The Link Between Nutrition and Longevity Starts in the Soil

I’ve come to believe that most of what passes for “food” today isn’t really nourishing us. It’s designed to be cheap, uniform, and shelf-stable — not to make us healthy. For me, longevity starts with what we eat, and what we eat starts with the soil.

When I began learning about regenerative agriculture, it changed how I thought about health. I realized that nutrition doesn’t begin in the kitchen or at the grocery store. It begins underground — in the living soil that grows the plants that feed the animals that feed us.

Food Should Build Health, Not Manage Decline

For most of my life, I didn’t think much about how food affects aging. But after changing how I eat — and how we farm — I’ve seen firsthand how much it matters.

When animals graze on diverse pastures instead of grain, everything about them changes. Their fat is more yellow from beta-carotene, their meat is higher in omega-3s and CLA, and their overall health improves. Those same nutrients that make them stronger are the ones that help us fight inflammation, stabilize blood sugar, and protect muscle as we age.

I think we’ve been taught to manage decline instead of building health. Real food reverses that — it gives the body what it actually needs.

The Soil Is the Foundation

Healthy soil grows healthy food. It sounds simple, but it’s not how most of our food is produced anymore. Decades of chemical inputs and tillage have stripped nutrients from the ground. You can see it in the data — fruits, vegetables, and grains today often contain fewer minerals and vitamins than they did fifty years ago.

That’s why I focus on rebuilding soil at Tyner Pond Farm. When the soil biology is alive and balanced, the grass that grows from it is rich in minerals. The animals that graze it develop better nutrition. And when you eat from that system, you’re eating food that was built from living soil — not from synthetic inputs.

Eating for the Long Term

People often ask me what “longevity” means to me. I don’t think of it as living forever — I think of it as staying strong, clear-headed, and capable as long as possible. Food plays a bigger role in that than most of us realize.

Cutting out seed oils and ultra-processed foods changed my health completely. I lost weight, my inflammation dropped, and I started thinking differently about food — not as calories, but as information for my body. That’s why I care so much about how food is raised. It’s not a theory; I’ve lived it.

From Soil to Health

Every time we move the cattle to a new paddock, I’m reminded that we’re managing more than animals — we’re managing biology. The soil, the plants, and the animals are all part of one system. And when that system is healthy, the food that comes from it supports human health in ways industrial food never can.

Longevity doesn’t come from supplements or shortcuts. It comes from eating real food grown on real land — food that’s alive from the ground up.

FAQs

Q: What foods support longevity?
A: Nutrient-dense foods like grassfed beef, pastured eggs, and raw dairy provide the fats, proteins, and minerals needed for long-term health.

Q: Why does soil health matter for nutrition?
A: Healthy soil holds more minerals and organic matter, which create more nutritious plants — and in turn, healthier animals and people.

Q: How does Tyner Pond Farm raise animals for better nutrition?
A: We use regenerative, pasture-based systems. Our cattle and chickens move daily to fresh grass, helping rebuild the soil and improve food quality naturally.

Q: What’s the biggest dietary change that improved your health?
A: Cutting out seed oils and ultra-processed foods. Once I focused on eating real, local food from healthy soil, everything else started to improve — energy, weight, and inflammation.