🌍 Save Our Soils: Why Performance Starts in the Dirt
Louis De Jaeger on Regenerative Farming, Gut Health & the Truth About Modern Food
Would you poison your kids?
It’s not a trick question. It’s what Louis De Jaeger—a landscape designer, regenerative agriculture strategist, and author of SOS: Save Our Soils—asks in Episode #70 of the Pre-Zero Sports Talk Podcast.
The scary part?
Most of us already are, just by trusting what’s on our plates.
What If Health, Climate, and Performance All Started in the Same Place?
What if gut health, athlete recovery, climate resilience, food security, and economic justice… all started underground?
According to Louis, they do.
“In 25 years, if we don’t change course, we’ll have no soil left to grow food. And without soil, we don’t just lose crops—we lose culture, connection, and community.”
That’s not just a crisis. It’s a call to action.
The Hidden Truth Beneath Our Feet
Louis has spent the past decade traveling from Canada to Panama, Africa to Europe, studying what he calls the “broken story” of industrial agriculture. His conclusion?
👉 We’ve been trained to accept toxic food as usual.
👉 We’ve outsourced food production to corporations that care more about profit than nutrition.
👉 And we’ve forgotten that performance starts with nourishment—and nourishment starts with soil.
He calls for a global regeneration of 550 million hectares—land that could be healed and reborn through organic, poison-free, community-driven farming.
What We Talked About
In this episode, Louis and I explore:
✔️ Why gut health and athletic performance are tied to soil microbes
✔️ The myth that industrial agriculture is the only way to feed the world
✔️ How regenerative farming differs from "greenwashed" organic labels
✔️ The political and corporate interests blocking food reform
✔️ The real cost of pesticides on farmers, families, and future generations
✔️ What athletes, parents, and local leaders can do today
✔️ Louis’s vision of legacy: a healthy planet, without poison
My Take
Louis didn’t just bring data—he brought urgency.
This wasn’t a typical "climate episode." It was about the roots of health, the stories we accept, and the choices we still have.
As someone who speaks often with athletes, coaches, and changemakers, this conversation reminded me that our bodies, our teams, and our communities can’t perform at their best if we’re fueling them with depleted, toxic food.
Performance isn’t just about training harder.
It’s about fueling better. And that starts long before the plate. It starts with soil.
🎧 Tune In
▶️ Watch on YouTube →
🎙 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or from whatever source you listen to your podcast.
What Do You Think?
What’s one thing you’ve changed about the way you eat—or the food you buy—to align with your values?
Drop it in the comments. Let’s learn from each other.
If this post sparked something in you, consider subscribing to get more grounded insights like this—at the intersection of performance, sustainability, and leadership.
Until next time,
Sid Bensalah