Consumerist: Vegetables were healthier 50 years ago

[kyrasdad]

Veggies were better for you 50 years ago (http://consumerist.com/consumer/nutrition/vegetables-were-healthier-fifty-years-ago-274034.php)

The heirloom tomatoes in your garden may not just be tastier than commercially grown vegetables, but healthier too, according to a study from the American College of Nutrition. The study looked for 13 nutrients in 43 crops grown from 1950 to 1999 and discovered that the vegetables enjoyed by our grandparents were significantly more nutritious than the veggies found on supermarket shelves today.
After rigorous statistical analysis, the researchers found that, on average, all three minerals evaluated have declined; two of five vitamins have declined; and protein content has dropped by 6 percent.
The decline is attributed to the relentless pursuit of crop strains that produce high yields, but few nutrients. One solution, short of agribusiness embracing lower-yielding crop strains or starting a vegetable garden, is to patronize farm stands and farmer's markets where you can buy from smaller, multi-crop farmers that value quality above quantity.

Changes in USDA Food Composition Data for 43 Garden Crops, 1950 to 1999 (http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/23/6/669) [Journal of the American College of Nutrition via The Conocopia Institute (http://cornucopia.org/more-evidence-that-food-nutrient-quality-is-declining/) ]

[glendarc]

Veggies were better for you 50 years ago - The heirloom tomatoes in your garden may not just be tastier than commercially grown vegetables, but healthier too
OOOOHHHHH .... that really hurts!!!! I was just starting my married life 50 years ago and I really don't feel like I'm "heirloom"!!!! Having said that, I really believe that my generation had the best life and I'm really appreciative of having been born when I was! We were too young to be involved in WWII and too old for any of the other conflicts. We've gone from radio for our news and entertainment (and having to use our imagination for pictures) through the early days of TV to expecting, and getting, instant results from worldwide events! Mind-boggling when you look at it that way - I've grown from a little kid riding in a roadster with a rumble seat to the space age and computer communication in just one generation!!! Awesome in the true meaning of the word!

Glenda

[NorthPeace]

When I was in my twenties, I remember doing forage analyses of three wild mountain grasses and three agricultural species. The three wild ones were much higher in digestible protein, the three agricultural ones were much higher in digestible sugar. I know it is anecdotal, but it really made an impression on me.

[LC_Dave]

I guess if the bugs don't wanna eat the crops, you can grow more of them.

But if the bugs don't want em, why would we ???

I have noticed the massive differences in tomato tastes all across my country.

It was a rare tomato or two that really tasted spot on. :thup:

[keywstdame]

When I was a child I would pick big red beefsteak tomatoes off the vine in my grandmother's garden, wash them under the hose and with a little salt I was in heaven. It was such an intense flavor. Today, tomatoes are just the red things you put in a salad. My daughter says I enjoyed it so much because a child's taste buds are not mature but I tell her what the sam hill does she know -- she has never had a tomato that hasn't come in a 4 pack. Look at the recipes today. You have to "tart" up all the vegetables to make them taste good. Sigh. End of rant. Back to the old geezer corner. LOL

[pennink]

When I was a child I would pick big red beefsteak tomatoes off the vine in my grandmother's garden, wash them under the hose and with a little salt I was in heaven. It was such an intense flavor. Today, tomatoes are just the red things you put in a salad. My daughter says I enjoyed it so much because a child's taste buds are not mature but I tell her what the sam hill does she know -- she has never had a tomato that hasn't come in a 4 pack. Look at the recipes today. You have to "tart" up all the vegetables to make them taste good. Sigh. End of rant. Back to the old geezer corner. LOL


oh yes... beefsteak tomatoes.. my lord, you could taste the sugar in them... yummmmmmyyyyyy


however, it IS true that we lose taste buds as we age... That's why babies don't need any seasonings, and the sweet taste of veggies appeals to them.

[Lisa N]

We do lose taste buds as we age. I remember my grandparents complaining about '_________(insert food) doesn't taste nearly as good today as it did 30 years ago...".
When it comes to foods that are best when picked fully ripened, there is no way you are going to get that from your local supermarket. Tomatoes and many fruits are picked half ripe and then chemically ripened. I agree with the advice to buy your produce from local farm stands; the taste and the quality are usually far superior to what you can get in your local store and the cost is often less.
Better still...grow your own. You don't need an acre of land to grow a few tomato plants; just a couple of large pots and a sunny spot on your porch or balcony or even a hanging basket for cherry tomatoes. :)

[pennink]

a hanging basket for cherry tomatoes... OF COURSE!!!
I have tomato eating dogs at home and this would solve it...

of course they jump.

Has anyone grown their own corn? (I know it's high carb), but the difference is shocking at the taste.

[keywstdame]

I'm sorry all you younger folks out there - I'm not convinced we loose THAT many taste buds as we age. What with agri-businesses out there putting out "new and improved" fruits and vegetable to be more bug resistant AND picking produce before it's ripe - we've "new and improved" the taste right out of them. We've messed with mother nature too much. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

[Lisa N]

I'm sorry all you younger folks out there - I'm not convinced we loose THAT many taste buds as we age. What with agri-businesses out there putting out "new and improved" fruits and vegetable to be more bug resistant AND picking produce before it's ripe - we've "new and improved" the taste right out of them. We've messed with mother nature too much. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

I'm afraid that it's a medical fact, keywstdame. According to this link (http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/4209.htm), we can lose more than 50% of our taste buds between the ages of 30 and 70.

The sense of taste starts to diminish around the age of 50. Very slight changes occur over the next 20 years of a person’s life. At 30 years old, a person has 245 taste buds on each of the tiny bumps (called papilla) on the tongue. At 70, the number of taste buds per papilla decreases to around 88. Sweet and salty tastes seem to be the first affected.

Of course, ripening fruits and veggies at 30,000 feet doesn't do much for their taste, either. :p

[tom sawyer]

Personally I don't think changes in nutrient content in our vegetables has a darn thing to do with our weight issues or health problems in the US. However, our patterns of eating vegetables have changed dramatically. Most people don't regularly eat turnips, rutabaga, cabbage, squash, asparagus, brussels sprouts, or most any of your garden veggies.

You had a president publicly turning up his nose at broccoli, that sends a terrible message to our young kids. And this kind of publicity is completely counter-productive to promoting the eating of a variety of fresh vegetables. "Might as well not eat veggies, they aren't nutritious anymore". What a crock.

Corn, green beans and peas are the staples on today's table. Mostly canned. And yes, looking at the nutrition in those compared to what came out of Grandma's garden, you're going to find a big difference.