Maintaining good health requires adding supplements to your regimen.
I'd like to talk about a food crisis affecting us all that we never hear mentioned in the mainstream media. We have talked about it in previous posts, but it's worth underscoring the severity of the situation. From as far back as the early 20th century, the nutrient-dense top soil that we rely on to grow our foods and supply our critical nutrition has been slowly vanishing.
A combination of erosion, unsustainable farming practices, and excessive use of inorganic nitrogen fertilizers has depleted top soils around the world of key nutrients and micro-organisms that we require to keep us healthy. According to current science, we are losing 75-100 Gt of arable top soil inventory each year, and at this rate it will be completely depleted within the next 30 years. At the Rio summit in the 90's, it was reported that agricultural soils in the US were depleted of eight-five percent of their minerals. Recent studies show it continues to get worse by the year.
The alarming fact is that foods – fruits, vegetables and grains – now being raised on millions of acres of land that no longer contains enough of certain needed nutrients, are starving us -- no matter how much we eat of them.
U S Senate Document 264.
Estimates suggest that on average we are using up top soil 20 times faster than it is replenished.
This is big news! It means that even if we eat well, focusing on whole foods: fruits, vegetables, grains, etc that are sure to promote good health, we are still going to be significantly deficient in necessary nutrients to maintain proper function and well-being. It is a fact that food grown in soil that is deficient in basic nutrients lacks the content to keep people healthy. Wellness is derived from eating nutrient rich food. Humans need both macronutrients for energy (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) and micronutrients for biochemical processes (vitamins and minerals) to sustain life. Science has proven the relationship between micronutrients and good health, so this loss should alarm us all.
Food has less nutrient content than ever before.
Studies show that the nutritional value of food has declined significantly over the past 80 years. Mineral depletion of the soil, loss of soil microorganisms, and changes in plant varieties have meant that crops are lacking in normal food value. This dearth translates into serious problems for humans, as insufficient nutrition means poorer health and an increase in disease. It may well be that the significant rise of degenerative diseases over the last few decades is in large part a result of this issue.
Statistics from the NIH show that heart disease has increased 20%, asthma has increased 87%, and bone deformities have increased 47% in just the last 20 years, and these are directly attributable to mineral deficiencies. We can now link this top soil depletion to the rise of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, obesity, macular degeneration, bone loss, and dementia. Along with the ubiquity of GMO crops, the epidemic of health concerns is only getting worse.
According to the US Department of Agriculture: Americans typically lack a sufficient amount of the minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium and the vitamins A, C, D and E needed to maintain good health.
The bottom line is that the body needs nutritious food to keep functioning properly.
And we are not getting it!
To resolve this issue we need to address worldwide farming techniques that place improper stress upon top soil resources, to advance soil science technology, avoid the use of synthetic and petroleum-based fertilizers, and to work diligently to restore soil health. Organic farming and soil-sustaining methods are certainly becoming more widespread but we are a long way from making it the standard practice, and it is taking time for new techniques to have any positive effect on top soils.
So of course, when you buy your food, always buy organic. It is the only food choice to make while we right the ship, so to speak. In the meantime, until things are corrected, the other unavoidable necessity is nutritional supplementation. Despite the debate over supplements, it is a sad fact that they are completely necessary because of this top soil issue.
Many of these life-sustaining nutrients cannot be produced in the body so they must come from the soil, from our food. If our food is deficient, then we must obtain our requirements through the concentration of nutrients as supplement extracts. Because supplements are standardized, we are able to quantify incoming nutrient value and properly augment our lacking food diet.
It is my sincere hope that we can make the right choices so that in the coming decades our nutrient levels in soils will return to stasis levels. We need to learn to live in balance with our world. But for now, for your own good health, check for nutrient deficiencies with your doctor, and look for highest-quality supplements with whole food sources and a broad range of organic nutrients like daily vegetable supplements and fruit supplements. These will ensure that your body has the resources it needs to maintain top health.
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The opinions expressed in this article are of the author. Content and other information presented on the site are not meant to be medical advice or any substitute for professional advice, counseling, diagnosis, or treatment. Never delay or disregard professional medical or mental health advice from your physician or other qualified health provider.
