The number of people with intolerance to gluten has been steadily rising, and the sheer number of people that need to follow a “gluten free” diet is a little bit scary. A lot of people are beginning to question why there’s such a sweeping surge in people that are suddenly having issues with wheat products. Interestingly enough, gluten intolerance isn’t a worldwide phenomenon; it’s just taking over those countries that just so happen to be dependent on GMO crops for their food supply.
The Connection Between Domestic Crops and Gluten Intolerance
The connection between domestic crops and gluten intolerance in the US is beginning to become too frequent to ignore. There are reports of people with gluten sensitivity and digestive issues from the US who take a trip to Italy and eat pasta with no problem. There are also the folks who are sensitive most of the time, but not all of the time depending on where their source of wheat came from. Are you beginning to see the correlation here?
Many people are beginning to question what’s really going on with wheat, and the answers are shocking. It seems that the allergies people are experiencing aren’t caused by the wheat itself, but instead by the chemicals that are added to it.
What’s really going on with the wheat in the United States? Are you ready for this? The typical procedure for most modern wheat farmers is to dowse the wheat fields with Roundup several days before it is harvested to promote an easier and larger harvest.
The Reliance on Roundup
Needless to say, Roundup is pretty toxic and contains glyphosate, a deadly chemical that is responsible for a number of different health issues. One of the biggest is the development of digestive issues that are very similar to that of Celiac disease. There are other long-term health issues that are related to glyphosate and they include:
- Kidney Disease
- Birth Defects
- Infertility
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Cancer
- Damage to the Central Nervous System
According to a study conducted (Glyphosate, Pathways to Modern Diseases II: Celiac Sprue and Gluten Intolerance) researchers have concluded that the increase in the amount of glyphosate residues in wheat and other crops is increasing because of the way these crops are saturated with Roundup before the harvest. When you dive deeper in to this issue, things are starting to make a whole lot more sense.
Taking a deeper look into this not so far-fetched idea and what actually happens inside a person’s body that has celiac disease sheds a bit more light on this newfound concept. When a person has Celiac disease, there is an impairment of many cytochrome P450 enzymes. These enzymes are responsible for detoxing the body, stabilizing vitamin A, activating vitamin D3, and sustaining sulfate supplies and bile acid production in the gut.
Glyphosate, that nasty ingredient that is found in roundup is directly responsible for inhibiting cytochrome P450 enzymes. Essential nutrients that glyphosate strips from the body include:
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Copper
- Cobalt
- Molybdenum
A deficiency in these nutrients is something that happens to be found in those that have celiac disease. Glyphosate doesn’t just stop here. There are certain amino acids that are associated with celiac disease that glyphosate is responsible for depleting from the body. These include: tryptophan, methionine, and selenomethionine.
It doesn’t seem to be much of a coincidence that the increase in people with celiac disease coincides with the exorbitant increase in the use of Roundup to spray these crops.
What Farmers Have to Say
While the excess use of Roundup and the way our wheat crops are harvested is not exactly made known to the public, there are farmers who claim this is a common practice. In regard to the book Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis, wheat farmer Keith Lewis had the following to say:
“I have been a wheat farmer for 50 years and one wheat production practice that is very common is applying the herbicide Roundup (glyphosate) just prior to harvest. Roundup is licensed for preharvest weed control. Monsanto, the manufacturer of Roundup claims that application to plants at over 30% kernel moisture result in roundup uptake by the plant into the kernels. Farmers like this practice because Roundup kills the wheat plant allowing an earlier harvest.”
While this paints a pretty clear picture, it’s not even half of what Lewis had to say. He went on to explain that:
“This practice is not licensed. Farmers mistakenly call it “desiccation.” Consumers eating products made from wheat flour are undoubtedly consuming minute amounts of Roundup. An interesting aside, malt barley which is made into beer is not acceptable in the marketplace if it has been sprayed with preharvest Roundup. Lentils and peas are not accepted in the market place if it was sprayed with preharvest roundup….. but wheat is ok… This farming practice greatly concerns me and it should further concern consumers of wheat products.”
The Not-So Widespread Use of Roundup
While the use of Roundup is actually encouraged in the United States, other countries aren’t following the same suit. Roundup use in the Netherlands is banned, and other European countries are right behind them. France is next on the list, and in March of 2014 Brazil requested that the use of Roundup be suspended. Until then, Roundup was the most commonly used herbicide in this South American country.
The United Kingdom is one of the countries that is not too far behind from the USA. Unlike other European countries like France and the Netherlands, the UK uses huge amounts of Roundup to “help” with their wheat crops. In this country traces of glyphosate regularly show up in bread samples, and their problem is just as widespread as of that in the States.
Putting the Ban on Wheat in Your Diet
This problem won’t be going away any time soon, and is more than likely only going to get worse as time goes on if there are not major changes in the way our food is being harvested. With Monsanto running the majority of our nation’s food supply, the smartest thing you can do is avoid all domestic wheat products like the plague.
Seriously. If you want to avoid contracting celiac disease the best way to do so is to stop eating the wheat that is being supplied to you. Even if you don’t have any problems now, your risk of developing them later in life is too blatant to ignore.
If you’re beginning to see the bigger picture and feel a little violated, you’re not alone. Fortunately, knowledge is power and there is something you can do about it. You have a choice and your wellbeing isn’t dependent on the deceptive practices of the modern American farmer.
This article was first published at SoundBodyLife.com. Please visit their website for more informative articles on health.
