The stories became far too frequent to ignore. Emails from folks with allergic or digestive issues to wheat in the United States experienced no symptoms whatsoever when they tried eating pasta on vacation in Italy.
Confused parents wondering why wheat consumption sometimes triggered autoimmune reactions in their children but not at other times.
In my own home, I’ve long pondered why my husband can eat the wheat I prepare at home, but he experiences negative digestive effects eating even a single roll in a restaurant.
There is clearly something going on with wheat that is not well known by the general public. It goes far and beyond organic versus nonorganic, gluten or hybridization because even conventional wheat triggers no symptoms for some who eat wheat in other parts of the world.
What indeed is going on with wheat?
For quite some time, I secretly harbored the notion that wheat in the United States must, in fact, be genetically modified. GMO wheat secretly invading the North American food supply seemed the only thing that made sense and could account for the varied experiences I was hearing about.
I reasoned that it couldn’t be the gluten or wheat hybridization. Gluten and wheat hybrids have been consumed for thousands of years. It just didn’t make sense that this could be the reason for so many people suddenly having problems with wheat and gluten in general in the past 5-10 years.
Finally, the answer came over dinner a couple of months ago with a friend who was well versed in the wheat production process. I started researching the issue for myself, and was, quite frankly, horrified at what I discovered.
The good news is that the reason wheat has become so toxic in the United States is not that it is secretly GMO as I had feared (thank goodness!).
The bad news is that the problem lies with the manner in which wheat is grown and harvested by conventional wheat farmers.
You’re going to want to sit down for this one. I’ve had some folks burst into tears in horror when I passed along this information before.
Common wheat harvest protocol in the United States is to drench the wheat fields with Roundup several days before the combine harvesters work through the fields as the practice allows for an earlier, easier and bigger harvest.
Pre-harvest application of the herbicide Roundup or other herbicides containing the deadly active ingredient glyphosate to wheat and barley as a desiccant was suggested as early as 1980. It has since become routine over the past 15 years and is used as a drying agent 7-10 days before harvest within the conventional farming community.
According to Dr. Stephanie Seneff of MIT who has studied the issue in-depth and who I recently saw present on the subject at a nutritional conference in Indianapolis, desiccating non-organic wheat crops with glyphosate just before harvest came into vogue late in the 1990s with the result that most of the non-organic wheat in the United States is now contaminated with it. Seneff explains that when you expose wheat to a toxic chemical like glyphosate, it actually releases more seeds resulting in a slightly greater yield: “It ‘goes to seed’ as it dies. At its last gasp, it releases the seed” says Dr. Seneff.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, as of 2012, 99% of durum wheat, 97% of spring wheat, and 61% of winter wheat have been treated with herbicides. This is an increase from 88% for durum wheat, 91% for spring wheat and 47% for winter wheat since 1998. Note that bulgur is commonly made from durum.
Here’s what wheat farmer Keith Lewis has to say about the practice:
I have been a wheat farmer for 50 yrs and one wheat production practice that is very common is applying the herbicide Roundup (glyposate) 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.
A wheat field often ripens unevenly, thus applying Roundup preharvest evens up the greener parts of the field with the more mature. The result is on the less mature areas Roundup is translocated into the kernels and eventually harvested as such.
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.
Here’s what wheat farmer Seth Woodland of Woodland and Wheat in Idaho had to say about the practice of using herbicides for wheat dry down:
That practice is bad . I have fellow farmers around me that do it and it is sad. Lucky for you not all of us farm that way. Being the farmer and also the president of a business, we are proud to say that we do not use round up on our wheat ever!
This practice is not just widespread in the United States either. The Food Standards Agency in the United Kingdom reports that the use of Roundup as a wheat desiccant results in glyphosate residues regularly showing up in bread samples. Other European countries are waking up to the danger, however. In the Netherlands, the use of Roundup is completely banned with France likely soon to follow.
