Since 1940 Amount Of Copper In Vegetables Is Down By 76%

[Daimyo]

Since 1940 till 1991 the amount of minerals in fruit, vegetables and meat have decreased in UK. We can only assume that since 1991 till today the matters got only worse:
Vegetables:
"During this time there has been an average
Loss of 49% of their Sodium content
Loss of 16% of their Potassium content
Loss of 24% of their Magnesium content
Loss of 46% of their Calcium content
Loss of 27% of their Iron content
and a massive 76% loss of their Copper content "

In addition to the overall mineral depletion changes recorded, there has also taken place
significant changes in the ratios of the minerals to one another. Given that there are
known critical ratios of certain minerals within our physiology (Ca:P, Na:K, Mg:Ca,
Fe:Cu) the changes in these ratios were calculated for each individual vegetable. An
overall summary is given below:-
1940 1991
Ca:P 1 : 2 1 : 1
Na:K 1 : 10 1 : 17
Mg:Ca 1 : 4.8 1 : 3.4
Fe:Cu 1 : 10 1 : 30"

Fruit:
Loss of 29% of their Sodium
Loss of 19% of their Potassium
Loss of 2% of their Phosphorous
Loss of 16% of their Magnesium
Loss of 16% of their Calcium
Loss of 24% of their Iron
Loss of 20% of their Copper
Loss of 27% of their Zinc

Meats:
Loss of 30% of their Sodium
Loss of 16% of their Potassium
Loss of 28% of their Phosphorous
Loss of 10% of their Magnesium
Loss of 41% of their Calcium
Loss of 54% of their Iron
Loss of 24% of their Copper
http://www.mineralresourcesint.co.uk/pd ... deplet.pdf

 

[pboy]

it wouldn't surprise me if a lot of people were copper deficient and that's the main reason for chocolate cravings...ive often thought about this. I doubt most Americans reach the adequate intake each day

youd have to eat a good amount of beans nutsand fruit which most likely dont

 

[EnoreeG]

A great report on the sorry state of our food's nutrient content, Daimyo. Thanks!

Copper is in the subject, and it has one of the higher "disappearance" rates of the minerals reported, however, considering that pboy has focused on it also, I'll bring a couple of things to the group's attention.

it wouldn't surprise me if a lot of people were copper deficient and that's the main reason for chocolate cravings...ive often thought about this. I doubt most Americans reach the adequate intake each day

youd have to eat a good amount of beans nutsand fruit which most likely dont

Instead of concurring with pboy to encourage some to rush off and start supplementing copper all by itself, I'll point out that:

1. Copper needs to be balanced with other minerals in the body or an excess can foul the works.
2. Copper is now brought into the body from an insidious source: copper plumbing.
3. Because of this, many multi-vitamins have had their copper component quietly removed.

You can, for less than $20.00 buy your own copper test kit and test the water from your tap. I did and I found a very high level of copper in the water on "first draw" in the morning (though it was still below the US Environmental Protection Agency "Maximum contaminant level"). By letting the faucet run a minute, only that one time during the day, the copper level dropped to approximately 1/10th (from .4 ppm to below .05 ppm). Besides this, I already had a hair analysis that showed I was high in copper.

If this, showing that you can get less copper from your food, but still have high copper in your system doesn't worry you, here's a couple of articles to read:

http://www.townsendletter.com/Oct2013/copper1013.html

http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/private/wells/disease/copper.html

The copper test that I use is from Industrial Test Systems:

http://www.sensafe.com/

 

[Zachs]

Never drink tap water! Copper is probably the least of your worries. Iron and lead from old rusty pipes, xeno estrogen from pvc pipe and plastics, medication residue and of course fluoride and chlorine.

As for the main article, yea the depletion of minerals is criminal and even more upsetting is the waved out ratios, partially because by law, farmers only have to add back in a few minerals, usually is a very poor quality form. I wonder if this is why former healthy food (fruit and veg) is now causing digestive issues and other problems with people.

 

[Kasper]

Besides this, I already had a hair analysis that showed I was high in copper.

I heard that high copper in hair just means you've got inflammation problems, and has not so much to do with your copper status. In other words, you could still be copper deficient. I don't understand this fully though, but Danny Roddy has written some articles about that.

 

[EnoreeG]

Never drink tap water! Copper is probably the least of your worries. Iron and lead from old rusty pipes, xeno estrogen from pvc pipe and plastics, medication residue and of course fluoride and chlorine.

As for the main article, yea the depletion of minerals is criminal and even more upsetting is the waved out ratios, partially because by law, farmers only have to add back in a few minerals, usually is a very poor quality form. I wonder if this is why former healthy food (fruit and veg) is now causing digestive issues and other problems with people.

Great advice on the tap water! Many people filter it, but most filters don't take out fluoride. I didn't mention it, but I have a well, and no old iron pipes. So outside of the pvc pipes, and copper that definitely accumulates from 50 year old house plumbing, I'm not so bad off, if I just don't drink early morning water.

