We all love Fall. It’s the season of pumpkin everything, cozy sweaters and apple picking, but there’s something else I’m super pumped about this month besides the pumpkin - October is Non-GMO month! I’m pretty food-obsessed and I have to admit that even I tend to overlook the prevalence of GMOs in our food supply. GMOs are literally everywhere so I couldn’t be more excited to team up with Townhall, one of my absolute favorite restaurants in Cleveland, and the first and still the ONLY full service restaurant in the whole country to commit to being 100% non-GMO. Townhall is doing a non-GMO pledge for the month of October and getting tons of people involved in being more mindful of what they put into their bodies.
GMOs = Genetically Modified Organisms. Sounds pretty scary when you actually spell it out. In the USA, more than 90% of corn, soy, cotton, canola and sugar beets are GMO. It would be nearly impossible to find a processed food that didn’t include a GMO ingredient. Plenty of fruits and vegetables are also manipulated and made using GMO seeds.
Why does the US rely so heavily on GMOs? Scientists use GMOs to modify crops so they grow faster, better resist insects, herbicides, and inclement weather, and have more desirable characteristics like better color, longer shelf life or no seeds (ever had seedless watermelon)?.
There’s more and more evidence connecting GMOs with health problems, changes in the nutritional content of food, and environmental damage. There have also been no long-term studies to know or understand if these unnatural foods are safe consume.
My philosophy when it comes to food is always simplicity, quality and as natural as possible, but while I do my best to avoid GMOs and to eat organic foods at home (certified organic foods are non-GMO) eating out can present a bit of a challenge. I try to pick restaurants that share and promote similar values to my own - quality, health, sustainability, transparency - or are just doing something good for the world (besides serving delicious food) like educating, spreading a message, or igniting change which is why I’m so excited to be celebrating Non-GMO month with Townhall and taking part in their Non-GMO pledge for the month of October.
I love that Townhall makes eating out healthy, fun, approachable and they spread their message along the way, but mostly I love all of their delicious food. If you have the chance to eat there, my go-to is the Harvest salad (the dressing is to die for) the Salmon, the coffee (obviously), and their organic earth bites -- all veggie appetizers and so many fun colors and flavors. Here’s to October, Non-GMO month, a month of real and delicious food.
