The Quest for Nutrient Density

Food…. The mere mention of this single word brings so many images to mind; enjoyment, family, celebration, community, satisfaction, creativity, and exploration to name just a few. Around the world cultures and food are inextricably intertwined. Food, like language, defines a culture.

In America a culture war of sorts is going on between an industrialized food supply and those who wish to celebrate food as a labor of love. We also see a tremendous surge of interest in the nutritional aspect of foods. On the one hand we see a society facing an ever-increasing amount of degenerative diseases and on the other hand we hear many people calling for a return to wholesome foods that truly nourish.

In a previous article, Food Quality & Digestion, we looked at the tremendous variation that exists when comparing the best and worst quality of the same food. The striking supposition from that article is that as the nutrient content varies, so does it’s impact on human health. The logical conclusion is that we should all be eating high quality food.

The USDA has done a tremendous job of databasing the average nutrient density of fruits and vegetables along with many other foods. The long-term trend is no surprise but disturbing none-the-less; nutrient density is dropping! With an eye on health that comes from nutrition, we must not be satisfied to know the average. Rather we must seek optimum nutrient density. This is the type of food that will lead us away from the scourge of malnutrition/degenerative diseases and help us fulfill Hypocrites’ dictum to “Let food be your medicine, and your medicine be food.”

For years followers of Dr. Carey Reams' method of agronomy have boldly declared that the brix reading is the snapshot picture of nutrient density. Dr. Reams frequently stated: “An increase in brix is an increase in carbohydrates and mineral density while a decrease in brix is a decrease in carbohydrates and mineral density.” In response to critics of the Brix=Quality concept, Jon Frank of International Ag Labs analyzed fresh green beans from his garden and compared them to fresh green beans purchased from a local market. See box for differences.

Grocery Store Beans

4.2 brix grocery store green beans

  • Brix:              4.2 Poor
  • MDR:           -246
  • Dry Matter:   8.1%
  • pH:               5.5
  • Taste:           Garbage

Garden Green Beans

6.1 brix garden green beans

  • Brix:              6.1 Average
  • MDR:             -92
  • Dry Matter:   16.6%
  • pH:                6.4
  • Taste:           Decent

Here we see that with only a 2-brix difference the dry matter content more than doubled. The weight per volume, as measured by the Mineral Density Rating (MDR) improved and taste was significantly enhanced. On closer inspection the nutritional density between the two green bean samples became starkly apparent. The grocery store beans were very similar to the USDA average while the beans from the garden showed significant improvement in nutrient levels. The table below lists the specific amount of each nutrient measured in grams and milligrams found in 100 grams (about 3 ½ oz.) of beans. We also list the % Daily Value for the USDA average and the garden beans.

NutrientUSDA%DV StoreGarden%DV
Protein 1.8 g 4% 1.76 g 3.34 g 7%
Calcium 37 mg 4% 70 mg 130 mg 13%
Magnesium 25 mg 6% 30 mg 50 mg 13%
Phosphorous 38 mg 4% 40 mg 80 mg 17%
Potassium 209 mg 6% 190 mg 580 mg 17%
Copper 0.1 mg 3% 0.1 mg 0.4 mg 20%
Iron 1.0 mg 6% 1.3 mg 2.1 mg 12%
Zinc 0.2 mg 2% 0.72 mg 2.3 mg 15%
Manganese 0.2 mg 11% 0.29 mg 0.35 mg 18%


Interestingly, the garden beans were planted in early autumn. Growing conditions were not ideal and he barely got the beans harvested before the plants froze out. A brix reading of 6.1 makes me wonder just what the nutrient density would be for 12 brix green beans. The quest for nutrient density starts by asking the right question. And that, in my opinion, is “How much nutrition should produce contain in order to confer the greatest benefit to those who consume it.”

We recognize, of course, that mineral composition is not the only component of nutrition to be found in plants. It is the cheapest to analyze and is the foundation of al the other nutritional components of plants such as vitamins, amino acid profile, enzymes, sterols, and essential oils among many others. Since all these components contribute to the total dissolved solids we use the brix readings as the general indicator of quality and the mineral composition as the specific indicators of quality.

The green been comparrison above clearly shows the remarkable increase in minerals with only a 2 point increase in brix readings!  Top quality food is such a rarity in the grocery stores and therefore more and more people are seeing the real need to start gardening.

To aid the war effort during World War II, the government rationed many foods and encouraged citizens to plant Victory Gardens.  Nearly 20 milion Americans answered the call...

Today, we are facing a different problem... lack of sufficient nutrients in the food supply, and we need to plant Victory Gardens for the 21st Century.

The USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference is available at: www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=5720. An excellent searchable presentation of this data is available from www.nutritiondata.com
 

Notable Quote

“In the process of being metabolized, sugar robs your body of valuable nutrients ... Sugar also inhibits your liver's production of enzymes needed in the detoxification process.”

-- Ann Louise Gittleman
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