There has been much talk over the past few decades about soil depletion because of the modern techniques used in commercially grown produce. The vitamin, mineral, and phytochemical content of fruits and vegetables available in grocery stores today have significantly less nutritional value than produce grown hundreds of years ago and even just decades ago. Not only does this effect the flavor of our food but also the ability of our food to heal us. For thousands of years, we as humans have understood the healing power of food. As the famous words go…
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” ~ Greek physician Hippocrates
Unfortunately, the power of our food to be our medicine today has severely declined. Many studies have demonstrated the difference of quality in our food compared to long ago. As mentioned in Scientific American, nutrient data analysis from just 1975 to 1997 revealed that calcium, iron, vitamin A and vitamin C had dropped 20-37%. It has been estimated that in order to get the amount of Vitamin A from an orange that our grandparents consumed, we would have to eat eight.
Despite the fact that healthy foods are not as healthy as they should be, we still have to eat and we should still choose to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. They remain as some of the best sources of healing nutrients we have access to.