2026年将健康与营养连接到再生农业报告（英文版）-

ConnectingHealthandNutrition

toRegenerativeAgriculture

1

ConnectingHealthandNutritiontoRegenerativeAgriculture

Tableofcontents:

ExecutiveSummary 2

1.Introduction: 6

1.1Purposeandformatofthereport: 6

1.2AbouttheClimateandHealthCoalition 7

2.Framing:whyfocusonhealthwithintheregenerativeagriculturenarrative? 9

3.Thecurrentpicture:Whatisknownabouttheconnectionsbetweenhumanhealth,

nutrition,andregenerativeagriculture? 11

3.1NutrientDensity 11

3.2Benefitsofeatingadiverserangeofminimallyprocessedfoods 13

3.3Widerconnectionsbetweenregenerativeagricultureandhumanhealth 14

3.4Currentwaystomeasureandclaimnutrientdensity 15

4.Thecurrentpicture:Howarewecommunicatingthehealthbenefitsofregenerative

agriculture? 17

4.1Claimsandhealthbenefits: 18

4.2Inferredbenefits: 18

4.3Ingredientsandprocessing 19

4.4LocalBenefits: 19

4.5Widernarrative: 20

4.6Thecaseforaculturalshift: 20

4.7ChallengesandRisks 21

4.8Whatcanwelearnfromothermovements? 22

5.CalltoAction 24

Appendix 29

Contributors 29

FurtherResources: 30

2

ExecutiveSummary

Thepurposeofthisreportistoprovideasummaryofthecurrentunderstandingaroundthethelinksbetweenregenerativeagriculturepractices,healthandnutritionasaroutetoactivatingdemandandpreferenceforproductssourcedusingregenerative

agriculturepracticeswithconsumersandcitizensintheUK.Thisinturnhasthe

potentialtodevelopanarrativethathighlightsthehealthbenefits,aswellasthe

environmentalbenefitsofregenerativeagriculture.Overtime,thisnarrativecouldgrowintomoreofagoodforyou,goodfortheplanetpositioningforproductsofferedto

consumersandcitizens.

Creatingthisgreatersharedunderstandingandnarrativehasthepotentialto:

•Acceleratethedemandforregenerativelygrownproduceandproductsamongcitizensandconsumers.

•Drivebrandpreferencetosupportfoodpartnersacrossthevaluechaintoseeareturnontheinvestmentmadeinregenerativeagriculturepractices

•Helpconsumersandcitizensfeelhealthier,moreconnectedtonatureandmoreconnectedtohowtheirfoodisgrown.

Thereportisbasedondeskresearch,interviewswitharangeofexpertsandinsights

gatheredinanin-personworkshopintheUKinNovember2025.ItformsaworkstreamwithintheClimate&HealthCoalition,apre-competitivemulti-stakeholder

collaborationfacilitatedbyForumfortheFuture,withanoverarchinggoaltomobilise

andequiptheprivatesectortoaccelerateprogressontheinterconnectedchallengesofclimate,healthandequity.ThereportbuildsonexistingguidancefromtheCoalitiontoenablepracticalactionbytheprivatesectoronclimateandhealth,including

atoolkit

foraction

forthefoodsystem.

Summaryofcurrentunderstanding:

Theconnectionsbetweenhealth,nutritionandregenerativeagriculturearemultipleandcomplex,withvaryinglevelsofevidencearoundthem.

Thequestionofwhetherthenutrientdensity(theratioofnutrientstocalories)offoodgrowninaregenerativeagriculturesystemishigherthanthatfromanindustrial

agriculturalsystemisincreasinglyofinteresttofoodsystemactorsandwider

stakeholders.Intheory,regenerativeagriculturesystems(definedasfollowingthewell-

3

established5coreprinciplesofregenerativeagricultureforthebenefitofthisreport

1

)oragroecologicalsystems

2

,arewellsuitedtoproducemorenutrientdensecrops,butinpractice,understandingandevidencearoundwhichfactorsinfluencenutritional

densityisinitsinfancy,withmorestandardizedresearchtrialsneeded.Themost

positiveevidencetodateisaroundbeefanddairy

3

,withstudiesshowinghigherOmega3andfattyacidprofilesduetoadiversedietofforage

4

.Thereisgreatpotentialfor

collaborationacrossthefoodsystemtogrowthisevolvingresearchbase,withbenefitsforfarmersandnatureaswellashumanhealth.

