The first scientifically controlled trials of soil mineralization suggest that—unless vital elements are returned to the soil—the nutrient quality of our food supply will significantly deteriorate. Comparing 1940 assessments with those made in 2002, David Thomas, DC, found that iron content of meat had already declined 47 percent and that calcium content of Parmesan cheese had fallen 70 percent.

“Food is only as good as the earth it comes from,” explains Moria Thomason, founding director of Scotland’s Sustainable Ecological Earth Regeneration Center. “The signs are that we are nearing the end of our present fertile period, and one of the things that triggers this is mineral depletion,” she adds, citing severe and unusual weather as other symptoms of this global change.

One way to enhance soil fertility is organic agriculture. Organic farmers tend to view soil as a living thing that needs nurturing. Rather than “killing the soil” with synthetic chemicals, organic producers recognize the need for algae, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and other life forms, like earthworms, for crops to use soil nutrients effectively. In addition, organic farming, which relies heavily on crop cover and mulching, tends to preserve valuable topsoil.

The use of chemicals and pesticides since the mid-twentieth century has dramatically reduced mineral, vitamin, and antioxidant contents of commercially grown foods. It’s no wonder that consumers who want superior nutrient content increasingly choose organic.