Why Eating Wheat Makes You Feel Sick… and What You Can Do About It
If you’ve had to say “no” to enjoying pasta, sandwiches, pizza, and cookies because of a gluten sensitivity, what you’re about to hear might change your life...
The rapid rise in gluten sensitivity, gluten intolerance, and celiac disease has transformed the way millions of us eat, all hoping to avoid some very nasty symptoms like:
- diarrhea
- constipation
- bloating
- foul-smelling gas and feces
- abdominal pain
- indigestion
- mineral deficiencies (including iron)
- headaches
- depression and anxiety
- joint pain
And who wouldn’t want to avoid all that? So we give up wheat products and go gluten-free, and for some of us that helps reduce the symptoms…but for most of us, they never really go away.
That’s because the culprit behind those stressful symptoms isn’t really wheat or gluten after all.
Quick Answer: For many people, the real trigger behind gluten-intolerance symptoms may not be gluten itself but glyphosate, the weed killer used on most conventional U.S. wheat. People ate wheat for thousands of years with little trouble, yet gluten sensitivity surged alongside rising glyphosate use. Glyphosate can kill beneficial gut bacteria while sparing resistant pathogens, causing dysbiosis that mimics the symptoms of celiac disease and gluten intolerance, from bloating and diarrhea to fatigue. One clinical study even found a high-gluten diet did not increase symptoms. The most effective response is to limit processed foods and rebuild your microbiome with spore probiotics, which help restore beneficial bacteria and keep toxins in check.
When Did Wheat Start Making People Sick?
People ate wheat for at least 10,000 years with few problems, and celiac disease was once rare. The recent surge in gluten intolerance is not because wheat has more gluten or our bodies changed, but appears tied to how wheat is now grown, treated, and harvested.
When did wheat go bad?
People have been eating wheat without harmful consequences at least 10,000 years. And historically, less than 1% percent of the population suffered from celiac disease (an autoimmune condition that causes damage to the small intestine when gluten is ingested).
But recently, both celiac disease and gluten intolerance (a condition where gluten brings on symptoms without doing intestinal damage) have exploded in the U.S., with millions of people suffering every time they eat so much as a slice of toast.
So how did wheat – a staple food for generations – suddenly become toxic to so many people?
It’s not that wheat now has a higher gluten content…or that our digestive tracts have evolved to naturally reject gluten.
In fact, a surprising clinical study resulted in some very eye-opening results. For two weeks, the study subjects were split into groups and placed on one of three distinct diets: low-gluten, high-gluten, or no-gluten. The results: the high-gluten diet did NOT increase symptoms like bloating. Plus, gluten had no effect on any of the biomarkers that the researchers tested, including immune system responses and intestinal inflammation.
If gluten’s not the problem, what is?
The answer lies in the way wheat is grown, treated, and harvested: Using highly toxic weed killers that destroy the beneficial bacteria in your gut.
What Is the Real Cause of Gluten Intolerance?
The rise in gluten intolerance lines up closely with the increased use of glyphosate, the main ingredient in the herbicide Roundup. Glyphosate exposure is nearly unavoidable, and it can kill beneficial gut bacteria while leaving resistant pathogens behind, leading to dysbiosis.
The real issue behind gluten intolerance
The extreme rise in gluten intolerance coincides perfectly with the increased use of glyphosate, one of the main ingredients in the world’s most widely used herbicide, Roundup. Check out this chart...
Today, glyphosate (and Roundup) exposure is virtually unavoidable – we all ingest it, in tiny amounts, every day. And formulations like Roundup contain multiple ingredients – many of them undisclosed and untested as “inactive ingredients” – can be 1000 times more toxic together than they would be separately (which is how they’re usually tested).
In fact, one study showed that Roundup was even more toxic than glyphosate alone.
Some food crops come with especially high levels of weedkiller… and that includes practically all of the conventionally grown wheat in America. That’s partly because most conventional farmers use glyphosate-based weedkillers as a “pre-harvest” aid, spraying it on mature wheat plants to dry them out and increase seed yields. (read here to find out how)
And while industry players continue to claim that this weedkiller is perfectly safe, glyphosate is known to kill off beneficial gut bacteria without harming resistant pathogenic (bad) bacteria. That leads to a condition called dysbiosis, where the bad bacteria in your gut outnumber the good bacteria, which can lead to a whole host of serious health issues even if you don’t have any noticeable symptoms.
