There is a lot of talk about the microbiome, so what is it exactly, and how does it impact us?
The microbiome is essentially the lining in our gut. And as you can imagine, it’s taken a lot of abuse over the last few decades, with escalating amounts of additives, preservatives, GMOs and things like artificial colors and weed killers like glyphosate added to our food supply. Any one of these issues impact us – in fact, studies are done on their individual impact. But it’s the collective impact that has a lot of doctors, from pediatricians to those who specialize in women’s health, scientists and researchers standing up and taking notice.
The best way to think about all of this is to think of your digestive tract like a series of pipes. When real food flows through those pipes, they run smoothly. Add things like glyphosate , preservatives, artificial colors and ingredients, artificial growth hormones and antibiotics used on the animals we eat….then, all of a sudden, the stuff flowing through our digestive pipes is full of a lot of non-food substances.
And the microbiome takes the abuse. It does its best to process it all for us, but all of that extra unnatural “stuff” really messes with the lining of the digestive tract. Think of our digestive system as the foundation for our health and wellness – a happy gut, means all of our bodies’ systems are happy too. In other words, if our microbiome gets abused, our health tends to suffer.
It’s so important to be mindful of what is going through your digestive pipes. For some, that means staying away from a lot of artificial and processed foods, others add organic and whole foods into their diets and even more (yes, I am now one of them, given all that I’ve learned!) add probiotics and supplements designed especially for your gut.
There is no magic pill, and as much as we want to control everything in order to protect our health, that isn’t always possible. So I always say, “don’t make the perfect the enemy of the good” and do what you can where you are with what you have. And for me, that starts with the little things, like MegaFood® MegaFlora®. This is MegaFood’s signature probiotic, designed to support intestinal health, immunity and bowel regularity.* It includes a blend of 14 unique strains of probiotics to provide 20 billion active bacteria that help restore and maintain the balance of healthy intestinal probiotics.* This works wonders on your digestive tract!* Plus, it is tested free from gluten, dairy and soy.
I’ve been a fan of MegaFlora for years, but I am so excited to share that MegaFood is actually launching a complete Shelf-Stable Probiotic very soon! In addition to a Digestive Health*, there will be four new probiotics within this line: Women’s Health*, Mood*, Energy* and Immune Defense*. The strains found in these formulas have been chosen based on their resistance to stomach acids as well as their role in gut health.
The Shelf-Stable Probiotic collection includes:
MegaFood Digestive Health* —Provides a balance of healthy microflora to support daily digestive health*
MegaFood Mood* —Helps support gut health and reduce stress and fatigue*
MegaFood Women’s Health* —Helps support gut microflora and urinary tract health*
MegaFood Energy* —Helps support healthy energy production and intestinal microflora*
MegaFood Immune Defense* —Helps support a healthy immune function*
They’re calling it “probiotics with a twist” and I’m certainly excited to explore these incredible new products, made with real, whole foods in true MegaFood fashion. Especially because so many of us are on-the-go, with the new Shelf Stable Probiotics line you can travel with them and use them anywhere.
While we wait for MegaFood’s exciting innovation in probiotics, focus on progress instead of perfection. Don’t beat yourself up when you slip up, just support yourself as much as you can. And remember, little healthy changes, when done repeatedly, can have a big impact! Your gut will thank you!
*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.
This post was created in partnership with MegaFood®. I’m proud to work with brands that care about the health of its consumers and the planet. As always, all opinions and text are my own.
I recently came across this read on Facebook. It floored me, it is everything a parent has done and seen and felt that all to often goes unacknowledged. It is so powerful and so universal that I wanted to share with you.
I hope it resonates as deeply with you as it did with me. To all of the keepers out there, I see you, and you are amazing.
As concern about toxic chemicals grows among consumers and doctors alike, major retailers are making slow but meaningful progress in improving the safety of the products and packaging they sell but nearly half of those scored have failed to make the grade. In this third annual Who’s Minding the Store? Retailer Report Card, Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families graded the chemical policies and practices of forty major retailers that sell products in North America, as part of its Mind the Store campaign.
Four retailers received the highest grades for their work to protect customers from toxic products and packaging: Apple (A+), Target (A), Walmart (A-) and IKEA (A-). Top-ranked performers continually work with suppliers to disclose and replace dangerous chemicals with safer alternatives.
Average grades show steady improvement over time. Eleven retailers improved their average grade from a D+ to a C+ since the first report card was published in 2016. Another eighteen retailers bumped up their grade from D to a D+ over the past year, on average. Twenty-one out of the twenty-nine retailers (72%) that were evaluated in both 2017 and 2018 improved their score over the last year.
