"If we've made so many technical advances in food production over the last 50 years, why are so many people sick? As our demands for quick and inexpensive food increased, farmers put more emphasis on large yields. ....farmers have doubled and even tripled the yields in the last 50 years. Unfortunately, nutrition hasn't kept up with the yield.Yet, another reason to grow our own food or know where it's coming from. I would add that as a result we are getting only 1/2 of the magnesium that we used to get which is why most American's are walking around constipated. For the full article, click here. To subscribe free to Garden & Greenhouse magazine, click here (sorry, US only).
....the more a tomato weighs, the lower it's concentration of lycopene, a natural anti-cancer causing agent. ...tomatoes produced by conventional farming methods. It is the method, not the size, responsible for the decrease. Double-digit declines of iron, zinc, and calcium were noted in sweet corn, potatoes, and whole wheat bread.
...We think of an orange as a constant, but it really isn't. In fact, you would have to eat eight oranges today to get the same amount of vitamin A your grandmother got from a single orange. You would need to eat five oranges to get the same level of iron.
...If the soil is lacking minerals, this deficiencey translates to the food. Midwest soil is notoriously low in iodine which plays a critical role in thyroid function. This soil deficiency resulted in a high instance of goiters and resulted in the term the "goiter belt".
...A high ratio of total nutrients to total calories determines whether the food provides the body with necessary minerals and vitamins. A low ratio means the food provides calories, but does not provide the body with nourishment. People eating low density diets may experience excess hunger and consume far more calories in an attempt to satisfy the body's needs. Fruits and vegetables are traditionally associated with nutrient density, while refined and processed foods tend to be low density. We are now learning that analysis is too simplistic and that produce quality is related to soil health."
1.22.2010
Did You Know - Bigger Isn't Better
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3 comments:
I read something on this about 6 months ago, and it's so upseting. I pray that we can one day find a way to grow some of our own food. I'm contemplating helping a friend grow a bigger garden at her house this year, so we can share the food. How do you get healthy when even the healthiest of food you can buy, isn't that healthy either?
We've been taking kelp lately in order to increase our iodine intake.
We're also planning to grow many more vegetables this year. I know that getting the soil just right will be an ongoing process.
Side note... Joel Salatin is speaking at Indiana University this evening and it's open to the public free-of-charge. The topic is:
HOLY COWS AND HOG HEAVEN: The Food Buyer’s Guide to Farm Friendly Food, is an attempt to bring producers and patrons together in mutual understanding and appreciation.
I pasted the wrong description, that was the synopsis of his book by the same title.
Here is what we can expect to hear tonight:
From field to fork, food carries a sacred dimension. The USDA mantra to grow it faster, fatter, bigger, cheaper views pigs as inanimate piles of protoplasmic structure to be manipulated however cleverly the egocentric human mind can conceive. Such disrespect and dishonor carries over toward people and other cultures. A moral, ethical thread connects the field to the plate, a soul-satisfying thread that connects both farmers and eaters in nobility and sacredness.
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