The Most Widely Used Herbicide is Harming More Than Your Gut Health
(And it’s not going anywhere soon.)
500%
Five. Hundred. Percent. That’s how much glyphosate exposure has increased in the past decade (with some estimates showing as high as 1200%).
Which is frightening, to be frank.
Let’s back up–what is glyphosate, exactly?
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the most commonly and widely used weed killers–including Roundup–and is used in both commercial agriculture and domestic homes and gardens. Because it is so ubiquitous, glyphosate is now found in our water (including rainfall), air, soil, and even breastmilk.
Glyphosate is literally everywhere–and research shows it can be very harmful.
The World Health Organization classifies glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen. Quick reminder that a carcinogen refers to something (whether that’s an organism, a substance, or an agent) that is capable of causing cancer. Glyphosate, in particular, is notable in its connection to Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. In addition to being a probable cancer-causing carcinogen, glyphosate has also been linked to a myriad of far-reaching health issues and disorders, including liver and kidney damage.
And the danger glyphosate poses is not hypothetical or vague. There have been very clear consequences of its widespread use.
In 2018, a jury found the makers of Roundup, Monsanto (now Bayer), guilty of “negligent failure” for their failure to warn consumers about the dangers and carcinogenicity of glyphosate and that they acted with “malice, oppression and fraud”. They were ordered to pay almost $300 million in damages. Lawsuits and more guilty verdicts with staggering damages have continued to follow.
Source: The Detox Project
"Where am I most likely to encounter glyphosate?"
Because glyphosate is so common in most agriculture and commercial farming, it ends up in many of the foods we eat. One list to be especially aware of is “The Dirty Dozen” of non-organic produce:
The Dirty Dozen List
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Kale, collard, and mustard greens
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Grapes
- Bell and hot peppers
- Cherries
- Peaches
- Pears
- Celery
- Tomatoes
Additionally, many of the most popular consumer-packaged goods also rank high on the list for being most compromised by glyphosate. Even more unfortunate? The worst offenders are often foods people reach for as “healthy” options and plant-based staples:
- Whole wheat bread
- Oats
- Beans and legumes
- Cereals
- Granolas
- Protein shakes and bars
Even many foods labeled “Non-GMO” have been found to have traces of glyphosate. It’s simply unavoidable with current farm practices (a little more on that below).
So, how can you protect yourself from glyphosate exposure and harm? Is it even possible?
Understandably, people who are educated about the dangers of glyphosate and its ever-present use and presence ask, “Is there ANYTHING I can do?”
In short, yes!
Outside of waving a magic wand and removing glyphosate from our world–or, at the very least enacting real legislation to protect consumers–there are a few important things that can help you both avoid glyphosate and help mitigate its harm.
First, Avoid Glyphosate Exposure
Purchase (and eat!) organic whenever, wherever, however possible.
Some good news: glyphosate is banned in organic farming. While that ban doesn’t eliminate it entirely (one-third of organic oat products tested by the World Health Organization had traces of glyphosate) due to glyphosate migrating from nearby fields or cross-contamination at processing facilities, reduction of exposure is still a great goal for your health–and more achievable the more you reach for organic foods.
More good news? Like the “Dirty Dozen”, there is a “Clean Fifteen” list that can help you pick produce with the least amount of glyphosate (and other pesticides!).
Clean Fifteen List
- Avocados
- Sweet corn
- Pineapple
- Onions
- Papaya
- Sweet peas (frozen)
- Asparagus
- Honeydew melon
- Kiwi
- Cabbage
- Mushrooms
- Cantaloupe
- Mangoes
- Watermelon
- Sweet potatoes
Second, Boost Your Body's Ability to Protect Itself
Support your body’s natural defenses to help mitigate–and heal from–glyphosate’s harm.
Mother Nature designed your body with systems in place to help it protect you from within. Some of your best defenses are your gut, your skin, and your sinuses–the biggest exposure points for environmental toxins and pollutants. When those are properly supported and functioning their best, you’re already set up to help your body mitigate the worst of glyphosate damage.
That’s where ION* can help.
ION* Intelligence of Nature uses Mother Nature’s designs as the blueprint for how we create wellness solutions that are both all natural and scientifically proven. We have a suite of products specially designed for your most important defenses, each with specific benefits that uniquely support your overall health and wellbeing.
For a healthy, happy gut: ION* Gut Support
One of the most nefarious things about glyphosate is not just that it is toxic to humans, but that it works to damage our bodies from within by harming our gut health. Specifically, glyphosate exposure loosens the tight junctions in your gut lining, meaning your gut can’t function its best. And your gut is essentially the “bouncer” for your body–it’s supposed to keep the good things like nutrients and vitamins in while keeping the bad stuff like toxins out. When these tight junctions are harmed via glyphosate exposure, all of those bad things that are supposed to be sealed off are actually coming in–all while your gut is also less adept at putting the good things to use. It’s a lose-lose with loose junctions.
That’s why ION* Gut Support is unlike anything else available today. It doesn’t add a new thing to your system, like a probiotic, instead, it goes beyond other gut health supplements to actually support your gut lining on the foundational (that is, cellular) level. ION* has been shown to tighten gut junctions and help them stay that way, even when exposed to glyphosate. No, really. ION* Gut Support improves gut resilience to glyphosate within 16 minutes.
Keeping your gut healthy is a major part of keeping the rest of you healthy, too. Your gut is responsible for some very important systems, including your immune function and even the production of important neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. You know that phrase, “gut feeling”? It’s not nonsense, a lot of your brain is critically linked to your gut health!
ION* also helps your body’s unique microbiome flourish and thrive–with no monoculture of “good” bacteria that can happen with other gut supplements like probiotics.
For healthy, glowing skin: ION* Skin Support
Your skin is your biggest organ and is your first-line of defense from environmental toxins. It’s important to protect–and support–it, too. ION* Skin Support works very much like ION* Gut Support–reinforcing foundational support at the cellular level–but specially formulated for skin cells and to also stabilize free radical production.
Simply misting ION* Skin Support over the skin twice a day defends against toxins, reduces redness and signs of skin damage while helping skin breathe and glow.
Glyphosate exposure is sadly not going anywhere. But there are things you can do to help protect yourself. Order your ION* Skincare Bundle today to help your body defend itself from within–the way Mother Nature intended
