Eat Dirt

Dear Kosterina Family,

This week, we're taking a break from our Ancient Ingredients, Modern Superpowers series to talk about dirt. Yes, dirt. Because, as health experts, agricultural researchers and climate scientists are learning - healthy soil creates healthy people, and in turn, a healthy planet.

Apparently caring about the health of our soil isn't a nice-to-do practice - it's literally vital to the existence of our modern food system. According to researchers (as highlighted in the new documentary Kiss The Ground), it's estimated that if we don't take action now we only have 60 harvests left based on the degradation rate of our current soil. 60 harvests! 

The good news is soil is actually a pretty amazing and resilient part of the Earth's built-in health system. Because soil thrives on carbon, if we can shift our farming practices to focus on soil regeneration, we can balance the climate, replenish our water supply and better feed the planet. 

As everyday people, we can definitely make active choices to care about our soil - like eating more of a plant-based diet. But, we can also advocate for a regenerative agriculture system, rather than industrial agriculture, the way our farming system works today. Essentially, our farmers have been taught to use tilling, pesticides and other harmful additives that depletes our land as well as hurts our own immune systems.

I know many of us are just beginning to learn about the connection between our planet's health and our own - but now is a great starting point to dive into learning more. I highly recommend watching Kiss the Ground on Netflix, or even diving into some of Dr. Mark Hyman's content on regenerative agriculture. 

What do you know about soil health? Do you have any other resources you'd recommend? Respond to this note or tag us on Instagram @kosterina with your thoughts!