133: Your Food Isn't as Nutritious as You Think

133: Your Food Isn't as Nutritious as You Think

From The Primal Shift by Michael Kummer

April 8, 2026 · 19 min · Season 2 · Episode 133

About this episode

This episode discusses the impact of soil health on food nutrient density and the implications for diets.

Your food can only be as nutrient dense as the soil it was grown in. That's the realization I had after testing the soil across our new property and discovering that despite being relatively fertile and rich in magnesium, it was far too acidic for plants to absorb those minerals properly. Soil pH is a gatekeeper: if it's off, the nutrients stay locked in the ground even when they're technically present. That sent me down a rabbit hole of soil depletion and food nutrient density, and the data is sobering. A 2004 University of Texas study compared USDA food composition data for 43 crops between 1950 and 1999 and found protein down 6%, calcium down 16%, iron down 15%, and vitamin C down 20%. A 2022 UK study showed iron down 50% and copper down 49% over 80 years. In this episode, I break down why this matters even if you're eating an animal-based diet; where the biggest mineral gaps are likely hiding; and what you can do about it right now. If you're thinking this is just a farming problem, consider that cattle, chickens, and pigs eat plants and forage. If they're consuming depleted feed, the resulting meat, eggs, and milk are also depleted. The nutrient density of your ribeye starts…

People in this episode

Host: Michael Kummer

Topics covered

  • nutrient density
  • soil health
  • food composition
  • mineral depletion
  • animal-based diet

Keywords

  • nutrient density
  • soil pH
  • mineral gaps
  • food nutrition
  • animal feed

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Texas, UK

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