Why are they putting weed killer on our food?!
I’ve become increasingly more and more shocked at how many people have yet to hear about glyphosate. Not shocked by you all, but shocked that our food system is doing such a good job of keeping this a “secret”. But part of my passion is empowering you all to live your best life, and one component of that is understanding.
So let’s dive in, shall we?
Glyphosate is an herbicide weed killer, and the main ingredient in Roundup. That right there should be triggering a red flag. The “intention” is to kill weeds, and thus produce a larger crop yield, however, the repercussions to our health are pretty serious, and I believe far more important than killing weeds.
The WHO (World Health Organization) categorized it as “Probably carcinogenic to humans”. This is because no one can claim that something “causes cancer”, but the link is pretty strong. This is however after long-term exposure to the consumption of glyphosate. If consumed once in a while, our body is able to properly dispose of it. However, most people are getting hit with this toxic burden multiple times a day.
While this is a widely used toxin, the main crops sprayed with glyphosate are:
- Corn
- Soybeans
- Oats
- Wheat
- Barley
- Beans
This is why we often see the highest levels of glyphosate found in cereals and granolas. What I find to be the most troubling about all of this, is that breakfast cereals, granolas, and snack bars – the food items with the highest amount of toxins- are what we are feeing to our KIDS.
Not only do kids not have the power or understanding to choose differently, but I’m pretty sure we can all agree that feeding a growing body toxins can not be good. And the long-term ramifications haven’t really been measured.
So a lot of us know and understand this is a toxin, but a lot of research is now coming out about GLUTEN.
Now this is where I believe things get interesting. I am sure almost all of you reading this have either 1) Tried eating gluten free/do eat gluten free or 2)Know someone who is gluten free. Which, even just 10 years ago wasn’t really a thing. I remember when I found out I was Celiac 15 years ago and asking if things had gluten in them, and being given a blank stare.
Now, thankfully, many restaurants and products cater to gluten free, BUT, what if I told you that Gluten wasn’t the issue.
Say what?!
As you saw I talked about earlier, wheat and barley (grains which fall under the umbrella of gluten) are one of the most heavily sprayed crops. So here’s what happens in the body…
Our bodies have a lot of different Ig (Immunoglobulin) responses to food. The two that I’ll talk about are:
- IgE: Are our Food Allergies
- Think Celiac, Atopic dermatitis
- These reactions occur minutes to hours after you eat
- IgG: T-cell mediated Food Sensitivities
- These reactions occur hours to days after eating a food
Most people now days are experiencing IgG reactions to gluten. These are often the hardest to identify, because you may not experience a reaction right away, and may not even until even the next day. This can be difficult for people, because what I see happen at times is someone will say, “I just ate a banana and my stomach started hurting like crazy” Or “I just had white rice”.
Was it the banana or the white rice?
Unlikely.
Often times when you eat something that simple and by itself, what is happening is it is triggering something else that you ate prior in your digestive system.
Okay, so when it comes to gluten, this is where it get’s fascinating.
If we consume a piece of bread (gluten) that is highly sprayed with glyphosate, what happens when you consume that piece of bread, your body signals inflammatory antibodies in response to the ingested “toxins”. Now, this is because of the toxins, not the gluten.
The body has just been bombarded with toxins, and since our bodies are so smart, they know to send just the right T-cells to the toxins in order to eliminate it from the body. But, what happens in this process, is that the gluten is being ingested alongside the glyphosate. Our body then begins to flag gluten as a “foreign invader” and toxin, because it is being consumed alongside toxins.
Wait, so are you saying gluten isn’t the devil?!
Basically.
Gluten isn’t bad. Unless, like me, you are celiac. Then, it isn’t going to serve you. But, you will see that often times people who believe they are allergic to gluten, can do just fine with a good quality sprouted sourdough. That’s because it is fermented (aka contains probiotics), and free of glyphosate.
So where do we go from here…
Our bodies are incredibly smart, and incredibly resilient. So, if you are eating gluten free and want to try and incorporate gluten back into your diet in the form of good quality organic products, I say give it a go! My advice would be to just keep a Food Diary for a few days after doing this, to monitor to see if you experience any old symptoms coming back. That is, if you experience acute discomfort. If you have anything more than that, I highly recommend working with a professional (such as myself).
But when it comes to everything else…
Know your sources.
Is it extra work? Yes. But I whole-heartedly believe that you will avoid health complications later on down the road. So putting in some extra effort up front will really save you a lot of time, money, and your health down the line.
I like to think of it as a down payment for your health later on 😉
Finding brands that don’t contain glyphosate for you and your family can take a bit of research and digging, because you aren’t going to find “glyphosate” ever listed on a food label or in the ingredients.
I really like to reference the EWG (www.ewg.org ). I pulled this table from them with a list of common foods high in glyphosate and their score in ppbs (parts per billion).
My final thoughts…
-
Buy Organic
I get that this isn’t possible 100% of the time. But when your budget allows, this is the easiest way to get better quality food
-
Support Local
(and get to know who you’re buying from!). At my local farmers market there are a lot of handmade breads, granolas, etc. and you can talk to the farmer/merchant about their ingredients, sourcing, etc. Usually these people get into the business of hand-made because they weren’t happy with the ingredients in commercially made things.
- Note: In local products, they may not always be organic! Organic certification is expensive, so a lot of smaller, local companies cannot afford or choose not to spend their money on this certification. That being said, I would choose a quality “locally made” product that takes care in sourcing, rather than an industrialized “organic” product.
-
Get creative in the kitchen!
Making your own granola and breads can take more time, but is one of the best ways to ensure you are getting the best quality ingredients for you and your family.
-
Take activated charcoal
I get it – you travel, you want to eat out, you want to LIVE YOUR LIFE. Health isn’t about living in a little confined bubble where you have no fun. So, if you do go out to eat or travel, and are eating something you suspect most likely had glyphosate, pesticides, GMO’s, etc. Take an activated charcoal with your meal. This will bind to the toxins, and help your body to more easily dispose of them
- Note: This is not to be taken regularly or as an “every day” supplement, as it does decrease the nutrient absorption of your food.
Have questions? Want to chat further? Leave a comment below!
