According to new research, produce in the U.S. not only tastes worse than it did in your grandparents’ days, but also contains fewer nutrients.
In fact, the average vegetable found in today’s supermarket is anywhere from 5 percent to 80 percent lower in minerals such as magnesium, iron, calcium and zinc than those harvested just 50 years ago.
Today’s vegetables are larger, but do not contain more nutrients. Jumbo-sized produce actually contains more “dry matter” than anything else, which dilutes mineral concentrations.
An additional problem is the “genetic dilution effect,” in which selective breeding to increase crop yield has led to declines in protein, amino acids, and minerals. Breeders select for high yield, effectively selecting mostly for high carbohydrate content.
And finally, as a result of the growing rise of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, modern crops are being harvested faster than ever before, meaning that produce has less time to absorb nutrients either from photosynthesis or the soil.
Most of the food currently being consumed is not real food. Real food is grown by people who take care of the land, and who refrain from using herbicides and pesticides. Real food is food that’s grown for taste, and it’s grown in a way that pays people a good wage for their work rather than being grown at somebody else’s expense. It‟s a sad state of affairs when more than three billion people around the world suffer from malnourishment – including in the U.S. – and yet most „improvements‟ to increase food production is simply making our food less nourishing, rather than more so.
But more and more people are getting wise to this problem and are inciting change through their shopping habits and pocketbooks. Shoppers are willing to pay more for locally grown food, and those shopping at farmers‟ markets are willing to spend the most for food grown close to home.
Small local farms are cropping up as a result, and many of them use organic, sustainable farming practices even though they may not have been certified as such.
There are major incentives to center your diet on real foods as opposed to “food products,” the primary one being it is essential for optimal health. Real foods also taste delicious, and when bought from sustainable sources help to protect the environment. So how can you tell the difference?
To be continued
Ref: www.Mercola.com who inspired this Gold Nugget
