As a follow-up to my blog about the importance of eating organic I want to discuss glyphosate, an active ingredient in Round-Up herbicide, that is widely sprayed on genetically engineered resistant crops to kill weeds and competing plants. But at what cost?
In the face of such a ubiquitous and omnipresent issue, we want the ease of looking the other way with a clear conscience. But I want you to make good decisions about the food you’re consuming. So, some clear and crisp myth-busting about glyphosate is in order.
Glyphosate Myths: Busted
Myth: “It’s readily biodegradable!”
Truth: No, it’s not (and Monsanto lost a lawsuit over this one).
Myth: “It’s only lightly used and is washed off after application.”
Truth: No, it’s not. In fact, Glyphosate residues in food are substantial, are measurable in human urine, and accumulate in animal tissue.
Myth: “It’s only used on soy, and I don’t eat soy.”
Truth: No, it’s not (Monsanto recommends spraying on Wheat, Oats, Canola, Flax, Peas, Lentils, Soybeans, Dry Beans, Sugar Cane). And if you eat in a restaurant in the US, you are consuming these things. These are also some of the most common ingredients in processed and convenience foods.
Myth: “It’s much safer than all the hype implies.”
Truth: I don’t think so. In 2016, an international coalition of scientist published a consensus of concern about glyphosate – an atypical and alarming measure. The World Health Organization recently took the notable step to formally classify glyphosate as a probable carcinogen. Of course, there was dramatic industry backlash. But the truth is that we’ve known glyphosate is an endocrine disruptor for a long time (that is, interferes directly with normal hormonal balance). We’ve even known that glyphosate directly affects the expression of estrogen receptors, a scary proposition during this era of hormone-mediated cancers. Glyphosate is also being questioned as a triggering factor for gluten sensitivity via its damage to intestinal villi and intestinal permeability (which can cause food sensitivities and be a trigger for all sorts of chronic and autoimmune diseases). Research into other “inert” ingredients in Round-Up is also very concerning in terms of cellular toxicity.
Myth: “We easily just flush it out of our bodies.”
Truth: No, we don’t. The alarming catch-22 I mentioned above was highlighted in a clinical paper published in 2013. Glyphosate impairs our ability to detoxify it, as well as other chemicals, by impairing key biochemical pathways in the liver. Even in concentrations much lower than that allowed in agricultural sprays, glyphosate interferes with CYP liver enzymes and promotes oxidative stress.
So many people believe the myth that our bodies can readily just process and excrete all the chemicals we encounter every day, thus rendering any focus on enhanced detoxification unnecessary. Indeed, I am sure that was the case 500 years ago! Alas, glyphosate is a perfect example of how our modern “better living through chemistry” lifestyle choices can set us up for failure, mounting toxicity over time that can easily become debilitating disease.
I spent the last several months undergoing a prescribed detox using specific binders and follow-up supplementation to healing the leakiness in my inner gut mucosal lining—and I’m a healthy eater that didn’t know about glyphosate years ago.
It’s why I am so passionate about avoiding disease by getting rid of the toxins.
Myth: “It’s a sustainable herbicide”
Truth: No, that’s not true either. The increasing appearance of glyphosate-resistant plants requires the use of multiple herbicides now in addition to Round-Up. Thus, making the toxic burden on our bodies even higher.
As a wellness educator, you know I am passionate about the importance of choosing as much organic food as you can find and as you can afford (knowing that both of those can be significant limiters at times). And even if not organic, your local produce such as from a farmer’s market is much more likely to be fresher (more nutrient content) and to have been less heavily sprayed with toxic chemicals.
Detoxing
Even with a commitment to avoiding chemicals and eating organic foods – living in the modern, western world is by default exposing us to a daily, toxic “soup” of chemicals. It’s why – in addition to committing to eating organic foods as much as possible – I adopted a number of pro-detox habits in my own effort to live a healthy life and make educated decisions. Here are some of my tips:
- Eat lots of cruciferous vegetables. My favorites are broccoli, Brussels sprouts, arugula, and daikon radish, but here’s a complete list for you. These veggies feature substances like indole-3-carbinol (I3C) which increase phase 2 detoxification of substances in the liver (including estrogen) and enhance our body’s production of glutathione, our most potent antioxidant.
- Eat lots of allium family vegetables. This group includes garlic, onions, and leeks. The high sulfur content of these vegetables provides (literally) biochemical escorts that help toxins to get out of our body vs. remaining stored in our tissues and causing inflammation and dysfunction.
- Drink plenty of plain, clean water every day. Filtration is key. I’m going to discuss the dangers of drinking municipal water in a future post.
- Take a high-quality B-complex supplement – with methylated forms of the B vitamins – daily (Thorne Basic B is a good example). I take this supplement every day. These vitamins support nearly all the phase 1 and phase 2 liver detoxification pathways.
- Make sure you’re never constipated. Magnesium is key for this priority. Eating plenty of healthy fat and fiber from plant foods is just as important as hydration for regular bowel movements. Often functional medicine refers to this as “Phase 3 detoxification” because once you chemically modify substances so they can be excreted, we still have to have an “open exit route.” Constipation promotes reabsorption of toxins through the colon wall, risking damage/disease to the colon as well as persistent toxicity.
- Do a detox cleanse twice a year. It’s a 10-day cleanse during which we consume specific foods and supplements which significantly increase the rate of toxin clearance to help reduce stored tissue concentration. I’ll be holding these in the future—stay tuned!
