GMO’s have invaded every place there is food. A candid conversation about our food and it’s preparation…
Chef Alain Braux
Meet Chef Alain Braux a Consulting French Chef, Culinary Nutritionist, an Award Winning Author. An Expert in Food Allergies and an Anti-GMOs speaker….. Well here is the Reader’s Digest version…
Chef Alain Braux is an award-winning executive chef and Amazon.com best-selling and award-winning food and health author.
Chef Braux is also the co-host on the podcast: Low Carb Paleo Show on the Low Carb Magazine.
Chef Braux is an expert in food allergies diets and the author of multiple award-winning food and health books. “How to Lower your Cholesterol with French Gourmet Food”, “Living Gluten and Dairy-Free with French Gourmet Food”, “Healthy French Cuisine for Less Than $10/Day” and most recently “Paleo French Cuisine”. Chef Braux upcoming book is titled: GMO 101. A Practical Guide.
Chef Braux is the Executive Chef and Nutrition Therapist at A Votre Santé – To Your Health Nutritional Services, a health food consulting private practice. Chef Braux provides customized food plans for a wide assortment of food allergies: Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Sugar-free, Paleo, Vegetarian and Vegan. He has helped clients with Celiac, Autism, ADD/ADHD, Diabetes, Crohns’ disease, IBS and other food-related illnesses. Chef Braux is also an expert in GMO issues. You can also find him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter.
Chef Alain’s Media page can be found here.
Chef Alain’s credentials include:
- Advisory Board Member for PaleoFx, Austin, TX.
- Co-host of Low Carb Paleo Show: https://www.lowcarbmag.com/podcasts/
- Advisory Board and GMO Expert @ Food Solutions Magazine:
- Expert Contributor @ Healthy Organic Woman
- Contributing Editor @ Low Carb Magazine
- Contributing Editor @ Hip4Kids Magazine
- Contributing Editor @ LinkedIn
I was introduced to Chef Alain via an email on an article he wrote about your pets food and GMO’s. The article reinforced the claim that Monsanto and the GMO machine they have developed is so deep into our food supply and 90% of the population has no clue of how deep. Knowing that GMO is in our pet foods, and the fact that we accept our pet foods labeled for GMO’s and that no one will scream from the mountain tops about our food, the food you place on the table for your children is beyond me…
So after republishing his article on our site I ask Chef Alain for an interview…Here is our conversation…
As one Chef to another… I chose Italian style foods and good old fashioned American BBQ I always wonder how a Chef choses their food style for their careers. How did you come to devote the beginning of your career to French Foods?
Well, since I was born French, that helps a little When I was about 16, my mom pulled me out of school for family reasons. Since I was a good pastry helper at home and also a good motorcycle mechanic, she gave me a choice: “You can be a pastry or mechanic apprentice.” Since I preferred powdered sugar over grease under my nails, I chose pastry-making. After a 2 years apprenticeship, I graduated to be a pastry cook and work at different pastry shops in my home town (Nice, France) for a while until I found my first job in the hotel/restaurant world. I worked all over France in different 4 stars hotels and restaurants for a while. For more details see: Then, one day, I was offered a job in New York city and got better and better positions over the years until I finally opened my own business: Amandine French Bakery & Café.
You once made the statement… About 15 years ago, after fattening my customers with my fine French pastries, I became more and more intrigued by the effect on food on one’s health…What triggered this change in direction in your thinking process about the foods your customers consume?
Actually, I have to credit two young ladies assistants of mine. Both were vegetarians and complained that I did not offer enough vegetarian choices on my menu. That started a very interesting discussion. Keep in mind that up to that point, I was a French-trained chef with no knowledge in nutrition. That exchange led me to ask myself questions about the effect of foods on one’s health. Being a curious George (it’s my middle name, really), I dug deeper and realized that indeed, there was a connection. So I created a few vegetarian and vegan dishes and never stopped from there. After I lost my business in 1997, I wondered, “Wouldn’t it be great if I could combine my expertise as a French chef with my interest in nutrition to provide tasty nutritional foods to my clients.” But first I had to get an education. I studied macrobiotics for a couple of years, found it too limiting for me and eventually received a B.S. in Holistic Nutrition. I was 50 by that time.
Would you mind telling our audience what Paleo French Cuisine? And what is the difference between Paleo and what one would consider “standard” French Cuisine?
