Monday, January 31, 2005

Why Homegrown Vegetables Taste Better

I read about a blind study that showed organically grown vegetables could be recognized by their superior taste but can not find it. However there is plenty of information around to show why this is the case. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that a plant raised on soil rich in numerous minerals and trace elements would uptake them while plants grown on barren soil containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potash would not. We can taste the difference because our bodies know good food is better and tells us by its superior taste! While I could not find the taste test article, I did find information every person ought to consider. The debate between organic and agribusiness food is no longer a debate. With the arrival of lower cost, and higher accuracy testing available almost anyone can see for themselves.
The June/July issue of Mother Earth News has an article on the nutrition of food.
Another study reported by Vista Magazine finds the same conclusion:
A study by Firman E. Baer of Rutger’s University compared the mineral content of organically-grown foods with non-organically grown foods. The study showed significant differences in the mineral content of these foods. Organically grown snap beans had over 22 times more iron than their commercial counterpart, while organically grown spinach provided 80 times more iron than the non-organic variety. Organically grown food has at least twice as much mineral content in many cases.
If that doesn’t convince the skeptics they can send their own samples to be tested.

If this discussion were just about good tasting food it would be trivial compared to the benefits of nutrient rich food:

….a 1992 USDA report estimated the following potential health benefits if everyone in the United States could be convinced to eat a diet containing the recommended daily amounts of primary nutrients shown in the table:
20 percent reduction in cancer
25 percent reduction in heart and vascular conditions
50 percent reduction in arthritis
20 percent reduction in respiratory and infectious diseases
50 percent reduction in infant and maternal deaths
So while big businesses may have the money to persuade people that there is no difference in their food homesteaders know and understand the difference because they live closer to the earth and reality - not profits.


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