We know a lot of you are very concerned about GMOs and their current lack of labeling in the US.  Let’s face it, there’s not much information about the possible long-term effects of eating these foods, so a lot of people are wary of putting them on their plates.  The problem: They’re not so easy to spot because the US currently has no regulations about labeling GMOs.  All over the world, lots of other countries have restrictions (and occasionally bans) on GMOs, and other places (namely Europe) require that they be labeled.

Since you live in a country without such requirements, how are you to know?  You can’t.  But you can know which foods are genetically modified most often and go from there.  So, here’s a list!

Corn:  Almost 85% of corn in the US is genetically modified so it’s pretty tough to avoid.  The corn is usually modified to protect itself from a specific herbicide that kills weeds.

Soy:  This is another big offender.  In fact, it’s the biggest.  Soy is the most genetically modified food in the country.  In 2010, a new kind of soybean seed was approved which is supposed to have a high level of oleic acid (naturally found in olive oil), a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid.  If you know anything about oleic acid, then you know that it may lower LDL cholesterol levels when you replace other fats in your diet with it.

Milk:  Cows are often given rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) to increase milk production.  This hormone has been banned in many countries, including Japan, Canada, New Zealand and the European Union, but it’s still legal here.

Canola Oil:  This little doozie is considered one of the most chemically altered oils in America.

Cotton:  I know, I know.  You don’t usually eat your clothes, but this refers more to cotton oil.  Cotton is generally altered to increase yield and to help it resist disease, like most other things.  Cotton oil form India and China are considered the riskiest varieties.

Zucchini and Yellow Squash:  If you’ve ever tried to grow squash, you know that there are some pesky bugs that love it, so scientists have come up with a toxic protein to make it more resistant to pests.   Unfortunately, these proteins have also been found in the blood of humans, so rather than being broken down and excreted, they’re hanging around our bodies. Not so good.

Sugar: Genetically modified sugar beets were introduced to the US market in 2009.

Papaya:  Genetically modified papayas have been grown in Hawaii since 1999.  They were engineered to resist a specific virus, as well as to delay their ripening, so they’ll have more time to make it to market.

These are obviously just some of many genetically modified foods that are commonly part of our lives every day.  Now you know, but still, it’s not always easy to get around their consumption.  Think of the myriad ways corn and soy make their ways into our diets.  If you want to do something about this, consider advocating to have GMOs labeled in the US.  Whole Foods has said that they will have all GMOs labeled in their stores by 2018.  Maybe the rest of the country should follow their lead.  What do you think about GMOs?

Our last two blogs have all been all about our favorite swimming snacks that you should avoid for health and/or environmental reasons.   Today, we’re going to finish that list up for you.  We felt like it was important to post these blogs because, if you want the best and healthiest fruits and veggies and you’re following the Dirty Dozen list of those things every year, shouldn’t you know the best and worst of some of the other foods you eat?  This is a list you don’t hear about too often, so we’re glad that Prevention Magazine published it.  Hope you find it helpful!

Sharks:  Eating sharks has far-reaching effects—and not just on your health.  While sharks are very high in mercury (a good enough reason to say pass the veggies, please), our oceans really pay the price for the decreasing number of sharks.  Sharks are at the top of the aquatic food chain, right?  So, what happens when there aren’t so many sharks anymore?  All the way down the food chain, the balance shifts.  The numbers of fish and other animals that sharks eat will increase (like rays and jellyfish).  Rays and jellyfish enjoy eating things like scallops and other fish that humans like, and that some people, especially those in coastal areas depend on for their livelihoods.  Eating sharks is an environmental disaster waiting (or starting?) to happen.

Orange Roughy:  This is another one that’s high in mercury, so beware.  Even more important though is their long term survival considering their life cycle.  Orange Roughy have a difficult time rebounding from over-fishing for a couple of reasons.  First, they can take between 20 and 40 years to reach full maturity, and second, because they reproduce late in life.  Some restaurants refuse to serve it, and even though you may still find it in some grocery stores mislabeled as “sustainably harvested,” don’t believe the hype.  According to Prevention, “There are no fisheries of orange roughy that are considered well-managed or are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council…”

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna:  We’ve mentioned mercury twice in just this blog, but we’re about to mention it again.  According to an analysis by The Neew York Times, Atlantic bluefin tuna has the highest levels of mercury of any other tuna.  Yikes!  And as if that wasn’t bad enough, these fish have been harvested to near extinction.  According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Atlantic bluefin tuna are “critically endangered.”  That’s a problem.  Prevention suggests giving up tuna for Alaska wild-caught salmon or choosing American or Canadian (they argue strongly against imported tuna) albacore tuna which are harvested young and doesn’t have such high levels of mercury.

Chilean Sea Bass:  We know you don’t want to hear it, but put down that Chilean sea bass! It’s another fish that’s high in mercury and is near extinction.  Prevention reports that most Chilean sea bass sold in the US are caught illegally.  Apparently, the US Department of State says the number of illegally caught fish is declining, but even still there’s a problem.  Greenpeace says that unless people stop eating this fish all together, they may be commercially extinct in five years.  No more Chilean sea bass for us.  How about you?

We know fish and seafood are really good for us and we would like to eat more, but clearly we all need to pay attention to which fish are on our plates.  Eating just isn’t as simple as it should be these days, but being informed could save you and the planet a lot of trouble.  Are there other Dirty Dozen lists you’d like to see?  Leave us a comment on our Faceback page or send us a tweet and let us know!

