This Isn’t Your Grandma’s Produce!
- Written by Robyn Holder Robyn Holder
- Published: 22 April 2018 22 April 2018
I’m a huge proponent of eating good vegetables and fruit, obviously! I normally recommend organic produce, and if you can’t get organics, then I recommend buying local. I recently found some solid science to support my opinion, from one of my favorite medical practitioners who practices holistic health, Dr. Al Sears. Dr. Sears confirms the produce we buy at the grocery store today just isn’t as nutritious as what we bought just a few decades ago.
Our current farming methods, the depletion of our soils, the use of commercial fertilizers, genetically modified and hybrid crops have drastically reduced the nutrients found in our fruits and vegetables.
Consider this, according to Dr. Sears and the USDA’s current nutritional values compared to those in 1975:
- Vitamin A in apples is down 41%
- Calcium and vitamin A in broccoli is down 50%
- Vitamin C in sweet peppers is down 31%
- Vitamin C in spinach is down 45%
- In cauliflower, vitamin C is down 45%, vitamin B1 is down 48% and vitamin B2 is down 47%
This is outrageous! Much of this reduction in vitamins and minerals is due to hybrid produce being developed – because consumers want our produce to look pretty and colorful and last forever on the shelves and in our homes. But it is also due to commercial farming not cultivating healthy soils.
Have you seen a beautiful shiny red delicious apple that is perfect? The shiny perfection is due to a coating of wax, to keep the apple fresher longer, and possibly repel insects. I’ve done demonstrations where I scrape the wax from the apple and have gotten as much as a tablespoon of wax. Do you really want to eat wax with your food?
As we approach the delicious food season of spring and summer, consider visiting your local farmer’s markets to buy your produce. One caution: make sure your farmer is growing what is being sold – and not importing it from another area, which is becoming more common. Or, join a CSA (community supported agriculture). I’ve belonged to Spiral Path Farm for almost ten years now, and love getting my weekly box of veggies and fruits. Check them out!
And, if you want some help making healthier food choices, give us a call! We can help you increase your health and vitality!