Paleo French Cuisine is my personal take on the central beliefs of the Paleo Diet. Reading the literature and recipe books at the time, I realize that, as a French chef, I could improve on the quality of the Paleo diet and create palate-exciting dishes. So I went back to the recipes I has created and collected over the years and decided to offer them to the general public as my vision of Paleo food. For example, unlike some of the Paleo gurus out there, my position on dairy products is that unless you are allergic to dairy, you should still eat a reasonable amount of quality dairy to provide for good nutrients, vitamins and minerals. By good quality, I mean grass-fed raw milk, yogurt and cheeses. There is no reason to avoid this very important food group as long as you pick the right quality and quantity. Besides, as a Frenchman, cheese is running through my veins J So I walk the walk.
You also teach how to cook and reduce cholesterol, How difficult is it to cut cholesterol and still maintain the integrity of the dish you’ve prepared?
I took care of that in my first book. From my own experience of discovering I had high cholesterol, I decided to test my own nutritional beliefs on myself. I wanted to lower my cholesterol through diet and not through pharmaceutical drugs with its potentially nasty side effects. Besides, I hated taking medicines. I went back to my original diet, the Mediterranean diet which is known to be a healthy diet, researched ingredients known to lower cholesterol, came up with recipes including those ingredients and Voila! I lowered my own cholesterol by 35 points in one year following my own diet. Nothing earth-shattering there. After all, the Mediterranean diet has been known for a long time, but I wanted to put my own spin on it. The whole experience and recipes are in my book: How to Lower Your Cholesterol with French Gourmet Food. Why not? Who said that a diet has to be boring and tasteless? Not “moi”
Has this type of cooking become as popular as traditional food preparations?
Keep in mind that this type of cooking has been in effect for centuries in all countries surrounding the Mediterranean sea: France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey, all North-African and Middle-Eastern countries. They all use olive oil for cooking, lots of fresh fish, vegetables, fruits and nuts, some of which were eaten raw due to the heat we have to deal with in that region. Although it had been rediscovered in modern times, there was nothing new about it. I would say that the SAD (Standard American Diet) is the new and surely not improved way of eating that makes us sick, not the ancient diets like Mediterranean and Paleo.
As a chef I have this thing for cooking with BUTTER…How difficult have you found it to maintain the flavor and taste of foods when cooking Gluten-Free foods?
Butter is good for you but keep in mind its quality and source. Grass-fed as much as possible. If not possible, use certified organic butter to avoid the bovine growth hormones, antibiotics and GMO grains fed to these poor animals raised in industrial feedlots. If you are allergic to lactose, use ghee or clarified butter. When cooking dairy-free, I use organic olive oil, coconut oil and grapeseed oil. You can use nut oils in salads as well: walnut, hazelnut, macadamia. Avoid refined grain-based oils like corn, canola, soybean and cotton oils. They all are highly refined with hexane and contain omega-6 fatty acids that can lead to inflammation and let’s not forget they all are coming from GM crops.
Nutrition Therapy…Could you tell our readers what this type of therapy involves?
I use food as medicine – as it should be. I use that term to differentiate myself from nutritionist that typically use supplements (most coming from GMOs), sometimes herbal medicine and homeopathy but have no background in food preparation. I can also be called a culinary nutritionist. Typically, a client is referred to me by an enlightened M.D or N. D. (there are not many of those yet). This client has a food allergy: gluten, dairy or, due to a possible leaky gut, any combination of foods, nuts, grains. My job is to evaluate his/her current diet, suggest changes, and create a custom rotation diet for them. It can be a lot of work depending the amount of food allergens involved. I had clients with 20 different food allergies and once a family with a combined 40 food allergies. Can you imagine the nightmare to try to come up with a diet that not only avoided these allergens but tasted great too? What’s the point of a tasteless diet if you’re going to hate it and not follow it. That is how I combine my knowledge in nutrition with expertise as a trained chef.
What got you interested in the GMO field?
About three years ago, a friend nutritionist made me aware of that particular issue. Before that, I had no clue and it had been going on since 1996. Good thing I was already eating healthy and avoided most processed food and none of the fast food places out there. Realizing the potential for harm, I dug deep into it and took 2 training sessions from the top dog in anti-GMO issues, Jeffrey Smith for the Institute for Responsible Technology . It became a mission for me. I talked my boss into allowing me do research on the subject so I could get rid of GMOs in his company’s products. It took me almost two years. I started the process of getting rid of GMOs in their line of food, groceries, supplements and cosmetics. The result of that research is also showing in my upcoming book: GMO 101. If all goes well, it will be out this September.
How difficult do you find it to find ingredients for your dishes that are not GMO products or by products?
