Maximum Yield Australia/New Zealand March/April 2018 | Page 30

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SINCE VITA MINS
and minerals are so important to
our health, we need to get higher
quantities of them into our food.
This means we need to rebuild
and heal our soil if we want to be
truly healthy.”
W
e live in a world where most consumers value pretty
vegetables that lack nutrition and flavour. Our meals
make for pretty photos on social media, but they are not as
good for our bodies as they should be. With fewer minerals
than they had 100 years ago, our food is now flavourless and
our health is suffering. So, how do we fix this? It starts with
replenishing our soil.
We once had rich, fertile soil. Unfortunately, in the past few
hundred years, our agricultural practices have depleted our
greatest asset. We have used up the soil’s nutrients and miner-
als without putting them back, and have killed the soil life with
synthetic chemicals.
These chemicals promised us larger, pest-free harvests, but
we’ve paid a hefty price. Sure, our tomatoes are large, plump,
and free of bug bites, but they taste bland and don’t heal our
bodies the way they once did.
MINER A LS AR E IMPORTA NT
Healthy soil equates to tastier food and healthier bodies. It is
so profoundly simple that it is overlooked by the masses. In
fact, many modern diseases are linked to mineral deficiencies.
Dr. Linus Pauling, a well-respected, award-winning scientist
said, “You can trace every sickness, every disease, and every
ailment to a mineral deficiency.”
It is easy to find evidence to support his claim.
Vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy. Anemia can be caused
by iron or B12 deficiencies. Vitamin D deficiency causes
rickets. Osteoporosis can be caused by low levels of calcium,
phosphorus, or vitamin D. Niacin deficiency causes pellagra.
Potassium and magnesium soothe achy muscles. Pauling was
convinced that vitamin C was valuable in treating colds, flus,
infections, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and degenerative
issues related to aging. Many cancer centres today use vitamin
C therapy along with chemotherapy for treatment.
Since vitamins and minerals are so important to our health,
we need to get higher quantities of them into our food. This
means we need to rebuild and heal our soil if we want to be
truly healthy. Minerals support plant health. When plants are
grown in mineral-rich soil, they tend to have a higher brix
measurement. Brix measures the total dissolved solids in
plant juices, which include sugars and minerals. When plants
have a high brix, they are healthier, taste better, and don’t
have issues with pests and disease. Pests and disease attack
sick plants, not healthy ones.
WHAT IS VOLCA NIC BA SA LT POWDER
?
There are many techniques and amendments that can help
you build up your soil, but one that stands out above the rest is
using rock dust—specifically, volcanic basalt powder.
Rocks are minerals, and as these rocks break down over time,
they create our soil. In fact, basalt is a major component in
most soils around the world, especially in the ocean where
underground volcanoes are continuously erupting.
Different types of rocks contain different types of minerals.
Basalt is an igneous rock made from volcanic lava that has
solidified and cooled. Igneous rocks are different in that they
have not been changed by the environment, so none of their
vitamins or minerals have leeched out. They contain all of the
minerals just as they were when they came from the centre
of the earth. Basalt in particular is special because, though it
releases nutrients slowly over time, it breaks down faster than
most rocks and contains hundreds of vitamins and minerals.
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