Using Roundup on wheat crops throughout the entire growing season and even as a desiccant just prior to harvest may save the farmer money and increase profits, but it is devastating to the health of the consumer who ultimately consumes the glyphosate residue laden wheat kernels.
The chart below of skyrocketing applications of glyphosate to US wheat crops since 1990 and the incidence of celiac disease is from a December 2013 study published in the Journal Interdisciplinary Toxicology examining glyphosate pathways to autoimmune disease. Remember that wheat is not currently GMO or “Roundup Ready” meaning it is not resistant to its withering effects like GMO corn or GMO soy, so the application of glyphosate to wheat would actually kill it.
While the herbicide industry maintains that glyphosate is minimally toxic to humans, research published in the Journal Entropy strongly argues otherwise by shedding light on exactly how glyphosate disrupts mammalian physiology.
Authored by Anthony Samsel and Stephanie Seneff of MIT, the paper investigates glyphosate’s inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, an overlooked component of lethal toxicity to mammals.
The currently accepted view is that ghyphosate is not harmful to humans or any mammals. This flawed view is so pervasive in the conventional farming community that Roundup salesmen have been known to foolishly drink it during presentations!
However, just because Roundup doesn’t kill you immediately doesn’t make it nontoxic. In fact, the active ingredient in Roundup lethally disrupts the all important shikimate pathway found in beneficial gut microbes which is responsible for the synthesis of critical amino acids.
Friendly gut bacteria, also called probiotics, play a critical role in human health. Gut bacteria aid digestion, prevent permeability of the gastrointestinal tract (which discourages the development of autoimmune disease), synthesize vitamins and provide the foundation for robust immunity. In essence:
Roundup significantly disrupts the functioning of beneficial bacteria in the gut and contributes to permeability of the intestinal wall and consequent expression of autoimmune disease symptoms.
In synergy with disruption of the biosynthesis of important amino acids via the shikimate pathway, glyphosate inhibits the cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes produced by the gut microbiome. CYP enzymes are critical to human biology because they detoxify the multitude of foreign chemical compounds, xenobiotics, that we are exposed to in our modern environment today.
As a result, humans exposed to glyphosate through the use of Roundup in their community or through the ingestion of its residues on industrialized food products become even more vulnerable to the damaging effects of other chemicals and environmental toxins they encounter!
What’s worse is that the negative impact of glyphosate exposure is slow and insidious over months and years as inflammation gradually gains a foothold in the cellular systems of the body.
The consequences of this systemic inflammation are most of the diseases and conditions associated with the Western lifestyle:
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- Depression
- Autism
- Infertility
- Cancer
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Alzheimer’s disease
- And the list goes on and on and on …
In a nutshell, Dr. Seneff’s study of Roundup’s ghastly glyphosate, which much of the wheat crop in the United States is doused with annually, uncovers the manner in which this lethal toxin harms the human body by decimating beneficial gut microbes with the tragic end result of disease, degeneration, and widespread suffering.
Got the picture yet?
Even if you think you have no trouble digesting wheat, it is still very wise to avoid conventional wheat as much as possible in your diet!
You Must Avoid Toxic Wheat No Matter What
The bottom line is that avoidance of conventional wheat in the United States is absolutely imperative even if you don’t currently have a gluten allergy or wheat sensitivity. This includes bypassing food products made with it such as the popular meat substitute seitan also called vital wheat gluten. The increase in the amount of glyphosate applied to wheat closely correlates with the rise of celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Dr. Seneff points out that the increases in these diseases are not just genetic in nature, but also have an environmental cause as not all patient symptoms are alleviated by eliminating gluten from the diet.
The effects of deadly glyphosate on your biology are so insidious that lack of symptoms today means literally nothing.
If you don’t have problems with wheat now, you will in the future if you keep eating conventionally produced, toxic wheat!
How to Eat Wheat Safely
Obviously, if you’ve already developed a sensitivity or allergy to wheat, you must avoid it. Period.
