nutrient loss in vegetables

[Robert Heltman]

Yes, and the FDA has a bias.  Fresh food should be washed.  See
www.organicgardening.com and the "manure" issue brought up by the TV 20/20
program.

-----Original Message-----
From: PHNUTR-L-owner at u.washington.edu
[mailto:PHNUTR-L-owner at u.washington.edu]On Behalf Of Linda Bobroff
Sent: Friday, April 07, 2000 11:52 AM
To: Public Health Nutrition Discussion and Information Group
Subject: RE: nutrient loss in vegetables


Don't have time right now to address everything that was brought up in this
long message, but I do want to mention that the Food and Drug Administration
has issued an advisory about eating raw sprouts.  There have been several
Salmonella outbreaks associated with eating raw sprouts.  Home grown pose
risk as well as commercially prepared.  See FDA's website for more info ...
www.fda.gov
Linda Bobroff, Univ of Florida


> -----Original Message-----

> From: PHNUTR-L-owner at u.washington.edu

> [mailto:PHNUTR-L-owner at u.washington.edu]On Behalf Of Robert Heltman

> Sent: Friday, April 07, 2000 11:04 AM

> To: Public Health Nutrition Discussion and Information Group

> Subject: RE: nutrient loss in vegetables

>

>

> Dear Nutritionists all...

>

> We need a new term.  Fresh fruits and vegetables are only fresh when they

> are fresh, at the risk of stating the obvious.  "Fresh" vegetables left

> lying around, or suffering long transport, are no longer fresh.  They are

> stale, or a word like that.  Maybe the term should be STALE vegetables.

> Same as fresh fish left lying on the dock in the sun for a couple

> hours are

> not fresh fish.  They are rancid fish.

>

> The best nutrition comes from eating freshly picked organic fruits and

> vegetables, in the prime of ripeness, right off the tree, from

> the bush, dug

> from the ground.  And, to get the beneficial enzymes, fresh

> produce is best

> eaten raw immediately after harvest.  Not cooked.

>

> To get that peak nutrition means people growing their own

> gardens, engaging

> in subscription farming (now about 1000 such farms serving locals, and

> growing), or buying early in the day from local farmers bringing in fresh

> produce.  Remember those "good old days?"  But, the longer the harvested

> "fresh" food is delayed in getting into the mouth, the more vitamins are

> lost, as you know from various studies.  Cooling helps delay losses some.

>

> The national farm policies since the 1930s or so, according to experts in

> that arena, have favored large scale industrial corporate

> farming.  This has

> led to loss of fertile topsoil, nitrogen pollution of wells, streams,

> rivers, and loss of nutrient content in food (again, see

> www.organicgardening.com).  It has also led to growing larger cities with

> all their problems, eliminating smaller towns and their more social and

> caring ways of life, etc.  And it means that food is transported long

> distances (can someone get the source on this), approx. 1500 miles for the

> average meal, I recently heard.  This adds to cost, to pollution, to

> needless energy consumption versus growing and eating local foodstuffs.

>

> In the case of corporate farming it is "true" that a large freezer truck

> following the field harvest, and packaging the frozen food on the

> spot, DOES

> produce better quality food than "stale-rancid" produce.  But, it

> is still a

> second choice versus truly fresh produce.  Per my message a month or more

> back, mankind has done a masterful job of producing "mummy food"

> in various

> forms — canning, pickling, freezing, irradiating, smoking, etc.  They are

> ALL second choices to eating truly fresh raw organic produce right out of

> the garden.*  Don't kid yourselves otherwise.

>

> Sooner or later studies will show what common sense indicates.

>

> Bests, Bob

>

> *I have a row of kale surviving through the winter, here in North

> Carolina.

> You'd be amazed how wonderful it is to step out my back door,

> walk into the

> garden, tweak off a leaf or two, shake away the dew, tuck into my

> mouth, and

> slowly chew and swallow.  YUMMY and so good for me!  I wish all

> the world's

> citizens could be so blessed.  More of them could be with a change in

> federal farm policies to favor smaller organic farms, with proper

> education...why even city folks could grow their own sprouts in

> an apartment

> window.  Ever try a fresh sprout sandwich or salad?  GOOD and great

> nutrition.

>

>

>

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: PHNUTR-L-owner at u.washington.edu

> [mailto:PHNUTR-L-owner at u.washington.edu]On Behalf Of Elizabeth Frazao

> Sent: Friday, April 07, 2000 9:58 AM

> To: Public Health Nutrition Discussion and Information Group

> Subject: Re: nutrient loss in vegetables

>

>

> I've seen some research showing that frozen or canned vegetables may

> even be more nutritious than fresh ones because they are processed

> shortly after harvest, when their nutrient content is highest, whereas

> fresh produce may not be consumed until several weeks after harvest.

> Check out the following website:

> http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/PUBS/COLUMNNN/nn970122.htm

>

> The Agriculture Research Service of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture has

> a food composition and nutrient data base.  Check out

> http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp  and  look for the USDA Nutrient

> Database for Standard Reference - Release 13, which includes info on

> nutrient retention factors.

>

>