Whilemuchisstillunknownaboutthehumangutandsoilmicrobiomes,itis

reasonablywellestablishedthathumanhealthbenefitsfromaccessingawidearrayofnutrientsfromdifferentfoods,andsoilhealthbenefitsfromavarietyofplantspeciessupportingadiversemixofmicroorganisms.Adietrichinavarietyofminimally

processedplants,embracingthemixofcropsgrowninregenerativefarmingsystems,givesthebodyaccesstoawidersetofessentialnutrientsandreducestheriskofmostnon-communicablediseases.Whilethepotentialfornutrientdensesingleingredientsisexciting,thehealthimpactoffoodproductsislargelydeterminedbytheoverall

productcompositionandlevelofprocessing.Regenerativeagriculturecouldbeapowerfultooltosupporthealthierproductcompositionaswellasconsumerdietaryshifts.

Thinkingmorebroadly,landscapesfarmedregenerativelyhavehugepotentialfor

improvinghumanhealththroughreducingflooding,improvingwaterquality,ruralairquality,accesstogreenspacesandsupportingtheecosystemsonwhichhumanlifedepends.

CurrentnutritionframeworksincludingtheUKtraffic-lightlabel,Nutri-ScoreinseveralEuropeancountriesandretailer-ledschemessuchasGuidingStarsintheUSAfocusonmacronutrientsandlackanyinformationonmicronutrients(wheremostWesterndiets

1FarmCarbonToolkit,

.uk/toolkit/regenerative-agriculture/

2FoodandAgriculturalOrganizationoftheUnitedNations(FAO),AgroecologyKnowledgeHub,22February2026,

/agroecology/overview/en/

3Średnicka-ToberD,BarańskiM,SealCJ,etal.HigherPUFAandn-3PUFA,conjugatedlinoleicacid,α-tocopherolandiron,butloweriodineandseleniumconcentrationsinorganicmilk:asystematic

literaturereviewandmeta-andredundancyanalyses.BritishJournalofNutrition.2016;115(6):1043-

1060.doi:10.1017/S0007114516000349

/core/journals/british-journal-of-

nutrition/article/higher-pufa-and-n3-pufa-conjugated-linoleic-acid-tocopherol-and-iron-but-lower-

iodine-and-selenium-concentrations-in-organic-milk-a-systematic-literature-review-and-meta-and-

redundancy-analyses/A7587A524F4235D8E98423E1F73B6C05

4ProfGillianButler,NewcastleUni:Butler,G.,Ali,A.M.,Oladokun,S.,Wang,J.,&Davis,H.(2021).Forage-fedcattlepointthewayforwardforbeef?FutureFoods,3,100012,

/science/article/pii/S2666833521000022?via%3Dihub

4

arelacking).Alongwiththisgapinmechanismstocommunicateawidernutritional

profile,thereisalsoagapintheabilitytomeasurethisrangeofnutrientsatafarmlevelatscaleandtransferthatinformationthroughthevaluechain.Lotsofexcitingworkisunderwayexploringeasierwaystomeasureandreportonamorediverserangeof

nutrientsfromcompaniessuchasEdaciousandtheBionutrientInstituteinUSA,butamainstreamroutetomeasuringandreportingonthisisstillawayoff.

Communication

Currentcommunicationwithconsumersaroundregenerativeagriculturefocuseson

thebenefitstonatureandclimate.Whilethesearecriticaloutcomes(andthedriving

forcebehindthewidespreadtransitiontoregenerativeagriculture),forconsumers,

taste,price,convenienceandhealth,stillremainmoreimportantpurchasedriversthansustainability

5

.

