Veg is GOOD for you?

One of the advantages of being involved in a group such as Practical Farmers of Iowa is the possibility that other persons interested in things you care about might share things they find.

A recent post referenced a Feb 2009 article by Donald R Davis in the HortScience journal. While this is pretty much a literature review - the topic is interesting.

Here's a quick take:

1. High yield cultivars (veg varieties) tend to have lower nutrient levels than lower yield cultivars.
2. Average nutrient levels in fruit/veg in the US/UK has declined since the 1940's
3. Application of fertilizer/chemicals increase the content of those elements while reducing other nutrients in vegetables.

I still need to read it more thoroughly (and this will likely lead to my reading many of the studies). And, I'm likely to write on this again.

First blush? I'm not surprised. In fact, these results make perfect sense to me. Want to know why? (that's called a "tease")