Cry proteins in vitro (in a test tube). All the studies cited in the document are unpublished. None of the animals in the studies were even fed Bt corn. No long term testing was done on animals or humans. Therefore one really should question, in this example, if there is adequate proof of safety.

Industry Driven Testing & Unpublished Data

Additionally, safety studies on GM foods are usually done by the very industry that is developing the new GM crop and seeking to profit from its development. These studies are often restricted from being published and therefore not subject to the usual scrutiny of the general scientific community and their attempts to replicate results. This begs the question as to whether these safety studies are good science or even science at all. Even if we assume that the science is good and was done in good faith, the required testing is inadequate. No long-term testing is being done on animals. No testing is being done at all on humans. No long-term studies have been done that look for the possible development of new diseases or an increased incidence of known diseases due to introduction of GM foods into our food supply. Therefore, many agree that there is insufficient evidence to prove that GM foods are safe.

Chinese Medicine & Modern Nutritional Health

Chinese Medicine has always viewed food as medicine and recommends a varied diet of fresh, locally grown, organic and unprocessed foods, which include fresh whole grains, vegetables and fruits with a small amount of meat and dairy. A varied diet means that you eat a variety of different foods, thus assuring you get a diverse range of vitamins, proteins and minerals while reducing your chances of developing food allergies or intolerances due to overexposure. Unprocessed foods means that the food should be as close to its natural state as possible while avoiding pre-cooked and pre-packaged foods, preservatives, additives and processes which denature or change the quality of food such as microwaving. We believe that it would also be prudent to avoid foods that have been genetically modified, especially in children, elderly, pregnant women and those with chronic allergies, food intolerances, autoimmune conditions and infertility, until more rigorous safety testing is done.

Regardless of where you stand in the GM food safety debate, everyone should know what they are putting into their bodies. To help with that, we have included the “Non-GMO Shopping Guide” as well as a link to the guide as an iPhone app “ShopNoGMO.” This guide will explain which foods are genetically modified and how to avoid them, if you so choose.

  1. Pusztai, A. “Genetically Modified Foods: Are They a Risk to Human/Animal Health?” http://www.actionbioscience.org./biotech/pusztai.html. Date accessed: Oct. 25, 2010.
  2. Brackett, RE. “Bioengineered Foods.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration. June 14, 2005. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Testimony/ucm112927.htm. Date accessed: Oct. 25, 2010.
  3. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Plant Incorporated Protectants.” http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides/pips/index.htm. Date accessed: Oct. 25, 2010.
  4. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “BIOPESTICIDES REGISTRATION ACTION DOCUMENT: Cry1Ab and Cry1F Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)Corn Plant-Incorporated Protectants.” http://www.epa.gov/oppbppd1/biopesticides/pips/cry1f-cry1ab-brad.pdf. Date accessed: Oct. 25, 2010.