Many retailers are taking action to reduce or eliminate chemicals of high concern in consumer products. For example, Lowe’s led a recent wave of commitments by ten major retailers to end the sale of paint stripping products containing the deadly chemicals methylene chloride and NMP.
Walgreens, Rite Aid and Amazon are the most improved retailers of 2018, each adopting sweeping chemicals policies. Walgreens (B-) and Rite Aid (B+) pledged to eliminate a long list of chemicals of concern in beauty, personal care and household cleaning products. Amazon (C) will encourage suppliers of some private-brand products to restrict dangerous chemicals, the first safer chemical policy of a dedicated e-commerce retailer.
In other documented trends, retailers are working to replace entire classes of toxic chemicals with safer alternatives, rather than chasing one chemical at a time. For example, several are phasing out phthalates, parabens, formaldehyde-donors, and nonylphenol ethoxylates as chemical classes. Increasingly, retailers are screening products against long lists of dangerous chemicals, such as the “stewardship list” chemicals in the new BPC Product Sustainability Rating System.
However, nearly half the retailers scored were slapped with an F grade for failure to adopt even the most basic policies and practices to ensure the chemical safety of their products and packaging. Restaurants (average grade of F) are by far the worst performing sector, although Panera Bread scored some points for restricting chemicals in its packaging. Other retail sectors with poor performance include dollar stores (F), department stores (F), beauty shops (D-) and office supplies (D-).
Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families urges all retailers to adopt comprehensive safer chemicals policies, fully disclose the ingredients of their products and packaging, and substitute hazardous chemicals with safer solutions. Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families calls on consumers to join its Mind the Store campaign and press retailers where they shop to clean up their act. It’s time for all retailers to put our families’ health above the special interests of chemical corporations.
This post was created in partnership with MegaFood®.
Walk into almost any grocery or drug store right now, and you are greeted with aisles and aisles of Halloween candy! I’m not sure how these guys are able to lay it out alongside the back to school supplies, but man, it is there!
And if you thought back to school was expensive, check this out:
According to the National Retail Federation, consumers spent about $9 billion for Halloween last year. In total, the organization said people will spend $2.7 billion on candy alone, purchasing mostly from discount, grocery and drug stores. And according to a new study by Ibotta, Americans will spend an average of $16.45 per person on candy!
That is one big old sugar high!
According to WebMD, “eating or drinking too much sugar curbs immune system cells that attack bacteria.” In other words, your health warriors are curbed, increasing your odds of getting sick.
Now as a mom of four, I understand that this is once a year, so what can a parent do to try to boost their family’s immune systems ahead of this sugar rush and just in time for the dreaded cold and flu season?
Enter my friends at MegaFood. As you know, MegaFood creates the highest quality supplements made with real, whole foods, so there’s no question what I reach for to support my immune system all year long.* Here are the products I recommend for boosting your family’s immune systems:
My Immune Health Boost Go-To’s:
Kids Daily Immune Nutrient Booster PowderTM—Promote your kids’ healthy immune response with this delicious booster; they won’t even know they’re consuming organic astragalus, echinacea and FoodState® Elderberry, for optimal wellness.* This booster is packed with whole food nutrition and essential antioxidant protection.*
Gummy C Defense Tangy Citrus—You’ve heard me RAVE about these adult gummies already, but these Gummy C Defense are a must for this season. They boast 180 mg of FoodState® Vitamin C to help support immune health.* Plus, only the most delicious and juicy fresh organic whole oranges give these gummies a kick of tangy citrus you’ll love while complementing its key ingredients to deliver the widest range of health-promoting compounds.*
MegaFlora Probiotics—I’m a big fan of using a probiotic to keep all that gut flora happy, which promotes…. you guessed it: a healthy immune response!* MegaFood currently has options tailored to the specific needs of kids, adults, seniors, and even expectant moms. I also happen to have the inside scoop: MegaFood is debuting their NEW collection of Shelf Stable Probiotics this month. This new product line actually comes in 5 different formulas: Digestive Health, Mood, Energy, Immune Defense and Women’s Health. Each of the varieties support overall gut health and immunity* with 5-20 billion CFUs of shelf-stable and acid-resistant probiotics. They’ll be on shelves this fall; I’ll be on the lookout!
Acute DefenseTM—Another newbie for MegaFood is its Acute Defense tablets. As soon as you feel something coming on, Acute DefenseTM is your go-to—the tablets feature the highest quality echinacea, vitamin C, zinc and elderberry, to support a quick immune response and optimal immune health when you need it most.*
Try these four superstars this fall and your immune system will thank you!
