Discover the key to boosting energy, and overall wellbeing through a nutritious diet. Nutrient dense food is grown in fertile soil and is not only more healthful for us, but has beeen attributed to improved body, brain, and immune functions. In this article we explore how nutrient dense food is grown and the benefits it has on humanity and the environment.
Nutrient Dense Food: Unlocking the Power of Healthy Soil
When it comes to achieving optimal health, the foods we consume play a crucial role. However, not all foods are created equal.
The true measure of a nutrient dense food lies in the quality of the soil in which it was grown
Nutrient dense food is the result of a thriving soil ecosystem, rich in diverse and healthy biology. These living organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and microbes, work tirelessly to transport organic minerals and nutrients into the plants that grow in this soil.
The absence of synthetic chemicals and pesticides allows this natural process to flourish, ensuring that the plants we consume are brimming with the essential vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients our bodies need.
In contrast, food grown in chemically treated, biologically depleted soil, lacks the same level of nutritional value. The plants may appear aesthetically pleasing, but they are often stripped of the vital nutrients that our bodies crave.
How to Identify Nutrient Dense Food
Nutrient dense food looks much the same as nutrient devoid food, which is how synthetic fertilisers and chemicals became so widely used in our food production. The chemical content is out of sight and out of mind.
Fresh produce that has been grown in soil devoid of microbes, and with artificial fertilisers, are sometimes larger, more watery, and often tasteless. This is due to the plants adaption methods that it undertakes in order to assimilate the artificial inputs.
Plants grown with only access to synthetic minerals have to adapt and take up more water in order to utilise them.
Synthetic fertilisers lack the complex organic compounds found in fertile soil
In contrast, plants grown in fertile soil do not need to expend as much energy on water and nutrient uptake. The diverse soil microbiome in healthy soils performs the nutrient cycling, making nutrients readily available to the plants. This allows the plants to focus their resources on growth and development rather than constantly extracting nutrients.
The result is that plants grown in fertile, biologically-active soils tend to be more nutrient-dense compared to those relying on synthetic fertilisers alone. Maintaining a thriving soil ecosystem is key to producing the most nutritious and flavorful crops.
Therefore, it is difficult to visually identify nutrient dense produce apart from synthetically grown produce, which means you would need to ask your fresh food supplier how the food is farmed.
How to Grow Nutrient Dense Food?
Nutrient dense food contains genuine minerals and trace elements, which the human body needs, and is grown in chemical free, fertile soil, with organic minerals and trace elements made available.
Fertile soil is the key to ‘real’ human health
A healthy soil microbiome, is soil that has been built using and number of natural growing or farming methods that include plant diversity, applying natural inputs and using regenerative principals.
Living soil is a crucial foundation to all living things, and is the only place where nutrient dense food can be sourced and grown.
Nutrient Dense Food Combats Over-Eating
Hunger is a natural response from our body signaling that it needs fuel to function properly. This fuel comes in the form of essential minerals that our body requires to operate at an optimal level. When we consume a diverse, nutrient-dense diet, we are providing our body with the balanced mineral intake it needs.
On the other hand, food that lacks real, natural minerals – often grown using synthetic fertilisers – fails to truly satisfy our body’s needs. This can lead to continued cravings and overeating, as the body searches for the missing nutrients it requires.
Prioritising a diet rich in organically grown, unprocessed foods is the best way to ensure your body receives the full spectrum of minerals and other vital compounds
By nourishing yourself with nutrient-dense options, you can better regulate hunger, support bodily functions, and achieve overall health and wellbeing.
How do Organic Minerals Get into Plants?
Beneficial microorganisms play a vital role in maintaining the health and fertility of soil. These microscopic organisms are essential components of the complex web of life that exists in the soil.
One of the key functions of these beneficial microbes is their ability to break down organic matter and release nutrients that can be readily absorbed by plants. This process, known as nutrient cycling, is crucial for providing plants with the essential nutrients they need to thrive.
By feeding the soil, these microorganisms support the growth of nutrient dense food crops
However, the use of chemicals, pesticides, and excessive synthetic fertilisers can have a detrimental impact on these beneficial soil microorganisms. These substances can disrupt the delicate balance of the soil ecosystem, impairing the ability of microbes to communicate and function effectively. This, in turn, can lead to a reduction in soil fertility and the overall health of the plants that depend on it.
To maintain the integrity of the soil and support the growth of nutrient dense crops, it is essential to adopt sustainable farming practices that prioritise the protection and nurturing of beneficial soil microorganisms. This may involve the use of organic amendments, cover cropping, and reduced tillage, all of which can help to foster a thriving soil ecosystem.
For a REAL Health Insurance Policy, eat nutrient dense food, grown the way nature intended
How To Source Nutrient Dense Food
1. Question where your fresh food is coming from and find local farms that can supply you. Ask them about their farming methods. Let them know you are looking for food grown without the use of chemicals.
2. Investigate the meaning of ‘organic’ or ‘certified organic’ in your country. In some countries ‘organic certification’ still enables farms to use certain chemicals and synthetic fertilisers. Do your own research.
3. Eat what is in season. By doing so, it will automatically drive more demand/business toward local producers, instead of to overseas imports. Did you know that ‘everything’ that is classed as food stuff, entering Australia through customs, is irradiated?
4. Buy locally grown and locally supplied. This is the way we get to move toward eating nutrient dense foods quicker. Farmers meet demands. If the demand is for chemical or spray free food, that is the way farming will go.
5. People have the power. Ask questions, request nutrient dense food, grow your own!
“We can all thank Austrian biochemist Justus Von Liebig for beginning this downward trend when in 1837 he told the world that all life is simply a rearrangement of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, npk, replacing the magnificent complex relational biological community with simple chemicals, and denying the human microbiome it’s optimal sustenance.” – Joel Salatin
