Shocking Statistics About Our Food Supply

Want to hear something that's intense? I have
some statistics that will amaze you. What if I
show you serious numbers, and I'm talking serious,
that prove today's fruits, vegetables, grains,
eggs, even the milk and meats we eat are not
even close to what they were a few generations
ago?
What if I were to say that “no man of today can
eat enough fruits and vegetables to supply his
system with the mineral salts he requires for
perfect health”? Big deal you say. I’ve heard
that statement more than once. What if I were to
tell you that this statement was made at the 74th
Congress of the United States way back in 1936
and that this is an excerpt of a testimony pertaining
to the problem of “soil mineral depletion”?
You see, back in
1936 some astute
scientists were
blowing the
whistle that commercial
fertilizers
were not adding back into the soil the nutrients
and trace minerals necessary for healthy plants.
Fast forward to the 21st century and most industrial
farmers have still not learned this lesson.
So, year after year soil minerals are depleted.
For example, in 1914 an apple contained almost
half the minimum daily requirement of iron, but
today you would have to eat 26 apples to get the
same amount. Iron is not the only nutrient depleted.
In 80 years apples have declined in the
following minerals: the amount of calcium in
apples has dropped 48%; phosphorous 84%; iron
96%; and magnesium, the famous heart nutrient,
has dropped 82%.
Paul Bergner in his book “The Healing Power of
Minerals, Special Nutrients and Trace Elements”
quotes US Government statistics as he drives
home the point that we cannot live healthy lives
on the food of today. Before I go further I want
to make sure you understand we are talking
about RAW food here. We all know that
cooking and processing further depletes the minerals.
Paul Stitt, author and whole food activist, says
we lose 90% of the mineral content of our food
from garden to
gullet. So, we start
with depleted nutrients
in our food.
Then we process
them to remove the
enzymes to make sure they stay on the shelf
longer. Then we cook or microwave them which
further inactivate many of the nutrients and food
factors. One of the things that make food taste
good is the minerals in the soil. It’s not just a
HCL or zinc deficiency when food loses its
flavor.
Today’s plants are not as healthy and don’t have
that vibrancy that well mineralized plants do.
One of the tastes many of us are familiar with is
the first bite of a vine ripened tomato grown in
one’s own garden. I'm not just trying to
impress you with statistics, but unless you are
convinced that food doesn’t contain the nutrients
we need, you won’t be confident in directing
your patients to get the high quality
supplements they need to achieve the level of
wellness that they desire.
The Journal of the American Medical Association
in 2002 volume states “Most people do not
consume an optimal amount of all vitamins or
minerals by diet alone. Pending evidence of
effectiveness from randomized trials, it appears
prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements”.
For the Journal of the American
Medical Association to say “it appears prudent
for all adults to take vitamin supplements” after
years of prejudice against the supplement industry
is a landmark statement.
Look at these statistics focusing on the mineral
calcium in a few common foods. In the last 80
years the amount of calcium has declined
81% in cabbage, 92% in lettuce, 56% in
spinach, and 48% in apples. These are absolutely
massive drops in the mineral levels in
our foods.
During the same time period magnesium levels
have dropped by 77% in cabbage, 91% in lettuce,
35% in spinach, and as I said earlier, 82%
in apples. Iron levels dropped from 60% to
99% in the same vegetables.
These huge drops in mineral levels are occurring
in all our fresh foods. It’s not just fruits
and vegetables; the same types of things are
happening with chicken, beef, rice etc. We see
not only mineral depletions but vitamin reductions
as well.
Everyone wants to feel healthy, but how can
we feel good when we’re not getting the
basic nutrients our bodies need? The point is
that we are eating nutrient depleted foods in
the most stressful time in human history.
One researcher quoted our stress levels as
100 times greater than our grandparents. As
you know stress depletes nutrient levels
faster than those who are not under pressure
or stress.

Remember the double blind 7 study with
10,000 participants in France. The National
Institute of Health in Paris funded the
SUVIMAX study which found a 37% reduction
in heart disease and death in men 45-60
and a 33% reduction in cancer from taking a
low dose antioxidant with just beta carotene,
zinc, selenium, Vitamin E, and Vitamin C.
Think of the reductions if the formula would
have been a full spectrum product.
This subject needs to be foundational in your
approach to nutrition for one great reason,
because foundational multivitamin/mineral
products not only save lives but improve
your quality of life. The science is
solid. Check it out.