An apple a day? Not for long

The apple hasn’t changed much in 50 years. It still comes in a variety of shades of red and green and can still be pretty crunchy.

But the apple of today hasn’t passed through the years unchanged. In fact, the nutritional content of today’s apple — its vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and other trace components, otherwise known as micronutrients — has dropped significantly from the apple of the 1960s.

The fall of the once mighty apple is not unique, with consequences for everyone’s health.

Numerous studies performed on produce have shown the same levels of nutrient reduction in everything from spinach to broccoli to tomatoes.

As a result of an international agricultural machine that has pushed year after year for higher yields, we have more food — but less actual nutrients — than ever before.

This phenomenon has resulted in millions of people being overfed but undernourished, continually consuming calories rich in fat, protein and carbohydrates but poor in essential micronutrients, such as vitamin E, calcium and iron.

Without these critical vitamins and minerals, the body is in a constant state of stress induced by nutrient deficiency. When the body isn’t receiving adequate nutrients from a particular food, it will draw them from internally, breaking down tissues of less important organ systems in order to meet the needs of the more important organ systems.

As a result, we can become more compromised to long-term diseases at the expense of our short-term survival.

In addition, despite an adequate calorie intake, we often continue to feel unsatisfied because our more and more processed diets lack the proper micronutrients.

If we continue to demand ever higher amounts of nutrient-poor but resource-intensive foods, staples will continue to get less nutrient-rich year after year.

Organic produce has been shown to have remarkably higher levels of these critical micronutrients. Avoiding industrial pesticides forces the produce to fend for itself, producing natural chemicals to repel insects — and those chemicals turn out to be vital for human health.

The food choices we make every day do have an impact on the larger food system. The root of the issue lies in big agriculture’s approach to high-yield farming.

We can affect change by eating sustainably grown, organic produce.

Eating less nutrient-poor produce and more nutrient-rich produce will have positive effects for our own health, as well as for our planet. While an organic apple may cost more per calorie, it will cost you less per nutrient and ultimately leave you more satisfied.

As our planet’s arable land rapidly shrinks and demand continues to rise, it will become harder and harder to squeeze out nutrients.

Before your next doctor’s visit, try an organic apple a day and see how you feel.