Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Thinking about Stored Food and Nutrition

I've been thinking a lot lately about our stored foods and about nutritional value of foods. We have stored a goodly amount of corn, rice, beans, canned fruits, vegatables and meats. And I'm glad we have, for the outlook on the world is nasty and getting nastier. I'm very grateful that we've been able to do this on our little income, but we have and it is all to the good. I know I'll be glad we have it, for ourselves and for friends in need.

But I worry about nutrition. Specifically, the nutritional value of our foods. I've read that the nutritional value of food has declined greatly over the past 50 years. When once you would eat one orange, you'd now have to eat 5 oranges to get the same nutrition out of it. It is all due to agribusiness methods of food production. Taking from the soil, but not giving back to it in the form of organic compost or cover crops or manure. Thus the soil has been basically mined of all its life-enhancing minerals and trace elements.

I'll be posting a bit about this once I've done some further research, and I'll share what I find out. As we all get busy this spring and make gardens, we'll be able to get better, more nutritionally dense foods. Until then, the stored foods will do. I'll also post on some simple and easy techniques for making nutritionally enhanced foods to ensure we get the good building blocks we need for our health.
HM

4 comments:

Jen said...

thoughts on suppliments/vitamines?

Chiot's Run said...

This is so true. This is exactly why we grow some of our own food and we try to search out local sources that also farm with old methods. That way we know we're getting healthier foods.

I know our pastured raw milk is much healthier, you can taste and see it. Regular milk actually tastes of chemicals now when we have it.

Plus home grown and locally grown food just tastes better!

I also wonder if the hybrid/GMO foods are also lower in vitamins/minerals/good stuff. The more natural the better I think, even when it comes to seeds!

HermitJim said...

Outstanding points and something we all need to think about.

Natural IS better, for sure!

Patricia said...

Moxie: yes, I'll write about that, since it is all part of the same topic...I do believe it is better by far to eat your vitamins and suppl. in your food, rather than take pills. More on that in later posts

Chiot's Run: I had to buy some regular milk after I ran our of our raw Amish milk, and you can taste that chemically taste. Weird!

Hermit: thanks! This is an important topic, so all of your imputs are needed and wanted.
HM