nutritional gardening · some recommended reading • digging the city: an uban agriculture...
TRANSCRIPT
Nutritional Gardening Rhona McAdam, RHN, PDC, MFC
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Rhona McAdam, R.H.N. • Master’s in Food Culture &
Communication
• Permaculture Design Certificate
• Writer: Digging the City
• Nutritional Practice: Go Local Nutrition at Haliburton Community Organic Farm, Victoria
• Some resources and links you might like to follow on my website, www.golocalnutrition.com
Eco-Nutrition
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What is Nutritional Gardening?
Why do I need to know about it?
What can I do in my own garden to grow more nutritious food ?
Some Recommended Reading • Digging the City: An Uban Agriculture Manifesto, by Rhona
McAdam
• Eating on the Wild Side, by Jo Robinson
• Eat your Greens: The Surprising Power of Homegrown Leaf Crops, by David Kennedy
• The Intelligent Gardener: Growing Nutrient- Dense Foods, by Steve Solomon
• The End of Food, by Thomas J Pawlick
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Soil, plants, ecosystem = nutritious (nutrient-dense) foods
Nutritional Gardening
Why do we need to think about nutritional content in what we grow?
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Soil deficiencies lead to plant deficiencies; plant deficiencies lead to human nutritional deficiencies.
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Human needs:
Food
Water Air/light
Bacteria (microbiome)
Plant needs:
Food
Water
Air/light
Bacteria (plant microbiome)
Soil needs:
Food
Water
Air
Bacteria (soil food web) & more
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Human Nutritional Needs
Essential Nutrients:
Macrominerals (Ca, Cl, Mg, P, K, Na, S)
Microminerals ( Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Se, Zn)
Vitamins (A, B, C, D, E, K1 & K2, Folic Acid)
& Fats, Proteins, Carbohydrates, Fibre
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Nutritional Needs of Plants
Essential Nutrients:
Macrominerals (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, O, H, C)
Microminerals (B, Cl, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Zn)
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Healthy Soil Needs
Air (Aeration)
Water (Source, flow, retention)
Food (Nutrients)
Microbial Life
Fungal Life
Nematodes
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Protozoa
Micro Arthropods
Environmental Toxins
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Glyphosate
• Health effects on plants, soil and humans
• What’s a weed? What’s a pest?
• Long-term effects on soil fertility
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A Healthy Garden Needs:
Good soil
Water supply
Ongoing nutrient supply
Healthy birds, bees & other participants
Why are nutrients unavailable to us?
Growing, harvesting methods
Food produced far away
Processing, transport, storage
Imbalanced diet; artificial flavourings
Age
Increased need for nutrients: pollution, medications, genetic deficiencies/ illnesses
Soil depletion
We’ve been studying microbiome for 7 years
Bacteria have been in existence for 4 billion years
Humans, 2 million
Human Microbiome
Our Bacteria Affect...
Metabolism of nutrients/vitamins, including calcium uptake & bone health
Immune system
Digestive tract health
Allergies, asthma
Autoimmune disorders
Mental health; stress management
Neurotransmitter metabolism
Cancer drug functionality
Farms, Dirt & the Microbiome
Rural populations have different microbiome from urban; full implications not yet known
Several studies have shown reduced incidence of Irritable Bowel Disease (Crohn’s, UC) in rural populations: much more an urban disease
2014 study from Denmark found growing up on a farm with livestock halved the risk of IBD in adulthood
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Death to the Microbiome
Antibiotics
Other medications: proton- pump inhibitors (GERD)
Antimicrobial soaps etc.
Processed food, lack of soluble fibre
Environmental toxins – esp. pesticides
Urbanization: lack of contact with soil, animals, plants
Feeding the Microbiome
Gardening
Composting
Fermentation (kimchi , kefir, yogurt, kombucha, raw-milk cheese, sourdough, other “live-culture” foods)
Soluble & Fermentable fibres (probiotics, prebiotics)
Certified organic foods
Lots of fresh fruits & vegetables!
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Microbiome: Inside & Out
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Mycorrhizae (mycelium)
Small pine tree showing roots and micorrhizae
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Some agricultural practices that deplete soil bacteria (& soil fertility generally):
Grass Roots Power
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Breaking news, from Facebook!
Those insect-eaten holey kale leaves (or any other leafy green) are actually better for you then their unassaulted counterparts!!
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How plants defend themselves: e.g. Tomatoes
Chemical fertilizers
High use of nitrogen fertilizers decreases the vitamin C content in many fruits and vegetables
Double whammy: increases the concentration of nitrate and simultaneously decreases antioxidant ascorbic acid
Nitrogen fertilizers can increase the concentrations of carotenes and vitamin B1
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Furthermore...
Chemical fertilizers reduce the storage life of foods
Since 1960s, potatoes have lost: 100% of Vitamin A
57% of Vitamin C & iron
28% of calcium.
This is similar to 25 other fruits and vegetables that were analyzed in a CTV study.
Humans need all these nutrients in balance for homeostasis and general good health.
Adding Nutritional Value to your Gardening
Fertilization
Pest control
Water management
Harvest – timing, methods
Preservation
Agricultural failings catch up with us
Since the beginning of agriculture we have been breeding nutrition out of our food
Most wild plants are low in sugar, starch, and fat (small, bitter)
Our reward centres are wired for sugary, oily, and starchy foods
Wild Tomatoes
Galapagos Tomato
Lycopersicon / Solanum chilense
Wild tomatoes, Peru
Lycopersicon peruvianum
Lycopersicon hirsutum (Solanum
habrochaites)
Super Greens
Dandelion Greens 8x more antioxidants
100% cheaper
Spinach
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Fruits & vegetables showing losses or gains of four or more nutrients
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From a study conducted by CTV in [2002]
2015
7 peaches
1951
2 peaches
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How many peaches? A woman’s RDA of vitamin A (2333 IU) then & now
2015
2+ servings
(& declines in Calcium, Riboflavin & Vitamin C)
1951
1 serving
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How much broccoli? A man’s RDA of vitamin A (3000 IU) then & now
What do people grow in food gardens?
Top 10:
1. Tomatoes
2. Cucumbers
3. Sweet peppers
4. Beans
5. Carrots
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6. Summer squash
7. Onions
8. Hot peppers
9. Lettuce
10. Peas
22 Crops you can add for nutritional value
Eat Your Greens: The Surprising Power of Home Grown Leaf Crops, by David Kennedy. New Society, 2014.
1. Grain Amaranth 2. Quail Grass 3. Roselle 4. Sweet Potatoes 5. Wolfberry 6. Alfalfa 7. Austrian Winter Peas 8. Barley 9. Cowpeas 10.Wheat 11.Chaya (tree spinach)
12. Cranberry Hibiscus 13. Garlic Chives 14. Jute 15. Moringa (Horseradish tree) 16. Okinawa spinach 17. Taioba 18. Belembe (Tannier Spinach) 19. Taro 20. Toon (Chinese Mahogany) 21. Vine spinach 22. Walking stick kale (tree collards)
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