Appearances Can Be Deceiving, It's What's On The Inside That Counts

It seems that our vanity goes way beyond how we look and has spilled over into the foods we choose. Unfortunately, when we demand cosmetically perfect foods business must respond to the competition for pretty foods. Focus is placed on the outside appearance (color, size etc…) and not on the quality of nutrients inside.
The biggest reason to buy food from your local farmer is because nutrients get lost from the time the fruit/vegetable is separated from the stem of the plant. By the time fruit is transported and ready for sale in the store it has lost much of its nutrients. For this reason, the goal should be to give food its best chance to contain as much of its natural potential for nutrients as possible. This means a focus on sustainable agriculture, http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/Concept.htm, to improve the food we consume by allowing it to be grown in nutrient rich soil.
It has been eight years since Worthington’s findings were published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11327522, “Organic crops contained significantly more vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus and significantly less nitrates than conventional crops. Trends also showed less protein but of a better quality and a higher content of nutritionally significant minerals with lower amounts of some heavy metals in organic crops compared to conventional ones”. We have the information and need to take action sooner rather than later.
There are however some journalists that are helping us gain better information on this topic. According to Andrew Schneider, Seattle P-I senior correspondent, http://www.seattlepi.com/national/331421_bigfood13.html, it’s not just nutrient quality but the taste and smell of food is also sacrificed for a larger size crop. Another must read is Paula Crossfield’s articling in the Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-crossfield/organic-versus-convention_b_247801.html.
We know that specific foods have been tested for nutrient content, check out these results:
“Vital vitamins and minerals have dramatically declined in some of our most popular foods, including potatoes, tomatoes, bananas and apples, the analysis reveals. Take the potato, by far the most consumed food in Canada. The average spud has lost 100 per cent of its vitamin A, which is important for good eyesight; 57 per cent of its vitamin C and iron, a key component of healthy blood; and 28 per cent of its calcium, essential for building healthy bones and teeth. It also lost 50 per cent of its riboflavin and 18 per cent of its thiamine. Of the seven key nutrients measured, only niacin levels have increased.” The biggest loser was broccoli, a food that epitomizes the dictates of healthy eating. All seven of its measurable nutrients declined, notably calcium, which fell 63 per cent, and iron, which dropped 34 per cent. Broccoli is often cited as an excellent source of calcium and iron.” You can see the original article here, http://www.truehealth.org/ahealn31.html.
When are we finally going to learn that appearances can be deceiving and it’s what’s on the inside that counts?! However, if your main concern is still your appearance, you may want to read, “Food Without Thought: How U.S. Farm Policy Contributes to Obesity,” http://www.iatp.org/iatp/factsheets.cfm?accountID=258&refID=89968.
I prefer to pick my friends and my produce the same way, by placing priority on “what’s on the inside”. Consuming produce is imperative to wellness and longevity because of the nutrients we receive from them. If we deplete the nutrients in fruits and vegetables while the rest of our food supply goes to pot we will continue to experience high levels of obesity, diabetes and many other controllable threats to our health.
MORE RESOURCES
American Public Health Association Policy Statement, “Toward a Healthy, Sustainable Food System,” www.apha.org/advocacy
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, www.iatp.org
Health Care Without Harm, “Healthy Food in Health Care, A Menu of Options,” www.noharm.org/us/food/issue
The Organic Center, www.organic center.orgThe prevention institute, www.preventioninstitute.org
Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Science, www.hort.cornell.edu/soilhealth
www.food-fairy.com/news/todays-fruits-and-vegetables.html
www.mindfully.org