Giveaway Alert:
I am super excited to be giving away one of each of these amazing products to (4) lucky winners! Check out my Facebook page and let me know what other tips you have for keeping your family healthy as they head into winter for your chance to win. Four winners will be chosen at random!
*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.
This post was created in partnership with MegaFood®. I’m proud to work with brands that care about the health of its consumers and the planet. As always, all opinions and text are my own.
This post was created in partnership with MegaFood ®.
When California jurors unanimously decided that glyphosate played a role in a school groundskeeper’s non-Hodgkins lymphoma, that verdict rocked the world. Countries from South America to Vietnam have now issued statements about the world’s most widely used weedkiller and a lot of consumers and retailers are now asking, “What’s next?”
But first things first, what is glyphosate?
Glyphosate has been the go-to weed killer for use on genetically engineered, or GMO, crops since the mid-1990s, when genetically engineered corn and soybeans were first introduced.
“Human exposure to glyphosate, a chemical widely found in weed killers, has increased approximately 500 percent since the introduction of genetically modified crops,” according to a new report from the University of California San Diego Health.
Professor Miguel A. Altieri of the University of California, Berkeley who looked into unforeseen risks that might be associated with genetically engineered crops and these chemicals being sprayed on them had the following to say:
“Glyphosate is a systemic herbicide (i.e. it is absorbed into and moves through the whole plant), and is carried into the harvested parts of plants. Exactly how much glyphosate is present in the seeds of corn or soybeans (genetically engineered to withstand this chemical) is not known, as grain products are not included in conventional market surveys for pesticide residues. The fact that this and other herbicides are known to accumulate in fruits…raises questions about food safety, especially now that more than 37 million pounds of this herbicide are used annually in the United States alone. Even in the absence of immediate (acute) effects, it might take 40 years for a potential carcinogen to act in enough people for it to be detected as a cause. Moreover, research has shown that glyphosate seems to act in a similar fashion to antibiotics by altering soil biology rendering bean plants more vulnerable to disease”.
Consumers and government agencies around the world have questioned it, ever since the World Health Organization declared it a probable carcinogen in 2015. And now, with recent news surrounding glyphosate traces being found in common cereals (as well as the Johnson verdict), more and more people and organizations are taking a stand. Thankfully, one of my favorite brands, MegaFood® is leading this important movement by promising the highest-quality supplements.
The company is so committed to quality, safety and purity above all, to provide customers with the most authentic nourishment possible that they are the first supplement brand to have its entire line certified Glyphosate Residue Free by The Detox Project, an independent research and certification organization dedicated to bringing awareness to the public by testing consumer goods and food products for toxic chemicals.
It is because of all of this that I am so excited to be giving away one of their newest products, their gummy vitamins. Not only are these delicious adult gummies made from real, whole foods (you can even see the real foods in each gummy) and contain only 2 grams of sugar or less, but they’ve gone the extra mile, making sure this product line is glyphosate-residue free, just like their entire supplement line. On top of that, their gummies don’t include any weird stuff. They are free from:
High-fructose corn syrup
Gelatin
Artificial flavorings or colorings
Preservatives
Gluten, dairy, or soy
It’s a big deal. Glyphosate is the number one herbicide used in the United States, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has linked its use to lymphoma. Nearly 75% of all glyphosate was sprayed in the last ten years.
And while jurors in San Francisco reached a verdict, it may take decades for all of the information to come to light. It did with the tobacco industry. In the meantime, head on over to my Facebook page and leave a comment as to why you are opting out of glyphosate and want to win four of MegaFood’s fantastic new gummy products!
We have a lot on our plates as moms and as parents. In light of the growing controversy around this ingredient, I don’t think glyphosate shouldn’t be one of them.
Don’t forget to share your inspiration to opt out of glyphosate on my Facebook page for a chance to win MegaFood’s glyphosate residue free vitamins.
This post was created in partnership with MegaFood. I’m proud to work with brands that I not only use every day but that also care about the health of its consumers and the planet. As always, all opinions and text are my own.
With North Carolina flooding in the news, particularly the devastation being seen across the concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), I am reminded of another issue that is critical to the health of our families.
Every year, more antibiotics are fed to food-animals in North Carolina than are given to all Americans.
Think about that. More drugs are given to North Carolina animals used in our food supply than are given to all Americans.
Every year, nearly 30 million pounds of antibiotics are used in livestock and poultry in the U.S.—four times the amount prescribed for treating infections in people. Around half these antibiotics are nearly identical to human drugs.
