Nutrition Principle 10 – Eat food raised on healthy soils.

This includes plant foods and animals.  The health of the soil has a very significant effect on the health of your food, and thus your health.  The book written by André Voisin, who was both a biochemist and a farmer, definitely provides food for thought about how soil health affects you.  Please read about it here:  Soil, Grass and Cancer.

Most soils today are depleted of the critical minerals that were once abundant.  Modern agriculture does not replenish soil nutrients, so farmers (it feels a bit sacrilegious even to use that term) must use chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides.  Research shows that the common chemical glyphosate (in RoundUp) binds the minerals in the soil.  These practices are all severely damaging, resulting in “dead” soil.

What is healthy soil?  It is high in minerals and has a healthy food web of organisms.  This is the soil microbiome.  Plant crops raised in healthy soil, and animals eating from pastures with healthy soils are the foods that will nourish you.

Innovative farmers use management practices that improve soil health, such as adding organic matter, rotational grazing, crop rotation, no-till, and cover crops.  The foods that you commonly eat that are affected include everything really – grains, vegetables, fruits, beef, chicken, lamb, eggs, and dairy products.

What can you do?  Buy foods raised on healthy soils, either from a farmer you trust or from a farmer you trust, or raise them yourself.  You can go to farmers’ markets, good natural food stores, or even roadside farm stands.  Many farms will ship their products these days.  The best farms will use terms such as biodynamic or regenerative.  Organic practices used by big commercial farms are not ideal.  These foods will likely have fewer toxins, but may not be any higher in nutrients.

You can read more in this excellent article:  Why Is Soil Health Important.

Read last week’s article here:  Nutrition Principle 9 – Dem Bones

Dr. Veronica will be teaching a free class in January on simple, natural ways to feel better.  Keep an eye out for details.

Dr. Veronica Tilden can be your ally in having vibrant health.  She uses traditional hands-on osteopathy to diagnose and treat.  She helps you take responsibility for your health and guides you in making better choices in your life.  Her office is in North Fork.  You can find out more and schedule an appointment at DrVeronicaTilden.com.