We’ve all heard the saying “You are what you eat”. But, as we hear in this episode, it really should go “You are what you eat, and the soil it grows in.”
Over half of our adult population are considered to be malnourished, and this is in part due to a decline in the nutrient density of our food. As the world’s population grows and remaining arable land decreases, growing healthier, nutrient dense food might just be a part of the answer to improving human health outcomes.
In this episode we talk with two farmers and two researchers about the question: ‘Is soil the key to better human health?’.
What we find is a complex tangle of connections between soil, plants, animals, and humans that science is only just beginning to understand.
Thank to our wonderful guests:
Matthew Evans
Farmer, chef and food writer and the author of ‘Soil: The incredible story of what keeps the earth, and us, healthy”
Courtney Young
Co-owner at Woodstock Flour and project manager at Soils for Life
Robyn Alders
Honorary professor with the Development Policy Centre at the Australian National University
Dr Stephan van Vliet
Assistant professor of nutrition at the Center for Human Nutrition Studies at Utah State University He holds a PhD in Kinesiology and Community Health. Dr. van Vliet also holds a Masters in Nutrition Science.
Additional research links
A database of chemical compounds found in foods by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, https://foodb.ca/
Hosted by Susannah Kable from the Grow Love Project and James Diack from Soils for Life. This Podcast has been produced by Grow Love Project in collaboration with Soils for Life.
If you have any feedback or questions about this podcast, or suggestions of topics or people you’d like us to include in future episodes, please reach out on social media or via [email protected]. More at www.soilsforlife.org.au/podcast
0:00 Intro
1:04 A farmer growing grain with more flavour
3:25 These days our food has less nutrients
5:05 A malnourished nation
6:00 Quantity over quality
7:44 Discovering micronutrients
10:50 Metabolites: Diverse pastures and animal health
15:55 Nutritional Dark Matter: What we don't know
17:20 Best farming practices for nutrition
23:20 Diversity is key
24:50 Healthy soil, more flavour?
28:19 One Health, it's all connected
29:50 We need good data to drive policy
31:48 How do we measure micronutrients?
32:40 Choosing foods based on nutrients
35:55 What do farmers need to change practices?
39:39 Circular economics: Driving change
40:36 Caring for communities
41:25 Flavour is joy
#regenerativefarming #regenerative #soil #nutrition
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