Authors: (Regenerative Farmers of America, 2022)
Abstract:
Since the 1960s and 1970s, nutrient density has been on the decline compared to food grown today. A study by researchers at the University of Texas analyzed USDA nutrient data from 1950 - 1999 and found that the nutrient content of vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach had declined. The study found that spinach had lost 53% of its vitamin C content, 47% of its vitamin A content, and 60% of its iron content over that 50-year time frame.
Another study evaluated the nutritional density of 27 vegetable crops from 1940 to 1991 and found that the levels of essential minerals such as calcium, iron, and potassium had fallen significantly. Studies suggested investigation that changes in agricultural practices, soil depletion, and the use of hybrid and genetically modified crops may be a major cause to the decline in nutrient density.