Eat more fruit and vegetables......

[GaryD]

So goes the catch cry of dieticians and health agencies everywhere.

It appears that we may need to eat more fruit and vegetables for the simple fact that, in many instances, they contain far fewer nutrients than the same foods did back in the 1950's.

Mother Jones compares today’s fruit and vegetables with their 1950s counterparts. Today’s may look more appetising, but their nutritional value is significantly lower.

We've been hearing for some time that plant breeders have sacrificed taste for aesthetics and long shelf life, but now it appears that the stuff even lacks the nutrients it should have.

Check out the slideshow and the numbers.......here.

[arachdog]

I'd like to see a lot more details of how that study was done before I read too much into it. It's only 3 nutrients, possibly selected from all the rest because it illustrated the story that they wanted to tell. Also was it based on data from the 50's or did they grow heirloom varieties side by side, under the same conditions as modern varieties ? Also how would a 50's vegetable compare to its wild ancestor.Has our selective breeding actually been pushing nutrients the wrong way right from the start or was there a period where it peaked ? To be honest I don't see why our goals as farmers would have changed much over the last few thousand years. You would always want produce thats big, keeps well, and looks good. People say there is no emphasis on taste these days, but was there ever? What is it about our society that makes that less of a concern to us than those of yesteryear?

[GaryD]

Hi Arachdog,

To be honest I don't see why our goals as farmers would have changed much over the last few thousand years. You would always want produce thats big, keeps well, and looks good.

I think that there's been a dramatic shift in modern times away from farming as a lifestyle toward agribusiness with an eye to its shareholders. While I think you're right about what farmers have always wanted, it's now much more of a game of means and ends.

People say there is no emphasis on taste these days, but was there ever?

This may be nothing more than the sense of nostalgia that seems to be a prominent feature of our society......where almost everything from yesteryear seems better. Of course, objectivity has no place in nostalgia.

Gary

[anniefish]

I think it is a sad reflection, that many farmers are forced off the land, bought out by agribusiness. They may have the money to set up systems, but they don't have the heart to run a farm. I constantly hear of farms where mass animal deaths occur because no one is there to look after the animals. You can not run a farm 9-5.

The rules and regulations we are forced to observe are so rediculous as to be completely unworkable. Yet, imported food is not subject to these same regulations.

Gary, I agree, nostalgia is a wonderful thing when it is another's. I think a lot of older folk could tell tales of woody turnips and cabbages, and mediocre veges. Even heirloom vegetables have been crossed over the years and I am sure are not totally pure to the vege from years ago.

[AlinaJette]

To be honest I don't see why our goals as farmers would have changed much over the last few thousand years. You would always want produce thats big, keeps well, and looks good. People say there is no emphasis on taste these days, but was there ever? What is it about our society that makes that less of a concern to us than those of yesteryear?

Farming has changed over the last few thousand years because it is only recently that a tomato has to travel from Argentina to New York in December. I can tell from buying a tomato in the store how it lacks in flavor from the tomato that grows in my garden. And I can tell from the change our health since switching to all local sustainable farming food that the food in the supermarket is not as full of nutrients.

Atleast here in America, the food industry is far removed from health and sustainablity and all about a quick profit turnover. I expect farmers to make money, but the only farmers I give my money too these days are those that practice sustainabilty and grow locally.

-Alina

[GaryD]

Hi Alina,

At least here in America, the food industry is far removed from health and sustainablity and all about a quick profit turnover. I expect farmers to make money, but the only farmers I give my money too these days are those that practice sustainabilty and grow locally.

Increasingly (it seems), that's the situation everywhere.......often for no better reason than the fact that the agribusiness corporations that control agriculture in the US are the same as those who operate in Australia and elsewhere. I think that there's a growing movement of people who think like you (and I) do when it comes to purchasing their food.

Gary