Healing your body after pesticide exposure (Our guide)
You can’t see them. You can’t taste them. But they’re there.
Coating the spinach that looked so vibrant in your fridge drawer. Hiding in the wheat flour that made your child’s morning toast. Drifting through the air of rural fields, then settling into rivers, breast milk, umbilical cords.
We’re talking about pesticide, and specifically, glyphosate.
In 2015, the World Health Organisation classified glyphosate as a “probable carcinogen.”
In 2020, it was found in 80% of urine samples tested in a CDC-backed survey.
In 2023, it showed up in breast milk, umbilical cords, rainwater
Pesticides were designed to kill. Insects, weeds, fungi. But life is interconnected, and what damages one system rarely stops there.
Let’s walk through it. What these chemicals do, to the body, to the earth. And how, piece by piece, we can opt out.
What is glyphosate, and why is it everywhere?
Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide on Earth. Originally patented as a metal chelator (meaning it binds to minerals), it’s the active ingredient in Roundup, a weedkiller sprayed across lawns, playgrounds, and, most worryingly, our food system.
But it’s not just sprayed on GMO corn or soy. Glyphosate is now routinely sprayed as a drying agent on non-GMO staples too: oats, wheat, chickpeas, lentils, barley, sugarcane. That “healthy” oat milk? Likely harvested with a dose of Roundup just days before processing. This means even if you're not eating GMO foods, you're still likely ingesting glyphosate through everyday staples.
And it doesn’t just disappear.
How glyphosate affects human health
Glyphosate was designed to kill weeds by disrupting the shikimate pathway, a metabolic route absent in humans but present in our gut bacteria. Which matters more than most realise.
Gut ecology collapse: Glyphosate reduces keystone species like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria, while favouring more harmful strains. It also loosens tight junctions in the gut lining, paving the way for intestinal permeability (aka leaky gut). The result? A primed landscape for food intolerances, chronic inflammation, and autoimmune flares.
Neurotoxicity: Studies have linked glyphosate exposure to neurodevelopmental disorders in children and neurodegeneration in adults, likely due to inflammation, oxidative stress, and gut-brain axis disruption.
Mitochondrial dysfunction: Glyphosate inhibits cytochrome P450 enzymes, key players in both detoxification and energy production. Over time, this can manifest as persistent fatigue, sluggish metabolism, brain fog, and hormonal chaos. Your mitochondria take the hit long before symptoms become clinical.
Endocrine disruption & DNA damage: Even at trace levels, glyphosate has been shown to mimic or block hormones, disrupt endocrine signalling, and impair fertility. It’s been detected in placental tissue, fetal blood, and breast milk. In lab models, glyphosate has caused DNA fragmentation and epigenetic shifts, suggesting its impact may span generations, not just lifetimes.
What it does to animals & ecosystems
Pesticides don’t just vanish after they do their job. They drift, seep, and linger, long after the sprayer moves on. And they’re anything but selective.
Pollinators under siege: Glyphosate messes with the memory of bees and their sense of direction, so they can’t find flowers, or worse, can’t find their way home. It weakens their immunity, leaving hives vulnerable to disease. And when glyphosate isn’t enough, neonicotinoids step in, a class of insecticides that act like nicotine for insects, paralysing their nervous system and killing off colonies en masse.
Soil microbes and mycorrhizae: Glyphosate disrupts the intricate symbiosis between fungi and plant roots. It kills off microbial communities, reducing soil fertility and carbon sequestration.
Wildlife exposure: Glyphosate doesn’t stay in the fields. It’s been detected in the livers of wild deer, the tissue of freshwater fish, and even the feathers of migratory birds. Once in the system, it bioaccumulates, climbing the food chain, just as it does in humans. Animals don’t get a label warning them it’s toxic. They just suffer the consequences.
We recently visited My Little Farm, a beautiful patch of land in the West Sussex quietly reclaiming what it means to farm in harmony with nature. They’re doing everything right: rotating animals through pasture, composting scraps into soil gold, letting wildflowers grow in the margins to feed bees and beneficial insects. No chemicals, no shortcuts.
