In August of 2018 there was a TON of news on Glyphosate.  It causes cancer, it’s in your cheerios, hummus and oatmeal.  Dozens of foods you eat every day are contaminated, etc.  Now that the dust has settled, you may still be confused by all this information and uncertain how best to protect your family.  Below I will summarize all you need to know and overview what changes you should be making!

First, the ugly truth.  Glyphosate has infiltrated our food supply in unprecedented levels (compared to any other chemical).  Excluding fruits and vegetables, it is found in nearly 100% of conventional food!  Organic and non-GMO project verified foods have lower Glyphosate levels, but not zero!  Think spray drift and water contamination.  And, it is also found in our drinking water, medicines, clothing, personal care products, vaccines and more.  Glyphosate is so pervasive, it is even found in breast milk and umbilical cords, EVEN when women try to avoid it by eating GMO free foods (Genetically Modified Foods)!

Why is Glyphosate everywhere?  Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup (an herbicide – liquid designed to kill plants).  Roundup was originally widely used on GMO plants (plants that are genetically modified specifically to survive Glyphosate).  95%+ of corn and soy crops in the U.S. are sprayed with Roundup / Glyphosate.  And, these two crops are used in the vast majority of processed foods (read a few labels and you will understand).  Also, cows, chickens, pigs and other animals are primarily fed GMO corn and soy.  So products from these animals (milk, cheese, meat, eggs) are also contaminated with Glyphosate.

The above is readily available information, the SHOCKING part is that DOZENS of other conventional crops or the soil on which they grow are sprayed with Glyphosate.  On this list are wheat, oats, citrus fruit, nuts, grapes/raisins, sunflowers, beans (think hummus) and more!  These crops are sprayed with Glyphosate prior to harvest to speed up the drying process or on the ground prior to planting seeds to kill weeds.   While both are bad, Glyphosate sprayed DIRECTLY on the ripe grains, nuts, fruit is plain insanity!  So, if you are eating bread, oatmeal, pizza, Cheerios, nuts, citrus….you are eating Glyphosate contaminated foods!  You can see the full list in this 2015 EPA report (pg 3 & 4).

And, every time you see an “unnaturally” perfect lawn or weed free playground, there is a pretty high chance it was sprayed with Roundup.

In short, this chemical is nearly impossible to avoid, but, it is CRITICAL that you limit your exposure as much as possible!

Why?  For starters, Glyphosate has been linked to cancer!

• March 2015:  The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified Glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans”
• June 2017:  Glyphosate was added to California’s Proposition 65 list of cancer causing chemicals
• August 2018:  A jury in California ordered Monsanto (owner of Roundup / Glyphosate) to pay $289 million in damages to a man who developed lymphoma (cancer) after apply Roundup on school grounds for many years.  An additional 8,000 lawsuits are making their way through the courts!
• August 2018:  The California Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge from Monsanto to remove Glyphosate from California’s Proposition 65 list of cancer causing chemicals
• March 2019:  Jury holds Monsanto (now owned by Bayer) liable and forced company to pay $80 for contributing to Edwin Hardeman’s cancer.  He used Roundup to control weeds and poison oak on his property for 26 years.

(Note:  I am not saying anything about the FDA or EPA’s opinion on the chemical as I find their opinion to be useless.  Their record on safety is despicable and the conflicts of interest are too many to count.)

Glyphosate and the dangers it poses are no longer in the realm of conspiracy theory.  Glyphosate causes cancer, Roundup causes cancer, GMO’s cause cancer (because they are sprayed with Roundup), non-organic bread, pasta, oatmeal, crackers, breakfast cereal, nuts, seeds, raisins, hummus, etc. can cause cancer because these crops are sprayed with Glyphosate!!!

However, cancer is just the TIP OF THE ICEBERG!!!  Glyphosate is believed to play a role in practically every major chronic illness humans face today!  Everything from endocrine disruption, IBS/IBD and infertility to obesity, diabetes and heart disease.  Sounds like “fake news” at first read, but after understanding how Glyphosate works, it all make sense!

1. Glyphosate decimates beneficial microorganisms in the soil.  These beneficial microbes play a critical role in replenishing soil with minerals and nutrients. This means that the food grown on soil sprayed with Glyphosate becomes nutrient deficient.
2. Glyphosate binds to trace minerals and nutrients, including manganese, magnesium, zinc, calcium, iron and others….but especially magnesium.  This means these nutrients become unavailable to you!  Magnesium plays many essential roles in our body and magnesium deficiency in the US is real!  So, not only are plants grown in the soil nutrient deficient, when you consume Glyphosate, it binds with minerals and nutrients you consume from foods that have them making them unavailable to you.
3. Glyphosate decimates the bacteria in our gut, contributing to suppressed immune system, digestive issues, Crone’s disease, IBD, IBS, food intolerance, allergies, leaky gut and so much more.  Glyphosate does this by targeting the shikimate pathway used by bacteria, fungi, algae, parasites and plants.
4. Glyphosate can cause cell mutations, DNA & chromosomal damage.  Think about the impact this has on future generations when a pregnant woman consumes Glyphosate!!!  Every single egg a baby has in her ovaries forms prior to birth. The generational impact cannot be overlooked!
5. Glyphosate gets absorbed into plants through their root system.  You cannot wash it off!

And if the above was not enough, Roundup contains many other chemicals, which some argue, when mixed together, are MANY times more toxic than Glyphosate on its own.   Please see this great article for a more detailed dive on everything noted above:  Glyphosate Dangers.

So, what is one to do? 

1. Avoid GMOs at all costs (if corn and soy is in the ingredients and the product is not labeled GMO free or Organic, it is GMO)
2. Choose organic for crops sprayed with Glyphosate whenever possible.  This means wheat, oats, certain dried fruits, seeds, nuts, beans and more.  See the full list linked below but note, Glyphosate use has only increased since 2015!  The average column is likely bad information for the same reason given above. – 2015 EPA report (pg 3 & 4).
3. STOP spraying Roundup on your lawn….AND START lobbying your town, school, place of business, local park/playground to stop spraying Roundup….especially where your children play!

Unfortunately the above are your only choices until regulation starts catching up with science and our elected officials start protecting consumers over corporate bottom lines.