Local Article: Well-Rounded Approach to Health: Regenerative Farming Practices Meet Naturopathic Medicine

By Dr. Lyndsey Maher

Its early on a Sunday morning, the sun is shining and the rest of the house is still sleeping. The water is boiling in preparation for French press-style coffee and the decision of what to make for breakfast remains undetermined. A few minutes pass and a decision is made: eggs.

In the refrigerator, there remains a carton of a dozen eggs left untouched; two should be good. Those eggs, once cracked open, reveal the richest and deepest orange-colored yolks. The yolks do more than just show us a vibrant color; they tell us about the chickens who produced the eggs and the farm that cared for them.

Where our food comes from is an important detail often overlooked when attempting to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It is easy to get caught up in the marketing minutiae of terms such as organic, free range, cage-free, antibiotic-free, hormone-free, and so on. Overwhelm is also a common feeling, especially when choosing to work with a more holistically minded practitioner who might parrot the same verbiage. Health isn’t just about proper supplementation; it is about the fundamentals, including diet and lifestyle.

Thomas Edison is quoted as saying, “The doctor of the future will give no medication but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.” The reality is everybody has to eat. Being the case, this makes for a simple way to modulate health, both favorably and unfavorably. However, simply stating eat organic as much as possible is not telling a complete story of where our food should be coming from to obtain maximal health benefits.

While eating organic does have its merits, there are other factors to consider when making particular food choices in the name of health. Instead of looking for buzzwords like “organic,” let’s expand that a bit to include others, the most notable one being “regenerative farming.”

For those unaware of what regenerative farming is, it is rooted in nature, not unlike the premise of naturopathic medicine. Essentially, it is how farming practices were before industrialized farming became commonplace, in much the same way that medicine was originally predicated on naturopathic principles. Regenerative farming seeks to mimic the natural grazing patterns of animals, nourish the soil to maintain its natural mineral content, enhance diversity within the crops and so much more.

This really takes the concept of terrain theory…literally.

Contrary to some of these principles is “monocropping,” a.k.a. monoculture or monocrop culture. It is where farms strictly grow one crop season after season without any rotation. This lack of diversity results in compromised and mineral-poor soil. While the EPA defines organic food as grown and processed using no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, there is no stipulation regarding monoculture. And, to be fair, supporting our health by the food we choose isn’t exclusively about lowering toxic burdens by limiting pesticides, but by eating food filled with nutrition, of course.

It is the soil that is mineral- and nutrient-rich, and then transfers into the plants we or other animals eat; therefore, soil devoid of minerals begets plants, humans and animals that are as well. Regenerative farming practices extend beyond omitting pesticides in their crops but by restoring soil and ecosystem health so that we can receive the minerals we are meant to through our food. While the impacts of this may not be seen readily, testing that we have run through bloodwork to assess nutrient status can and does show this on a cellular level.

By asking some or all of these questions, it ensures a wellrounded understanding of where the food is coming from, the potential nutritional impacts and how the establishment is benefitting our community as a whole. Engaging in conversation with local farmers creates a dialogue of understanding and comprehension so that we may pass this information along to others.

Knowledge is power, one to be harnessed, gained and offered up to those interested. Let us not take for granted the power our food has simply because we are accustomed to eating every day, most often multiple times per day. Let us use these moments serve as opportunities to enrich our palates and our wisdom.

A curious thing may also happen when transitioning one’s palate in this way—we may find our cravings for “fake” food dissipate and the desire for more nutrient-rich and whole foods increase. The body is so intelligently designed that when it knows what it needs, it will ask for more of it and it will be thankful.

At the next farmers’ market, instead of asking the farm stands whether or not they are organic, consider the following questions:

• Does your farm participate in regenerative agricultural practices?

• Do you use sprays or pesticides, and, if so, which ones?

• Do you use GMO seeds?

• Do you grow a variety of crops or just one?

• In what kind of soil do you grow?

• If they are a meat farm, what are the animal welfare standards? How are the animals treated? What are the living situations? What are they fed, such as grain, grass, corn, etc.?

Dr. Lyndsey Maher, a naturopathic doctor with a Master of Acupuncture, is the medical director of Soleil Acupuncture and Naturopathic Wellness in Hamden, Conn. Connect at 203-8713262, Lyndsey.Maher@SoleilHolistic.com or SoleilHolistic.com.