Which means that 80% of all antibiotics are used on factory farm animals—the animals used in our food supply. And 90% of animal antibiotics are sold and used with no prescription. In other words, while we have a paper trail when we use antibiotics—it goes on record at our doctors’ offices – there is no paper trail when they are routinely used on the animals we eat.
That’s because they’re not given to sick animals. Instead, they’re put routinely and without prescription into animal feed or drinking water, and delivered to entire flocks or herds of healthy chicken, turkeys, swine and beef cattle.
Why? To fatten them up, because fat animals are more profitable than skinny ones.
And while using antibiotics to promote growth in these animals might also promote profits for the food and pharmaceutical industries, when our limited supply of antibiotics is used so freely, there are public health consequences.
None of us have access to information on exactly which antibiotics are used, and how they are used on industrial farms raising more than 9 billion animals each year. Big drug companies and meat companies don’t volunteer it, and so far the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have never required it from them.
This is where you come in.
Tell the FDA: “Improve reporting of antibiotic use on industrial farms. Health professionals who rely on antibiotics to treat dangerous infections deserve nothing less.” If the more than 5 million U.S. health professionals who rely on antibiotics to work—nurses and dieticians, physicians and more—speak as one voice, the FDA will no longer be able to ignore them or us, the Americans who depend on them to keep our families safe.
This post was created in partnership with MegaFood®.
Not sure about you, but back to school is intense, and it leaves very little time for self-care.
And that only works for so long, before the ship goes down. Some of the best advice I got as a young mom was the advice they give on an airplane: put on your oxygen mask first before helping others.
Why? You can’t pour from an empty cup. And in September, with back to school madness, it is really easy to run dry, with the endless list of errands, to-do lists, doctors’ appointments and more.
I’ve got four teenagers. Our house can feel like a dorm. There is so much going on all of the time, that it can be really easy to let stuff slide, especially self-care. So I’ve learned some simple hacks to help get us when there don’t seem to be enough minutes in the day.
First: If your kids can run an iPhone, they can run a washer and dryer. One of the best things we did was to teach our kids how to do their own laundry. All four can do it, and with our oldest leaving for college in a few weeks, she’s glad she knows how.
Hydrate: Cannot emphasize this enough. Just as kids (and parents) can get grouchy when they’re hungry, you can get highly irritable when thirsty, too. Our brains need water, our bodies, too. So keep a cup on the kitchen counter and beside your bed. Have a water bottle on hand.
Supplement: I was late to this game. I tried to get all of my vitamins and minerals in my food when I first started eating healthier. Only to learn that the soil is deficient and so is our food supply, even organic. And if you’re anything like me, some of the best supplements can be super hard to swallow. But even the healthiest of diets have nutritional gaps, so supplements are perfect for filling those holes. Which is why I was so pumped when MegaFood introduced their new line of gummy vitamins made with real, whole foods.
Gummy Up! MegaFood’s new line sits on my kitchen counter, tucked into a corner next to the stove: B12 Energy in Cranberry or Ginger, D3 Wellness Mixed Fruit and C Defense Tangy Citrus. They are always out in my house, as a reminder to take care of myself. These tasty gummies boast real food flavor with no added colorings or preservatives, 2 grams of sugar or less, and absolutely no sugar coating. And they’re vegetarian and made free of gluten, dairy and soy. The B12 Energy Cranberry and B12 Energy Ginger are great for when you need a little afternoon boost,* so I tend to go through those a bit faster! I’ll grab one in the morning and often again, one in the afternoon when I need a pick-me-up. With cold and flu season around the corner, self-care is of the utmost importance and C Defense Tangy Citrus and D3 Wellness Mixed Fruit are perfect for keeping your immune system in check.* And the best part – my kids love them too! Please note, MegaFood gummies are intended for adults, so keep them away from the young ones! These gummies are both something smart and something good, and they’re crazy delicious too. Grab them and go!
Promised Purity: And while we’re talking supplements, you know that I’m a true advocate for products made free of GMOs, certain allergies and glyphosate, among others, so I’m proud to say that, in true MegaFood fashion, the new gummies are the first gummy vitamins on the market to be certified Glyphosate Residue Free by The Detox Project (as with every product in the MegaFood line). Last year, I discussed glyphosate and the growing need for consumers to question this harmful chemical and understand how it is unfortunately prevalent in the foods we eat, parks we play on and products we use in our homes. And today, with recent news around glyphosate being found in certain cereals and oat-based foods, in addition to the verdict in the Monsanto case, I hope that more brands take the lead from MegaFood and commit themselves to quality, safety and purity above all. When it comes to self-care, it is so comforting to know that the brands we look to for nourishment are taking these commitments to heart when creating the products we rely on for optimal wellness. With brands like MegaFood paving the way for much-needed change, we can really make a difference and put an end to glyphosate use. Watch for my appearance on That Supplement Show in the coming weeks! I spoke with MegaFood’s amazing medical director for the podcast; we discussed the changes we hope to see within our food system – it was a great conversation that will inspire you to further question things like glyphosate.
