All of you are familiar with the experts telling us if we eat a balanced diet, it will supply our bodies with the necessary nutrients and supplements are a waste of money. Most everyone also is aware that it is a myth in today’s world. It might have been true seventy-plus years ago when lifestyles, environment, and the food itself were different. Take a look at some reasons for deficient nutrients in the food we purchase at the grocery.
Depleted Soil Minerals
Few farms today practice crop rotation which allowed the soil to build up the proper nutrients for another season’s harvest. The book, 10,001 Food Facts, Chefs’ Secrets & Household Hints, indicates that most growers put back into the soil only what is necessary for crop growth, usually including phosphorus, potassium, and nitrates. Other nutrients, i.e. chromium, zinc, and selenium, are woefully missing. This book indicates one study found some oranges in supermarkets contained no Vitamin C at all while a fresh picked one contained approximately 80 mg.
Fresh Food Storage Time From Farm to Supermarket
Factored into this total time is not only travel time, but how long produce is held at a warehouse and/or at the supermarket before being sold to the consumer. Most of us are aware that fruits and vegetables are usually picked before they are ripe. The intention is for them to ripen during transport. This does not allow for the natural sun-ripening to a delicious sweetness and higher nutrients, resulting in reduced nutrients and flavor. It also doesn’t take into account that some produce, i.e. grapes, does not ripen after being picked.
Nutrient Destruction or Removal
Everyone now knows that white bread has the germ and bran removed which gives it the white fluffy appearance and a longer shelf life. Unfortunately, this removal results in a product that has few nutrients left in it. Although manufacturers are now adding a few back (calling it enriched), there are many essential components still lacking when compared to whole wheat bread, i.e. Vitamin E. This is true as well for white versus brown rice.
Temperature Effects on Nutrients
- Canned foods lose their vitamin and mineral potency primarily from cooking and sterilization processes. Temperatures of 240° F. or higher for up to 30 minutes are required.
- Dehydrated foods are rarely air-dried as it takes too long. The most prevalent method uses temperatures of 300° F. or higher.
- Pasteurization is another potent destroyer of nutrients.
Fight Back For Your Health
Although not practical to go back to the old-fashioned lifestyle and grow your own, there are some basic steps that will help protect your health.
- First and foremost, use local fresh fruits and vegetables as much as possible. Frozen is normally the second-best choice.
- Concentrate on getting whole grains and limiting processed junk foods, i.e. sweets, instant products, and sodas.
- Take at least a good multiple vitamin-mineral supplement daily. Although studies have shown they are not always as effective as whole foods, they are insurance for our health. Caution: Be careful not to overdose as some vitamins, i.e. Vitamin A, can be harmful in excess.
Look for the next installment on why we may not get the health benefits of nutrients that are actually in foods purchased at the store.
Peggy Williams - After 20 years in the workplace, I returned to school recently and graduated in May '08 with a Bachelors degree in Dietetics and ...
