CHNC Recap: The Future of Food
Presentation by: Carmen Lamoureux, Owner & Founder of Urban Farm School and the Urban Permaculture Project
Notes by: Kaya Urbanski, Student of CSNN, Wellness Advisor at Amaranth Whole Foods Market
This was Kaya’s first Canadian School of Natural Nutrition (CSNN) conference ever, and it was nothing short of inspirational and informative. The event was very well organized, and hosted so many valuable speakers and companies at the trade show. It was a great feeling to be surrounded by a community of like-minded thinkers that put their health first. This recap will feature some presentation points from speaker, Carmen Lamoureux and notes provided by Kaya Urbanski.
How do we Determine the Nutrient Quality of the Foods we are Purchasing?
This is the rhetorical question we’ve come to ask ourselves. In short, our food is becoming less nutritious. Food nutrient density in the last 15 years has decreased by 40-70%. In a study from 1950-1999 of 43 garden crops. We found that we’ve lost nutrient content in our soil:
-9% phosphorus
-15% iron
-16% calcium
-20% vitamin C
-38 vitamin B2
Between 1930-1960 was the start of chemical usage on food, which was the initial decrease in the quality of the foods we eat. Food nutrient value is in decline in correlation with increased use of synthetic fertilizer consumption. A 2024 study concluded that “current farming methods with a sole focus on crop yields, has resulted in a decline in crops’ nutrient quality… modern farming methods are also associated with declines in soil quality, soil microbial diversity, soil water contamination, and the exhaustion of soil nutrients.”
The Soil Depletion Myth
The idea that low nutrient levels in food are a direct result of the depletion of soil minerals, and thus regular application of fertilizers is necessary for ongoing production. The reality is that there aren’t adequate minerals present in the soil… but rather that they are not available for the plants to uptake! Soil microbes contribute to nutrient quality, nutrient cycling, root growth, plant biomass, soil structure, immune support, organic matter and nutrient uptake.
Emphasis on the last point, soil microbes are crucial to nutrient uptake! In the past, we used to look at soil from a physical and chemical perspective, in modern time, we pay more attention to soil from a biological standpoint. Plants receive minerals only from soil nutrient pools and microbes are the bridge between the soil minerals and the plant roots. We know that the highest microbial activity is near the root of plants. These soil microbes are full of magnesium and they feed off the plants carbohydrates. Aside from magnesium, plants require an astounding 90-120 types of minerals to thrive.
In turn these soil microbes become gut microbes when consumed by living organisms like us. They play a significant role in:
Neurodegenerative disorders like MS, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s
Psychiatric disorders, addiction, depression, ADHD, anxiety, stress
Inflammatory bowel disorders
Stomach ulcers
Metabolic disorders, obesity, anorexia, metabolic syndrome
Cardiovascular issues, atherosclerosis and stroke
Cancer
“Plant sugars are 60-75% allocated to plant growth, reproduction and pest defense. Only 25-40% is released as root exudates.”
Fun fact: Mycorrhizal fungi in soil can increase root mass by up to 800% the more roots, the more nutrient uptake!
What does a Plant Need to Survive?
Plants need about 90 types of minerals to actually thrive!
Primary Macronutrients
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Potassium
Structural Elements
Carbon
Hydrogen
Oxygen
Micronutrients
Iron
Manganese
Zinc
Copper
Boron
Molybdenum
Chlorine
Secondary Macronutrients
Calcium
Magnesium
Sulfur
The 3 Main Farming Practices
Conventional, reliance on agricultural chemicals and tillage that destroys soil life and limits nutrient uptake
Continuous use of agricultural chemicals, constant tillage and large-scale monoculture productions destroy, limit the population and diversity of soil microbes
Organic, follows set of growing standards that avoids synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and GMOs
Regenerative, builds on organic with methods that help nurture soil biology, enhance nutrient uptake and keep soil healthy and productive long term
In short think of this formula:
Degenerative -> Industrial | Sustainable -> Organic | Regenerative -> Holistic
The 6 Core Principles of Holistic Agriculture
Understand your Context
Minimize Soil Disturbance
Optimize Plant Diversity
Keep Soil Covered
Keep Roots in Soil
Integrate Livestock
Diversity is everything! Highly specific microbial niching is according to soil temperature, soil moisture, soil pH, soil OM content and soil composition. The more diversity of plants that are grown, the greater the diversity of soil microbial species. We should diversify our sources of food - whether we home garden, go to farmers market, or source from local farmers, this will in turn be more nutritionally beneficial. The presence of beneficial soil microbes is directly related to our full body health based on the nutrients the plant derives.