Sometimes, it is the little things that become the big things. None of us can do everything, but all of us can do something. Whether it’s asking the kids to help out more around the house, finding easy ways to prioritize your health or aligning with larger, important initiatives by sticking with brands doing good, the new school season is a great time to start fresh by focusing more on yourself!
*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.
In light of the groundbreaking verdict in the glyphosate trial against Monsanto, it is important to share what food companies and consumers can now do to avoid this weedkiller and agrochemical linked to cancer.
“Human exposure to glyphosate, a chemical widely found in weed killers, has increased approximately 500 percent since the introduction of genetically modified crops,” according to a report from the University of California San Diego Health.
A Brazilian judge just suspended the use of products containing this agrochemical, and glyphosate has been in a number of legal cases worldwide and there’s no sign of this trend slowing down.
Since 1974 in the U.S., over three billion, five hundred twenty million pounds of glyphosate active ingredient have been applied. Globally, glyphosate use has risen almost 15-fold since so-called “Roundup Ready,” genetically engineered crops were introduced in 1996. Nearly 75% of all glyphosate was sprayed in the last ten years. (More data here.)
This weedkiller has infiltrated every aspect of our water and food systems, showing up in some places that you’d least expect it. Up until recently, there was little that consumers could do about it.
However, with the introduction of blockchain which Harvard Business Review defines as “an open, distributed ledger that can record transactions between two parties efficiently and in a verifiable and permanent way” that is changing.
According to New Food Magazine, “for organizations who find themselves caught up in a food scandal, the consequences can be dire. The cost of one adulteration verdict can be up to 15% of annual company revenues, not to mention the damage to organizational reputation and brand loyalty that inevitably occurs.
The blockchain was developed as a decentralized ledger which records transactions and stores this information on a global network in a manner which prevents it being changed at a future point. While initially adopted for it’s financial implications, the blockchains’ decentralized system has huge potential for the traceability of supply chains.”
Blockchain does not require third party verifications, which are increasingly under fire, to authorize transactions. It is a neutral, open and global platform.
In other words, while initially introduced for the financial world, it is also a transparent system for those in the food industry. This in and of itself is sure to scare the daylights out of some, but it is being embraced by others.
Here is an article by Colleen Kavanagh, the founder and CEO of ZEGO, and what the company has chosen to do. They aren’t the first and others will follow, so regardless of what the jury decides in the glyphosate trial, the court of public opinion has spoken. Consumers want transparency, and companies like ZEGO that embrace blockchain technology absolutely understand its importance.
You may have seen a lot in the news about glyphosate lately, the most common herbicide in the world, used in products like Roundup by Monsanto. Earlier this year the World Health Organization issued a strong defense of its classification of the chemical as a “probable carcinogen,” and there is a landmark case in the news this summer in California (one of 4000 pending cases) concerning a school groundskeeper who claims glyphosate caused his non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Yikes. Does exposure to glyphosate cause cancer? Did Monsanto know about the risk and deliberately mislead the public? How much exposure is dangerous?
While the U.S. courts and scientists consider these questions, we believe consumers should be able to decide for themselves if they want to eat foods that have glyphosate in them. Problem is, very few food companies test for the chemical and virtually no one releases that data to the public. So, it’s most likely that not only do you not know if it is in your favorite foods, neither does the company who made it for you.
At ZEGO, we believe in giving consumers control over what they eat by using our Z-CODE blockchain food safety system transparent labeling and comprehensive testing to inform their choice. Before going into that, let’s learn a bit more about glyphosate.
Why Is Glyphosate a Concern?
Some studies have found glyphosate may be correlated with a number of health problems from endocrine disruption to shorter pregnancies and lower birth weight of infants to celiac-type symptoms in fish. Add that to the numerous cancer lawsuits that claim Monsanto knew the chemical was a health hazard and hid it from the public and that has a lot of people concerned. The problem is, that if you are a consumer who wants to limit your exposure to this chemical, your options are limited. There is probably no such thing as living a glyphosate-free lifestyle.
Can You Be Glyphosate-Free?