Tobetteractivateconsumersandcitizensaroundregenerativeagriculturethereisanopportunityforthefoodsectortoconsidercrediblemessageswhichrefertothe

connectionsbetweenhealthandregenerativeagriculture.Andexplorehowthesecanbeusedtocreateafoundationalnarrativeonwhichtobuildonasunderstandingandevidencearoundtheconnectionsevolve.

Anyemergingnarrativeneedstoacknowledgesomeclearrisksandchallenges.Mostcritically,anynarrativemustremainscientificallycredibletomaintainindustryand

consumertrustandcomplywithenvironmentalandhealthclaimregulations.Thelackofdefinitionorstandardsaroundregenerativeagricultureortheterm‘nutrientdense’complicatestherisks,addingcomplexitytohowbenefitsofdifferentproduction

systemsarecommunicatedwithconsumers.

CalltoAction

Thereportsuggestsacalltoaction(CTA)fordifferentactorsinthefoodsystemandbeyondtohelpaccelerateprogressonunderstandingtheconnectionsbetween

regenerativeagriculture,healthandnutritionandthedevelopmentofasupportingfoundationalnarrative.

TheCTAiscomprisedoffourcomplementarygoals,eachsupportedbyspecificsuggestions.

•Goal1:Buildunderstanding&meaningfulevidenceofwhatmakesadifferenceinnutritionandhealthfromaproductionperspective

5PennyMunro,SommerKapitan,BenWooliscroft,Thesustainableattitude-behaviorgapdynamicwhenshoppingatthesupermarket:Asystematicliteraturereviewandframeworkforfutureresearch,JournalofCleanerProduction,Volume426,2023,138740,ISSN0959-6526,

/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.138740

.

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•Goal2:Improveabilitytomeasureandsharenutrientprofiles–bothatfarmgateandendproduct

•Goal3:Buildacrediblehealthnarrativefoundationonwhichtoexpandinthelongerterm

•Goal4:Catalyseaculturalshiftor‘wondermoment,

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1.Introduction:

ThetransitionoftheUKfoodsystemtowardsregenerativeandagroecologicalfarmingsystemsiswellunderwayandisincreasinglyakeyfeatureofcorporatesustainabilityplansandindustrycollaborations,underpinnedbyaswellinggrassrootsmovement.

Thereasonsforthefoodindustrytosupportatransitiontowardsregenerative

agriculturearemultiple,rangingfromtheneedtobuildsupplychainresilienceinthefaceofincreasingclimateimpactsanddepletedsoilhealth;concernsaboutfood

security;deliveringoncarbon,waterandbiodiversitytargets;andenablingfarmerstothriveinvolatileglobalmarkets.

Currently,thepublicnarrativearoundregenerativeagriculturefocusesonpositive

environmentaloutcomes.Whileenvironmentalandbroadersustainabilityisimportanttosomeconsumersandcitizens,itconsistentlyrankslowonresearchintothetop

purchasedrivers,prioritizedbelowtaste,priceandconvenience.Thismeansan

opportunitytoleverageconsumer(&citizen)demandforfoodgrowninregenerativeagriculturalsystemsisnotyetwellactivated,missingapowerfullevertoinfluencegovernmentpolicyanddriveeconomicvaluecreationacrossthevaluechain.

Atthesametimethereisanoverlookedandunderexploredbenefitofregenerative

agriculture,thatisimportanttocitizensandconsumers:health.Theorieshighlighting

theconnectionbetweensoilhealthandnutritionalqualityofproduceandhuman

healthwereputforwardaslongagoas1939byagroupofEnglishphysiciansconcernedthatmicronutrientdeficienciesinBritishdietswereleadingtoawiderangeof

preventablechronicmaladies

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.Inthelast5years,asregenerativeagriculturehas

startedtogainmoretractionamongfoodandagriculturebusinesses,researchintothepotentialhealthandnutritionalbenefitsoffarmingsystemsthatbuildsoilhealthhasbecomemoreneededand,onapracticallevel,morepossible.

1.1Purposeandformatofthereport:

Thepurposeofthisreportistoprovideasummaryofcurrentunderstandingofthelinksbetweenregenerativeagriculture,healthandnutritionasaroutetoactivatingdemandandpreferenceforregenerativeagriculturewithconsumersandcitizens.

