Genetically Modified Fish Soon Available To Ruin Your Health
Earlier today, I posted a huge win for Science with a gel that fixes cavities. Well, Science just crapped the bed, because now we’ve got this: the first genetically modified (GM) animal is about to be released onto the market for human consumption.
Oh, great. Because we haven’t screwed up our food supply enough with pesticides, herbicides, or high fructose corn syrup. It wasn’t enough that we started genetically modifying corn. No, now we’re going to take the next step toward complete stupidity and start eating Frankenfish.
What’s the modification? They’re taking salmon and inserting DNA from some sort of eel so it will grow faster in a fish farm. Farmed fish is already unhealthy, for the same reason penned-up livestock isn’t as healthy as grass-fed beef or chicken, but this is really taking it to another level of unhealthy… and un-natural.
Don’t get me wrong, we’ve been genetically modifying animals for centuries… through breeding. But that uses the natural processes of genetic selection, not some cut-and-paste laboratory procedure where we’re combining DNA of animals that don’t breed. Now we’re adding together bits of DNA that never evolved to be together, and doing it in a way that Nature never allowed for during the evolutionary process.
What could possibly go wrong?
Here’s a basic rule of thumb to hold on to. The more modified, refined, or otherwise un-natural a food is, the worse it is for you. The further from Nature you get, the more opportunity you have for some weird, unforseen side effect. So stick to whole foods, and eat as wild as possible (in a sense of getting closer to Nature, not with reckless abandon).
Avoid Frankenfish and stay healthy!