Earlier this morning, I read an article by Successful Farming, which addresses how the soil our plants are grown in can affect our nutrition- more specifically, the microbiome in the soil. The soil microbiome consists of various organisms such as protozoa, bacteria, algae, among others. Recent postulations state that the soil microbiome may actually be one secret to getting the nutrients we need. In essence, the organisms in the microbiome function to bring and retain vital nutrients for the plant. In fact, soil bacteria and fungi work together to make minerals and nutrients from groundwater soluble. In turn, the plant is able to gain nutrients essential to human health such as iron and zinc, among others.
However, the soil microbiome is becoming more damaged. In fact, it is estimated that the percent in iron in vegetables decreased 83% in the last 50 years. As a result, many people are not receiving an adequate amount of nutrients, and the number of people who have diseases associated with nutrient deficiency are on the rise- one of the main diseases being anemia.
I encourage you to look into the article that I have linked below to learn more about what is being done to fix the soil microbiome. While it's important to be able to consume the right foods to prevent diseases such as anemia, it's also crucial to take care of our soil to ensure that we get the maximum benefit out of our fruits and vegetables.
Picture Credit : Freepik.com
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