My wife and I were just looking for a safe, effective way to help our sons' "un-curable" health challenge, but we've learned some amazing tidbits and facts along the way. I hope you will feel like you've learned something helpful via this article about "subtle and typically unknown", yet absolutely profound, nutrient deficiencies all around us.
Did you know that USDA scientific studies show that in 1951, an adult women could consume just 2 peaches and receive the current RDA of vitamin A, yet today, that women would have to consume over 50 peaches to receive the same amount of vitamin A? (USDA Study results noted in Pediatrics Journal, 1998, 133(5): 593-600.)
Actually USDA nutrient charts show an average of greater than 25% nutrient losses for all fruits and vegetables. Even the broccoli in the grocery store that you think is chocked full of excellent nutrients for you and your family has about 40% less nutrients than broccoli grown organically and on mineral rich soil of just a few decades ago.
These kinds of nutrient deficiencies in both vitamin and mineral content have been noted in many studies and, because of this the USDA has now changed their 5-7 servings of FRESH fruits and vegetables to 10-12 servings daily and both they and the AMA (JAMA, Jun 2002) have added the recommendation to include a quality supplement in your diet. They recognize we are not getting all of what our bodies need from modern grown food.
There are lots of reasons for these nutrient decreases, some of them being:
Green picking, failure to let the soil rest, chemical fertilizer dependence including just the minerals NPK (which is all that's needed to grow good looking crops, yet our bodies need 50+ minerals to function optimally) and the widespread usage of toxic chemicals.
Quoting U.S. Senate document #264: "The alarming fact is that foods (fruits, vegetables, and grains) now being raised on millions of acres of land that no longer contain enough of certain minerals and are starving us. No matter how much of them we eat, no man today can eat enough fruits and vegetables to supply his system with the minerals he requires for perfect health because his stomach isn't big enough to hold them. The truth is that our foods vary enormously in value, and some of them aren't worth eating as food."