Why Does Glyphosate Mimic Gluten Sensitivity?
When glyphosate disrupts the microbiome and causes dysbiosis, it can trigger the same symptoms associated with celiac disease and gluten intolerance. It also blocks key enzymes and binds essential minerals like iron, copper, and molybdenum so the body cannot use them.
Glyphosate toxicity looks like gluten sensitivity
When glyphosate-based weedkillers attack the beneficial bacteria in your microbiome (the total population of bacteria in your gut) and bring on dysbiosis, that triggers the very same major symptoms associated with celiac disease and gluten intolerance.
For one thing, glyphosate inhibits crucial enzymes (cytochrome P450 enzymes, also affected in celiac disease) that are essential for several critical body functions, including:
- clearing out environmental toxins
- forming essential fatty acids and bile acids
- activating vitamin D and breaking down vitamin A
In addition, glyphosate bonds with essential and trace minerals – including iron, copper, and molybdenum – so your body can’t use them, another issue commonly suffered by celiac patients.
How Does Glyphosate Damage Your Microbiome?
By causing dysbiosis, glyphosate can raise LPS toxin levels in the gut. Those toxins attack the digestive lining and contribute to leaky gut, letting toxins escape into the bloodstream in a process called toxic streaming.
Glyphosate decimates your microbiome
Plus, by causing dysbiosis, these weed-killing chemicals can significantly increase your body’s LPS toxin levels, a common problem when bad bacteria populations in your gut grow and multiply out of control.
LPS toxins attack the lining of your digestive tract, causing leaky gut, which allows those toxins to escape into your bloodstream where they can do all sorts of damage – a condition called Toxic Streaming.
And since most American wheat gets doused in weedkiller (not to mention the soil and water being chock full of it), the problem may not be gluten after all… but the glyphosate and other chemicals absorbed by the wheat that are toxic to your microbiome.
Practically speaking, this means that your body might be able to easily tolerate 100% organically grown wheat (especially if it’s not grown in the glyphosate-happy U.S). Still, for the sake of your microbiome, it’s best to limit the amount of processed foods you eat, and supply your gut bacteria with plenty of nourishing, fiber-rich whole foods.
But, first, you need to restore your microbiome to a beneficial balance. And the best way to do that is with spore probiotics – particularly the four spore probiotic strains found in Just Thrive.
How Do Spore Probiotics Help Restore Your Gut?
Spore probiotics help repopulate the gut with beneficial bacteria and create an environment where other helpful strains can flourish. That added diversity helps keep pathogenic bacteria and toxic streaming in check while your microbiome rebuilds.
Spore probiotics: your microbiome repair kit
The four clinically studied spore probiotics in Just Thrive help repopulate your gut with beneficial bacteria, and create a healthy environment so other strains of probiotics can flourish as well. This brings much-needed diversity to your microbiome, keeping pathogenic bacteria and toxic streaming in check.
Add Just Thrive Probiotic to your morning routine to revitalize your whole digestive system… so you can have your toast and enjoy it, too.
Frequently Asked Questions About Gluten and Gut Health
Is gluten really the cause of my symptoms?
For many people, gluten may not be the true culprit. Research points to glyphosate residue on conventional wheat, which can disrupt gut bacteria and produce symptoms that look very much like gluten intolerance.
What is glyphosate and why does it matter for the gut?
Glyphosate is the main ingredient in the widely used herbicide Roundup, often sprayed on wheat before harvest. It can kill beneficial gut bacteria while sparing resistant pathogens, leading to dysbiosis and digestive symptoms.
Can I eat wheat if it is not the gluten?
Some people find they tolerate organically grown wheat, especially wheat not grown with glyphosate. Even so, it is wise to limit processed foods and feed your gut bacteria plenty of fiber-rich whole foods.
What is dysbiosis?
Dysbiosis is an imbalance in the gut microbiome where harmful bacteria outnumber beneficial ones. It can cause a wide range of digestive and whole-body symptoms, sometimes even without obvious signs.
How can spore probiotics help?
The clinically studied spore probiotics in Just Thrive help repopulate the gut with beneficial bacteria and support a diverse microbiome, which helps keep pathogens and toxic streaming in check.
CLICK HERE TO BUY JUST THRIVE PROBIOTIC NOW