Once you know what you’re looking for (I give plenty of practical advices in my book), it’s not that complicated. Basically, stick to food grown food sold to you at your closest farmers’ market (make sure to ask them. They will be proud to prove you their products are GMO-free). My second choice is USDA certified organic products, a little more expensive but well worth the expense. Keep in mind, food as medicine is a lot cheaper than doctors, hospital and drugs. Then you can look for the non-GMO Project stamp of approval with the butterfly on it (see below). Quality always pays off. I always tell my son, “Wouldn’t you prefer to eat good quality, healthy and tasty food than pay all that money later on to doctors, hospitals and pharma companies?” That is your choice. As far as I’m concerned, it’s an easy choice. You should concentrate on quality, not on quantity.
In your article on pets, you compared many ailments that vets are finding in people’s pets to those of similar ailments in people. To your knowledge has there been a direct connection made with pet ailments and GMO products in the foods the pets consume?
Not yet that I know of but if you think of your pets as the famous “canary in the mine”, in my opinion, what we are seeing in our furry companions is what is already or will be happening to us humans. My understanding is that vets tend to see those trend earlier than doctors because our animals are typically smaller and react faster to such ingredients.
Since GMO food is not allowed to be tested on humans (it would be unethical, they claim), the closest we have are tests on animals, usually lab animals (rats) or farm animals (pigs). For that, you and our friends reading this article should take a look at the experiments done by Dr. Seralini on rats or Dr. Carman on pigs. Feel free to peruse the studies and their horrible results.
We are now getting medical reports that doctors are finding the Bt Toxin in women’s blood work………Does this surprise you?
No, it does not. Bt toxins inserted with a gene “gun” into the corn gene, stays inside that food unlike Bt toxin used to spray of crops. Since Bt toxin is not destroyed by cooking and digestion, it lodges itself in our gut and does two things: 1. Since it is an antibacterial, it kills our own friendly bacteria which protects us from dangerous invading bacteria and viruses. For reasons that have not been explained yet, they only kill good bacteria, not the bad bacteria and viruses. 2. Once they eliminate our friendly bacteria, they install themselves and proliferate, creating, in combination with other bad characters, what some believes is leaky gut syndrome. They then pass on into our blood and eventually to unborn babies. And don’t get me started with glyphosate contained in Roundup.
What are your thoughts on how Monsanto was able to have favorable legislation passed in regards to testing and regulating the products prior to the products being placed into our food supply?
As far as Monsanto’s influence, it’s easy. There is a revolving open door policy between our government and Monsanto. For example, Michael Taylor, the current US Food and Safety tsar used to be the FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Policy during the approval of GMO seeds. What a lot of people do not know is that Mr. Taylor was an outside attorney for both Monsanto and the Food Biotechnology Council. After working at the FDA, he came back to Monsanto as a vice president. He’s now back at the FDA, as the US food safety czar. Another example: the current head of USDA and US Secretary of Agriculture is none other than Tom Vilsack. As Iowa Governor, Tom Vilsack was a leading advocate for Monsanto, the use of bovine growth hormones and genetic engineering. Recognizing his efforts to support bioagriculture, the biggest biotechnology industry group, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, named Vilsack Governor of the Year. And finally, and just to keep up with the big names (there must be hundred more Monsanto shills in out gov), let me introduce you to Supreme Court judge Clarence Thomas. During the 1970′s, Justice Thomas was employed by Monsanto as a corporate lawyer. Surprise!!! No wonder the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Monsanto in May 2013, when it held that a small farmer had violated their genetically modified soybean patent. Do you need more proof that the same government agencies that are supposed to protect us from corporations are infiltrated by these same corporations?
Since the 80s, our government has supported genetically engineering as a way to increase the worldwide market for seeds for American companies during the “Green Revolution”. Monsanto et all patent their seeds. A farmer buys the seeds under strict contracts. Since the farmers are not allowed to use them the following years (besides these seeds are designed to not reproduce) or they will be sued by seed company, they are forced to continue to buy from seed companies. Now, unlike what farmers have been promised, these seeds do not give a larger yield and are not resistant to drought. They are designed to do two things: 1. Allow farmers to spray pesticides on their crops without killing them. 2. To sell those same pesticides those crops are resistant to, for example Roundup-ready corn or soybean. Well, guess what? Nature always finds a way to evolve and adapt to the problem. So now we have superweeds and superbugs. That means that farmers are forced to spray even more Roundup to kill those darned pests, right? Good for seed companies, not so good for farmers, and even worse for us that end up eating a final product that now has two to three times the amount of pesticides sprayed on them. Another issue hitting the farmers: They were promised huge markets. Well… it turns out that some of the largest markets for these crops (corn, canola, cotton and soybean) absolutely refuse to buy these GM crops now. So these farmers are losing money on both ends. These crops are costing them more to produce and they can’t sell them to Europe, China or Japan. Some farmers are trying to go back to the old days but now their soil has been damaged and rendered sterile by all these chemicals. It’s hard to turn back the clock. See here to see some of daily postings on this subject.
