Glyphosate Residue Free – How MegaFood is Setting the Bar

​Hi Friends! Today I’m writing about glyphosate – what it is and why you should care if it’s in your food and supplements. It’s a topic I’m pretty passionate about; I could literally write for pages and pages about it!  Buuuuut I will try to keep my ranting to a minimum because I also want to highlight a supplement company that is going above and beyond to ensure their products are glyphosate residue free – MegaFood® - a leading maker of supplements made with real foods and added nutrients!  I’ve been using a couple of their products lately that I think you all might like to try.  Read on to the end to learn about them!

Let’s begin at the beginning – what is glyphosate?  If you haven’t heard of glyphosate, you’ve likely heard of Roundup – the Monsanto herbicide recently made famous by the court verdict linking it to cancer.  Glyphosate is the active compound in Roundup and is the most widely used herbicide in the WORLD.  It’s used to kill weeds for GE crops like corn and soy, and also to speed up the desiccation process for quicker harvesting of foods like oats and wheat (even though it’s not actually an approved desiccant).
 
Here are a few more reasons why you should care about this nasty little compound being found in your food:

• Glyphosate has been linked to a number of problems in pregnancy.  Exposure during the first trimester could increase your risk of gestational diabetes (1), and exposure in general has been linked to birth defects and reproductive abnormalities (2). Studies show it’s toxic to human placental cells at concentrations lower than deemed “safe” by your regulatory agencies (3). YIKES.
• So you’re not pregnant or trying to be?  You still want to steer clear of glyphosate, as Roundup specifically has been linked to non-Hodgkin lymphoma and lung cancer (4).
• Glyphosate also chelates, or bonds to, important minerals from the soil and food, impairing your capability to absorb them when ingested.  This in turn creates foods that are less nourishing for your bod (5).
• Ingesting glyphosate in your food disrupts your gut microbiome (the chemical acts like an antibiotic), which can lead to a host of digestion problems (4).
• Glyphosate impairs methylation pathways, decreasing our body’s capability to detox (4).
• Last but not least, glyphosate can impair the function of the pituitary gland, leading to decreased thyroid stimulating hormone and hypothyroidism (4).

 
DO YOU CARE YET??

So what’s a girl to do?  Studies show that glyphosate residue is found in foods ranging from the obvious (non-organic GMO corn and soy), to the less obvious (oats – even some organic brands!), to the downright mind boggling (Pediasure Infant Formula?!).  One thing that’s particularly important to understand is that glyphosate doesn’t just sit on the outside of plants; it is absorbed INTO the plants. This means you can’t just wash it off, and it isn’t broken down by cooking or baking. Since research is still relatively new in this field, and we really don’t know the full picture on how these compounds are going to affect us long term (especially our children!!), I always advise to limit exposure as much as possible.
 
Here are a few ways to decrease your glyphosate exposure:

• Cut down on your corn and soy consumption.  Non-organic, GMO corn and soy are some of the most heavily contaminated foods.  When you do go for that bag of tortilla chips, splurge on the organic ones, mmmk?
• A good start for the rest of your food supply is to make sure you’re consuming ORGANIC products whenever possible.  Organic farming does not allow the use of any glyphosate-based products. However, the use of glyphosate-based products is so widespread that even some organic foods are becoming contaminated.  Still, organic is waaaayyyyy better than conventional.
• Buy locally, and eat whole and unprocessed foods as much as possible. Many ingredients that go into processed foods travel long distances (sometimes internationally) and have higher risk of coming into contact with conventional ingredients along the way, which can in turn contaminate organic ingredients.
• An EVEN BETTER way to avoid glyphosate is to look for a label recently launched by the Detox Project, an independent research and certification organization, called “Glyphosate Residue Free”.  The Detox Project is dedicated to bringing awareness to the public by testing food for toxic chemicals.  The Glyphosate Residue Free label ensures that the product has been specifically tested for glyphosate and has been shown to have ZERO residue.  While this label isn’t widespread yet, you are definitely going to start seeing more and more of it!

