It’s an old question among those interested in the quality of the food we eat. Do we get enough nutrition from the fruits, vegetables, and other foods we consume? Or do we need to supplement our meals with vitamins and minerals?
The answers to this two-part question is both no and yes. No, we don’t get enough nutrition from our foods and yes, we do need to supplement to make up the difference. This thinking has been backed by one simple fact. There’s been a decline in the nutritional value of vegetables and fruits over time.
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It’s often thought that depletion of minerals and decline in general farm soil quality after years of heavy chemical fertilization are to blame in nutrient reductions. Various studies make this correlation. But it turns out that the answer to the nutrition-loss question isn’t as simple as that. There’s another factor, one that should cheer growers of heirloom crops and organic gardeners in general.
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The trade off between yields (read “profits”) and nutrition loss looks differently to corporate agriculture as it does to home gardeners. In the home garden, nutrition levels don’t have to be sacrificed for yields. Healthy soil means our crops can have good nutrition and yields, especially when we grow heirloom varieties.
Growing the most healthy and nutritious food that we can has always been one of the prime motivators behind home gardening. We do all we can to make sure our soil is healthy, containing everything our plants need and nothing, like pesticides and other chemicals, they don’t. Now we know that growing traditional crops and heirlooms also give us a nutrition edge.
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More Interesting Articles:
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Article source: Planet Natural
Image source: Wise Geek