Inga
- Aug 16, 2020
- 3 min read

Combat Glyphosate In Your Food With An Organic Diet

In the nearly 20 years of intensifying exposure, scientists have been documenting the health consequences of Roundup and glyphosate in our food, in the water we drink, in the air we breathe and where our children play. A new study (see link in reference) found levels of the widespread herbicide and its breakdown products reduced, on average, more than 70 percent in both adults and children after just six days of eating organic. Monsanto invented the herbicide glyphosate and brought it to market under the trade name Roundup in 1974, after DDT was banned. But it wasn’t until the late 1990s that the use of Roundup surged, thanks to Monsanto's ingenious marketing strategy.

So what was their marketing strategy? Genetically engineer seeds to grow food crops that could tolerate high doses of Roundup. With the introduction of these new GE seeds, farmers could now easily control weeds on their corn, soy, cotton, canola, sugar beets and alfalfa crops; crops that thrived while the weeds around them were wiped out by Roundup.

Eager to sell more of its flagship herbicide, Monsanto also encouraged farmers to use Roundup as a dessicant to dry out all of their crops so they could harvest them faster. So Roundup is now routinely sprayed directly on a host of non-GMO crops, including wheat, barley, oats, canola, flax, peas, lentils, soybeans, dry beans and sugar cane.

But...in contrast, there is an alternative!

This alternative comes with a common misconception among consumers that organics are a new trend or something reserved for left-wing hippies, greenies or the well-to-do. What people forget is that organic farming is actually the traditional way of farming. Industrial or conventional farming became the new norm for industrialised countries after the “green revolution” of the 1950s and 60s. This period saw the development of new seed varieties and mass use of artificial fertilisers, pesticides and irrigation to produce higher yields to satisfy consumer demand and increase farming industry profit; it turned out to be especially profitable for the manufacturers of pesticides and fertilisers such as Bayer and Monsanto.

For example: Monsanto; in 2015 the company made nearly $4.76 billion in sales and $1.9 billion in gross profits from herbicide products, mostly Roundup.

Organic and biodynamic farming are very similar, they are both grown without chemicals and GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Using specified guidelines and slightly different principles, they add vitality and nourishment to the plant and soil. In contrast, traditional farming typically deteriorates the soil; the products contain substances used to protect plants against pests including herbicides to kill weeds, fungicides to get rid of diseases and insecticides to kill bugs.

I quote part of a recent article in the Environmental Health News, credit to Meg Wilcox:

“Eating an organic diet rapidly and significantly reduces exposure to glyphosate—the world's most widely-used weed killer, which has been linked to cancer, hormone disruption and other harmful impacts, according to a new study.

Authored by researchers at the Health Research Institute and the nonprofit organizations Commonweal Institute and Friends of the Earth, the study measured glyphosate and its main breakdown product, aminomethyl phosphonic acid (AMPA) in the urine of 16 people (seven adults and nine children) from four demographically and geographically diverse families. Researchers tested participants' urine for glyphosate and AMPA over six days on a conventional diet, followed by six days on an all-organic diet, and found average reductions of more than 70 percent in both the adults and children.

These reductions were achieved after just three days on the organic diet, which is in line with animal studies showing most glyphosate leaves the body after five to seven days, though a smaller amount remains in and is eliminated more slowly from bone and bone marrow.

Published in August 2020 in Environmental Research, the paper is the most robust examination of glyphosate levels in people after a dietary switch and provides important information about how people can avoid exposure to the herbicide, the main ingredient in Bayer's weed killer Roundup. The findings are timely as Bayer, which purchased Roundup-maker Monsanto in 2016, recently agreed to a $10 billion payout to tens of thousands of current and potential future lawsuits from groundskeepers and farmers claiming they contracted non-Hodgkin lymphoma after using Roundup.” (for more information see link below)

What do you prefer? The choice is ours - the consumer!

When it comes to everyday shopping, we have a powerful choice to make: do we opt for products known to be better for the environment, as well as our overall health. I for one would rather choose certified organic products wherever possible, instead of those produced using industrial farming methods.