Soil & Plants (Part 110)

By: John Ferguson

I was reading this morning in a new book called “Grassroots Rising” and there was an interesting statistic given: “there are now more mal-fed, overweight, and obese people in the world (1.9 billion), many who have been supersized by a cheap junk food diet that is low in nutrition but high in carbs, sugar, and bad fats, than there are malnourished people suffering from hunger”. “Meanwhile, the enormous hidden costs of cheap industrial food (damage to public health, the environment, and the climate) are routinely ignored or under reported.” 

“Gardening including organic gardening, is now the number one hobby in America, with a full 15% of households, especially younger households getting involved, often growing at least some of their food.” 

I observed this the other day in our nursery where a non-stop stream of dozens of folks was buying organically grown heirloom vegetable transplants for their garden. The word is getting out that heirloom varieties not only taste better but also have much higher nutritional levels (nutrient dense) and other compounds that fight diseases like cancer. They were also buying herbs, fruit trees and other plants that provide health benefits in addition to ornamentals.    

There was a very good article in the Dr. Mercola’s health newsletter titled, “Quercetin and Vitamin D — Allies Against Coronavirus?” 

It was all about nutrition and supplements to help protect ourselves from this new virus. 

From our study of the herbicide glyphosate found in Round-Up a few years ago, we know it stimulates the growth of many types of pathogens. It also prevents the absorption of essential elements from our food supply that our immune system needs to be healthy like boron, calcium, cobalt, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, manganese, zinc, selenium, and many more. 

In last week’s article we discussed that several of these elements are very effective in helping our immune system fight viruses. 

Without these essential elements our immune system cannot function effectively! 

The following slides are courtesy of Dr. Don Huber, Purdue University    

Many health problems have increased in direct proportion to the increased usage of Glyphosate on our food. 

After reading this morning about the malnutrition that was mentioned in the first paragraph above, I cannot help but wonder how much of the severity and spread of the Coronavirus is due to junk food AND other foods that have glyphosate in and on them.    

Genetically modified plants (GMO’s) have much higher levels of glyphosate than regular foods. I often hear people say “I do not eat GMO foods”, and they do not realize our food supply is contaminated with dangerous GMO’s from corn chips at our favorite Mexican restaurant to the bread at the grocery store. 

The slide below is a good example of how we are being poisoned.    

Hence, one of the best ways one can protect themselves and their families is to buy only certified organic or grow one’s own vegetables and fruits. Local farmers markets often have organically grown produce. 

In Houston we have a great non-profit organization called Urban Harvest that teaches about sustainable and organic growing of fruits and vegetables. They also sponsor many community gardens and farmers markets where one can find quality produce free of GMO’s and toxic chemicals. 

For those whom want to learn more, I am proud to have been on the board of a non-profit organization called OHBA (Organic Horticulture Benefits Alliance) for many years. This group provides quality education on gardening/horticulture, the environment and how they are linked to our health. The seminars are open to the public and the event schedule can be found at www.ohbaonline.org. When you visit the website please sign up for the newsletter and seminar announcements via e-mail.