Creatingthisgreatersharedunderstandinghasthepotentialto:

•Acceleratethedemandforregenerativelygrownproduceandproducts.

•Drivebrandpreferencethatenablesfoodpartnersacrossthevaluechaintoseeareturnontheinvestment.

6“Whatyourfoodate:howtohealourlandandreclaimourhealth”,DavidR.MontgomeryandAnneBikle,2022,page29

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•Helpconsumersandcitizensfeelhealthier,moreconnectedtonatureandhowtheirfoodisgrown.

CentraltothereportisaCalltoActionfororganizationsandindividualsworkingacrossthefoodsystemfromacademiatofarmers,foodcompaniesandinvestors.Itproposeswaystogrowtheunderstandingoftheconnectionsbetweenregenerativeagricultureandhealthandstartcommunicatingafoundationalscientificallycrediblenarrativeonwhichtobuildasunderstandingandtheevidencebasegrows.

Section2explainsthepowerfulrolethatconsumerdemandcanplayindrivingthe

transitiontowardsaregenerativeagriculturesystem.Sections3and4buildapictureofthecurrentstateofplayontheevidencebaseandconsumernarrativerelatingtothe

healthbenefitsofregenerativeagriculture.Section5proposesaCalltoActionforhowdifferentactorsacrossthesystemcanaccelerateprogress.

Thisreportisunderpinnedbydeskresearch,interviewswithawiderangeofexpertsandinsightsfromanin-personconveninginNovember2025.Whiledoingourbestto

representthewiderangeofperspectives,knowledgeandevidencethatweresharedduringtheresearchprocess,werecognizethatwemayhavemissedsomenuance

aroundthishighlycomplextopic.Wewelcomeanyfeedbackyoumighthaveaboutthereportortopicmoregenerally.Weencourageyoutosharefeedbackat:

info@

.

1.2AbouttheClimateandHealthCoalition

Thisreportformspartofaworkstreamwithinthe

Climate&HealthCoalition

,apre-

competitivemulti-stakeholdercollaborationfacilitatedbyForumfortheFuture,withanoverarchinggoaltomobiliseandequiptheprivatesectortoaccelerateprogressontheinterconnectedchallengesofclimate,healthandequity.

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TheClimate&HealthCoalitionhasproducedvariousguidancedocumentsdesignedtoenablepracticalactionbytheprivatesector,oneofthemorerecentoutputshasbeendesignedspecificallyforthefoodsystem-

atoolkitforaction

.ThisreportissponsoredbyWaitrose,afoundingmemberoftheFoodClusterwithinthecoalition.

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2.Framing:whyfocusonhealthwithintheregenerativeagriculturenarrative?

Systemschangewhenpressurefromslowmovingenvironmental,socialorpolitical

trends;andpressurefrominnovatione.g.newbusinessmodels,farmingpractices,

products,waysoforganizing,createpioneeringnewwaysapproachesandactivitiesinthemainstreamworld.

Diagram1.HowSystemsChange:MultilevelPerspective

Fundamentaltosystemchangeisthearticulationandacceptanceofnewgoalsofanysystem.InthecaseoftheUK’sfoodandagriculturalsystem,atransitionisunderwayfromasystemdeliveringongoalsofcheapcalories,broughttomarketinwaysthat

don’ttakeaccountofenvironmentalimpactsandoftendon’tdeliversustainable

economicreturnstoproducersandfarmers,towardsasystemwithgoalsthatincludeequitableaccesstonutrition,nutritionwhichisboughttomarketinwaysthatrestoresandprotectstheenvironment,aswellasdeliverssustainablelivelihoodstofarmersandproducers.

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ThetransitiontowardsregenerativeagricultureintheUKiswellunderway.

