The Case of the Vanishing Nutrients

More fruits and vegetables are available to us today than at any other time in history, but they don’t pack the same nutritional punch as they did 60 years ago, finds a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Researchers call it the dilution effect: Farmers feel pressure to make their crops grow bigger and faster, which sacrifices the amount of nutrients the plants are able to absorb.

Here’s how some key nutrients have decreased since 1950:

PLANT               NUTRIENT            % LESS
Carrots               Iron                        24
Eggplant             Ascorbic acid         44
Broccoli              Calcium                  37
Winter squash    Riboflavin               52