I agree on the formerly healthy foods. Could be the minerals (lack), toxins, time from harvest 'till eaten, or even the varieties that get sweeter and lower on phytonutrients each generation, not to mention vitamins. There's no way to get food you can trust almost, short of growing it yourself.

 

[mt_dreams]

if you could tolerate the estrogen, dates are a great copper source. other options are gelatin, cocoa, molasses, oj, & organ meats, just to name a few.

There's a new water filter coming out that removes ALL flouride, so I imagine within the next couple of years many different types of filters will have this capability.

It's a shame what's happening to the soil of conventionally run farms. There has to be a tipping point somewhere here, we wont survive if the next 70 years are as bad the the previous 70 (soil wise).

There is a way to find high mineral veggies/fruit. Look for local farms that rotate their crops, &/or allow their soil to mature for parts of the season. It's rare, but my co-op has been able to locate a couple small farms doing this.

 

[EnoreeG]

if you could tolerate the estrogen, dates are a great copper source. other options are gelatin, cocoa, molasses, oj, & organ meats, just to name a few.

There's a new water filter coming out that removes ALL flouride, so I imagine within the next couple of years many different types of filters will have this capability.

It's a shame what's happening to the soil of conventionally run farms. There has to be a tipping point somewhere here, we wont survive if the next 70 years are as bad the the previous 70 (soil wise).

There is a way to find high mineral veggies/fruit. Look for local farms that rotate their crops, &/or allow their soil to mature for parts of the season. It's rare, but my co-op has been able to locate a couple small farms doing this.

Wow, lots of help here! Thanks.

Yes, the tipping point on empty foods is getting here, because more and more people are switching to organic foods. An "Organic" label doesn't guarantee more nutrients, only less toxins, but it's generally accepted as being on food that is somewhat higher in minerals, as organic growers fertilize differently, using more complete fertilization methods.

As you say, if one shops local growers, as at farmer's markets, ask questions. Foremost for me should be "How do you prepare your land?" Ask them if they test their soil and apply minerals per the soil test results. If they don't even test, move one. Also, ask for a taste. Vitamin and mineral rich crops have more taste.

 

[Zachs]

There's a great documentary about a farm using a method of mulching everything and covering the entire grounds with mulch. It basically returns the topsoil to the ground and also adds in vital minerals and allows growers to never need to water their plants because the mulch holds in any moisture. The produce grown with this method is incredible and it makes sense because this is exactly what happens in nature. Nature is a closed loop system which plants and animals returning everything the ground needs and in turn the animals get what they need. This is how all produce should be grown. It's insane that people have forgotten this method and decide to till, irrigate and scrape away the top soil year after year.

Of course you cannot mono crop huge areas of land with this method but studies have shown that even at the population we currently have, we could thrive on local, sustainable agricultural practices. We just need to mage away from fast food nation and unsustainable eating habits

you know, it'd be amazing the impact on our earth if just fast food chains, mainly mcdonalds were banned. They are the largest buyers of beef in the world and the cattle industry is single handedly destroying the planet. Another interesting statistic I saw is that human water consumption in California only makes up something like 3% and almonds, a crop that many people blame only like 11%. The biggest factor is alfalfa and other hay, taking up a whopping 40 some percent. most of that hay is exported to feed lots. Insane to think the California's drought is only because of grass for cow food!

 

[EnoreeG]

I like the way you write Zachs! Lots of good advice on preserving the earth as well as how to get good food. Yes, there's a lot of good things out there now regarding how to turn unproductive land back into production, without tilling, without adding nutrients. Humanity has essentially been turning good land into deserts since he started being the "steward" of this planet and using agriculture.

I've also read that if we just reversed the desertification by returning current deserts back to grazing land, we could actually sequester more carbon back into the soil than is being released each year by industry. We could restore so much, that in 40 years we could have pre-industrial levels of carbon in the atmosphere. That's amazing.

Everything you say about the value of mulch is spot on, as I understand it. I mulch my garden, and even mulch the paths between the beds. It cuts down on weeds, but also slowly makes more good soil and helps to keep the moisture in. Fungi are down there, even under the paths, using moisture to live, and they transport minerals from dozens of feet away (if you don't till) right to the plant roots, in exchange for sugars that the plant produces in its leaves and sends down to the roots. It's a big "exchange system".

I'll add that you can't get a perfect balance though, just from returning mulch to the soil. Over time, compost, manure, and mulch will tend to raise the balance of potassium and phosphorus too high. So a soil test is still a good idea. You may have to add some calcium (lime), sulfur and other minerals to get a healthy balance. Soil deficient in a certain mineral, say iodine, doesn't just get it from thin air. But it will be a lot less cost to make these additions indicated by a test than if you tried to do it without the mulch.