Strategies for Changing our Food-Growing Paradigm
1. Grow & Eat Locally
This can be done by shortening our food supply chain. The shorter the chain the less fragile and more attention can be placed on food quality. The smaller the farms scale, the more bacteria you can house for plants grown. Currently, 80% of Canada’s fresh fruit supply comes from U.S. exports and Canada imports 70% of the U.S. export market for fresh vegetables.
“In the late 1940’s Canada was completely self-sufficient in producing our own basic fruits (pears, plums, peaches, apricots, strawberries, apples).”
Locally grown food is picked at peak ripeness and freshness, as transportation time is minimized. Imported food is picked before ripeness and loses quality quickly in transit, food picked before ripeness have higher levels of lectins which dissipate during the natural ripening process. Based on this information, we should grow and eat locally for the most benefits!
2. Choose food appropriate to your ecological & climatic context
Global food distribution system means we are eating foods that don’t grow in our bioregion, in the history of our species, this is an anomaly.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the more local our food sources, the better that food is at nourishing and harmonizing with our bodies.
Our diets should ideally be appropriate to our local bioregional, ecological and climatic context; there is no “one-size-fits-all” planetary diet.
3. Eat Seasonally
Consider Carmen’s Seasonal Fresh Foodshed (pictured below)
Things we purchase or trade for: meats & poultry, dairy, grains and honey
Things we store fresh: root vegetables, seasonal fruits
Things we grow: herbs, spices and flowers
Yin & Yang Seasons
Eating & growing locally also means adhering to the seasons, by eating seasonally we improve our gut microbes.
Spring Yin > Yang Season Transition
Summer is Yang Season represented by strong fire (sun) energy, long days & short nights, active, restless, external and outgoing.
Autumn Yang > Yin Season Transition
Winter is Yin Season represented by strong water (moon) energy, short days & long nights, passive, restful, internal and introspective.
Yin seasons (Autumn & Winter) prioritize:
Salt pickles and ferments
Dark salty miso and tamari
Short grains and dark coloured beans
Stored robust fruits (often cooked)
Red meat and cold-water fish (more of it)
Complex carbohydrates
More salty and fatty foods
Yang seasons (Spring & Summer) prioritize:
Vinegar or sweet pickles
Light sweet miso and tamari
Long grains and light coloured beans
Sweet juicy fresh fruit
Lighter and/or less fish and meats
Simple carbohydrates
Less salty and fatty foods
4. Diversify your food supply
Leverage multiple sources rather than just one, which nurtures more food resilience! Most of us source our food from only one location, consider:
Your direct relationships with local producers
Food growing or buying cooperatives
Farmer’s market
Supermarket or big box grocery store
Home or community garden
Importance of Examining our Food-Production Paradigm
1. Degenerative model
Based on the belief that humans are better than nature, we can meet our needs at the expense of everything else. The focus is on meeting our needs today without concern for future generations.
2. Sustainable Model
Based on the belief that humans are worse than nature and the best we can do is be “less bad” in the ways we meet our needs. Prevalent mindset is that the “earth would be better off” without humans. Focus is on doing “less harm” and at least maintaining status quo.
3. Regenerative Model
Based on the belief that humans are nature, members of a community of sentient beings working together for our mutual well-being. Focus is on meeting our needs, and the needs of the other members of our community, today and long into the future, acknowledging that we have a vested interest in doing so.
We should encourage more local food production, urban farms, smaller regional food hubs, smaller family-owned farms, and cooperatively-owned regenerative farms to support regional food sovereignty and nutrient-dense food. Other cities have turned unused municipal land transitioned to urban farming projects. We can plan intentionally designed sub-urban farms, agrihoods and consider assigning private gardeners to serve the interest of our communities.
How do You See the Future of Food?
Clean Food is organic.
Living Food is nutrient & microbially-dense.
Energetic Food is nutrient, microbially and energetically-dense.
Essential Food is nutrient, microbially and energetically-dense food mindfully grown and consumed with respect and gratitude for its spiritual essence.
We are hard-wired to be “in-relationship” with the food that we eat, with the microbes in the soil and local seasonal cycles. Thinking beyond the “utility of eating” means we need to move forward from the idea of eating simply to access nutrients. We invite ourselves to consider that food we consume also provides us with life energy.
Permaculture: Permanent Agriculture
Consider Permaculture which provides a hopeful, whole-system methodology for bringing us back into balanced, reciprocal and responsible relationship with our natural, social and economic ecosystems. We can apply this mindful design to meet our food, water, energy and shelter needs in ways that are far beyond sustainable, and that provide direct and lasting benefits for future generations.