But, if you aren’t celiac or gluten sensitive and would like to consume this ancestral food safely, you can do what we do in our home. We source organic, naturally low in gluten, unhybridized Einkorn wheat for breadmaking, pancakes, cookies, etc. Please note that einkorn is not to be confused with the more general term farro, which includes emmer and spelt, which are both hybridized. You can learn more about the scientific research on the “good” gluten in einkorn in this article.
When we eat out or are purchasing food from the store, conventional wheat products are rejected without exception. This despite the fact that we have no gluten allergies whatsoever in our home – yet.
I am firmly convinced that if we did nothing, our entire family at some point would develop sensitivity to wheat or autoimmune disease in some form due to the toxic manner in which it is processed and the glyphosate residues that are contained in conventional wheat products.
What Are You Going to Do About Toxic Wheat?
How did you react to the news that US wheat farmers are using Roundup, not just to kill weeds, but to dry out the wheat plants to allow for an earlier, easier and bigger harvest and that such a practice causes absorption of toxic glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup and other herbicides, right into the wheat kernels themselves?
Did you feel outraged and violated as I did? How will you implement a conventional wheat-avoidance strategy going forward even if you haven’t yet developed a problem with gluten or wheat sensitivity?
What about other crops where Roundup is used as a pre-harvest desiccant such as barley, sugar cane, rice, seeds, dried beans and peas, sugar cane, sweet potatoes, and sugar beets? Will you only be buying these crops in organic form from now on to avoid this modern, man-made scourge?
UPDATE: The Soil Association in July 2015 called for an immediate ban on the use of glyphosate for wheat ripening and desiccation purposes. The nonprofit reports that glyphosate residues are widely found in nonorganic wheat samples and the use of the herbicide on wheat crops has increased 400% in the past two decades.
Dr. Robin Mesnage of the Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics at Kings College in London, revealed new data analysis showing Roundup, the most common brand of Glyphosate based herbicides, is 1,000 times more toxic than genotoxic glyphosate alone due to the inclusion of other toxic chemicals in its mix.
Peter Melchett, Soil Association policy director said; “If Glyphosate ends up in bread it’s impossible for people to avoid it unless they are eating organic. On the other hand, farmers could easily choose not to use Glyphosate as a spray on wheat crops – just before they are harvested. This is why the Soil Association is calling for the immediate ending of the use of Glyphosate sprays on wheat destined for use in bread.”
References
Glyphosate now commonly found in human urine
Study: Glyphosate, Celiac and Gluten Intolerance
The Glyphosate, Celiac Disease Connection
Pre-harvest Application of Glyphosate to Wheat
Glyphosate’s Suppression of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and Amino Acid Biosynthesis by the Gut Microbiome: Pathways to Modern Diseases
Yield and quality of wheat seeds as a function of desiccation stages and herbicides
Wheat farmer weighs in on the use of Roundup as a wheat desiccant
More Information
Roundup: Quick Death for Weeds, Slow and Painful Death for You
Hybrid Wheat is Not the Same as GMO Wheat
The Dutch Ban Roundup, France and Brazil to Follow
How to Mix and Use Gluten Free Flour
Can Celiacs Eat Sourdough Bread?
The Dirty Little Secret About Gluten-Free
What about sugar from sugarbeets that are not only GMO (roundup ready) but sprayed with roundup…and Oats? Are oats sprayed with roundup? I am intolerant of oats as well.
Great article. A real eye-opener. I was looking at the internet for answers because I have developed issues with most grains. I get frustrated when people say this is a fad because I love wheat (Warm bread, pasta, etc..) and would not give it up on a whim. I’m one of the “lucky ones” that breaks out in hives within an hour of injesting as well as having the GI issues, so doctors SEE the reaction, they don’t have to take my word for it. For years I wasn’t believed because I refused to go through the pain (You have to be injesting the product for tests to work) and expense of testing.
