Last week I wrote about the bridge between knowing and doing— how awareness and education are essential, but they are only the beginning of the wellness journey.

Once we begin to understand what supports the body — what stabilizes blood sugar, nourishes the gut, supports the brain, and preserves muscle — the next question naturally becomes:

What does that actually look like in everyday life?

One of the phrases I often use with clients — and you’ve probably heard me say many times — is simple:

Eat real food.

In fact, if someone asked me to describe the foundational way of eating I believe supports long-term health, that would probably be the phrase I would start with.

Strip away the diet books.
Strip away the conflicting nutrition headlines.
Strip away the complicated food rules.

And just come back to this simple idea:

Eat real food.

But the moment we say that phrase, another question quickly follows:

What actually counts as “real food”?

One helpful starting point is this:

Food that still resembles where it came from.

Glyphosate.

Not my favorite topic, because it can be upsetting when you take into consideration the expansive exposure we all have to this chemical, as well as other chemicals, in our food system.

But awareness is important … so we can all make better choices when shopping.

Glyphosate is a chemical made by Bayer/Monsanto Company, and it is the most prevalent herbicide used on our crops. You may know its commercial name - RoundUp Weed Killer.

Unfortunately, glyphosate seems to be everywhere - our soil, our water, our air, our food, and in our bodies. It’s nearly impossible to completely avoid.

Even organic foods may have glyphosate, typically occurring when organic farms are close to conventional farms using herbicides and pesticides.

The World Health Organization in 2016 declared glysophate “probably carcinogenic” - but the EPA has yet to declare it unsafe.