[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-nutrition\/your-food-may-have-fewer-nutrients-that-you-think\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-nutrition\/your-food-may-have-fewer-nutrients-that-you-think\/","headline":"Your food may have fewer nutrients than you think","name":"Your food may have fewer nutrients than you think","description":"Print PDF eBook Facebook Twitter Gmail LinkedIn Pinterest Even if you eat a healthy diet \u2014 including lots of fruits and vegetables \u2014 you may be surprised to learn that you\u2019re not getting the amount of nutrients you think you are. That\u2019s because research shows the vitamin and mineral content of many common fruits and […]","datePublished":"2016-03-24","dateModified":"2026-04-06","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/author\/brownbetterbonesgmail-com\/#Person","name":"Dr. Susan E. Brown, PhD","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/author\/brownbetterbonesgmail-com\/","identifier":72,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e08d87bd45250c6616e1752933a6576aba077f335d97ee337a0cde5e435cbd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e08d87bd45250c6616e1752933a6576aba077f335d97ee337a0cde5e435cbd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Center for Better Bones","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Better-Bones-AMP.png","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Better-Bones-AMP.png","width":150,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Vitamin-and-Mineral-Content-is-declining-in-foods.png","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Vitamin-and-Mineral-Content-is-declining-in-foods.png","height":512,"width":1024},"url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-nutrition\/your-food-may-have-fewer-nutrients-that-you-think\/","about":["Bone Nutrition"],"wordCount":479,"keywords":["bone building nutrients","supplementation"],"articleBody":" Print PDF eBook\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFacebook\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTwitter\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGmail\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLinkedIn\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPinterest\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEven if you eat a healthy diet \u2014 including lots of fruits and vegetables \u2014 you may be surprised to learn that you\u2019re not getting the amount of nutrients you think you are. That\u2019s because research shows the vitamin and mineral content of many common fruits and vegetables has been declining in the last decades.Table of ContentsToggle     2 Minutes ReadDeclines of up to 75%What\u2019s the nutrient loss for your favorite vegetable or fruit?Declines of up to 75%You would need to eat 2\u00bd times as much broccoli today to get the same amount of calcium as you would have in 1950. And twice as many onions to get the same amount of iron. In fact, a study comparing the nutrient value for 43 garden vegetables from 1950 to 1999 shows an average decrease in nutrient content of 25-50%.Research on popular fruits like apples and oranges shows the same significant losses of vitamin and mineral content. Eleven of 12 fruits showed reduced amounts of iron, 10 with loss in calcium and 9 with loss of vitamin A. The drop in iron in several fruits \u2014 including oranges, tangerines and strawberries \u2014 was quite extreme.\u00a0 Tangerines dropped 65% for calcium content and 75% for iron (I\u2019m not sure what caused the increase for vitamin A \u2014 perhaps it\u2019s related to the fertilizers used).What\u2019s the nutrient loss for your favorite vegetable or fruit?Here are more examples of nutrient loss in vegetables and fruit using the USDA\u2019s standard nutrient data for 1950 and for 1999. Here\u2019s another intriguing example about nutrient decline. During the 1960s scientists found an Arctic campsite of explorers from 100 years earlier, which included a can of peaches frozen in heavy syrup. Somebody had the forethought to test the peaches. Even accounting for the food value lost from being frozen, the canned peaches from the 1860s were 50% higher in every measurable nutrient than modern canned peaches.If you are concerned about getting enough nutrients to maintain good health and build bone, it\u2019s still a good idea to increase your intake of vegetables and fruits. That said, I strongly suggest you consider supplementation to make sure you\u2019re getting all the nutrients you need \u2014 no matter what you eat \u2014 especially if you are trying to build bone and overcome years of neglect. References:Davis, D. R., M. D. Epp, and H. D. Riordan. 2004. Changes in USDA food composition data for 43 garden crops, 1950 to 1999. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 23(6):669\u2013682.Jack, A. 1998. Nutrition under siege. One Peaceful World Journal, Spring:1, 7\u20138.Jack, A. 2005.America\u2019s vanishing nutrients- Decline in fruit and vegetable quality poses serious health and environmental risks. Amberwaves, Becket, MA.Mayer, A. M. 1997. Historical changes in the mineral content of fruits and vegetables. British Food Journal 99(6):207\u2013211. Our full supplement guide reviews the evidence \u2014 see our guide to bone health supplement guide."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Bone Nutrition","item":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-nutrition\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Your food may have fewer nutrients than you think","item":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-nutrition\/your-food-may-have-fewer-nutrients-that-you-think\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]