Disease = Food = Soil

Common sense tells us that bad diets cause bad health. Too many of us don’t eat enough fruits and veggies. But, of those fruits and veggies that we do eat, the loss of micronutrients from our food undermines our health and contributes to physiological and psychological illness.2 The USDA says that Americans lack sufficient amounts of calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E to maintain good health.1

Interestingly, a new standard of malnutrition has developed. Type B malnutrition, a.k.a. multiple micronutrient depletion, is used to describe those who have plentiful sources of calories/food, but the quality of the food fails to provide sufficient micronutrients to properly nourish the body.2 This malnutrition has been linked to the rising prevalence of diseases such as child hood leukemia, childhood obesity, caridovascular disorders, osteo and rheumatoid arthritis, mental illness, hyperactivity, etc.2 Thus, the chemical composition of food is essential in dietary treatment of disease.2

Where does our food get its chemical composition? Food gets its nutritional makeup from the soil.

Good soil quality means good nutritional density of the food grown therein. But, food grown in nutrient deficient soil lacks nutrients to keep people healthy.1 Nutritional value in foods has declined due in part to mineral depletion in the soil.1 Without adequate nutrition, especially from minerals, research shows that people develop chronic disease.1 Food with high nutrient values comes, in part, from enhanced mineral nutrients in the soil.1

Even the USDA acknowledges that nutrients lost from the soil can have a long-term effect on nutrient content of plants.4 Neither the current USDA standards nor the standards set forth by the organic industry address the nutrient content of foods.1

So if disease is caused by poor food quality and food quality is linked to soil quality, it makes sense that we can improve the occurrence of the more common nutritionally-related diseases in our society by improving the soil quality where food is grown.

There are 17 known essential minerals and many other trace minerals needed for good health.1 In fact, minerals may be more vital to health than vitamins.1 One study reported in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry in June 2007, reported a near doubling of flavonoids in tomatoes grown according to organic standards as opposed to conventional standards.3 And, the gap between the flavonoid levels in the organic versus conventional tomatoes increased steadily over time as the organic methods were continued to be used. The longer the fields were managed organically, the greater the nutrition premium. They concluded that plant nutrient cycling within higher quality soil in the organic plots was one explanation for the higher nutrient content. The linkage between improved soil quality and more nutrient-dense food is evidence in support of organic principles – "feed the soil to better feed the plant".3

In short, food purchased at any grocery store, even such reputable stores as Whole Foods or Sprouts, are unreliable in determining nutrient quality. The buyer has no knowledge of the soil quality where the food was grown. This provides another very good reason for everyone to use the space they have to raise as much of their own food as is possible. At home, in your own garden, you can control the mineral content of the soil used to grown food by, for example, adding trace minerals back to the soil and increase the nutrient density of the food you and your family eats. Improved food improves disease; improved soil improves food; therefore, improved soil must improve disease. For you and your family, your garden can be your first line of attack on the nutrient value of your food and against Type-B malnutrition.

Resources:
1 Marler, J.B. and J.R. Wallin, (2006) "Human Health, the Nutritional Quality of Harvested Food and Sustainable Farming Systems." Nutrition Security Institute.
2 Thomas, D. (2007) "The Mineral Depletion of Foods Available to Us As a Nation." Nutrition and Health 19:21-55.
3 Benbrook, C. and A. Greene. (2008) "The Link Between Organic and Health: New Research Makes the Case for Organic Even Stronger." Organic Processing Magazine, view at  www.organic-center.org/reportfiles/OPma08CoverStory2.pdf December 30, 2010.
4 United States Department of Agriculture. (August 24, 2010.) "Food Composition: Nutrient Changes Over Time." view at http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=4&tax_level=3&tax_subject=279&topic_id=1468&level3_id=6746&level4_id=0&level5_id=0&placement_default=0 December 30, 2010.