WARNING: Dirt-Poor Nutrition

What happens when the soil that feeds the plants that grow in it is deficient?

Can plants be malnourished too?

There isn't really much to understanding this one, however, there is indeed some confusion surrounding it.

You see there is some controversy on whether or not our soil is to blame for many of the food nutrient deficiencies.

Some say yes, some no. One study concludes it while another refutes any claim of it.

What makes sense is that if soil becomes deficient, so can the plants that grow in it.

Considering the declining nutrition in food over decades, people have felt the need to supplement their diets and hence the booming dietary supplement industry. The global dietary supplements market size was estimated at USD 164.0 billion in 2022.

Deficiency is deficiency...

It's interesting and maybe a little ironic that, just as soil could possibly be less nutrient-dense to plants, so can supplements created to isolate one vitamin or one specific mineral or micronutrient fall short.

Laboratory-synthesized, singular vitamins can fall just as short as a piece of fruit that doesn't have the vitamin content it once had.

Food and the body, both designed by nature, have a certain makeup and are designed to complement one another.

Our food supply is supposed to match our body's need for and ability to absorb proper nutrition.

That is an important fact to observe when you look at the right or proper supplemental nutrition. Any supplement you choose should be a whole food nutrition supplement (made from food sources easily absorbed and utilized by your body), not from laboratory derived chemical ingredients.

This concern about the reduced nutritional value of the foods we eat has led to the focus on eating organic foods and eating foods that are nutrient-dense. Nutrient-dense foods are rich in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients important for health, without too much saturated fat, added sugars and sodium - fruits, vegetables, whole grains, non-fat and low-fat dairy, fish and seafood, unprocessed lean meat and skinless poultry, nuts and legumes.

According to a Healthline article, here are 12 of the most nutrient-dense foods: