We’ve all heard the age old arguments pinning organic vs conventionally grown food. Studies, or bias journalism at its best, have left a very carefully marked trail of evidence proclaiming that there is in fact, no difference in nutritional quality when compared side by side. This pins you with the question, why on earth would anyone bother paying the exorbitant prices for organic food then?

 

The other week I wrote a guest post for Heal Thyself on “8 Reasons to Avoid Glyphosate Sprayed Food” and because this is a topic so close to my heart and such an important one at that, I wanted to elaborate on it in a little more depth… as I do. What can I say, this girl loves to do her research and write.

 

Sadly, many of these ‘studies’ have misconstrued the facts and ignored a piece of the jigsaw puzzle, leaving the public confused and in a state of health and mental disarray. You’re left all alone, sitting like a stunned mullet amongst a pile of contradicting evidence.

 

Failure to understand the real macro effects of these conventional herbicides and pesticides on the environment and consequently, how they affect our health on the micro level, has left the argument to be one based solely on nutritional comparisons.

 

This is besides the point. It’s not that simple folks. Depending on your source, you probably can have equally as limp ‘conventionally’ produced organic food to that of straight up conventionally produced food. However, you most certainly can get highly nutritious and minerally-rich organic produce. Again, know your source.

 

So What is the Problem?

 

The particular matter at hand here  is to do with the chemical Glyphosate, more commonly known as Roundup®. Genetically Engineered (GE) crop are ‘Roundup® ready’, meaning, they have been genetically modified in such a way to withstand the ill effects of glyphosate. It’s the most widely used herbicide across the globe. From the groceries you buy at the supermarket; to the public parks your children play around in; to your neighbor’s front yard and road sidewalks. The spray drift and residue of this chemical, deemed ‘safe’ by the industry as being both biodegradable and ineffective to human health, is everywhere. I say this not to freak you out but to enable you to be conscious, aware, educated and empowered citizens. It is true that in this case, what you don’t know, can in fact harm you.

 

Monsanto, the manufacturer of Roundup®, was later found to be guilty of false advertising by the French Courts in making these ‘safe’ claims and its Roundup® product was deemed an environmental hazard by the European Union.

 

We know that using herbicides and pesticides has a negative impact on the environment. After all, they’re used to kill weeds and pests. Seemingly innocent, except that this has a further reach in promoting genetic mutations of resistance in those very same weeds and pests and creating imbalances in ecosystems. Take for example, the fact that the decline of the beautiful Monarch butterfly has been directly linked to the use of glyphosate. You can read more about that here.

 

This raises the question though, how do these chemical sprays, glyphosate in particular, affect your health directly?

 

Will consuming commercially sprayed fruit and vegetables contribute to ill-health?

 

Are we all suddenly going to keel over and die?

 

The imminent danger of glyphosate to our health is not so obvious.

 

Concern lies in the long term damage these chemicals sprays are doing to our bodies on a cellular level through inflammation and in disturbing the balance of bacteria in our guts. The first generation of ‘spray victims’; maybe being your friends, family or even self, already manifest many of these chronic diseases that are commonly associated with Western Diets, such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, autism, gastrointestinal disorders, infertility and even cancer.

 

The sad part of this picture, is that the victims are growing in numbers as each generation has the potential to genetically pass on these abnormalities in health.

 

The primary food groups of the Standard American Diet (SAD); that being, wheat, sugar, corn and soy; contain significantly more residual amounts of glyphosate because they are commonly grown using genetically engineered seeds and therefore, sprayed with glyphosate. That’s another strike on the ever growing list as to why you may want to reconsider consuming these foods as part of your diet. These residues “enhance the damaging effects of other food-borne chemical residues and toxins in the environment to disrupt normal body functions and induce disease.” (Source).

 

This extensive research into the effects of glyphosate on human health conducted by Anthony Samsel and Stephanie Seneff,  asserts that “Glyphosate’s inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes is an overlooked component of its toxicity to mammals. CYP enzymes play crucial roles in biology, one of which is to detoxify xenobiotics.” (Source).

 

What on earth does this mean?

 

Glyphosate targets the particular pathway (the shikimic acid pathway) of bacteria in your body, effecting how they metabolize essential amino acids (ones that can’t be produced internally and must be extracted from what you eat). Simplistically, you are relying on the ability of your gut microbes to effectively process the food you eat in order for these nutrients to be bioavailable for your body to absorb. These little guys are the mice on the treadmill doing all the hard work in your body. So sure, glyphosate doesn’t directly affect mammals – ie. humans – but (and a huge BUT) it does affect us indirectly by damaging the pathways of our friendly gut bacteria. Without these enzymes working to process not only the nutrients we eat (hence, the potential here for nutritional deficiencies) but also in expelling harmful environmental toxins, your body is vulnerable to the negative, compounding effects of multiplying pathogens.

 

Your body is essentially a mass cumulation of bacteria and microbes that work together to help maintain a healthy and balanced environment. Consuming glyphosate causes an imbalance to this environment in your gut which allow pathogens to outnumber the beneficial microbes, otherwise known as the condition ‘gut dysbiosis.’ When the bad pathogens outnumber the good guys, your body essentially becomes a breeding ground for a host of chronic health problems such as food allergies, gluten intolerance, leaky gut syndrome and inflammation. The effect of glyphosate on your health is serious, as it is a prime instigator in promoting an unfavorable environment for your beneficial gut bacteria which are also competing with the already increasing amounts of by-toxins (such as ammonia) being produced by the pathogens. Glyphosate inhibits your body’s natural ability to detoxify itself!

 

There’s a stark correlation here as to the rise in these gut-related health illnesses and chronic lifestyle conditions with the advent of glyphosate laced products being made available on the agricultural  market in the 1970’s.

 

This research concluded that glyphosate is a textbook example of how external toxins in our environment can negatively damage our health and disrupt our natural state of homeostasis.

 

What can you do?

 

I’m hoping you can understand the increasing importance for us to educate and support each other in protecting ourselves and the next generation from the harmful effects of these chemicals. By forgoing and standing up against the use of Genetically Engineered seeds, which are the primary constituents in the use of herbicide and pesticide sprays containing these harmful chemicals such as glyphosate, you are supporting the movement for a more sustainable food system.

 

Understanding the bigger picture that this is unsustainable agriculturally and harmful to our health, we as the public, can make a choice to support farmers who are choosing to step away from the conventional norm. This will help empower us as a society and pressure the Government to make decisions for the greater concern of the public.

 

Buying organic means so much more than just on the nutritional front. You’ll come to find value in spending that extra dollar. By supporting local organic and sustainable farmers through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) projects which also often help to make organic food more affordable, or by shopping at local farmers markets, you will decrease your exposure to these toxins and will be doing your health, and the environment, a service.

 

Image Credit: © Jason Smith | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Image Credit: © Phil Date | Dreamstime Stock Photos