Truth About Gluten, Glyphosate, and Gut Health

Introduction: More Than Just Gluten

Over the past two decades, “gluten-free” has become a household phrase. Grocery store shelves are lined with gluten-free breads, pastas, and cookies. Restaurants proudly mark gluten-free items on their menus. And millions of people swear they feel better when they cut wheat out of their diets.

But the conversation about gluten rarely touches the full truth. The real story is not just about gluten proteins themselves, it’s about how our food system has changed, and how those changes interact with our gut.

The wheat we eat today is not the same wheat our grandparents or great-grandparents ate. And the chemicals sprayed on that wheat — especially glyphosate , the world’s most widely used herbicide — may be just as important to our health story as gluten itself.

If you’ve ever wondered why so many people suddenly “can’t tolerate” bread, pasta, or beer, this article is for you. Let’s unpack the connections between gluten, glyphosate, and gut health — and more importantly, what you can do to protect yourself and your family.

What Is Glyphosate?

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, the best-selling weed killer on the planet. Introduced in the 1970s, it is now sprayed on over 400 million acres every year in the U.S. alone, and globally on hundreds of millions more.

Most people think glyphosate is just used on genetically modified (GMO) corn and soy. But the truth is, glyphosate is used on a wide range of crops, including wheat, oats, beans, peas, and even sugar. Farmers spray it not only to kill weeds during the growing season but also as a “dry-down” agent right before harvest. This means glyphosate residues often end up directly in your food.

What makes glyphosate especially concerning for gut health is that it’s not just a weed killer. It’s also patented as an antibiotic. That means it doesn’t only kill weeds — it can also harm or inhibit the beneficial microbes in your gut that are essential for digestion, immunity, and long-term health.

How Wheat Has Changed

When people say they “can’t eat wheat anymore,” they’re not imagining things.

The wheat grown and consumed in the United States today has undergone decades of hybridization and selective breeding to increase yield, make it easier to process, and fit modern industrial agriculture. These changes have resulted in wheat that contains higher levels of gluten and gliadin proteins than older varieties.

Gliadin, in particular, is problematic because it can stimulate the release of zonulin, a molecule that loosens the “tight junctions” in your gut lining.

Modern farming practices amplify the problem. Non-organic wheat is often sprayed with glyphosate to dry the crop before harvest. This creates a chemical burden our ancestors never encountered.

For comparison, Einkorn wheat — one of the earliest domesticated grains — has not been hybridized or genetically modified. It is naturally lower in gluten and often better tolerated, especially once the gut is repaired.

Gluten, Zonulin, and Leaky Gut

Your gut lining is the largest interface between your body and the outside world. Every bite of food you eat is technically “outside” of you until it crosses the gut barrier into your bloodstream.

That barrier is built from a single layer of cells sealed by tight junctions. When these junctions work properly, the gut acts like a fine-mesh sieve: nutrients pass through, but larger particles, toxins, and microbes stay out.

Here’s the problem:

• The gliadin in gluten triggers zonulin, which “unlocks” those tight junctions.
• Glyphosate further weakens the barrier by disrupting gut microbes and binding minerals needed for repair.
• This leads to leaky gut — a condition where food proteins, toxins, and microbes seep into the bloodstream, activating the immune system and fueling chronic inflammation.

Clinical Signs of Glyphosate Toxicity

Because the gut is connected to every system in the body, glyphosate exposure can show up in many ways:

• Digestive issues: bloating, indigestion, food sensitivities.
• Immune problems: frequent illness, asthma, weak immunity.
• Skin issues: eczema, rashes, ulcers that won’t heal.
• Hormonal effects: infertility, low sperm counts, irregular cycles.
• Energy challenges: chronic fatigue, gout, iron deficiency.
• Neurological: hyperactivity, brain fog, encephalitis-like symptoms.
• Musculoskeletal: stiff ligaments, joint pain.
• Detox overload: low glutathione, poor tolerance for toxins.

This cluster of symptoms doesn’t look the same in every person, but the pattern is becoming increasingly familiar to integrative and functional medicine practitioners.

Why Gluten Intolerance and Celiac Are Rising

Celiac disease used to be rare. Today, it’s one of the most common autoimmune conditions worldwide. Millions more have non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

Why the rise? The evidence points not just to gluten itself, but to gluten plus glyphosate.

Dr. Stephanie Seneff has argued that glyphosate disrupts enzymes and microbes in ways that magnify gluten’s harm. Dr. Zach Bush has highlighted glyphosate’s direct impact on tight junctions.

chemical agriculture , is fundamentally different from the wheat of history.

What You Can Do to Heal

1. Remove Exposures

• Choose organic grains and legumes to avoid glyphosate residues.
• Cut out processed, non-organic wheat, oats, and soy.
• Favor ancient grains like organic Einkorn once gut repair is underway.

2. Repair the Gut Lining

• Follow gut-healing diets like GAPS, emphasizing amino acids and collagen.
• Eat bone broth, organic beef collagen, and sulfur-rich foods like onions and garlic.

3. Support the Microbiome

• Consume fermented foods daily (sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt, kimchi).
• Take a high-quality probiotic formula .

4. Restore Minerals and Antioxidants

• Remember: glyphosate binds a broad spectrum of minerals, not just zinc or magnesium.
• Replenish with full-spectrum sources like humic and fulvic minerals, SierraSil, or mineral-rich salts (Redmond, Baja, Celtic).
• Add fat-soluble vitamin C from rose hips and hibiscus.

5. Digestive Enzymes

• Use a mix of betaine hydrochloride, pancreatin, and pepsin to support protein digestion.
• Include enzymes like catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) for oxidative stress.
• Make high-fat homemade yogurt , which naturally contains lipase to help break down fats.

6. Detox and Support the Liver

• Herbs like milk thistle nourish liver function.
• Regular sauna sweating supports detox.
• Bitters, teas, and lymphatic massage stimulate natural cleansing.

7. Avoid Additional Stressors

• Minimize unnecessary antibiotics.
• Avoid acetaminophen (Tylenol, paracetamol), which depletes glutathione.

The Hopeful Side: Ancient Grains and Healing

The good news is that healing is possible. Many people find that once their gut is repaired and the microbiome balanced, they can enjoy small amounts of ancient grains like organic Einkorn wheat without trouble.

The gut lining can regenerate, the microbiome can rebound, and the body can recover. It takes time and consistency, but it is absolutely within reach.

Moving Forward with Awareness and Action

Gluten and glyphosate are a one-two punch against gut health. Gluten loosens the gut barrier through zonulin, and glyphosate compounds the damage by disrupting microbes and tying up essential minerals.

The result? Leaky gut, inflammation , autoimmunity, and chronic disease.

But knowledge is power. By reducing exposure, repairing the gut, and restoring minerals and enzymes, you can reclaim your resilience.

This isn’t just about avoiding bread forever. It’s about restoring your body’s ability to thrive — and creating a healthier future for yourself and your family.