Probably not, sorry. Avoiding glyphosate is not as simple as staying away from herbicides on your yard. Studies have measured it in rainwater, air and soil samples. The other studies found it in surprising amounts in a number of everyday foods that you may have in your cabinets at home, ranging from organic coffee creamer to cereal to chips. It may have been used on the cotton in your clothing. But the problem is not just how commonly used it is, it is that you do not have access to data that would tell you if a product has glyphosate residue in it and how much. That is what we at ZEGO would like to change because we believe you have the right to know what is in your food, even if it is not required to be stated on the label.
How Is ZEGO Making a Difference?
If you are a long-time customer, you know that in addition to producing our products in a top eight allergen and gluten-free facility, we also send out each batch for independent lab testing for peanut, soy, dairy, and gluten. We connect that data to the product in your hand through the QR code on the package. Building on that, we are now periodically testing for glyphosate and posting the results as well. With one scan, you can see all five test results.
You may have heard of blockchain in regard to Bitcoin and crypto currency. Our patent-pending Z-CODE system is a tailored blockchain, adapted to be easy and quick to execute for the company and more relevant to most people on a daily basis. Its a system for collecting and distributing food safety data that reliably provides information about a packaged food batch to the consumer. For the company, the system provides reliable data on and accountability for the purity of the ingredients it buys and its factory’s manufacturing process. There is technology involved in the testing and communication system but no encryption as with Bitcoin. The time and expense of encryption would make it untenable to implement this system in the short term and possibly at all. What is revolutionary about ZEGO’s Z-CODE system is that it can be replicated in a matter of months by any company that cares enough about its consumers, its products, and its reputation to do it.
And, if more companies adopt the Z-CODE system, we will have a network of data that, together, could serve as a measurement of crop health across the food chain and serve as a roadmap for improving it. It is in the sharing of this data among companies where the encryption would be most helpful because a company may not be willing to publicly share undesirable test results unless it is assured it cannot be linked to the data. Otherwise, it will keep the information close to the chest and work out the problem internally. But it is the collection and analysis of the aggregate data that would be most helpful to all of us, answering questions like which supply chains for certain crops have more glyphosate than others? Is a particular supplier selling ingredients that, known or unknown to them, is contaminated with ground peanuts? Which suppliers are passing off ingredients fraudulently labeled non GMO and organic?
Another beauty of our Z-CODE system is the benefits for consumers and companies start immediately for verifying our suppliers’ organic and non-GMO certifications, which are particularly vulnerable to fraud. In our first round of tests, we found high levels of glyphosate in one organic spice we wanted to use. We reported the test to the supplier so they could fix the problem, and then switched to another brand whose product tested clean. Imagine how quickly we could clean our supply chain if 10,000 companies had a similar story to tell? So while the U.S. courts, politicians and scientists debate the safety of glyphosate and business executives and technology experts grapple with encryption and whether it can be built into the food chain affordably, we hope other companies act now and start testing and reporting like we do.
We have reason to be optimistic! Scott Elaine Wright-Case, co-founder of a successful food venture capital fund called VMG, applauded ZEGO’s action as, “a bold move that brings blockchain verification to packaged food. This is exactly the type of innovative transparency consumers and investors have been clamoring for in the clean food movement.”
How Can You Minimize Your Exposure to Glyphosate?
Unfortunately, right now, there are no regulations requiring companies to test or reveal their testing results for glyphosate. But there are things that you can do.
Email the companies you buy most often from and ask them for the same blockchain testing and transparency ZEGO provides for glyphosate, allergens, and gluten.
Buy organic and non-GMO certified products when you can, particularly if they are made from wheat, corn, cotton, soy, canola oil and sugar beets. One 2014 study by the Journal of Environmental Research showed going organic for a week reduced exposure to chemicals by 90%.
Use the “dirty dozen” list for produce while you shop. This list by The Environmental Working Group measures a number of chemicals. Keep it on your phone.
Read more about glyphosate at The Detox Project and about how you can get tested to find out how much glyphosate you have been exposed to. Soon they will also have an in-home test you can use on your food and water. Share the information with friends and family (in a nice, not scary, not preachy way).
Contact your representatives at the state and federal level. Let them know that you care about labeling transparency and want the FDA to release its glyphosate findings.
Buy ZEGO products! We know, we know, but we had to throw that in there. We are a small independently owned company, and your support is critical to our success.
Talk to your local store. If store managers know that you care, they will pay attention.
The biggest boost to the non-GMO labeling movement was when Whole Foods heard from so many customers concerned about GMOs that it required all its vendors become non-GMO certified. The level of consumer awareness is not quite there yet with glyphosate, but we will get there faster with your help!