RegenerativeagriculturehasmovedbeyondanichepracticetoapositionwheremanypartsoftheUKandglobalfoodandagriculturesystemarecollaborating,incentivizingandadvocatingforgoalsandpoliciesthatcanhelpmakefarmingregenerativelythe

newnormal.Forthefinalshifttowardsanewoperatingmodelforthefoodand

agriculturalsystemwhereregenerativeagricultureisthe“newnormal”,akeyleverforchangewillbesupportingtheculture,mindsetandsocialvaluesneededtomake

regenerativeagriculturethego-toapproachtoproducingfood.Consumer

understanding,supportandpurchasingofregenerativelygrownproduceisacriticalelementofthatculturalshift,onethathasn’tyethadmuchexploration.

Diagram2.Theeightleverstoshiftasystem,withexamplesofactionunderwaytoshifttheagriculturesystemtowardsregenerativeagriculture.

Wherebusinesseshavetriedtotalktoconsumersaboutregenerativeagriculture,it'slargelybeenthroughtellingthestoryaboutthebenefitstotheenvironmentand

biodiversity.Thereisgreatpotentialinconsideringhowhealthandnutritioncouldbeusedasalenstoengageandmotivateconsumers(&citizens)towardsthemany

benefitsthatcomewithfoodproducedthroughregenerativeagriculture.

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3.Thecurrentpicture:Whatisknownabouttheconnections

betweenhumanhealth,nutrition,andregenerativeagriculture?

Theconnectionsaremultipleandcomplex,withvaryinglevelsofevidence–ranging

fromhownutrientsflowbetweensoil,plants,animalsandhumans;tothediversityof

ingredientsweconsumeandhowtheyareprocessed;tomoreholisticinterconnectionssuchasreducedflooding,waterqualityandsupportfortheecosystemsonwhich

humanlifedepends.

3.1NutrientDensity

It’sbeenwidelyreportedthattherehasbeenareductioninnutrientqualityoffresh

produceovertimesincethe1950s(althoughthemostrobustdataspecificallylooksatwheat

7

),largelyduetocropsbeingselectivelybredfortraitssuchassize,yield,and

pestresistance,oftenattheexpenseoftheirnutrientcontent.Otherfactorsmayalsoplayarole,suchasearlierharvestingforlongdistancetransportationlimiting

nutritionaldevelopmentofplants,andhigherlevelsofcarbondioxideinthe

atmospheretriggeringincreasedphotosynthesisandcarbohydrategrowth,inturndilutingessentialnutrientslikeprotein,zincandironwhichgrowataslowerrate.

Thereiscurrentlygrowinginterestinwhetherfoodgrowninregenerativeagriculturesystemscanrestoreproducetoahighernutrientdensitythanfoodgrownin

conventionalfarmingsystemswiththeirfocusonyieldandhighenergydensity.

Ahealthier,diversesoilmicrobiomewithabundantmycorrhizalfungi,typicallykey

outcomesoffarmingregeneratively

8

,isknowntobreakdownnutrientsinthesoilmoreeffectively

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,andmakecertainnutrientssuchasphosphorusandsomemicronutrientsmoreaccessibleforplantstoabsorb

10

.Thereareamultitudeoffactorsthatimpact

plantnutrientdensity,andmoreresearchisneededtodeterminewhichfactorshavethebiggestimpact,howthesefactorsinteractandwhatthebestconditionstoreachhighernutrientdensityareindifferentcropvarietiesacrossdifferentfarmingcontexts.

WhiletherearelotsofpromisingstudiesfromtheUSA,UKandbeyond,formostcommoditieswearealongwayfromameaningfulevidencebaseofpeerreviewedresearchthatdemonstrateshighernutrientdensityassociatedwithregeneratively

7NellyBlair,R.D.Faulkner,A.R.Till,P.R.Poulton,Long-termmanagementimpactsonsoilC,Nand

physicalfertility:PartI:Broadbalkexperiment,SoilandTillageResearch,Volume91,Issues1–2,2006,Pages30-38,ISSN0167-1987,

/10.1016/j.still.2005.11.002

.

8KimN,ZabaloyMC,GuanK,VillamilMB.Docovercropsbenefitsoilmicrobiome?Ameta-analysisofcurrentresearch.SoilBiolBiochem.2020;142:107701.doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.107701.

