| Doctors, medical professionals and nutritional experts | | | | 14 |
| recommend five portions of fruit and vegetables per | | | | 4 |
| day. If this were 1960, or even 1980 I might agree | | | | 3 |
| that they are right, and we could get our daily | | | | " 70% |
| requirements for vitamins, minerals and other | | | | " 78% |
| nutrients. | | | | Magnesium |
| Unfortunately, our vegetables and fruit are no longer | | | | 27 |
| grown in the way they were. The soil is played out, | | | | 18 |
| and chemical fertilisers are used to promote growth. | | | | 14 |
| Even organic vegetables are often grown in soil that | | | | " 33% |
| no longer contains the minerals required to make our | | | | " 48% |
| five a day enough. | | | | Apples |
| Here are some comparisons which were produced in | | | | Vitamin C |
| Germany by pharmaceutical companies and the food | | | | 5 |
| authority. | | | | 1 |
| Mineral and vitamin content in milligrams per 100g: | | | | 2 |
| 1985 | | | | " 80% |
| 1996 | | | | " 60% |
| 2002 | | | | Bananas |
| 1985-1996 | | | | Calcium |
| 1985-2002 | | | | 8 |
| Broccoli | | | | 7 |
| Calcium | | | | 7 |
| 103 | | | | " 12% |
| 33 | | | | " 12% |
| 28 | | | | Folic Acid |
| Minus 68% | | | | 23 |
| Minus 73% | | | | 3 |
| Folic Acid | | | | 5 |
| 47 | | | | " 84% |
| 23 | | | | " 79% |
| 18 | | | | Magnesium |
| " 52% | | | | 31 |
| " 62% | | | | 27 |
| Magnesium | | | | 24 |
| 24 | | | | " 13% |
| 18 | | | | " 23% |
| 11 | | | | Vitamin B6 |
| " 25% | | | | 330 |
| " 55% | | | | 22 |
| Beans | | | | 18 |
| Calcium | | | | " 92% |
| 56 | | | | " 95% |
| 34 | | | | The result of this is if we were to eat our five a day |
| 22 | | | | as recommended, we would not get our body's |
| " 38% | | | | requirements. Suppose for dinner we had potatoes, |
| " 51% | | | | broccoli, and beans, and then had two pieces of fruit, |
| Folic Acid | | | | an apple and a banana. We would get; calcium, 60mg, |
| 39 | | | | folic acid, 54mg, magnesium, 67mg, vitamin B6, 50mg, |
| 34 | | | | and vitamin C, 2mg. The equivalent of this in 1985 for |
| 30 | | | | the same five fruit and veg is; calcium, 181mg, folic |
| " 12% | | | | acid, 109mg, magnesium, 128mg, vitamin B6, 490mg, |
| " 23% | | | | vitamin C, 5mg. If we then add strawberries for |
| Magnesium | | | | vitamin C, it goes to 10mg now, and 65mg in 1985. |
| 26 | | | | Not to labour my point any further, it is obvious that |
| 22 | | | | the fruit and vegetables we now eat have a better |
| 18 | | | | shelf life, and the supermarkets love this. It also looks |
| " 15% | | | | fantastic, again to facilitate the point of sale. |
| " 31% | | | | Chemicals are used to achieve this which means our |
| Vitamin B6 | | | | food not only has very much less nutritional value, |
| 140 | | | | but may also have chemical residues which are |
| 55 | | | | harmful. |
| 32 | | | | There is a modern answer to these issues. We can |
| " 61% | | | | improve our nutrition and consequently our health. |
| " 71% | | | | The answer is to reduce the toxins in our life, and |
| Potatoes | | | | increase the supplements for nutrition. |
| Calcium | | | | |