Do Fruits & Veggies Have Enough Nutrients Today
Most people know fruits & vegetable nutrients are essential for the body to receive minerals and vitamins but farming methods now favour yield over value

Those beautiful fruits and veggies!
They stare at you from packed shelves in the grocery Store and scream buy me with their bright shiny reds, glossy greens and mellow yellows but these fresh fruits and veggies have lost a lot of their nutritional punch!
Fruit Nutrients - Vegetable Nutrients. What happened? Where have they gone?
Our local grocery stores are always well stocked with a good looking selection of fruits and vegetables, but today the individual nutritional value of these once more powerful products are not what they used to be.
Less than 100 years ago, an apple was just an apple and a broccoli just a broccoli but according to recent analysis, they've lost some of the nutritional punch they once had. Over-farming the soils in which they are grown has leached most of the natural minerals and nutrients out of the soil leaving little to promote natural growth. Now it's chemically induced growth and what is grown more and more tends to be genetically modified.
- In fact, growing produce in the same soils year after year would be impossible without modern chemistry. Organic produce has not suffered the same fate.
- A look at USDA and Health Canada foods guides of today vs. 40-50 years ago provides an insight into the nutrient decline and reinforces the need to top up our fresh food selections to the recommended 10 servings/day, or more.
Did you ever stop to wonder how nature, as complex as it is, could produce a fruit or vegetable without seeds? The very essence of nature is reproduction so next time you see seedless, remember it has been modified by modern scientific means, it is not a natural fruit!
Today's Fruit And Vegetable Nutrient Levels
DR. Tim Lang, a professor at the Centre for Food Policy in London, England said. "We think of an orange as a constant, but the reality is it isn't."
"In fact, you would have to eat eight oranges today to get the same amount of vitamin A your grandparents got from a single orange. And you would need to eat five to get the same level of iron"
The analysis1 examined food tables that were prepared by government researchers in 1951, 1972 and 1999, comparing the nutrients available from 100 grams samples.
In the USA, UK and Canada the results were almost identical. The U.K. research was published in the British Food Journal, a peer-reviewed, scientific publication and according to the reports data on nutritional comparisons:
- 80% of foods tested showed a substantial drop in Calcium and Iron
- 75% had a large drop in Vitamin A
- 50% lost considerable Vitamin C and Riboflavin
- 33% lost thiamine and 12% lost niacin
What about nutrients in my apples & broccoli?
In the analysis, the biggest loser was broccoli, a food that epitomizes healthy eating. All seven of its measurable nutrients showed a massive drop, notably calcium which fell 63% and iron which dropped 34%. It's often cited as a big source of calcium and iron.
Other examples indicate the amount of vitamin C in sweet peppers has decreased 24% and vitamin A in apples has dropped by 41% according to USDA 1961 vs. 2001 data.
How to get enough vitamin & mineral nutrients
Most people know they should be eating a nutrient rich diet but over 65% of people in North America do not even get the recommended minimum of 5 servings a day. Complicating this situation are the many nutrient poor foods (manufactured, processed and fast-foods) that have been introduced over the past 50-100 years.
These "foods" are substances our body does not really recognize as foods because we were not biologically engineered or wired for them. And it's gotten worse!
Today, modern grocery store products are so well marketed that a majority of people consider them food because a label says so!
The simple answer is to feed the body what it has always needed, known and thrived on for virtually as long as we have been here on this planet. The practical answer is to take personal control of our diets and ensure they contain at least the "average" 10 servings of fresh veggies/fruits each and every day and opt for organics whenever possible.
Our fast paced lifestyles today often impede our ability to eat perfectly well 3 times a day, good quality nutritional supplementation can play a vital role in delivering essential nutrients to the body thus filling in those nutritional gaps. Tip: pack your own lunch!
Top 10 Reasons To Include Nutritional Health Supplements In Your Diet ...
Our natural health consulting services can provide you with a simple to follow plan focused exclusively on your individual needs. No calories to count and no hunger pangs, just a solid nutritional approach to achieving your long-term health goals.
Health Risks You Really Need To Know About
- Dangers of Modern Cosmetic Make Up Products (If Looks Could Kill)
- Hazards Of Your Top 10 Most Popular Foods
- 76 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health
(C) Site Copyright 1994-2020
Diane McLaren
CCIr, ROHP, RNCP
As one of Canada's top
Holistic Natural Health Practitioners (a
Registered Holistic Nutritionist,
Master Herbalist &
Clinically Certified Iridologist), Diane and her team of practitioners have helped thousands of people successfully address a wide range of problems naturally from her wellness centres in Mississauga, Ontario (Canada).