Organic foods can be more costly than their non-organic counterparts, and seemingly don't taste any different ... so what is the point?
Just because you can't taste a difference, there are major health differences that can happen inside the body when we consume non-organic foods that lead to a whole host of chronic health conditions.
The main offender & reason I recommend going organic is: GLYPHOSATE. This is the main chemical found in Roundup, a product sprayed on crops all over the country. Glyphosate has so many different ways of causing fertility issues, and because you can't tell it's even on your food, it carries out the wide spread damage silently.
The Liver & Hormonal Imbalance
One of the main jobs of your liver is to deactivate hormones, toxins, medications, everything, and then prepare these compounds for their trip out of the body. Your liver processes almost everything. That's why the fact that Glyphosate impairs your liver function is a big issue. This impaired function will cause an imbalance in sex hormones through both excess productions of certain hormones like androgens in females and estrogen in males and also impairs your ability to excrete these excess hormones.
This excess of androgens in females is one of the main factors behind PCOS. Glyphosate will not only cause a female to produce more than an average amount of androgens like testosterone but will also prevent her from being able to convert these hormones into estrogen. These hormones get sort of "backed up", causing an imbalance in hormones necessary in proper amounts for ovulation & pregnancy.
In men, instead of helping him produce extra testosterone, glyphosate will cause a decrease in testosterone and an increase in estrogen. Ever known a guy who complains of "man boobs"? There is a good chance he has this hormonal imbalance! The low testosterone leads to lower count and concentration of sperm, and then on-top of that through its ways to destroy the mitochondria in sperm, glyphosate will lower motility also. So lower than normal amounts of sperm, sperm that doesn't move to its ended place very well, anddddddd also man boobs. I don't know a single guy who would knowingly sign up for that.
The Microbiome & Fertilization
Glyphosate has been shown in studies to decrease the beneficial bacteria you have in your gut microbiome & increase the pathogenic "opportunistic" bacteria. This has been shown to actually decrease the chance sperm make their way to the released egg for fertilization! This is an important step, one we don't want to risk not happening.
An imbalanced microbiome can also increase oxidative stress in the body due to the toxins that get released by these "bad" bacteria. Increased oxidative stress is a major contributor to decreasing the quality of both sperm & egg and also decreasing the chance of implantation & successful pregnancy.
What To Do... because none of that sounds good does it?
The optimal goal would be to eat only organic, non-GMO foods. If this however is not within your budget, or making a complete change all at one time feels overwhelming to you... I would recommend starting with the "Dirty Dozen" list produced by the Environmental Working Group. They update the list to show which crops are the most heavily contaminated & which 15 are on the 'safer" side.
Making even small changes to the amount of glyphosate you consume can alleviate skin issues, brain fog, ADHD, and of course fertility challenges. Give it a go for a few weeks and I bet you will start to notice a difference in how you feel!
PS: Not convinced glyphosate is an issue for you? I love utilizing a urine panel from Great Plains Labs that can actually measure the amount of glyphosate coming in (and our) of your body!
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