We have been led to believe food certified "organically grown" is a high quality food. This is not what we have discovered. Organically grown is produced without use of toxic chemicals and has little to do with nutrient content in most cases.
Organic produce is just as prone to insects and plant disease as their conventional counterparts and still needs to be treated with pesticides that are non-toxic. If a plant is truly healthy, it is naturally resistant (as is the human body) to insects and disease and should not have to be treated.
Nature does not want an unhealthy plant to propagate itself into the future, or become food for higher forms of life so insects and disease are nature's garbage recyclers. The unhealthy mineral deficient food is toxic to us.
We are not ill because of the toxic chemicals ingested, we are ill because of lack of or unavailability of minerals (especially calcium in the soil).
Food that is deficient in minerals is the most toxic food in the world. Our concern should be the lack of minerals rather than the presence of pesticides in food. Food deficient in minerals causes illness.
True long-term health can be achieved only by building the body's cells with a full complement of minerals... calcium being one of the most important. We are more likely to get sick from what we don't eat than from what we eat... and I don't mean which foods but the quality of the foods we eat.
If our diet consisted of highly mineralized foods, our bodies would be resistant to illness and less likely to be affected by high levels of toxins. Now I am not promoting the use of pesticides and other toxins, rather putting issues in perspective.
You probably know someone who can eat just about anything without ever getting sick. You probably also know someone else who appears sensitive and reacts to food. Have you ever wondered why?
To answer the question, liken a cell to a house. A well built brick house has extremely high resistance to damage and intruders, compared to a grass house which is fragile and subject to damage and intruders.
A well built cell with a full complement of minerals (mainly calcium) within its structure as well as all other necessary nutrients is similar to the brick house. It is highly resistant to damage and intruders.
A weak cell without its proper complement of minerals and other needed nutrients is similar to the grass house. It is subject to damage from toxins and easy prey to bacteria and viruses.
The role of pathogens in plants is also the same for other forms of life including humans. Pathogens only take apart and recycle that which is not healthy and worthy of keeping alive.
The reason people today get relief of allergic reactions by eating organic food is not because it is better quality, but because it is free from toxic chemicals. What gives this illusion of health and safety is, due to a mineral deficient diet, the cell has become weak and full of holes. Similar to the grass house, toxic substances, bacteria, viruses, etc., are free to invade and enter. The irritation caused by toxins can result in simple rashes, or death in extreme cases. Organic food is free from contaminates to irritate the cell but lacks sufficient minerals to build a healthy new one.
How do we know whether food we consume has all minerals present? How do we determine this?
A new simple, but accurate method of measuring food quality is fast growing in use and acceptance. This method makes use of an instrument called a refractometer.
A refractometer is a prism instrument. It has a) an eye piece, b) a glass screen. A drop of liquid is placed on the screen, you then look through the eye piece which has a scale which measures the total dissolved solids in degrees Brix. This may sound complicated but it is actually very simple to use.
Refractometers are used for quality control in commercial food processing and industrial making of chemicals. They can be calibrated to measure a variety of substances like acids, alcohol, minerals, sugars, proteins, and more. They are also used in deter-mining the food quality of honey and maple syrup.
The late Dr. Carey Reams, a noted biophysicist in his day, first used the refractometer to determine the quality of agricultural crops grown in different qualities of soil. He experimented with different growing methods and the refractometer to determine maximum health of the plant and Brix levels. He researched many, and established a chart for easy reference. Dr. Reams said that for every genuine Brix, there is a good counterfeit. Every type of plant has its own ideal Brix level.
Comparison Chart For Brix Reading
| Plant | Poor | Average | Good | Best |
| Apples | 6 | 10 | 14 | 18 |
| Celery | 4 | 6 | 10 | 12 |
| Grapes | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Oranges | 6 | 10 | 16 | 20 |
| Pineapple | 12 | 14 | 20 | 22 |
Fig. 1
In nature, sugars are complexed with minerals (80% which is calcium). The higher the minerals (calciums) the stronger the flavour. Relative calcium levels in food can be detected with a refractometer, but beware! Don't be mislead by modern science, they can genetically manipulate genes to cause them to produce high sugar and flavour without minerals, giving a false high Brix reading. A skilled operator can detect this and determine a lot more.
For many years the refractometer has been used in grape production. A grower will measure the amount of sugar in the grapes and harvest them at peak (usually a minimum of 18° Brix). Buyers also use the refractometer to purchase the highest Brix levels (see Fig. 1) and pay bonuses for premium fruit.
The refractometer has recently been adopted as a standard procedure in industry for determining the food quality in purchasing apples for making apple juice. If apples are 12° Brix or higher, the grower will receive a premium.
Results have been startling when foods (both conventional and organic) have been tested for quality. Most produce measures average. Conventionally grown foods now appearing on the market are showing significant increased Brix readings (higher the sugar, (BRIX) higher the minerals). It appears commercial farmers in the major food production areas of the USA are making changes to improve their farming methods.
Calcium is required by volume more than any other mineral for our system, 80% of mineral levels should be calcium. In the absence of quality food, supplementation is necessary and is best achieved by properly addressing body chemistry.
If we consumed a diet of high quality foods, (high Brix readings), and maintained a proper overall lifestyle including positive spiritual and mental attitudes, rest and exercise, disease would be relatively unknown and we would die "happy and healthy" at a ripe old age. It is theoretically impossible for a truly healthy cell to get sick. It does become worn out and replaced, but not sick. The genetic strength one inherits also plays an important role in health. A degenerative trend can be reversed and greatly improved.
Let us hope that agriculture and farmers recognize their role in providing mineral rich food and learn how to remineralize the soil.
High quality food is essential for good health. Thanks to the refractometer we can make sure we are getting foods rich in the minerals we need to maintain health.
Based on the work of the late Dr. Carey Reams.