Could Regenerative farmed food be just what the doctor ordered?
In Functional Medicine there is a saying “Food is Medicine”. It’s not like medicine, it IS medicine. How we fuel the body is extremely important. Remember, our bodies are basically thousands of chemical reactions everyday. The food we eat, whether it is whole foods produced on a farm, or junk food bought on the shelves of your local store all have within them chemical compounds. Our bodies recognize and know what to do with the whole food chemical compounds. The synthetically, lab-made chemicals, not so much. However, in more recent years, some commercial farming practices have degraded the soil composition for whole foods that lessens their nutrient density.
What can help restore that soil composition and bring more nutrient density to the foods that line our produce bins at the supermarket and farmer’s market? Regenerative Farming looks like it could be just what the doctor ordered. What is Regenerative Farming? Regenerative Farming uses traditional methods of farming that have been used for centuries to ensure that both the food that is grown (or animals grazing on the land) are nutrient dense, as well as the soil that produces the food. Not to mention that when these types of practices are used the soil is enhanced and optimized to withstand normally evasive weeds, etc. and the use of chemical intervention is typically lessened. Less toxins on our food is always a good thing.
food is medicine
A few blog articles ago, I dived into the shocking costs of prescription medicine in the US, which is around $92 billion a year. Yikes! That’s a hefty number. But what if that number was rechanneled into our country’s farmers instead of pharmaceutical companies. Could this shift in our economy give regenerative farming the boost to produce more healthful foods to the public, as well as shift the focus away from chemical prescriptions that don’t necessarily solve any problems, but instead suppress the symptoms? In turn, would our population begin to heal from the inflammatory conditions they now suffer from?
What of the crisis that we are seeing with our medical facilities not having enough staff or space to treat all of the people that have medical issues? The answer is to start seeing our food as the medicine it truly is.
benefits of regenerative livestock
Not only does organic, regenerative vegetables and fruit assist with improving nutrients in the soil, but the same can be said when regenerative livestock grazes on the land. This holistic grazing style can be found in many small farms throughout the country. Through these practices the soils are replenished with manure from the grazing cows, and pushed into the ground to multiply the microbial balance. Not only does this improve our land, but it also improves the quality of air by actually pulling carbon into the ground through these traditional means. The animals that graze on the land assist in its replenishment and improving the nutrients we find in our foods.
it’s all connected
Our health is in line with what we consume everyday. People that consume highly processed foods are typically the ones with the most illness and comorbidities. As doctors come to the realization that nutrition plays a vital role in our health; then perhaps the changes in our agriculture system might take precedence too. The more nutritious our food supply, the healthier our population. Perhaps instead of awarding billions to pharmaceutical companies for research and development for ailments that really need nutrition correction, we send that money to our US Small Farmers that can produce nutritious vegetables, fruits, and meats that will give us the real medicine we need.