When you’re managing Hashimoto’s low thyroid it’s important to avoid toxins as much as possible as they have the potential to trigger thyroid inflammation. One new thing to be aware of is oats. Even if you eat all organic, many oat-based foods such as cereal, granola, instant oats, and bars contain glyphosate, the toxic weed-killer in Roundup. Most oats are also contaminated with gluten and people with Hashimoto’s low thyroid should religiously avoid gluten.

A study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) measured glyphosate in 45 conventional oat products 16 organic oat products. The results were shocking.

Thirty one of 45 samples made with conventional oats had 160 ppb or more of glyphosate, which is much higher than what the EWG considers safe, especially for children.

Organic oat products had glyphosate concentrations of 10 ppb to 30 ppb in 5 of 16 samples — well below the EWG benchmark present.

Although organic farming prohibits the use of glyphosate it is believed to contaminate crops by drifting on the wind from nearby conventional crop fields or through cross-contamination at handling facilities.

According to the EWG, “The EPA has calculated that 1- to-2-year-old children are likely to have the highest exposure, at a level 2x greater than California’s No Significant Risk Level and 230x EWG’s health benchmark.”

Glyphosate: Not just an herbicide

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, the world’s most common weed killer — more than 250 million pounds of glyphosate is sprayed on American crops yearly.

A systemic herbicide, when applied to the foliage of broadleaf plants, weeds, and grasses, glyphosate is absorbed through the tissues to kill them.

Most people assume glyphosate and Roundup are used only on GMO products, but it is also sprayed just before harvest on non-GMO oats, barley, wheat, and beans.

Cancer concern

Glyphosate was thought to be safe for year but recent studies link it to major health concerns including cancer and disruption of gut bacteria that leads to many chronic illnesses.

While herbicide makers and the EPA deny glyphosate’s dangers, in 2015 the World Health Organization classified it as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”

There are hundreds of Roundup-related court cases pending but in a landmark 2018 case a California jury ordered Monsanto to pay $289 million in damages to a man dying of cancer caused by repeated exposure to Roundup in his job as a school groundskeeper.

Cancer not the only concern being researched

Gyphosate also destroys our good gut bacteria.

Glyphosate also enhances the damaging effects of other chemical toxins in the environment. The effects manifest slowly over time damaging cellular systems throughout the body.

Monsanto claims that Roundup is harmless to animals and humans because its mechanism of action is absent in animal studies.

However, glyphosate destroys our good gut bacteria, which allows pathogens such as the highly toxic Clostridium botulinum to take over the gut and inflame the body.

Such disruption of gut bacteria is linked to:

• Gastrointestinal disorders
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Heart disease
• Autism
• Infertility
• Cancer
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Autoimmunity

Glycophosphate has also been shown to:

• Cause weed resistance and necessitate stronger and stronger applications.
• Cause the demise of the monarch butterfly population.
• Honey bees exposed to glyphosate lose beneficial gut bacteria and become more susceptible to disease and death.

Glyphosate has been banned or restricted by the following countries:

• Belgium
• Bermuda
• Colombia
• Netherlands
• Sri Lanka
• El Salvador
• France
• Saudi Arabia
• Kuwait
• Qatar
• Bahrain
• Oman
• UAE

In addition, towns in many states have taken a stand against the chemical.

Organic or not, check your brands

To reduce the impact of glyphosate eat organic produce and familiarize yourself with these products. Again, remember that unless otherwise specified, oats are contaminated with gluten and you should stick with gluten-free oats only if you have Hashimoto’s low thyroid.

Potentially dangerous to children:

• Back to Nature Classic Granola
• Quaker Simply Granola Oats, Honey, Raisin and Almonds
• Nature Valley Granola Protein Oats ‘n Honey
• Giant Instant Oatmeal Original Flavor
• Quaker Dinosaur Eggs, Brown Sugar, Instant Oatmeal
• Great Value Original Instant Oatmeal
• Umpqua Oats, Maple Pecan
• Market Pantry Instant Oatmeal, Strawberries & Cream*
• Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal
• Lucky Charms (without marshmallows)
• Barbara’s Multigrain Spoonfuls, Original, Cereal
• Kellogg’s Cracklin’ Oat Bran oat cereal*
• Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars, Oats ‘n Honey
• Quaker Steel Cut Oats
• Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
• Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats*

Contains safe amounts of glyphosate:

• Back to Nature Banana Walnut Granola Clusters
• KIND Vanilla, Blueberry Clusters with Flax Seeds
• Kellogg’s Nutrigrain Soft Baked Breakfast Bars, Strawberry
• Nature’s Path Organic Old Fashioned Organic Oats
• Whole Foods Bulk Bin conventional rolled oats
• Bob’s Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

Contained no glyphosate in any tests:

• Nature’s Path Organic Honey Almond granola
• Simple Truth Organic Instant Oatmeal, Original
• Kashi Heart to Heart Organic Honey Toasted cereal
• Cascadian Farm Organic Harvest Berry, granola bar
• 365 Organic Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats

*This product underwent multiple tests and tested above the dangerous level in one or more and below the dangerous level in one or more.

Ask my office for more help in managing your Hashimoto’s low thyroid.

How to learn if you have Hashimoto’s low thyroid

Many patients are not diagnosed with hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s until after several years and going through several doctors. It is a demoralizing journey richly illustrated in my book The Truth About Low Thyroid: Stories of Hope and Healing for Those Suffering With Hashimoto’s Low Thyroid Disease, through real-life stories from patients in my practice. Managing Hashimoto’s goes far beyond using thyroid medication as you must work to stop the immune system from attacking the thyroid. For more information on identifying and managing Hashimoto’s low thyroid, contact my office.

About Dr. Josh Redd, Chiropractic Physician — Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, and New Mexico functional medicine

Dr. Joshua J. Redd, DC, MS, DABFM, DAAIM, author of The Truth About Low Thyroid: Stories of Hope and Healing for Those Suffering With Hashimoto’s Low Thyroid Disease, is a chiropractic physician and the founder of RedRiver Health and Wellness Center with practices in Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. He sees patients from around the world who suffer from challenging thyroid disorders, Hashimoto’s disease, and other autoimmune conditions. In addition to his chiropractic degree, Dr. Redd has a BS in Health and Wellness, a BS in Anatomy, and a MS in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine.  He speaks across the nation, teaching physicians about functional blood chemistry, low thyroid, Hashimoto’s, and autoimmunity. You can join his Facebook page here.