I was wondering if our site could steal your “French Cooking with Herbs” for our Good Food Good Life feature… This is a great article and “Crash Course” if you will for the novice when it comes to herbs. I have long said a little roasted garlic and touch of Tarragon in your Mac-n-Cheese will make you a Gourmet Chef…As a Chef we all have our favorite herb to experiment with…What is yours?
You can borrow it but you can’t “steal” it Let me know when you want to post it and I will send you a copy. Actually, I created this article for a presentation I did a few months ago and at local garden nursery.
Being from the South of France, I love garlic in (almost) everything I eat. Besides it’s good to protect you against vampires J. I love basil and fresh ginger. I just add fresh basil leaves to my daily “big ass” salad and add a generous amount of fresh garlic and ginger to my home-made dressing. It’s OK, I don’t have a girlfriend. No garlic kisses problems
We have a small Holistic and Culinary Herb Garden. Many do not know that most herbs have both Holistic and Culinary uses. Do you use any of the herbs you cook with for holistic purposes???
Herbal medicine is way more ancient than chemical medicine. If you have a good herbalist in your town, go see him/before you stuff yourself with chemical drugs. Remember, food is medicine. Unless it is specially requested by a client with a special need, I use only edible fresh herbs in my cooking for flavor. I am not knowledgeable in medicinal herbs.
OK…Outta the Blue Question…Do you think there would be a market for Restaurants with their own built in Herb Gardens so the chef could harvest when the meals are prepared?
There are already a lot of fine restaurants all over this country doing this. If you read food magazines like I do, you will see that young chefs brag about having their own garden where they grow their own herbs or even some of their food. It’s considered to be a sign of quality and freshness. In Austin, one of our most cherished restaurant, East Side Café, has a large garden right next to the dining room with benches. It’s a pleasure to go sit on one of these benches after a dinner at night and just listen to nature grow. If a chef does not have the time, inclination or land to do it, we also have quite a few local and urban farms that are happy to provide fresh goodies to them or to multiple local farmers’ markets around Austin.
In your opinion…How important is that people truly understand what is in our food supply
Extremely important! Unfortunately, not enough people are aware of what’s hiding in their food. Most of them don’t care. It’s all about convenience: fast food, to-go food or processed food. If customers were better educated, those food corporations would be out of business by now. Coming from France where marketing is less prevalent than here, I have noticed that the general public in America believes everything they are told on TV ads. They have been brainwashed since childhood. For your own health’s sake, question everything to see and hear and do your own research. You will be healthier as a consequence.
On the other hand, thanks to people trouble makers nutritionists and food advocates like me and especially thanks to the internet and social media, all that information is spread a lot faster and is out there for you to find the truth. I did notice over the years that there is a growing part of the population becoming more aware of these food and health issues and buying local, organic and non-GMO food. Good for them! But there is still a lot of work to be done.
Anything else you might like to comment about??
So much to say, so little time. There is LOTS of information in the GMO 101 book I sent you. Feel free to pick more information out of that as long as I am given credit for it. I don’t know if you’re aware of it, but I also co-host a podcast radio show, the Low Carb Paleo Show. We address a lot of these issues there too. You can find this link here…
A Votre Santé – Chef Alain
Well now you have something to hang your hat on. Not very often do you find a Chef that has the where-with-all to abandon traditional money making food preparation for something that is as controversial as the GMO issues has become in this country. As a fellow Chef I have always relied on feedback from those I prepared food for. I’m hoping to have more interviews and articles concerning the GMO issue.
Hey I’m going to be in Dalllas in October…gonna have to see if I can squeeze a couple hours somewhere to swing into Austin…last time I was there I had a ball, perhaps I’ll get off 6th Street this trip…
I have always said food brings people together…Folks our food supply has been placed in jeopardy by our very own government for the sake of a fist full of dollars. It’s time as a society we hold our politicians accountable for the promises they make…
CALL THE PRESIDENT AND TELL HIM TO HONOR HIS CAMPAIGN PROMISE AND GIVE THIS COUNTRY PROPER FOOD LABELING
After all Mr. Obama said…”The American people have a right to know what is in the food they are buying”…Time to walk the walk Mr. President.
For us the everyday folk…well we can make a difference. Learn what companies use GMO products and quit patronizing these companies…$$$$$ that is the only thing these people understand…money…when they do not get it because you won;t purchase their products they will make changes…
If you’re in the Austin Area stop in and say hello to Chef Alain…and have a bite to eat…
Thank you Chef Alain for sharing your wisdom and insight…
Until Next Time
Happy Gardening
Written by: Aaron Aveiro
Photograph courtesy Google Images.