​So now that I’ve hopefully convinced you to hate Roundup and avoid it like the plague, let’s talk about something way more fun – MegaFood! MegaFood is the first supplement brand to have its entire line certified Glyphosate Residue Free by The Detox Project. They’re also working with the Environmental Working Group and several food and nutrition brands to petition the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban the use of glyphosate as a desiccant before harvest. The petition highlights MegaFood’s commitment to improving lives and aims to raise awareness of the potentially unsafe levels of glyphosate residue found in our foods today.  

I’m SUPER picky about the quality of supplements I take, and here are more reasons why MegaFood ticks all the boxes for me. 

• MegaFood's products are made with real foods and added nutrients.  Their products provide guaranteed potency PLUS the benefit of health promoting compounds in the real food itself*.
• Not only do they make their supplements with real food, they work with farm partners that share their commitment to organic and regenerative farming.  Bonus!
• MegaFood products make purity promises such as being non-GMO, gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan, kosher, dairy-free, soy-free, AND tested for 125+ herbicides and pesticides.  The icing on the cake is that they are now all certified Glyphosate Residue Free.  BOOM. 

I’ve been using a couple of their products lately and loving them. The first is the MegaFood Energy* Shelf-Stable Probiotics.  I think everyone benefits from a high quality probiotic; taking a daily probiotic may help battle the effects of glyphosate in your gut, help keep you regular (which is so important during pregnancy!!), and so many other things (but that is for another post!).  Here’s a bit more about MegaFood’s Energy Probiotic:

•  It contains 10 Billion CFU of live bacteria and ElevATP®, a proprietary combination of an ancient peat and apple extracts, this formulation supports healthy energy in the body.*
• The acid-resistant capsules help protect the probiotic strains from degradation in the stomach* which allows all that good bacteria to reach the right destination: your lower intestine.
• The formulation is shelf-stable, meaning the probiotics don’t need refrigeration, so you can take them on the go.  This one is SO important to me.  Who wants to take a probiotic that can never leave the fridge??

 
I’ve also been using the Daily Energy Nutrient Booster Powder™ in my morning smoothies to help keep my brain and bod going through these busy new-mama times.  Their formula combines B12, essential for healthy red blood cell formation, with chromium, which supports a healthy metabolism*, along with a powerful blend of herbs and roots—ashwagandha**, eleuthero, beet root, and green tea leaf extract—for added phytochemicals and support during times of stress.*  It’s super easy to add to a smoothie or juice, and doesn’t taste bad (which is a must for me LOL).
 
And there you have it, Friends!  I hope you learned something today about glyphosate and found a new supplement company to trust with your self-care. And if you’re interested in signing MegaFood’s petition to ban the use of glyphosate as a dessicant before harvest, click here (I know I will be!)
 
X’s and O’s,
Nikole
 
This blog post is sponsored by MegaFood®, but all opinions are (as they always will be) 100% my own.

*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
**Ashwagandha is contraindicated during pregnancy.  Please consult with a medical professional if breastfeeding prior to adding this supplement to your routine.

Sources:
(1) Saldana TM, Basso O, Hoppin JA, Baird DD, Knott C, Blair A, et al. Pesticide exposure and self-reported gestational diabetes mellitus in the agricultural health study. Diabetes Care. 2007.

(2) Paganelli A, Gnazzo V, Acosta H, López SL, Carrasco AE. Glyphosate-based herbicides produce teratogenic effects on vertebrates by impairing retinoic acid signaling. Chem Res Toxicol. 2010.
 
(3) Sophie Richard, Safa Moslemi, Herbert Sipahutar, Nora Benachour, and Gilles-Eric Seralini. Differential Effects of Glyphosate and Roundup on Human Placental Cells and Aromatase. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2005.
 
(4)https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/07/03/roundup-linked-to-non-hodgkin-lymphoma.aspx
 
(5)https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/10/25/gmo-glyphosate-soil-biology.aspx