2 years ago I became extremely sensitive to corn; fatigue, joint pain – even harder than wheat to eliminate from my diet, corn and corn products, starch, syrup, etc. is everywhere. Now I don’t eat any grains.
I may get up the courage as some of you have to try organic grains, but I doubt it. The pain I feel for days isn’t worth a few bites of lovely, saucy pasta or buttery warm bread. *tears up*
I don’t eat anything processed anymore and order a salad with no dressing or a lemon wedge and EVOO when I eat out. Years ago others at the table thought I was a party pooper, commenting on the restaurant, or seeking attention, but nowadays there’s usually someone else that will pipe up saying they have “issues” too.
Until the local wheat/corn/grain industry feels the pain of the pocketbook, nothing will change. I’ve heard that Monsanto can’t be sued, they’re protected by our government.??!!
Maybe getting enough signatures here will help:
change.org/search?q=monsanto
In the mean time, I’ve signed up for your newletters and thank you sincerely for your work in this area.
Trying organic modern grains probably won’t make a difference. You need to find organic heritage grains, especially wheat.
i know how you feel Dena i too have developed a bad sensitivity to wheat and some grains. I’m thinking of trying Einkorn but haven’t yet for fear i will get ill. I went through a period of depression because of people mostly my own family member putting me down because of my diet thinking i was just on a fad diet wish i were! If it’s the round-up that is getting us ill i wish it would be banned in this Country i doubt that would happen though.I believe that it is all about greed and i can’t stand those Monsanto people!
Just to add to your concerns: the article also mentions Roundup being used as as desiccant on sugar cane, as well as sugar beets.
What about Turkey Red wheat which is making a comeback?
It’s a heritage wheat but is hybridized … not aggressively hybridized via forced mutation with irradiation like what happened to modern wheat during the Green Revolution after WWII, but still hybridized. Here’s more info: https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/is-heirloom-wheat-hybridized/
Turkey Red is making a comeback but it’s still pretty scarce. Red Fife is another solid heritage wheat which is more plentiful. There are a lot that you’ll see in the next few years as more farmers can be encouraged to go organic and try some of the wonderful old ancient grains.
As part of an Italian family, I ate wheat products at every meal without a problem. A few years ago I realized that I had to become gluten-free because I was getting symptoms when I ate wheat products. I resent that I had to give up favorite foods because of a problem with our wheat. I bought a box of Einkorn Wheat Berries and did not have one single problem with it. When are we going to become more intelligent about our food and water?
“So you know that Gluten protein is just a convenient distract of what the real problem is to all conventional products made from wieght . It is always about convenience and profit for the conventional factory farmer that they them selves pay a very high price them selves eventually down the road with serious illness and death from this insane approach to farming to day . The sollution is to pay more at the till and to transition your life to labeled organic through out . Save your open polinated organic seeds and grow a garden in your spare time like Holistic Chef Barry does . Educate your self about what industry is dong to your food supply as you have a given right to know . And a given right to know what they are doing and selling to you that is going into your mouth and body .” Holistic Chef Barry Anderson
This was certainly a very interesting read – eye opening, in fact. I don’t think I’ll be eating wheat ever again after reading this!
I’m a baker of sprouted grain breads. If you’re going to eat bread, it should be sprouted. This guarantees that you’re buying bread made with viable grain. We have no problem sourcing high quality wheat from local farmers who are stewards of their soil and do not poison it. Organic is no longer a safe standard. Organic growers engage in this practice as well.
I would recommend sprouting any grain, seed or legume to verify viability. This practice of pre-harvest burn down is practiced across the entire specturm of American agriculture.
Hi Sarah, this was really interesting and appears to be a well researched article. However, you say “In the Netherlands, use of Roundup is completely banned with France likely soon to follow.”
Where did you get this information?
I live in the Netherlands and they also spray Roundup on wheat before harvest exactly as they do in the U.S. The ban is only on non-commercial use of Roundup and even that ban will only take effect from late 2015. Cities and municialities have independently chosen to phase it out but this has no bearing on wheat or other commercially grown crops. There are two wheat fields bordering our organic and bio-dynamic allotment vegetable gardens and we see them spraying. Our garden is of course contaminated too and there is not much we can do about it.