9vanderHeijdenMGA,BardgettRD,vanStraalenNM.Theunseenmajority:soilmicrobesasdriversofplantdiversityandproductivity.EcolLett.2008;11(3):296–310.doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01139.x

10LehmannA,RilligMC.Arbuscularmycorrhizalcontributiontocopper,zinc,andphosphorusnutrientcyclingincrops.SoilBiolBiochem.2015;90:379–391.doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2015.08.020.

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grownproduce.Specifically,thereisnotyetasufficientlyrobustevidencebasetomakeon-packclaims.Morelong-termstudieswithstandardizedmethodologies(especiallythosewithcontrolsforlocationandcropvariety)areneededbeforetheeffectsof

regenerativeagricultureonnutrientdensitycanbefullyquantified.

However,theemergingpicturedoesdifferacrossdifferentproductcategories:

•Animalproducts:Thestrongestevidencearoundregenerativefarmingand

connectiontohumannutritionalbenefitsisfromanimalproducts

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,althoughfarmorecontrolledstudiesareneededtostrengthenthisevidencebase.Milkandmeatrearedinregenerativefarmingsystemscanhavehealthiernutrientprofilesthanthosefromconventionalfarms-largelyduetothediverserangeofplantseatenwhilegrazinginrotationalsystemsleadingtohealthieranimals,comparedtohighlevelsofgrainandsoy-basedfeedinconventionalsystems.Forexample,milkfromaregenerativefarmisoftenhigherinbeneficialOmega3fattyacids

andhasamorefavorableOmega6:3ratio(whichisassociatedwithlower

markersofchronicinflammationandcanreducetheriskofchronicdiseases

12

).Theycanalsobehigherinphytonutrients,thathaveantioxidantandanti-

inflammatoryproperties,linkedtoreducedriskofcardiovasculardiseaseandsomecancers

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,andanarrayofothervitamins.

•Wheat:Theevidencearoundwheatislessconclusiveatpresent.Thenutritionaldensityofwheatplantslookstobeprimarilyinfluencedbyplantvariety,withanunderstandingoftheotherfactorsinfluencingnutrientdensitystillinitsinfancy.Intrialswherevarietiesofwheatgrownremainedconstant,conventionalfarmedwheatsometimeshadhighernutrientdensitythanregenerativelygrownwheatandviceversa.Thereisachancethatsomeoftheseresultsmaybeskewedbyhowearlyinaregenerativejourneythesoilusedinthesetrialsis,buttherearealsolikelytobeotherfactorsatplayincludinglightintensity,temperatureand

wateravailability.But,whenlookingatplantvarieties,thosemoresuitedtoregenerativesystems,forexampleancientgrainsthataremoreresilientto

drought,windandflooding,tendtohavehigherrangeofvitaminsandmineralsthanmodernvarietiesbredtothriveinmonoculturesdeliveringhighyieldsandcarbohydratedensity,withimprovedpestresistance.

11GillianButler,AliMohamedAli,SamsonOladokun,JuanWang,HannahDavis,Forage-fedcattlepointthewayforwardforbeef?,FutureFoods,Volume3,2021,100012,ISSN2666-8335,

/10.1016/j.fufo.2021.100012

.

12DiNicolantonioJJ,O'KeefeJ.TheImportanceofMaintainingaLowOmega-6/Omega-3Ratiofor

ReducingtheRiskofAutoimmuneDiseases,Asthma,andAllergies.MoMed.2021Sep-Oct;118(5):453-459.PMID:34658440;PMCID:PMC8504498.

/articles/PMC8504498/

13HanX,ShenT,LouH.DietaryPolyphenolsandTheirBiologicalSignificance.IntJMolSci.2007Sep

12;8(9):950-88.PMCID:PMC3871896.,

/articles/PMC3871896/

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•Horticulture:Thepictureforhorticultureisalsocurrentlyinconclusive,despitepromisingsamplestudies.Nutrientlevelscanvarysignificantlybetween

differentcropvarieties,growingconditions,andspecificfarmmanagementpractices,withlittleconclusiveunderstandingyetofwhatthecausationalfactorsare.

