Mycorrhizal fungi colonies are essential for healthy produce. Pesticides and herbicides kill some of the nutritional value of the plants, but tilling also kills earthworms that deliver nutrients to the soil. 25 years of conventional tillage decreased soil organic matter to less than a fifth of the amount in native soils. But soil organic matter recovered almost fully just two decades after switching to no-till, cover crops, and diverse rotations.
What I learned from What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health by David R. Montgomery and Anne Bikle.
Join the Nat’s Notes Newsletter to get my highlights and notes from the book.
(1:25) Nutritional Differences in Organic vs. Conventional Foods
(4:09) The Effects of Plowing on Food Quality
(8:10) Why Glyphosate Might Be Killing You
(11:11) The Risk of Artificial Fertilizers vs. Manure
(15:16) Nutritional Differences in Whole vs. “White” Grains
(18:31) Effects of Pesticides and Herbicides on Mental Health
(22:41) Is Milk Healthy?
(26:33) Why Some, But Not All, Meat is Bad for Your Health
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