Fruits and Veggies Not as Nutritious as They Were 50 Years Ago??

[Facial_King]

If so, that's kind of a letdown. Interesting article - short and worthwhile:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1880145,00.html

Excerpt:

Apparently produce in the U.S. not only tastes worse than it did in your grandparents' days, it also contains fewer nutrients — at least according to Donald R. Davis, a former research associate with the Biochemical Institute at the University of Texas, Austin. Davis claims the average vegetable found in today's supermarket is anywhere from 5% to 40% lower in minerals (including magnesium, iron, calcium and zinc) than those harvested just 50 years ago.

 

[ChefChiTown]

That's what happens when you grow your fruits and vegetables with the unnatural assistance of man-made chemical additives. That's why a lot of fine dining retaurants only serve organic produce now...it tastes A LOT better.

 

[assholebythedoor]

Nature should be expressed more into local foods. If they stop selling junk food people would stop eating it. Who wants an illegal ring of junk food smuggling.

 

[meesterperfect]

didnt read the article but i would think not because they are speed grown these days.

 

[titsrock]

More people gardened and canned back in the day. Now, we just head to the drive thru and fatten up....

 

[ChefChiTown]

More people gardened and canned back in the day. Now, we just head to the drive thru and fatten up....

...which makes us go the can, providing the earth with nutrients that can be absorbed in gardens.

HA...the circle of life.

 

[mrflexxx]

If so, that's kind of a letdown. Interesting article - short and worthwhile:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1880145,00.html

Excerpt:

Apparently produce in the U.S. not only tastes worse than it did in your grandparents' days, it also contains fewer nutrients — at least according to Donald R. Davis, a former research associate with the Biochemical Institute at the University of Texas, Austin. Davis claims the average vegetable found in today's supermarket is anywhere from 5% to 40% lower in minerals (including magnesium, iron, calcium and zinc) than those harvested just 50 years ago.

I would be interested to learn how they collected their data. For one, the instruments they use today are for more accurate in their measurements (at least that is what one would assume).
Second how can they compare an "average" vegetable found in America to one 50 years ago, where they cultivated at the same farm, using the same soil samples.IDK this sounds like a theory that this researcher is hell bent to prove.I would not give it much stock. Just off the top of my head, i could present the fact that today we have a greater ability to manipulate the nutrients and genetically modified seeds that go INTO the soil than we did back then, and you could hypothesis that they would increase the quality of the vegetation today.

 

[D-rock]

Things like that will happen when you try to get more quicker at a lower cost. There is only so far we can push nature at this point.