Have you ever heard someone in your family say, “Fruits and veggies just don’t taste like they used to”? Well, it turns out there’s more truth to that statement than just nostalgia. Over the years, our soil—the very foundation of our food—has been losing its nutrient richness, its microbiame and its essential minerals and vitamins. Let’s dive into why this is happening and what it means for our gut health-which translates to our entire body’s health.
The Root of the Problem: Soil Depletion
Back in the day, farming practices were naturally set to allow soil to replenish its nutrients through methods like crop rotation and allowing fields to lie fallow. However, modern agricultural practices have prioritized increasing crop yields and shortening growth cycles to produce more and more so that farmers could get more revenue. This has led to intensive farming practices that have stripped the soil of its nutrients faster than they can be replenished.
What’s Missing from Our Plates?
This intensive farming means that nutrient depletion directly affects the fruits and vegetables grown in this depleted, stressed-out soil. A landmark study by Donald Davis and his team at the University of Texas (published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition) found significant declines in the amounts of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin (vitamin B2), and vitamin C over the past half-century. This means the apple or spinach you eat today doesn’t pack the same nutritional punch it once did.
One of the most striking examples of this depletion is with magnesium—a mineral crucial for over 300 biochemical reactions in the body including cell repair and stress relief. It’s estimated that around 48% of Americans consume less than the required amount of magnesium. Why? Because of a meat heavy diet-which does not contain magnesium but also because the mineral just isn’t in the soil like it used to be. This magnesium deficiency can lead to a host of health issues, from chronic fatigue and insomnia to muscle cramps and anxiety.
To illustrate this issue even further, consider the humble orange. Research indicates that you would need to consume 21 oranges today to derive the same amount of Vitamin A as from just one orange a few decades ago (SOSCuisine, n.d.).
This decline also calls into question the sustainability of our food systems and the ability of future generations to meet their nutritional needs from natural food sources alone.
How Can We Regain The Nutrients We Need?
Given these challenges, it’s clear we need to think critically about our dietary choices and sources of nutrition.
- Diversify Your Diet: Incorporate a wide range of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes into your diet. Cut back on nutrient-poor meat and dairy products. Even calcium in milk is poorly absorbed, so don’t consider milk a good source of calcium. Diversity in food ensures a broader spectrum of nutrients.
- Buy From Sustainable Sources Who Understand Soil: Choose organic and sustainably grown produce whenever possible. These farming methods tend to focus more on the health of the soil and consequently the nutrient density of the crops.
- Consider Limited Supplementation: It’s clear that relying solely on our diet to meet our nutritional needs may no longer suffice. But we don’t want to rely on a poor meat, fish and dairy heavy diet and then try to supplement with pills. This is where just a few high-quality supplements come into play. While the idea of taking supplements might seem modern, it’s really about getting back what used to naturally be a part of our ancestor’s diets and ensure we are getting adequate nutrient intake,
Introducing Boon Broth: Your Daily Mineral Boost
One fantastic way to ensure you’re getting these much-needed minerals is through supplements like Boon Broth. Our plant-based “bone” broth is a warm, comforting beverage rich in naturally derived minerals that come from sea plants! Bad farming practices haven’t touched the indigenous sea plants, so they are rich in mineral from calcium to magnesium to 72 trace minerals.
These are nutrients essential for good health. Boon Broth is designed to provide a convenient, delicious way to boost your intake of these critical nutrients, helping to compensate for what our modern diets may lack.
Our plant-based broth is packed with 12g of plant protein per serving, 72 trace minerals, 25% of your daily calcium, 200% of your daily Vitamin D, 5% of your daily magnesium and B vitamins to help you stay healthy and support bones, joints, skin, digestion and beauty.
And with anti-inflammatory supporting ingredients, it’s a great choice for anyone looking to support their overall well-being, get on a better path to no bloat, more flexibility, better weight control, and gorgeous skin. It all goes together.
It’s like a hug in a cup!
Plus, it’s vegan, gluten-free and pet-friendly, making it a perfect choice for all snack lovers.
Sources:
- Davis, D. R., Epp, M. D., & Riordan, H. D. (2004). Changes in USDA food composition data for 43 garden crops, 1950 to 1999. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 23(6), 669-682.
- Rosanoff, A., Weaver, C. M., & Rude, R. K. (2012). Suboptimal magnesium status in the United States: Are the health consequences underestimated? Nutrition Reviews, 70(3), 153-164.
- SOSCuisine. (n.d.). An orange from the 1950s is equivalent to 21 of today’s oranges. Retrieved from https://www.soscuisine.com/blog/orange-1950s-equivalent-21-todays-oranges/
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