True or not - FYI

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Fruits and vegetables grown in 1950 may have been more nutritious than

vegetables produced currently, according to a study by the USDA. The difference

might be attributable to changes in measurement technique, one nutritionist

said. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6429320

If you're looking for evidence that today's mass-produced vegetables don't quite

measure up to those your grandparents ate, you can find it in data published by

the US Department of Agriculture.

For more than a century, the USDA has measured levels of vitamins and minerals

in American food. , a researcher at the University of Texas,

compared the USDA figures from 1950 and 1999, for 43 common fruits and

vegetables.

" Of the 13 nutrients that we were able to study, we found statistically reliable

declines in six of the 13, " he says. Levels of other nutrients stayed roughly

constant over the years.

But a big word of caution: USDA nutritionist Joanne Holden says those 1950

numbers may not be trustworthy. For one thing, measurement techniques have

changed, possibly changing the results. In addition, she says, no one knows

whether the vegetables measured in 1950 were an accurate sample of the American

diet.

It took until 1997 for the USDA to apply what could be called modern polling

techniques to the analysis of food. At that point, the agency began gathering

random samples of produce from supermarkets across the nation. USDA nutritionist

Haytowitz says USDA vegetable buyers follow strict rules to ensure the

sample is truly random.

" We don't want them picking one off the top, because in the stores, they'll put

the best ones on top, " says Haytowitz. " We want an average one, a representative

one. "

This is important, because individual vegetables can vary enormously. The USDA

found that some cantaloupes have four times more vitamin A than other

cantaloupes.

University of Illinois plant geneticist Juvik discovered that some stalks

of broccoli had 40 or 50 times more glucosinolates -- compounds that can help

prevent cancer -- than others.

" So you could go into the store one week, and buy a head of broccoli that would

provide a dose of glucosinolates that would protect you from cancer, " says

Juvik, " but you could go back a week later and get one -- you couldn't see the

difference -- and it would provide you very limited health benefits. "

Vegetables can vary widely because of their genetic makeup and their

environment. Juvik says plant breeders, until recently, didn't pay much

attention to nutritional quality when they created varieties of vegetables.

" They were selecting for yield, marketable yield, and they were selecting for

appearance, " he says.

While many farmers and food companies may not know the best way to grow

nutritious crops, it doesn't mean you should stop eating your fruits and

vegetables.

reminds people that the decline in nutrients in American produce is

nothing compared to what people do to themselves.

" If you're really concerned about loss of nutrients in your diet, " he says, " you

probably ought to be looking first at how much of your calories are coming from

added sugars, fats, and white flour and white rice. "

Check Nutrition at my site:

Nutrition.teach-nology.com

Ortiz, RD

nrord@...

An optimist is a person who starts a new diet

on Thanksgiving Day. "

--Irv Kupcinet,