Eat the rainbow. Fill up on fibre. Feed your gut bugs with kimchi, kombucha and kefir. From probiotics to the perils of ultra-processed foods, we’re well-versed in the watchwords of modern nutrition. Less thought is generally afforded, however, to where our food truly begins: in the soil beneath our feet.
Now, a growing alliance of nutritionists, farmers and academics are exploring how organically grown food raised in biodiverse soils – made all the more rich by grazing animals – might shape human health, particularly the trillions of microbes that call our gut home. As diet-related illnesses surge across the globe, they’re joining the dots between the health of our bodies and the health of our fields and pastures.
“For every £1 we spend on rubbish food, over £2 is spent on trying to correct our health as a result,” says nutritionist Lucy Williamson, pointing to a report by the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission. “Food that is rooted in the soil – that’s good for our climate, good for animal welfare and good for nature – is good for us.”
