Showing posts with label organic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organic. Show all posts

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Modern Supermarket Vegetables 5% to 40% Lower in Minerals

Photo via Flickr user altemark

From Time.com
"On the "Industrialization" of Agriculture: Thanks to the growing rise of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, modern crops are being harvested faster than ever before. But quick and early harvests mean the produce has less time to absorb nutrients either from synthesis or the soil, and minerals like potassium (the "K" in N-P-K fertilizers) often interfere with a plant's ability to take up nutrients. Monoculture farming practices — another hallmark of the Big Ag industry — have also led to soil-mineral depletion, which, in turn, affects the nutrient content of crops."
via Reddit

For anyone interested in learning more about the shortsightedness of modern agricultural practices, read Michael Pollan's outstanding In Defence of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. In one quick read he summarizes some major problems with industrial agriculture and the food industry in general. His common sense, gimmick free summarization is "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Words to live better by.

I'm going to put up a poll on the right about organic food to collect people's opinions. Please vote!