Hi Suzanne, here’s the info on the Dutch banning Roundup. Perhaps it is gradually going into effect? https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/roundup-banned-netherlands-france-brazil-likely-soon-follow/
I have a question: If pasta is grown and made in Italy, but distributed by an American company, can I feel confident the durum wheat is safe; no chemicals or toxins used in the growing and harvesting?
My son eats pasta every night for dinner and we use a pasta that is made in Italy, but distributed locally.
That is a wonderful idea but the U.S. Exports their wheat to other countries.
Meaning the wheat is grown in America, shipped to Italy; and the pasta is made in Italy and shipped back over here?
Yes, but not all Italian pasta is made with American wheat. I have a serious wheat sensitivity which presents itself as a gastrointestinal issue. I am able to eat pasta imported from Italy, but because some of it IS made with American wheat, make sure it’s expensive. It seems that the pricey pasta is made from Italian wheat. This method has worked for me, and it is so much more delicious!
I just got back from Italy and had NO problems whatsoever with conventional Italian wheat.
Hi, Sarah,
I am a freelance writer who was recently sent a link to this blog post. I thought I had developed a gluten sensitivity within the last 8 years. But after hearing anecdotes of people with celiacs eating pasta and bread in Europe with no problem and then reading your blog post, I went out and purchased organic wheat flour and made myself a pan of brownies. After nibbling on them for 2 days, with little (but not NO) ill effects, I am convinced you have something here.
I WOULD LIKE TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THIS ISSUE. I have often been assigned articles about nutrition, and food safety is a personal concern of mine. Before I develop an action plan, I will continue to research this topic. But If you have any suggestions on steps to add to that plan, please let me know. I do have some questions:
Q1: Is there an organization leading the charge to draw attention to this problem?
Q2: I am puzzled by the causative effect of glyphosate on celiacs disease, as shown in the graph. I have in-laws who were diagnosed with celiacs within the last 10 years (but they had problems for years – even decades – before that). I have no medical training, just a strong interest in medical issues. I thought that celiacs was an autoimmune disease with a strong genetic predisposition. Are you saying that the damage caused by glyphosate could cause celiacs – even with no genetic component? Or does it just create conditions for turning on the gene, so to speak?
Q3: Do you think the damage done by glyphosate is reversible? For example, if someone develops celiacs, can they potentially get better?
Q4: Tell me whether this is a logical conclusion:
After reading this, and doing a test with organic wheat flour, it would be easy for others to think that I am just SENSITIVE to glyphosate, not them, so they can continue to eat it. But my conclusion is different: that glyphosate is toxic to everyone, and no one should be eating it, because over time, it WILL do damage. What do you think?
Now, I realize this post is going viral, and you are probably swamped trying to respond. But I will welcome a personal or public response at your earliest convenience.
Yours in the fight for food safety,
Kimberly
Please forward any answers you receive. I think they are great and valid questions and I am curious to hear of any reply you may get. I am in school and have been doing different research papers on the FDA’s lack of safe labeling in the beef industry. Most on the unnecessary use of cancer causing hormones and the use of unnecessary immunizations and antibiotics. Thanks and best of luck with your health. Christi Gapinski
Sarah do you know if flour can be ordered from other countries. I have a genetic challenge that makes it difficult to tolerate the folic acid added to the flour in America per US law. Perhaps one day that will be refunded as it is not healthy for many citizens. Do you have any resources for this?
Question 2, regarding Celiacs. Their is a genetic component but that component is also modified or activated by environment. A study done on t,he incidence of Celiacs in the greater Montreal area showed a perfect correlation between it and the introduction of and adoption of GT Canola. The other trouble maker and perhaps more insidious is the Bt GMO event that dates back to 1980’s corn.