What is Happening to the Vitamin Levels in our Food?

The vitamin crisis has been looming large on the horizon since the turn of the twentieth century, and now, a century later, practically everyone is affected by vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Studies show that most diseases are caused by unhealthy diet and unhealthy life style. Chronic diseases have reached epidemic proportions. About 95% of people over 40 will suffer are likely to be afflicted with diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, dementia, vision loss by the time they reach retirement.

For nearly a century the medical community ridiculed the nutrition "fanatics" when they mentioned the importance of vitamins and minerals as a basis of our vital health. Then, the June 19, 2002 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association announced that vitamin deficiency was the main cause of disease, especially in the elderly.

This confirms the view that today our food contains less nutrition than required and our needs for vitamins and minerals are much greater than ever before in human history. Here we give you an insight into the real problem and some simple steps to help you protect yourself and your family from the vitamin crisis.

Let me start by highlighting the importance of plants in our life.

The basic truth is that plants are the only source of all vitamins and minerals for every living creature, directly or indirectly from the food-chain - from an animal or fish that eats plants.

Plants create body-ready vitamins and minerals from nutrients in the soil. The richer the soil, the more
vitamins and minerals are packed into the plants. On the other hand, vegetables grown in poor soil will have far lower levels of vitamins and minerals.

But the sad truth is that the soils are depleting at a very rapid rate. Commercial farming that came as boon for consumers who didn't have to grow their own vegetables has resulted in soils turning into sand.

The same fields are used for commercial farming year after year, with the result that the soils have lost their rich nutrients, especially the vitamin and mineral content of the vegetables.

To make up for this depletion, the chemical fertilizers were invented, which has increased the need for vitamins and minerals to counter the effect of these chemicals that we absorb through vegetables grown with them. Our body needs even more vitamins to deactivate these toxins.

The vegetables cultivated today are less nutritious than those hundred years back. On top of it we need more of these vegetables. The effect is therefore twofold.

To overcome this double bind, genetic engineers have created vegetables that are more disease resistant, that grow faster, are more visually attractive, and are easier to harvest. So, now we have the new tomato, for instance, that grows very fast. But, nothing is being done to increase the nutrient levels of the plants - or to enrich the soil.

Moreover, many vegetables and fruits are picked before they're ripe, and treated chemically get them to the grocer's shelf quickly. This process eats into the nutrient content of the product though it is economically viable for the grower and grocer who can keep it much longer than the vine ripened fruits.

No wonder, our bodies are succumbing under the pressures of higher levels of air and water pollution, lower oxygen levels in the air, and our fast paced, fast food societies of today. Our wonderful bodies are being taxed to the maximum and need more protection than ever before.

Though many things are not in your control, you can take steps to protect your body. There is very little you can do about air and water pollution or chemicals in vegetables, yet you can do a lot about changing your lifestyle. Here are some suggestions:

1. Try to take fresh, whole fruits, vegetables in your daily diet in their raw, uncooked form or cook slowly at low heat to preserve the nutrients. They are the best quality vitamins and minerals you can buy and most of us are not even eating the minimum recommended amounts.

2. Wherever you have a choice, look for organically grown produce at your grocery store or health food store. They will be much tastier and will contain the much higher levels of nutrients, even though they will be more expensive. They will have the flavour of vegetables of a century ago that belonged to the pre-chemicals era of farming.

3. Alternatively, you can grow some of your own produce - in a yard garden, patio pots, or inside the home in window pots. You will love the activity, and it is very easy, decorative, puts oxygen in the air. The taste and nutrition is just tons better than the produce you buy in stores.

4. Regardless of how perfect our diet is, you will still need to supplement it with vitamins today. You will need at least 3 large tablets or six medium size tablets every day. Less than that is virtually ineffective.

Make sure you buy good quality vitamin supplements at most reputable vitamin or health food stores or buy online.

People near retirement should wake up to the need of vitamins for good health. Remember, if you don't have good health at retirement, nothing else will matter. It is better to be safe than sorry, and vitamin supplements are the cheapest health insurance and wisest retirement plan you can invest in.