Last week, we were telling you all about the underwater offenders of the fishy variety.  We’ve reported in the past on the “Dirty Dozen” of the fruit and veggie world because we know that you guys want to stay informed on the “health” of your food; so, when we saw this recent list of the “Dirty Dozen” of the fish world, we knew we needed to tell you about it.  Out list is based directly on the list from Prevention Magazine which you might want to check out for even more information.  And now onto number four on the list….

Imported Shrimp:  This is a biggie, right?  How many of you don’t like shrimp?  Shrimp is one of the most popular varieties of seafood in the country, so you have to wonder how many people are aware of where their shrimp is coming from and where they want it to be coming from.  Apparently, imported shrimp is the dirtiest of the dirty, which is kind of scary; and more than likely, you’ve been eating it.  Ninety percent of shrimp sold in the US is imported—yep, 90%.  The big shrimp contaminants are chemical residues, antibiotics, E. coli, and a bevy of other critter parts that makes us a little queasy.  The problem, says Marianne Cufone, director of the Fish Program at Food and Water Watch, is that less than 2% of all imported seafood is being inspected before it’s sold.

Ms. Cufone’s advice is to buy domestic—always.  She recommends Gulf shrimp, but if you’re worried about the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf and the resultant environmental contamination, she also recommends pink shrimp from Oregon where fisheries are certified under the strict rules of the Marine Stewardship Council guidelines.

Atlantic Flatfish:  What’s that, you ask?  It’s a group of fish including, flounder, sole and halibut caught off the Atlantic Coast.  The reasons for this are environmental as well as health.  The fish are usually heavily contaminated but they are also over-fished to the point of being down to 1% of what’s necessary to be considered sustainable for long-term fishing.  Recommended as a substitution are Pacific halibut and domestic, farm-raised, white-fleshed fish like catfish or tilapia.

Atlantic Salmon (wild-caught and farmed): Ouch.   Seems like there’s no where safe from which to eat Atlantic salmon.  You can’t actually (legally) catch wild Atlantic salmon because their numbers are too low.  Apparently, farming salmon makes for a lot of pollution.  Diseases and parasites are rampant in salmon farms because so many fish are crammed into pens together.  With all of those diseases and parasites come antibiotics and pesticides.  Another negative: The FDA is going ahead with allowing genetically-engineered salmon to be sold sans labeling.  If you still want your salmon—and why shouldn’t you?  It’s healthy and delicious—opt for wild Alaskan salmon.

Imported King Crab:  Now, this can be confusing.  Lots of king crab is mislabeled Alaskan king crab because apparently people just think “Alaskan” is part of the scientific name for all king crabs.  It is not.  If your label says, “Alaskan king crab: Imported,” put it back.  Most of the imported king crab comes from Russia where limits on fish harvests aren’t very well enforced.  Stay away from imported king crab and you’ll be getting real Alaskan king crab (a different animal from the imported variety), which is much more responsibly harvested than its Russian counterparts.  Almost 70% of king crab sold in the US is imported, so make sure you ask where yours is from before you put it in your cart.

There are still a few more fish to avoid in this “Dirty Dozen” list, and next week we’ll finish up.  We’re wondering:  Do you check the labels to see where your seafood is coming from?  Now that you’re armed with more information, will you take a closer look?

Every year a list comes out called “The Dirty Dozen” to tell you which fruits and vegetables retain the most pesticide residues and should therefore only be eaten in organic varieties, but now we have a similar list for seafood—and it’s a good thing!  We all know that fish is very healthy and we should all be eating more of it, but practices such as fish farming can sometimes have a detrimental effect on our bodies. These practices can leave their marks on the fish being produced, and in consequence you and I, but they mark the environment as well–and not in a good way.  So, we thought we’d recap this list, in case you didn’t see it, and help all of you stay well-informed about just what fishes should be in your dishes.

Imported Catfish: Stay away from it, but don’t pass up domestic catfish! Here’s the problem with imported catfish: 90% of the catfish imported to the US is from Vietnam, and there they commonly use antibiotics that are banned in the US. When the fish take in those antibiotics, in some way, so do you (even if it’s a tiny amount).  Also, the two main types of “catfish” being imported are called Swai and Basa, but the federal government doesn’t technically consider them catfish, so they are not held to the same standards as other imported catfish. 

You can still enjoy some home-grown, farm-raised catfish though.  The farming practices for catfish in the US are said to be “responsible” by Marianne Cufone, director of the Fish Program at Food and Water Watch.  Eat up.

Cavier:  Caviar from beluga and wild-caught sturgeon make the list for a couple of reasons.  First, the fish supplying the caviar are susceptible to over-fishing and these fish take a long time to mature, so it takes longer for their numbers to rebound.  Another problem: These fish are also being threatened by the building of more dams which pollutes their water.  If you really need a caviar fix, try eggs from American Lake Sturgeon and American Hackleback/American Shovelnose Sturgeon from the Mississippi River system.

Atlantic Cod: Sorry New England fisherman, but these fishies have been fished to near extinction.  Currently, they are just a step above endangered (according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species) due to poor management of fishing by the National Marine Fisheries Service.  If you still need your fish ‘n chips, we understand, but opt for Pacific Cod instead.  They’re numbers are still going strong.

American Eel:  An eel by any other name, like yellow or silver eel, is still an American eel, so don’t be fooled!  These slimy little lovelies usually show up in sushi dishes but you may want to pick another roll next time.  American eels are highly contaminated with PCBs and mercury, and you don’t really want to eat that, do you?

Next week we’ll give you more of the Dirty Dozen, Fish Version, but for now, we’re wondering: Do you eat fish and other seafood often? What are your concerns with the fish and seafood you are piling on your plate?

The information for this article was gleaned directly from Prevention Magazine.