Thank you to Food Democracy Now, The Detox Project and Environmental Working Group for their reporting on this issue, much of which we used in this blog.
Maybe you’ve heard it in the news recently – glyphosate has been in a number of legal cases worldwide and there’s no sign of this trend slowing down. This is good news, since glyphosate (also known as Roundup) is an herbicide (a weedkiller) that has infiltrated every aspect of our water and food systems and is wreaking havoc on human health.
The producer of glyphosate – the corporate giant Monsanto – has been in denial of the harmful effects of their key product on human health for decades. There was even a point in time where marketing taglines used for Roundup included misleading and downright false claims, including that is was:
Biodegradable
Safer than table salt
Practically non-toxic
Stayed where you put it
Fortunately, in 1996 the New York attorney general sued Monsanto and forced them to stop using such dangerous claims.
But this isn’t enough.
More and more research is indicating that glyphosate is carcinogenic, an endocrine disruptor, harmful to the gut microbiome, and that it damages DNA in human embryonic, placental, and umbilical cord cells. Glyphosate levels are also associated with autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In animal studies, glyphosate has been linked to birth defects and reproductive issues. This growing body of research is seriously concerning.
In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” Recently, California has been trying to label Roundup as carcinogenic, but has been blocked by a Judge.
Currently, there is an open case where a man from California is suing Monsanto for causing his cancer. Not only will DeWayne Johnson be the first man to take Monsanto to court for causing his cancer, the Judge recently issued an game-changing order to the jurors. This order states that they should not only consider if Monsanto’s Roundup caused Mr. Johnson’s cancer, but if Monsanto has been hiding the risks of its product.
This is a case worth paying attention to because it could shift the winds against Monsanto.
Glyphosate is Now Everywhere
One of the major reasons glyphosate has become such a problem is that it is water soluble. In nature, most toxins are fat soluble – this is arguably nature’s way of protecting us. Fat soluble substances need fat to move, and there is far less fat in the world than water. On the other hand, water soluble substances move through anything with water:
Rivers
Groundwater
Drinking water
Oceans
Rain
Fog
Water in your body
Water is everywhere – and with it comes water soluble glyphosate. Glyphosate is now found in all types of water sources. Yes, now you can even breathe in Roundup.
In a recent study, glyphosate was found in tea products and urine of those sampled – levels were especially high those who recently consumed tea. Of the different food and beverage products examined, this study found glyphosate to be highest in tea, coffee powder, and honey.
5 Ways to Reduce Glyphosate Exposure
At this point, you’re probably wondering how you can reduce your glyphosate exposure. This is an effort everyone of us should be making in our lives. Not only because it’s important to your health, but because it puts demands on the market. Together we can demand the removal of glyphosate from our food system.
Don’t use roundup – This may seem obvious now, but it’s still so important. Backpacks of Roundup can be found in most Americans’ garage’s. This weed killer became hugely popular in homes when Monsanto portrayed it as manly in its marketing campaign of the 90’s. Perhaps you remember? These commercials showed men coming out of their garages like cowboys in the wild West, shooting down dandelions in their driveways with Roundup in their holsters. These marketing tactics worked all too well, and Roundup quickly saturated the American household market. Avoid using Roundup and spread the word among your friends family. Reducing glyphosate levels globally is going to require a massive, community effort.
Eat only organic – Not only does eating organic reduce your glyphosate exposure, it also adds to the demand for foods that don’t use glyphosate, and that’s a double win. It’s important to eat organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible, but you need to be especially careful with meat and dairy products. Animals that are fed genetically modified organism (GMO) corn and feed that’s been sprayed in glyphosate, pass the contents on to you. Often these glyphosate levels exist in higher concentrations due to bioaccumulation.
Avoid GMO food – Organic means non-GMO but this is worth bringing to your attention for another reason. GMO foods usually contain glyphosate because they are genetically modified to survive being sprayed. Most of our corn and soybeans are now GMO, so avoiding GMOs means you’ll need to check the ingredients of anything processed, to look for corn and soybean oils, along with other byproducts.
Grow and cook your own food – Growing and cooking your own food is perhaps the best way you can reduce your glyphosate levels because you have complete control over everything you put in your body. When you eat out, it’s hard to know what oils and other elements are being used that aren’t obvious.
Take Restore –Restore is a liquid mineral supplement developed by Zach Bush, MD to help the microbes of the gut communicate better. Restore helps tighten the junctions of the gut and protects you from the harmful effects of glyphosate.
