I agree Corie. If people would just eat a varied diet, including some from all food groups, they would get all the vitamins and minerals they need.
Even when the food that people ate was grown locally, they had a wider range of vegetables and meats available to them. Only 150 years ago, we had more than 500 varieties of cabbage, nearly 500 varieties of lettuce, more than 400 varieties of peas and tomatoes, and more than 300 varieties of corn, muskmelon, and squash. Of the 7,000 varieties of apples that were grown in the 1800s, less than 100 remain. Due to a lot of reasons, significantly factory farming, where only the most productive and profitable varieties were grown, we've lost most of the richness of the human diet. Rather than determining which variety of corn we're going to have, our choices are limited to which type of vegetable we're going to have: corn, peas, beans, or carrots. I am certain we've lost much of the nutrition that God intended for us when we discarded the variety of choices He gave us.
I have to say that until @Yvonne Smith pushed me to try a couple of suppliments over a year ago, I really had no knowledge about them. I was raised growing my own foods and meats, and I did pretty well until I had to give it all up around eight years ago. Then it was like I just went downhill. Now I'm taking several suppliments, (all on Yvonne's recommendation), and I am doing quite a bit better.
@Martin Alonzo, what makes a spinal column become very dry and brittle? That is what my dr. sald is happening to my spine, it is crumbling. My neck clicks several times whenever I turn it, my lower spine feels like it is grinding against itself. My great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, and my half-sister all had this condition. What would cause all the women in my family to have this condition? The men seem to be exempt.
Ina are you shorter than when you were 20 years old if so you have disc degeneration. Think of what you would use to regrow cartilage. Most people are calcium deficient and that is the main mineral needed to rebuild bones it also needs the other 60 minerals as well. Osteoporosis is a common disease in older people but it does not have to be, if you are getting the material to repair your body.
But ken, no matter how many varieties of vegetables are available (and there are plenty) people can only grow one or maybe a few at most of any one thing. What garden is going to have 500 varieties of cabbage? 500 gardeners each growing a different variety wouldn't make a difference; each family will only eat the variety they grow. I agree with what you say about factory farms only growing the most profitable varieties but the is an enormous amount of varieties for the home gardener to choose from. If a store did have 300 varieties of corn for you to choose from how many would you actually eat?
@Ina I. Wonder Estrogen dropping during menopause can have a lot to do with it. So can dehydration over the years. As @Martin Alonzo mentioned, calcium can help rebuild the bones. Here's an article with some information, and links to additional sources/info.
But they won't necessarily grow the same variety every year. I know my dad grew more than one variety of corn, and my mom grew different varieties of other vegetables in her garden. Plus, in rural areas, people would make trades. More than one. As it is, my wife and I often buy different varieties of vegetables when we can find them, usually from farm markets, since grocery stores seldom even recognize that there are different varieties.
If you buy a BRIX meter you can find out just how many minerals are there in the fruit and vegetables. Studies that have been done show that a lot of the chain store fruits and vegetables have poor rating and the best rating is your home grown vegetables.
Over the past year I've lost 35 pounds and have experienced muscular deterioration with only a fraction of my previous muscular strength. I look like an Auschwitz survivor! I need to find out which High Calorie/ High Protein supplements will work for me. I'm trying a high-strength drink (Ensure), which provides 350 calories in a 10 oz bottle. Hal
You might want to check around for a protein supplement with better ingredients if you are trying to build up muscle, @Hal Pollner . If you look at the label for Ensure, it only has 13 grams of protein, which is not much at all. Most protein supplements have around 20-30 grams per serving. The first three ingredients are water, sugar/maltodextrin and canola oil, none of that is going to help you build muscle or regain your strength. Ensure has 11 grams of fat, which means that of the 350 calories, about a third is just the canola oil, which is usually processed at high heat, and then bleached as part of the processing necessary to give it a light clear color. There is 52 grams of carb, so most of the rest of the calories would come from the sugar. It is high price to pay for something that is mostly sugar and oil and a few vitamins. Something similar to Body Fortress would give you a lot better supplementation, more protein and less fats and sugar, which is all that you are paying for with Ensure and Boost, or similar “senior drinks”. As a comparison, here is the package label for Ensure and for Body Fortress protein.
I recently visited my Primary Care Physician, and she said "What do you expect at age 85...great fitness?"
Even though we are not going to have the same degree of fitness that we had in our younger days, I believe that we should always do everything that we can do to stay fit and healthy for our age. A better diet and regular exercise that i am able to do has helped my health a whole lot, and I totally believe in doing this , as much as I am able, for as long as I am able.