My box of Cheerios this morning asked me to “Share what Cheerios means to you (me).” I was supposed to do that on Facebook.com/Cheerios. Another side of the box said, “Smile” because (again quoting the box), “There’s something about the taste of Cheerios that kids never outgrow.”
Apparently some adults never outgrow what Cheerios means to them, because a bunch of moms recently talked General Mills into swearing off using GMOs in Cheerios. The moms are insisting we need to eat natural foods and GMOs ain’t natural.
You know what GMOs are right? Genetically Modified Organisms are plants or animals whose cells have been modified with a gene from an unrelated species to develop a resistance against insects or to increase nutrients - something like that. Apparently, GMOs have been part of our food chain for the past 20 years and we’ve just been a little slow to react.
Ten foods that reportedly have been modified genetically include: sugar beets, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, squash, golden rice, soybeans, oils, animal feeds and (very soon) salmon. And all those things show up in a wide variety of products on our grocery shelves. So now, not only do we have to quit drinking milk (lactose intolerance); anything with gluten in it (bread, etc.); sugar (candy and cookies!); meat, and anything else the vegan-Nazis care to outlaw, but we have to keep on smiling?
I don’t know about you but since I’m diabetic I don’t mind if GMOs are being used to manufacture sugarless foods, like the sugarless chocolate pudding I eat, the sugarless Popsicles, sugarless candy, etcetera. Those things all taste pretty good to me. I don’t have any problem with farm-grown fish and that sort of food either. Sam and I don’t generally eat fish anyway
I sort of like General Mills’ suggestion that we smile when we eat our Cheerios though, because we need to smile more. I don’t make New Year’s resolutions but I am trying to put more “smile” into this blog. It’s been too easy to get down on people and events. No more having Sam poop on things if I can help it.
Anyway, speaking of eating more natural foods, you remember Euell Gibbons? According to my unimpeachable reference source (Wikipedia, of course) Gibbons was an advocate of eating nutritious but neglected plants. “He typically prepared these with abundant use of spices, butter and garnishes. A 1974 television commercial for Post Grape Nuts cereal featured Gibbons asking viewers "Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible." While he recommended eating Grape Nuts over eating pine trees (Grape Nuts' taste "reminds me of wild hickory nuts"), the quote caught the public's imagination and fueled his celebrity status.”
Alas poor Euell didn’t live to be one hundred years old as many of the natural food advocates think eating healthy will enable them to do. I’m smiling.
Personally, it makes me smile a lot to think GMOs might be the key to feeding our world’s ever-burgeoning and starving population. If we could see news reports of smiling children with their bellies full of GMO doctored food, that would be better than having to watch them starve to death. Organic farming will never be able to keep up with the world’s hunger.
And hey! Shouldn't you quit feeding your kid Ritalin and vitamins and other drugs if you want him or her to grow up naturally? Just saying.
Sam likes the idea of feeding the world’s starving children so much he’s grinning and vigorously wagging his tail. His smile certainly isn't genetically modified. Sorry Cheerios.
Apparently some adults never outgrow what Cheerios means to them, because a bunch of moms recently talked General Mills into swearing off using GMOs in Cheerios. The moms are insisting we need to eat natural foods and GMOs ain’t natural.
You know what GMOs are right? Genetically Modified Organisms are plants or animals whose cells have been modified with a gene from an unrelated species to develop a resistance against insects or to increase nutrients - something like that. Apparently, GMOs have been part of our food chain for the past 20 years and we’ve just been a little slow to react.
Ten foods that reportedly have been modified genetically include: sugar beets, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, squash, golden rice, soybeans, oils, animal feeds and (very soon) salmon. And all those things show up in a wide variety of products on our grocery shelves. So now, not only do we have to quit drinking milk (lactose intolerance); anything with gluten in it (bread, etc.); sugar (candy and cookies!); meat, and anything else the vegan-Nazis care to outlaw, but we have to keep on smiling?
I don’t know about you but since I’m diabetic I don’t mind if GMOs are being used to manufacture sugarless foods, like the sugarless chocolate pudding I eat, the sugarless Popsicles, sugarless candy, etcetera. Those things all taste pretty good to me. I don’t have any problem with farm-grown fish and that sort of food either. Sam and I don’t generally eat fish anyway
I sort of like General Mills’ suggestion that we smile when we eat our Cheerios though, because we need to smile more. I don’t make New Year’s resolutions but I am trying to put more “smile” into this blog. It’s been too easy to get down on people and events. No more having Sam poop on things if I can help it.
Anyway, speaking of eating more natural foods, you remember Euell Gibbons? According to my unimpeachable reference source (Wikipedia, of course) Gibbons was an advocate of eating nutritious but neglected plants. “He typically prepared these with abundant use of spices, butter and garnishes. A 1974 television commercial for Post Grape Nuts cereal featured Gibbons asking viewers "Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible." While he recommended eating Grape Nuts over eating pine trees (Grape Nuts' taste "reminds me of wild hickory nuts"), the quote caught the public's imagination and fueled his celebrity status.”
Alas poor Euell didn’t live to be one hundred years old as many of the natural food advocates think eating healthy will enable them to do. I’m smiling.
Personally, it makes me smile a lot to think GMOs might be the key to feeding our world’s ever-burgeoning and starving population. If we could see news reports of smiling children with their bellies full of GMO doctored food, that would be better than having to watch them starve to death. Organic farming will never be able to keep up with the world’s hunger.
And hey! Shouldn't you quit feeding your kid Ritalin and vitamins and other drugs if you want him or her to grow up naturally? Just saying.
Sam likes the idea of feeding the world’s starving children so much he’s grinning and vigorously wagging his tail. His smile certainly isn't genetically modified. Sorry Cheerios.
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