Holistic, embodied nourishment is more than some "healthy foods" checklist.
That may be old news to you at this point. But for me, it's still one of the most foundational things to my work and my own life.
Our wellness is nuanced, complex, and interwoven with the world we live in.
And a part of what that means is that the environment, soil health, agriculture practices, and our understanding of the complexities of nutrition can all impact our unique experiences in our own bodies and how we give and receive nourishment.
And when I saw this study this week, published in The Journal of Nutrition last month, I knew I wanted to share it with you.
If you haven't seen articles about it already (or if you aren't super interested in reading a fairly bland scientific article on your Sunday), here are the basics:
Our current iron intake is down overall when compared with previous years
While some of this may be contributed to an overall reduction in eating things like cow flesh (which tends to be higher in iron), iron concentrations are down in virtually all foods
Agriculture practices such as increasing crop yield per acre have impacted the health of the soil and the bioavailability of iron (and other nutrients) in our foods
There may continue to be an increasing number of people who are iron-deficient or anemic, which may lead to increased mortality rate
Now, I'm totally cool first acknowledging some of my biased interest here: As a vegan, I appreciate the recognition that lower iron intake is not solely from an increase in plant-based eating, since that is so often the scapegoat used when talking about iron deficiency. (Reminder: lots of plant foods have iron!)
Because the issue of soil health and harmful agriculture practices so significantly impacts our wellness, reading up on what these researchers found felt really powerful—a sobering reminder that if we continue to grow our food in the same ways (and pollute and exploit our environment), nutrients will continue to be less and less concentrated.
(This has already been happening for many years—the foods we eat now are not as nutrient-dense as they used to be!)
And as more people are reducing the amount of animal flesh they consume, it also highlights the importance of understanding the holistic ways we can best nourish ourselves.
The iron found in plant foods is called non-heme iron (the iron found in flesh is heme iron). Non-heme iron is less bioavailable, meaning our bodies won't absorb as much of it. But a few ways we can increase our absorption of plant-based iron include:
Eating foods rich in vitamin C along with iron-rich foods
Avoiding coffee, tea, and wine when eating (the tannins impact iron absorption!)
Consuming fortified foods like plant-based milks and cereals
Our wellness is simultaneously individual and collective. It is complex, nuanced, and holistic—never just a checklist or segmented, unrelated steps or strategies, and always dependent on the larger Whole.
Embodied nourishment honors the Whole. It is a beautiful, sacred way of being present with ourselves, our communities, our earth.
And sometimes, it means reading a scientific journal article with curiosity and renewed purpose, remembering that I can only be as nourished as the world around me.