If you've heard it once, you've heard it a zillion times. "If you want to be healthy, eat your vegetables!" Certainly, this is still good advice, but there's a problem creeping in. Vegetables and fruits are losing their nutritious qualities. They may not be providing you with the healthy kick they used to. Sure they look the same, and they might even taste the same, but did you know...

"You'd have to eat 10 servings of spinach to get the same level of minerals from just one serving about 50 years ago."

That's what Elmer Heinrich found out when he did his research for his book "The Root of All Disease". It's amazing, but it's also terrible because no one is ever going to eat 10 servings of spinach in one day. To get your 'optimum nutrition' according these new statistics you'd have to be an elephant! Or at least eat as much as one....

But why is all this happening?
It sounds rather far-fetched at first that a vegetable or fruit could look and taste the same, but be so lacking in nutrients you need. However, there are several reasons, which most people would never think of. It's important to know the cause behind something as vital as your own nutrition. You try to eat right, you try to have your 'required servings' of fruits and vegetables each day—but what are they really doing for you?

Over-farming causes depleted soil-
Despite farmers' best efforts with chemical fertilizers and crop rotations, the huge human population's demands on the soil causes 'over-farming'. Nutrients you need are depleted from the soil by 100s of previous crop cycles—and if they're not there, the plants can't absorb them. This is especially true for the trace-minerals we all need to maintain good health.

Crops are now being bred for the wrong thing-
Fruits and veggies are chosen for several reasons...none of which are their nutritional value. The important thing about them is how they look, how long they stay fresh, how much they weigh, and how they can resist weeds and pests. Are any of those factors helping YOUR health? No, they're just helping the bottom line. These are no 'franken foods' either (genetically modified crops) they're your usual 100% natural crops which have gone through selective breeding for money making, NOT nutritional qualities. Sure, some genetically modified crops like the black tomato are super-nutritious, but they're still years away from a real market release.

An experiment for you:
If you look around on TV, do you see commercials for 'grow at home tomatoes'? Have you ever enjoyed a tomato from a vine at a friend or neighbors' house? These 'home grown' fruits (yes a tomato is a fruit) often taste MUCH better than the ones you find in the supermarket. That's why kits and vines are so popular in gardens. Supermarket tomatoes are raised only to look good, stay fresh and make the high "weight grade". They're NOT bred for taste or nutrition quality.

It's easy to demonstrate this with something like a tomato, because they have a specific flavor that everyone recognizes, and are easy to grow at home in many climates—unlike spinach or peaches. The point is, that this type of 'all style no substance' is afflicting more than tomatoes and affecting much more than flavor.

These statistics show various losses from 1975 compared to 2001. The USDA came up with the facts, and Life Extension Magazine is quoted on the following statistics:

Apples- Vitamin A is down 41%
Broccoli- Calcium and Vitamin A are down 50%
Cauliflower- Vitamin C is down 45%; Vitamin B1 is down 48%; and Vitamin B2 is down 47%

That's a big drop, and other fruits and vegetables are also affected to varying degrees. So what can you do about it? You want to eat healthy to stay healthy so taking action in your diet is a step to take right away. Vitamin supplements are a great idea. Because vitamins are made, not grown, they are held to nutritional standards, and must contain exactly what you see on the label. But, one cannot live on pills alone! First, consider organic foods and using a home garden. Chances are, your yard was never the site of a huge company farm featuring depleted soil. The foods you grow at home can still pick up necessary minerals from your soil.

But what about apartment or condo dwellers in the city? No time for a garden? Next, small farms and local growers are also more likely to be farming on land that is not nutritionally deficient, or using "Maximum shelf life" variety plants. Local farms don't have to ship long distance, and they know you'll be back for more if you like their produce's FLAVOR.

Another easy solution is the Chia Seed.
This seed is packed with a full range of B vitamins, trace minerals such as Boron, and it even has more calcium by weight than milk. The seed of the chia plant also has omega 3 oil (the same as that found in fish) and complete protein, just like what is found in meat. These seeds also have both soluble and insoluble fiber and more magnesium than broccoli. They don't spoil or go rancid like flax, and you can make them taste like whatever you want....but more on that later.

Why is the Chia Seed still a good option for you?
Chia plants only grow in areas most other plants hate. You couldn't grow a peach or an apple where chia likes to grow. It only grows where it's hot and dry all the time. This means the land used to grow it hasn't already been stripped of nutrients. Worried about pesticides? Don't be. The plant takes care of itself like no other—producing an oil in the leaves and stems that insects and other pests can't stand. Chemical pesticides don't even need to be touched when you've got chia growing. The plants are still pulling in all the nutrients you need while being free from toxic chemical pesticides.

So by looking to a food that's unusual and new, you can still get the nutrients your body needs despite depleted soil in many areas. These seeds have no flavor of their own, so they're not prepared like the food you're used to. No one sits down to a pile of chia as they would rice. Instead, they're super easy in an all-new way. You simply add them to food you already like to eat. The flavorless seeds then absorb moisture from that food (whether it be yogurt, salad dressing, cereal with milk, tomato sauce, or your favorite drink—almost anything will do!) and take on the taste of the food or drink. You won't have any problems with "I don't want to eat my vegetables" when these nutritious seeds can taste like anything from orange juice to chocolate pudding without ever diluting the flavor. There are even many easy and fun Chia Seed Recipes that you can use to make both new and familiar meals lower in fat and higher in nutrients by adding chia. All the nutrition is still there just waiting to be eaten in the way of your choice.

Don't let these startling statistics stop you on your quest for greater health, energy and longevity. You can still take control of your nutrition and improve your health.