3.2Benefitsofeatingadiverserangeofminimallyprocessedfoods

Thegrowingunderstandingandresearchintotheroleofthegutmicrobiomein

managingourimmunesystemandgeneralwellbeingcouldbeakeyfactorinhowwetalktoconsumersaboutnutritionandregenerativeagricultureinthefuture.

Whilethereisstillsomuchtolearnabouthowthegutmicrobiomeworks,itisclearthatthediversityoffoodsweeatandhowprocessedthesefoodsare,hasastrongroleto

playinourguthealthandouroverallwellbeing.Adietrichinawiderangeofminimallyprocessedplantsgivesthebodyaccesstoawidersetofessentialnutrientsand

reducestheriskofmostnon-communicablediseases.

Whenthinkingabouttheconnectionsbetweensoilandgutmicrobiome,regenerative

farmingsystemsproduceadiverserangeofcropsinrotation,which,whencombined

withminimalsoildisturbanceandcoveredsoil,nurtureamorediversesoil

microbiome.Ifweweretoalsoeatasimilarlydiversecollectionofplants,wewould

alsobenefitfromawiderbreadthofnutrients,allinteractingwitheachothertoproduceamorediverse(andbeneficial)gutmicrobiome.However,adultsintheUKeaton

average3-4portionsoffruitandvegetablesaday

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andchildren’sintakesarelowerstill,meaningmanypeopledonothaveadietthatevenoffersthepotentialtoaccessthe

widerangeofmicroandmacronutrientsourbodiesneedtothrive.

Howweprocessfoodscanalsostripmicronutrientsout(forexampleviapeeling,

heating,ordilutinginwater)aswellasaddinnewingredientsthatcanhaveanegativeimpactonourmicrobiomeandhealth.Forexample,incrispproduction,natural

vitamins,minerals,andfiberareoftenstrippedoutinthepreparingandcookingprocess,whilefatandsodiumareadded.

Notallprocessinghasanegativeimpactonnutrition-somelightprocessinghelps

makenutrientsmoreaccessible,forexample,heatingcanhelpmakesomefoodmoredigestibleandfermentingcreatesbeneficialprobioticsandenzymes,whichaid

digestionandnutrientabsorption.Processingcanalsomakeproductsmorestableonshelfforlonger,improvingaccessibilityoffoodandreducingwaste.

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.uk/government/statistics/national-diet-and-nutrition-survey-2019-to-2023/national

-diet-and-nutrition-survey-2019-to-2023-report

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Althoughitisreasonablywellestablishedthatveryhighlyprocessedfoodsdrive

inflammation,whichisthecauseofmanydiseases

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,thereisstillsomuchunknownabouthowthegutmicrobiomeworksandtheimpactofvaryinglevelsofprocessed

food.Therisingdebateandcontinuedresearchintotheimpactofultraprocessedfoodislikelytobecloselyconnectedwiththenarrativeandevidencearoundthehealthandnutritionalbenefitsofregenerativeagriculture.

Lookingtothefuture,thereisarealopportunityforretailersinparticular,totranslatethestoryofdiverseingredientsandminimallyprocessedorwholefoodsgrownin

regenerativeagriculturesystems,intoaneasy,affordablehealthybasketforconsumers.

3.3Widerconnectionsbetweenregenerativeagricultureandhumanhealth

Wearenature:Atabasiclevel,humanhealthisintrinsicallyconnectedtonature-

especiallywhenitcomestohowwegrowfoodandshapelandscapesandecosystems.Wearereliantonfunctioningnaturalecosystemstopollinateandgrowfoodandto

purifytheairwebreathe;andhumansbeingpartofnature-likeanextendedfamily-isacoreprincipleinmanyindigenousculturesfromwhichtheunderlyingprinciplesofregenerativeagriculturestemfrom.

Floodingandlandscapeimpacts:Whenlandisfarmedregeneratively,thesoilcan

holdmoremoisture,actinglikeagiantsponge,whichcanleadtoreducedflooding,