Cutting Edge Tips to Detox Glyphosate
Most important tip is to EAT ORGANIC and non-GMO foods and avoid exposure. Other ways support detoxification from glyphosate include:
Humic and fulvic acids – These are minerals found in soil that can help improve detoxification and restore nutrient deficiencies in the body through improving digestion.
Clinoptilolite – This is a natural zeolite, which is found in volcanic rocks. This works much like charcoal through binding to toxins and removing accumulation.
Digeodren granules – This homeopathic supplement is for liver detoxification and improves digestion.
Probiotics that are capable a fully metabolizing glyphosate – Primarily acetobacter, which is found in apple cider vinegar and sauerkraut.
Restore – Restore is a supplement that uses carbon-based redox molecules from soil to help restore communication between mitochondria, cells, and bacteria. Specifically, restore was developed to help support glyphosate detoxification.
If you want to learn more about glyphosate, I recommend following Zach Bush, MD and checking out the documentary GMO Revealed. I am a huge fan of Zach Bush’s work and am excited to hear more about his findings on the synergistic relationship between gluten and glyphosate. This could be a major reason gluten intolerance is on the rise in America. I will be sure to keep you up to date on this – stay tuned!
This morning, headlines announced that Denise Morrison is stepping down as the CEO of Campbell’s. What a huge loss to the food industry. Shareholders were quick to flash a chart of the share price. No surprise there. Turning around a deeply entrenched and heavily subsidized industry like the food industry is not going to happen quickly.
Unfortunately, the writing has been on the wall for the last few months.
The problem is that Wall Street still measures these companies and CEOs using 1985 metrics.
The game is changing, and Wall Street needs to get with it, too.
Quarterly earnings are a terrible metric, when a fundamental shift needs to happen to an entrenched and deeply subsidized supply chain.
Wall Street needs modern metrics if they are going to evaluate 21st century food companies. This is a big conversation that has to happen now in order to grow organic.
According to Forbes, “it has been widely reported that mothers control 85% of household purchases and have a U.S. spending power of $2.4 trillion. Within this segment are tens of millions of millennial moms. In fact 83% of new moms are millennials, according to a study conducted by BabyCenter– they give birth to about 9,000 generation Alpha babies each day.”
Adweek and Trybe have also chimed in, saying: “80% of millennial mom says that safety is a top priority for their family. They cite safety as a higher priority than value or price. Additionally, around 50% of millennial moms list that they favor pure, wholesome ingredients as a key deciding factor when comparing brands. In essence, millennial moms value the quality of a brand over quantity, and if brands can’t illustrate that, it will be hard to appeal to this segment.”
And don’t whitewash it; by the year 2020, half of all children in the U.S. will be non-white. On top of that, 8 in 10 households are now purchasing at least some organic. With a supply chain of less than 1% of all U.S. farmland as organic, something has to change.
Food companies, the big CPG brands, have been slow to meet these changing needs. Many of them fought the consumer for years. Companies like Kroger stepped in and launched private label brands and quickly won the hearts and wallets of 21st century families. At Kroger, “20 million households purchased items from its Simple Truth brand line last year, and private-label items accounted for nearly 28% of items sold in the third quarter, the company said, accounting for 26% of sales dollars”.
So what do the food companies need to be doing?
Here are 8 questions Wall Street should be asking food companies right now:
With over 80% of American households now purchasing some organic, what percentage of your product portfolio is certified USDA Organic?
What percent of your portfolio contains Monsanto’s Roundup Ready soy and corn, since these genetically engineered ingredients are also an indicator of exposure to glyphosate?
In light of recent lawsuits over glyphosate use, what percentage of your product portfolio is exposed to glyphosate?
What plans do you have to grow your organic product offerings?
Less than 1% of US farmland is certified as organic. What is your company doing to convert farmland to ensure a stable pipeline and organic supply chain? Kashi has a certified transition program in place to help farmers convert. Would you embrace this model by Kellogg’s to ensure that your supply can meet growing consumer demand?
From where are you importing organic ingredients until you build out your pipeline?
What program do you have in place to help the farmers you source from convert their farms to organic?
Food security is no longer simply about calories, it is also about health. What are you doing to communicate that to your consumers in order to ensure product loyalty?
With demand for organic products far outpacing the demand for conventional, Wall Street needs to be asking these multinational food companies and their CEOs what they are doing to build out their supply chains to ensure that they have the ingredients to meet the demand. It takes just three years to convert farmland to organic. Millennial parents represent $200 billion in purchasing power. As this demographic grows, will companies have the supply to meet that demand?
It’s an important question for shareholders, stakeholders and spoon holders.
