In this time of stress and potential major threats to our health, we now, more than ever, need to focus on growing our own food and creating health from the soil up. Nutrients are critical for the health of your immune system. These nutrients come largely from the soil through your food, if indeed, they are in the soil.
A Question of Assimilable Nutrients
To function optimally, our bodies need sufficient amounts of a large number of nutrients in an ideal balance from an assimilable source. Plants take soil nutrients, complex them, and make them available to us in the form of assimilable food nutrients. These nutrients have a myriad of functions or roles to play in our bodies. There are many nutrients which are critical for our health, however let’s look at a few of these nutrients which are rarely discussed, but particularly related to viruses and immunity…
- Molybdenum is a trace element needed as a cofactor to enable various enzymes to work. Molybdenum has been shown to have antiviral effects, breaking down the protein coat of viruses. For example, molybdenum compounds have demonstrated anti-HIV activity. Molybdenum has been used effectively against tomato viruses. Like other nutrients, molybdenum needs to be used in the correct amount. Only very small amounts are needed. Too much can be toxic and cause copper deficiency. The soil needs to be balanced. This includes balancing the pH of the soil because pH controls the availability of the nutrients.
- Selenium is another trace element with anti-viral effects. This includes enveloped viruses like the flu and coronavirus. Adequate selenium intake is associated with decreased risk of cancer and HIV/AIDS. Selenium is needed in only very small amounts. Some areas of the USA have selenium deficiencies in the soil, while other areas have excesses which are toxic. So it’s a good idea to get your soil tested. Certain plants, such as locoweed (a type of astragalus), are selenium accumulators and have resulted in nervous system damage to grazing animals.
- Boron is a mineral that can help protect us from radiation. One of the biggest sources of problematic radiation is electromagnetic frequency (EMF) radiation from electronic devices. Phones, house wiring, power lines, and even our cars radiate us. The EMFs disrupt our cellular signaling, which of course affects our immunity among other body processes. Have you heard of the 5G threat and how that is related to COVID-19 statistics? Fortunately, boron can help with mitigating radiation. Unfortunately, boron is very water soluble and therefore easily washes out of soils. Almost every soil I analyze is low in boron. Understandably, the plants suffer from this deficiency too and then cannot provide us with adequate boron.
- Zinc is a mineral that runs over 200 enzymes in our bodies. Enzymes are the catalysts that make biochemical reactions take place, doing the work our cells need to do to live and thrive. Zinc is important for healing and our sense of smell. It’s also useful in fighting viral infections. Maybe you have heard zinc mentioned on the news lately in relation to the current plan-demic. Zinc is often deficient in our soils, and subsequently in our foods. It only takes a small amount zinc added to the soil to make a difference. It’s easy to overdo it and cause zinc toxicity, which is what one client recently found out about through a soil analysis of a soil that had been doused with too much zinc. Nothing would grow there! So don’t guess, test!
One More (Wonderful) Thing…
Getting your hands into the soil is a way to ground to the earth. It is a stress reliever in more than one way. There have been books written on the benefits of grounding. Essentially, it is an ionic exchange. The negatively-charged ions act as antioxidants in your body. Feeling stressed? Take a “soil break”. Touching the live, green plants is similar in effect. Have a nibble of some of those wonderful plants and feel the life source energy melt your stress away. You can also think of it as a “soul break”.
So take care of your garden to help it take care of you!
To Victory through our Gardens, Dr. Jana
A bouquet of Nutrition Grown greens
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