BODY. Soil Health = Human Health.
As a pre-med student 15 years ago, I majored in Nutritional Sciences to “prove” my theory that what we eat has an impact on our health. And while I left unsatisfied that my progressive and fancy school could not somehow string together a nutrition class with the organic farm on campus (not to mention also being a frontrunner agricultural school), it did send me on my way to do a deeper dive, or dig, rather, to deeper a understanding of nutrition, food and how it gets to our plates (and impacts our health).
After undergraduate, I was fortunate to pursue a variety of farming experiences to understand our food and where it comes from with literally boots on the ground and hands in the soil. Goat farm, garlic farm, olive oil farm, herbal medicine garden, full diet CSA, maple sap/syrup farm… you name it, I tried it if they allowed me to exchange my labor for food and housing.
What I learned from these experiences? #1. Farming, any type of farming, is HARD work. I decided to go to take the easier route of med school instead of farming after all, didn’t I? #2. Soil health matters. If soil isn’t well, the plants won’t be either. Therefore … neither will be those who consume it (farm animal or person). Humus health = human health, was my basic discovery. Duh. If only four years of Ivy League education could have taught me that.
Fast forward through medical training, and I am able to get some real data on nutrients my patients and myself are able to glean from food. I have historically thought of supplements as just that: supplemental. Ideally, we are getting our B12, iron, folate, zinc, magnesium, etc. from the foods we eat. I was surprised to see my own B12 come in at 432 pg/mL (with > 700 pg/mL being ideal). I know how I eat and where I buy from - how could I need to supplement? And if I am low in these basics … are there other micronutrients I am missing?
The root cause, it turns out, is just that. How the roots in soil that is tended are treated. So much is being discovered on an agricultural front, and there are some really fantastic organizations working to get more hard data on the benefits of regenerative farming (look into Think Regeneration and Ryzosphere Project) that can be done in a financially viable way. It’s a huge undertaking, and one I think very worthwhile. These are the people look to be the disruptors.
In my article How To Use Spring Plants, I give a spoiler alert that Bayer (pharmaceutical company) also owning Monsanto (the king of RoundUp). And at the Food and Farm symposium this year, I discussed alongside farmers how the similarities between “Big Pharma” and “Big Ag” (and also “Big Food”) aren’t all that different. And that both farmers and doctors face many of the same challenges at this point in time.
I was also pleased to share my more rudimentary thoughts on how I see the human digestive track mirror soil. This is truly a work in progress, so bear with me:
The human microbiome is a complex ecosystem that brilliantly operates to take a variety of food and turn it into usable fuel, then to compost. With 37 trillion human cells and 100 trillion microbes in our gut microbiome alone (!), one could say we are more bug than human. These organisms digest and process our food for use and have a profound impact on the health of our entire system. Old-time naturopaths are thought to say, “All disease starts in the gut.” If you wipe out the microbial population with repeated heavy antibiotic use, the terrain of your biome may have a more difficult time repopulating. Additionally, eating lower fiber content and monoculture food sources reduces microbial diversity even further. These continued practices can deplete the protective layer that lines the human GI tract, known as mucin, leading to disturbed GI health that can manifest as intestinal hyper-permeability (“leaky gut”) and poor absorption of nutrients. This actually makes the human gut microbiome more susceptible to inflammatory diseases like irritable bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), further depleting human health and perpetuating the cycle of medication use.
The soil microbiome is a complex ecosystem that brilliantly operates to take a variety of inputs to grow food and plants, as well as eventually break it down into compost for regeneration of nutrients. Dan Kittridge of the BioNutrient Institute is producing some fascinating research on the concept of nutrient density of crops in relation to the environment (greenhouse, conventional, organic, etc.). Data is publicly available and quite fascinating to explore. The takeaway he has shared: soil diversity measured in microbes is the one consistent factor that correlates with higher nutrient density of crops. Pesticides, especially repeated use, can decimate soil microbial diversity. Additionally, mono-cropping prevents diversification of what nutrients can permeate the soil (and therefore crops/plants). These continued practices can deplete the protective covering of the earth, known as topsoil, leading to poor soil health and desertification. Lack of topsoil can make absorption of water and other important inputs difficult to absorb, as runoff becomes more prevalent. This makes soil actually more susceptible to invasion of pathogenic bugs and invaders, further depleting soil health and perpetuating the cycle of pesticide use.
The good news on both human microbiome and soil microbiome: given the right foundations, both can heal. I have seen it in practice as a doctor. And I have witnessed it in pastures of regenerative farmers. Humans and humus are not all too different, and I believe in the resilience of both.
