William Albrecht, Seer

A reader asked if I was familiar with the work of William Albrecht, which I was not.  William Albrecht (1888-1974) was the Chairman of the Department of Soils at the University of Missouri and spent his career postulating a direct link between healthy soils and animal health, including humans.  He witnessed and studied the effects of post WWII farming techniques, and his conclusions were prophetic.  His published papers are innumerable, but a basic understanding of his work can be found in “Soil, Fertility and Animal Health,” which was published in 1958.

Before WWII, American farmers fertilized their soils with livestock manure, which is rich in nutrients and organic matter.  They also practiced crop rotation, regularly alternating the types of crops grown in various fields and occasionally allowing fields to remain unplanted.  The result of these practices enabled organic material to accumulate and decompose, thereby restoring nutrients to the soil.

Industrial agriculture, on the other hand, in an attempt to produce more food at a cheaper rate, separated the production of food from the raising of animals.  Animals are raised instead on vast concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), while crops are mass produced on alternate farms.  The manure generated by the CAFOs became too costly to transfer to cropland, which caused industrial farms to rely on synthetic, manmade chemical fertilizers to support the monocrop system.  William Albrecht saw this shift in American agricultural practices as detrimental to human health, and his academic stance led to his dismissal by the academic community and he was forced to retire.

Albrecht often used the term “worn out soils” to describe the resulting nutritional benefits, or lack thereof, from the foods we consume today.  Since the soils have been degraded by modern agricultural practices, people must consume more than they require in order to fulfill their nutritional needs.  In short, many Americans may overeat simply because their food leaves them undernourished.  Although the current rate of obesity and other resulting health problems were not entirely in evidence during Albrecht’s lifetime, he in fact predicted the rise of the diet related illnesses we face today:  obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and various forms of cancer.  Albrecht wrote, in 1938, that “a declining soil fertility, due to a lack of organic material, major elements and trace minerals, is responsible for poor crops and in turn for pathological conditions in animals fed deficient foods from such soils, and mankind is no exception.”  He believed that a reliance on chemical fertilizers would lead to a depletion of the major minerals required for optimal health.  He wrote that chemical fertilizers, “as legislated and enforced by State Departments of Agriculture mean malnutrition, attack by insects, bacteria and fungi, weed takeover, crop loss in dry weather, and general loss of mental acuity in the population, leading to degenerative metabolic disease and early death.”  He also coined the terms “grow foods” and “go foods.”  Grow foods are those grown in healthy soils while go foods appear to be represented by processed foods, which are filled with energy enhancing carbohydrates but lack the complete proteins needed for health.

During Albrecht’s lifetime, studies had not been thoroughly conducted to prove his connection between healthy soils and healthy humans.  A study was done in 2004, however, by Donald Davis and a team from the University of Texas.  Titled “Changes in USDA Food Composition Data for 43 Garden Crops, 1950-1999,” it found “reliable declines” in the amounts of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin B2 and vitamin C over a 50 year period.  Donald Davis wrote that “efforts to breed new varieties of crops that provide greater yield, pest resistance and climate adaptability have allowed crops to grow bigger and more rapidly, but their ability to manufacture or uptake nutrients has not kept pace with their rapid growth.”

It is well known that health care costs in the U.S. are greater than anywhere in the world, and in fact cost twice as much as food.  If we are to address the economics of poor health, as Albrecht did, we must make the connection between current agricultural practices and human health.  Once again, this leads us towards embracing and encouraging sustainable agricultural practices.

Recipe of the Week

I stayed away from making falafel for a couple of years because it was fried, and needed a considerable amount of oil.  I tried baking and grilling, but the results were unsatisfactory.  Fried or no, it’s a great vegetarian meal, especially when accompanied by a yogurt, cucumber, garlic sauce.  The following recipe yields about 12, 2 inch patties.

1 can organic garbonzos, rinsed well

3 green onions, minced

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup parsley, minced

1 egg

1 tsp ground cumin

1 Tbls. ground coriander

1/2 tsp salt

2 slices bread

Start by putting the bread into the bowl of a food processor.  Grind them up completely, then add all other ingredients except the egg.  Grind until there are no large pieces of garbonzo beans.  Remove from the processor and add the egg, mixing well.  Form into patties while heating sunflower oil in a large frying pan.  The amount of oil will be about 1/4 cup.  After the oil is sufficiently hot, lower the heat to medium high and add as many patties as will fit into the pan comfortably.  Brown on one side, then flip and brown on the other side.  Remove patties to paper towels to absorb some of the oil.  Repeat the process if you have extra patties, adding more oil if necessary.

Yogurt Sauce

For about 2 cups of non-fat, plain yogurt, add 4 large garlic cloves, minced, and one smallish cucumber, minced.  You may also add some chopped up fresh mint if you have it, but it’s not necessary.