Rhona McAdam, RHN, PDC, MFC

Nutritional Gardening

Comox Valley Horticultural Association

June 15, 2015
Rhona McAdam, R.H.N.
Masters in Food Culture &
Communication
Permaculture Design Certificate
Writer: Digging the City
Nutritional Practice: Go Local Nutrition at
Haliburton Community Organic Farm, Victoria
Some resources and links you might like to follow on
my website, www.golocalnutrition.com

Eco-Nutrition

2
 What is Nutritional
Gardening?
Why do I need to
know about it?
What can I do in my
own garden to grow
more nutritious
food ?
 Some Recommended Reading
Digging the City: An Uban Agriculture Manifesto, by Rhona
McAdam
Eating on the Wild Side, by Jo Robinson
Eat your Greens: The Surprising Power of Homegrown Leaf
Crops, by David Kennedy
The Intelligent Gardener: Growing Nutrient- Dense Foods, by
Steve Solomon
The End of Food, by Thomas J Pawlick

4
Nutritional Gardening
Soil, plants, ecosystem = nutritious (nutrient-dense) foods
Why do we need to
think about nutritional
content in what we
grow?

http://bit.ly/1L0AGDa http://bit.ly/1QKnCAh
Soil deficiencies lead to plant deficiencies;
plant deficiencies lead to human
nutritional deficiencies.

http://www.css.cornell.edu/FoodSystems/Micros%26AgriMan1ref.htg/img4.gif
 http://www.permaculturenews.org/images/topsoil_hands_943.jpg
Human needs: Plant needs: Soil needs:
Food Food Food
Water Water Water
Air/light Air/light Air
Bacteria (microbiome) Bacteria (plant Bacteria (soil food
microbiome) web) & more
 https://empoweryourknowledgeandhappytrivia.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/top-10-essential-nutrients-for-your-body.jpg
Human Nutritional Needs
Essential Nutrients:
Macrominerals (Ca, Cl, Mg, P, K, Na, S)
Microminerals ( Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Se, Zn)
Vitamins (A, B, C, D, E, K1 & K2, Folic Acid)
& Fats, Proteins, Carbohydrates, Fibre
Nutritional Needs of Plants
Essential Nutrients:
Macrominerals (N, P, K,

http://27.109.7.67:1111/econtent/osmosis/examples-factors.php
Ca, Mg, S, O, H, C)
Microminerals (B, Cl, Cu,
Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Zn)
Healthy Soil Needs

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/71/f6/ad/71f6ad9117e5599205352d4c39e4c186.jpg
Air (Aeration)
Water (Source, flow, retention)
Food (Nutrients)
Microbial Life Protozoa Micro Arthropods
Fungal Life
Nematodes
 Environmental Toxins

http://www.hearts.com/ecolife/choose-dioxinfree-life/
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/01_01/nanotechDM0101_468x387.jpg
 Glyphosate

Health effects on plants, soil and humans

Whats a weed? Whats a pest?
Long-term effects on soil fertility

http://www.harmoniamundi.info/
A Healthy Garden Needs:
Good soil
Water supply
Ongoing nutrient supply
Healthy birds, bees & other participants
 Why are nutrients unavailable to us?

Growing, harvesting methods

Food produced far away
Processing, transport, storage
Imbalanced diet; artificial flavourings
Age
Increased need for nutrients: pollution,
medications, genetic deficiencies/ illnesses
Soil depletion
Human Microbiome
Weve been studying
microbiome for 7
years
Bacteria have been
in existence for
4 billion years
Humans, 2 million
 Our Bacteria Affect...
Metabolism of nutrients/vitamins, including
calcium uptake & bone health
Immune system
Digestive tract health
Allergies, asthma
Autoimmune disorders
Mental health; stress management
Neurotransmitter metabolism
Cancer drug functionality
Farms, Dirt & the Microbiome

http://www.lisatener.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/daniela-carrots-200x300.jpg
Rural populations have different
microbiome from urban; full
implications not yet known
Several studies have shown
reduced incidence of Irritable
Bowel Disease (Crohns, UC) in rural populations:
much more an urban disease
2014 study from Denmark found growing up on a
farm with livestock halved the risk of IBD in
adulthood
Death to the Microbiome
Antibiotics
Other medications: proton-
pump inhibitors (GERD)
Antimicrobial soaps etc.
Processed food, lack of soluble
fibre
Environmental toxins esp. pesticides
Urbanization: lack of contact with soil, animals,
plants
Feeding the
Microbiome