But beneath the surface of all their progress is a quiet grief. Because just over the fence, neighbouring farms still spray pesticides like water. Pesticides drift on the breeze, run into shared waterways, soak into communal soil. Even those determined to reject the system aren’t immune to it. It’s the heartbreak of trying to heal land in a world still poisoning it.
So why is glyphosate still legal in the UK?
The short answer: regulation often lags behind research, and economic interests tend to speak louder than soil health. Despite mounting evidence linking glyphosate to gut disruption, endocrine interference, and ecosystem damage, it's been re-approved in the UK until at least 15 December 2026. Glyphosate keeps fields looking tidy and profit margins intact. But health? That’s harder to monetise. Until it becomes politically profitable to prioritise health over convenience, glyphosate stays in circulation.
Okay… but what can we actually do?
1. Buy organic, especially these foods
You don’t need to buy 100% organic to make a difference. The Dirty Dozen (updated annually by the EWG) lists the most pesticide-contaminated produce, things like strawberries, spinach, grapes, and apples. Start there. Opt for organic versions of these if nothing else.
And know this: most glyphosate isn’t just sprayed on fruits and veggies. It’s used to desiccate (dry out) crops like wheat, oats, legumes and soy before harvest. This means your biggest exposure might be coming from:
Conventional oats (cereal, granola, snack bars)
Non-organic bread, pasta, and crackers
Soy-based snacks and processed foods
Look for organic, glyphosate-residue free, or sprouted options when possible.
2. Even better, each seasonally and locally…
Most large-scale, conventional produce is grown to withstand long-distance transport and long shelf lives, which often means heavy pesticide use. Crops are sprayed not just during growth, but again post-harvest to prevent mould, bruising, and spoilage during shipping. Imported fruits are sometimes even fumigated at border control. But when you buy from local growers, especially small-scale or regenerative farms, those chemical pressures disappear.
Food is harvested closer to ripeness, handled gently, and sold within days, not weeks. Many local farms don’t need to rely on glyphosate or synthetic fungicides because their produce doesn’t have to travel thousands of miles or survive supermarket storage. And when you eat what’s in season, you also avoid the out-of-season imports most likely to be chemically preserved.
That said, here’s the catch: local doesn’t always mean spray-free. Many small farms still use conventional pesticides or herbicides out of necessity or habit, even those selling at your weekend farmer’s market. That’s where the Organised app comes in. We personally vet every producer listed, connecting you with farms that use organic, regenerative, and chemical-free practices with full transparency.
2. Can you wash it off? Sort of. Here’s what works.
Even with the best intentions, it’s unlikely you’ll avoid pesticide exposure completely. So when they do make their way into your kitchen, the goal is simple: reduce the load. While you can’t wash away everything, you can remove a significant amount of surface residue with the right methods.
Water: Removes some pesticide residue, but not systemic ones like glyphosate (which is absorbed into the plant). Most people use tap water to rinse their produce, but it’s worth remembering that municipal water often contains added fluoride, chlorine, and trace pharmaceuticals. It really isn’t ideal for daily washing, especially when your goal is to reduce chemical exposure, not swap one kind for another. If you have a water filter, use that water for rinsing when possible.
Baking soda bath: One of the best. Soak produce in 1 tsp baking soda per 2 cups water for 15–20 mins. Rinse well.
Vinegar: Mix 1 part vinegar with 3 parts water and soak for 10–15 minutes. This helps reduce surface bacteria and pesticide traces, though it’s not as effective as baking soda for removing chemical residue. Best used in combination with a scrub or soak.
Commercial produce sprays: Mostly overpriced. Stick with baking soda.
Peeling produce helps (for apples and cucumbers especially), but remember, nutrients are often concentrated in the skin.
3. Build a body that's harder to poison
We can’t avoid every toxin, but we can be less vulnerable to them. The goal isn’t sterile avoidance. It’s resilience.
Support detox pathways
Your liver transforms fat-soluble toxins into water-soluble compounds your body can eliminate via bile, urine, and sweat. But it can’t do that efficiently when undernourished or overwhelmed.
