Over the last 50-75 years our soils have slowly become depleted. We can no longer rely on our normal diet to supply the RDA of the vitamins and minerals our bodies need. Nutrients such as vitamins, proteins, enzymes and amino acids, are required for our bodies to function properly. These nutrients are dependent upon minerals. Minerals are predominantly obtained from the food we eat, and the mineral content of that food is dependent upon the mineral content of the soil it grows in. Add to that the increase in pollutants and toxins entering our food from our environment and you have a severe shortage of optimal health and well being. It is no wonder there is an obesity epidemic and untold amounts of disease in our culture.
We have been able to track and study the mineral levels in our soil and in our foods for about one hundred years. As early as 1936 (Senate Document 264) we recognized that our soils were becoming depleted. According to Senate Document 264 (1936) it states:
"The alarming fact is that foods (fruits, vegetables and grains) now being raised on millions of acres of land that no longer contain enough of certain minerals are starving us - no matter how much of them we eat. No man of today can eat enough fruits and vegetables to supply his system with the minerals he requires for perfect health because his stomach isn't big enough to hold them."
The 1992 Earth Summit soil mineral depletion report showed soil depletion in North America to be at 85 percent, the highest in the world. Nutrition in this country is just like global climate change. Economics play a larger role in decision making than planning for our children’s futures.
There are two reasons are soils have become so depleted and the nutritional value of our foods have fallen. One, is that today’s agriculture does not allow to regenerate the soil. We rely on chemical fertilizers to only replace three or four minerals. Phosphorous, Potassium and Nitrogen are the main ingredients in our fertilizers. The second reason our foods are less nutritious than fifty years ago is that fruits and vegetables are picked while they are still green and have not have the chance to extract all of the nutrients from the soil. They are harvested green so that they ripen on the way to market (your grocery store.) Many times fruits and vegetables have to travel thousands of miles from farm to factory and finally to the store. They are harvested while still green to enable them to last longer in storage, but it also leaves insufficient time for the plant to fully absorb whatever minerals are available in the soil, and to synthesize vitamins and other nutrients. The ripening process continues, cut off from the soil and sun, in box and storage depot, often for weeks, resulting in further losses of vitamins and other essential nutrients.
All of this results in mineral deficient bodies, from which comes an abundance of health problems and degenerative diseases. A few of the major symptoms and illness linked to mineral deficiencies are osteoporosis, bone and muscle weakness, lack of focus and energy, glucose intolerance, poor wound healing, poor hair, skin and nails, and liver problems. A lack of minerals can also lead to weight gain, as a deficiency leaves your body craving minerals and never feeling satiated.
That is why you see one popular Superfood in may diet products on the shelves today, Spirulina. Spirulina combats excessive hunger by providing the body with quality protein, vitamins, and minerals. Spirulina, because it is very dense in nutrients, it is a wonderful energy booster and is known to help curb cravings and lower cholesterol.
Other Superfoods like chlorella help absorb heavy metals like mercury out of your system. It acts as a natural detoxifier. Look for Superfoods such as berries high in anti-oxidant ratings like Acai, Mangosteen and Gogi. Wheat grass, barley and other seaweed vegetables are great choices because of their nutrient content when adding Superfoods to your diet.
Superfoods are an excellent way to make up for dietary deficiencies. Even if you are eating a 100% organic diet you will still not be able to get all the nutrients you need because of depleted soils.
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Marty Meshek is a natural energy and cleanse specialist and operates a natural healing web site filled with natural energy advice and products.