Gardening
Composting
Fermentation
(kimchi , kefir, yogurt, kombucha, raw-milk
cheese, sourdough, other live-culture foods)

http://nyti.ms/1h8HwEZ
Soluble & Fermentable fibres (probiotics,
prebiotics)
Certified organic foods
Lots of fresh fruits & vegetables!
 Microbiome: Inside & Out

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/oscillator/files/2012/01/microbiome.png
Agh!

http://www.monsanto.com/products/pages/microbials.aspx
http://midwestorganicliving.com/?p=415
 micorrhizae
(mycelium)
Mycorrhizae

Small pine tree

showing roots and

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/06/healthy-soil-microbes-healthy-people/276710/
Some agricultural practices that deplete
soil bacteria (& soil fertility generally):
 Grass Roots Power

https://ofgvc.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/screen-shot-2013-05-09-at-5-10-38-am.png
Breaking news,
from Facebook!
Those insect-eaten
holey kale leaves
(or any other leafy
green) are actually
better for you then
their unassaulted
counterparts!!
 How plants defend themselves: e.g. Tomatoes

http://www.the-scientist.com/images/January2013/microbe_infograph_full.jpg
Chemical fertilizers
High use of nitrogen
fertilizers decreases the
vitamin C content in many
fruits and vegetables

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01904169309364698
Double whammy: increases
the concentration of nitrate
and simultaneously
decreases antioxidant
ascorbic acid
Nitrogen fertilizers can
increase the concentrations
of carotenes and vitamin B1
 Furthermore...

Chemical fertilizers reduce the storage life of

foods
Since 1960s, potatoes have lost:
100% of Vitamin A
57% of Vitamin C & iron
28% of calcium.
This is similar to 25 other fruits and vegetables
that were analyzed in a CTV study.
Humans need all these nutrients in balance for
homeostasis and general good health.
Adding Nutritional Value to your Gardening

Fertilization
Pest control
Water management
Harvest timing,
methods
Preservation
 Agricultural failings catch up with us

Since the beginning of agriculture

we have been breeding nutrition
out of our food
Most wild plants are low in sugar,
starch, and fat (small, bitter)
Our reward centres are wired for
sugary, oily, and starchy foods
 Wild Tomatoes

Wild tomatoes, Peru

Lycopersicon /
Solanum chilense

Lycopersicon
hirsutum
(Solanum
Galapagos Tomato
Lycopersicon peruvianum habrochaites)
 Super Greens

vs.

Dandelion Greens Spinach

8x more antioxidants
100% cheaper
Fruits & vegetables showing losses or
gains of four or more nutrients

http://www.newhealthbasics.com/MV/Documents/Canadian%20Fruit%20Study.pdf
From a study conducted by CTV in [2002]
How many peaches? A womans RDA
of vitamin A (2333 IU) then & now

http://www.newhealthbasics.com/MV/Documents/Canadian%20Fruit%20Study.pdf
1951 2015
2 peaches 7 peaches
How much broccoli? A mans RDA of
vitamin A (3000 IU) then & now

http://www.newhealthbasics.com/MV/Documents/Canadian%20Fruit%20Study.pdf
2015
1951 2+ servings
1 serving (& declines in Calcium,
Riboflavin & Vitamin C)
 What do people grow in food gardens?

Top 10:

Eat Your Greens: Surprising Power of Home Grown Leaf Crops, by David Kennedy
1. Tomatoes 6. Summer squash
2. Cucumbers 7. Onions
3. Sweet peppers 8. Hot peppers
4. Beans 9. Lettuce
5. Carrots 10. Peas
 22 Crops you can add for nutritional value
1. Grain Amaranth 12. Cranberry Hibiscus
2. Quail Grass 13. Garlic Chives
3. Roselle 14. Jute
4. Sweet Potatoes 15. Moringa (Horseradish tree)
5. Wolfberry 16. Okinawa spinach
6. Alfalfa 17. Taioba
7. Austrian Winter Peas 18. Belembe (Tannier Spinach)
8. Barley 19. Taro
9. Cowpeas 20. Toon (Chinese Mahogany)
10.Wheat 21. Vine spinach
11.Chaya (tree spinach) 22. Walking stick kale (tree collards)

Eat Your Greens: The Surprising Power of Home Grown Leaf Crops, by David Kennedy.
New Society, 2014.
Some tips from Jo Robinson Eating on the Wild Side
http://eatwild.com/PDF%20files/Eating%20On%20The%20Wild%20Side_3.pdf