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In researching nutrition and organic agriculture, I formed an interesting hypothesis. Various fruits and vegetables are often touted as being "rich in X" or "hi
by AStonesThrow 1y ago
In researching nutrition and organic agriculture, I formed an interesting hypothesis. Various fruits and vegetables are often touted as being "rich in X" or "high in Y" and therefore lists are drawn up for people seeking a particular vitamin or nutrient or mineral.
Now plants can synthesize certain vitamins and there's no doubt that citrus is high in Vitamin C, for example. But many minerals must be drawn out of the soil where something is grown. So are all <X> high in selenium? What about historically selenium-impoverished areas? What about cropland that's been depleted after decades of use? Still the same selenium in there?
I've decided that without constant analysis and assay of each and every plant, you can't really tell the composition of what we're finding in our groceries. It's the winegrower's concept of terroir, that is, the soil, the environment, the climate, all contributing to the makeup of the final product.
This line of reasoning was enough to send me to a regime of supplementation. Unfortunately it is also impossible for my HCPs to track or validate any intake, baseline, or improvements to attribute to the supplements, so I terminated them just as abruptly. But it was a good thought. I think anyone who needs a particular nutrient should supplement with it, rather than try and derive it from diet alone, in light of this.
And also we cannot get too uptight about toxins in food, because that's just a neverending bugaboo that could simply kill us from anxiety more than anything else!
- specialist 1y ago> kill us from anxiety more than anything else Well said. I'm anxious, rightly or wrongly, about arsenic. Per best available science about, when presented with otherwise equal choices, I'll avoid grains from fields previously used for cotton. So California over Texas, Missouri. (Obviously, my preferences will change as (my understanding of) the best available science matures.) To your point, I do think my mental health would improve were I blissfully ignorant.
- tough 1y agoignorance is bliss
- goda90 1y agoFor selenium specifically, Wikipedia[0] talks about how regions with low soil selenium can cause issues for animals and a need for supplementing them. [0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selenium#Deficiency https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selenium#Deficiency
- hilbert42 1y ago"And also we cannot get too uptight about toxins in food, because…" Nevertheless, I continue to be concerned about whether I'm exposed to too higher levels of mercury. Trouble is I love eating those small cans of tuna and by my estimate I eat too many of them. Are my levels of methyl mercury too high? All I can say is that I don't know. That I'm still compos mentis enough to write this could perhaps be a rough indicator. :-)
- njarboe 1y agoDo you spend extra for albacore? That usually has higher levels of mercury than regular canned tuna (skipjack).
- hilbert42 1y agoI usually buy skipjack when available and obvious (what type is inside the can is usually stated but with some brands it's not).
- nathan_compton 1y agoSwitch to sardines!