Bitter greens (like dandelion, rocket, chicory): stimulate bile flow, which helps the liver eliminate waste and break down fats. Bitters also support digestion and gently encourage elimination.
Beets: rich in betaine and antioxidants that support phase 2 liver detox, the stage where the liver packages toxins for excretion.
Dandelion root tea: a daily gentle tonic that supports both the liver and kidneys, improving filtration and waste removal.
Replete the minerals glyphosate steals
Glyphosate chelates minerals like zinc, magnesium, and iron, leaving cells depleted. The solution? Re-mineralise, the ancestral way.
Organ meats (especially liver): The most bioavailable source of iron, zinc, copper, B12, and real vitamin A (retinol). Liver nourishes the blood, supports the thyroid, and replenishes what glyphosate quietly drains.
Bone broth: When simmered long and slow with vinegar, bones release glycine, collagen, calcium, magnesium, and other trace minerals essential for rebuilding tissue and supporting liver detox. Add seaweed or eggshells for an extra mineral boost.
Sea salt (true sea salt, like Celtic or Himalayan, contains over 80 trace minerals needed for adrenal function, hydration, and enzyme activity.)
Shellfish like oysters: one of the richest natural sources of zinc.
Repair the gut
Glyphosate weakens tight junctions in the intestinal lining. Healing the gut requires both nourishment and microbial reinoculation.
Gelatine-rich broths (especially from chicken feet or marrow bones): deliver glycine, proline, and collagen to rebuild the gut lining and calm inflammation.
Fermented foods (like sauerkraut, kefir, and raw yogurt): reintroduce live bacteria that diversify the microbiome and restore balance post-antibiotics or pesticide exposure.
Raw dairy: rich in probiotics, enzymes, and fat-soluble vitamins like K2 that support both digestion and bone health.
Eliminate seed oils: they promote inflammation and feed pathogenic microbes, worsening gut permeability and dysbiosis.
Sweat it out
Your skin is a detox organ. Many toxins,including heavy metals, phthalates, and BPA, are excreted through sweat. But modern life rarely gets us hot enough to open those channels.
Infrared sauna (or traditional sauna): 2–4 times per week can enhance detox via sweat, lower inflammation, and mobilise fat-stored toxins.
Epsom salt baths: magnesium sulfate supports liver detox and calms the nervous system. Add baking soda for extra draw.
Rebounding or light cardio after sweating: helps the lymphatic system move residual waste out of tissues.
Move your lymph
The lymphatic system is like your body’s internal drainage network, carrying toxins, cellular debris, and immune cells. But unlike blood, lymph doesn’t have a pump. It needs movement to circulate.
Dry brushing: use a stiff natural bristle brush before showering, brushing toward the heart to stimulate lymphatic flow.
Deep squats: compress and release lymphatic nodes in the groin and hips, supporting lower-body drainage.
Walking barefoot (earthing): discharges positive ions from inflammation and rebalances the nervous system while stimulating lymphatic flow through natural movement.
Tongue scraping: an ancient Ayurvedic practice that removes toxin build up.
Our part for the earth
It’s not just our bodies that are overwhelmed. The soil, the water, the pollinators, they’re all bearing the brunt of chemical agriculture.
Buy from UK farms using regenerative practices, those rotating animals on pasture, composting naturally, and skipping the sprays. The Organised app can help you find them. Compost your scraps instead of binning them, even a small countertop caddy keeps nutrients cycling back into the land instead of releasing methane in landfill. Plant wildflowers and herbs for pollinators, lavender, borage, marjoram, and skip the weedkiller in your garden. What goes down your drain ends up in waterways. Choose soaps, shampoos, and low-tox household products that biodegrade safely. And if you have even a windowsill to spare, grow something. Every small act of stewardship, every garden left unsprayed, every meal sourced from real soil, adds up to a quieter, cleaner, more resilient countryside.
The problem with pesticides is real, but so is our power to opt out...
Every time you cook from scratch, choose food that hasn’t been sprayed, or support a farm that feeds the soil instead of stripping it, you shift the tide. This isn’t about being perfect, it’s about participating. Every system you step outside of is a step toward repair.