--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mom is losing, no doubt, because our…" description: "\"Mom is losing, no doubt, because our vegetables have come to lack two features of interest: nutrition and flavor. Storage and transport take predictabl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/barbara-kingsolver-200_accepted_mom-is-losing-no-doubt-because-our-veget_2468395.png" --- # Mom is losing, no doubt, because our vegetables have come… ![“Mom is losing, no doubt, because our vegetables have come to lack two features of interest: nutrition and flavor. Storage and transport take predictable tolls on the volatile plant compounds that subtly add up to taste and food value. Breeding to increase shelf life also has tended to decrease…” quote by Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/barbara-kingsolver-200_accepted_mom-is-losing-no-doubt-because-our-veget_2468395.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/barbara-kingsolver-200_accepted_mom-is-losing-no-doubt-because-our-veget_2468395.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/barbara-kingsolver-200_accepted_mom-is-losing-no-doubt-because-our-veget_2468395.png) > “Mom is losing, no doubt, because our vegetables have come to lack two features of interest: nutrition and flavor. Storage and transport take predictable tolls on the volatile plant compounds that subtly add up to taste and food value. Breeding to increase shelf life also has tended to decrease palatability. Bizarre as it seems, we've accepted a tradeoff that amounts to: "Give me every vegetable in every season, even if it tastes like a cardboard picture of its former self."” [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern agriculture prioritizes year‑round availability and long shelf life, often sacrificing nutrition and flavor due to storage, transport, and breeding choices. **In simple terms:** We trade taste and health for convenience. Key Takeaway Demand better‑balanced food production. Themes food industry nutrition flavor convenience agriculture trade‑offs Mood reflective concerned Type critical observational When to use this quote - grocery shopping - meal planning - policy advocacy Key Concepts shelf life volatile compounds breeding consumer expectations Questions to Reflect On - How can we value taste and nutrition equally? - What policies could incentivize flavorful, nutritious crops? A Different Perspective Convenient produce may still lack essential nutrients and enjoyment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accepted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepted/) [Add](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/add/) [Bizarre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bizarre/) [Breeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breeding/) [Compounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compounds/) [Decrease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decrease/) [Decrease Palatability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decrease-palatability-733072/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Flavor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flavor/) [Flavor Storage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flavor-storage-733075/) [Former](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/former/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Increase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/increase/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Losing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/losing/) [Mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mom/) [Nutrition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nutrition/) [Nutrition Flavor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nutrition-flavor-733074/) [Palatability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/palatability-733073/) [Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant/) [Predictable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predictable/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Shelf life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shelf-life/) [Shelves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shelves/) [Storage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storage/) [Taste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taste/) [Tolls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolls/) [Transport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transport/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Vegetables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegetables/) ## Related quotes > [“Quality grade refers to palatability or the overall taste appeal, tenderness, juiciness, and flavor of cooked meat. It is based on two factors, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-parker-puckett/quality-grade-refers-to-palatability-or-the-overall-taste-appeal/) [Ruby Parker Puckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-parker-puckett/) > [“Interpreting animals’ eating behaviors is tricky. By way of example, one of the highest compliments a dog can pay its food is to vomit.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/interpreting-animals-eating-behaviors-is-tricky-by-way-of-example-one/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [High fashion has the shelf life of potato salad. And when past its prime, it is similarly deadly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/high-fashion-has-the-shelf-life-of-potato-salad-and-when-past-its/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Every relationship comes with a shelf life; that duration could be a minute or even a lifetime. If, for whatever reasons, a relationship cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-bedi/every-relationship-comes-with-a-shelf-life-that-duration-could-be-a/) [Kabir Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-bedi/) > [I'm very wary of doing political stuff for a lot of reasons. One of the big ones is that the shelf-life for them is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-heidecker/i-m-very-wary-of-doing-political-stuff-for-a-lot-of-reasons-one-of/) [Tim Heidecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-heidecker/) > [I don't think people realize the risks they face every time they create a text, or post on a social network. Unless you expressly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/i-don-t-think-people-realize-the-risks-they-face-every-time-they/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [“Food has become a cause of disease rather than a guardian of health in the modern world. Once regarded as the central pillar of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-p-reid/food-has-become-a-cause-of-disease-rather-than-a-guardian-of-health/) [Daniel P. Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-p-reid/) > [Backstreet has been around a long time. Normally, groups like us have a shelf life of two to four years. We always wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-littrell/backstreet-has-been-around-a-long-time-normally-groups-like-us-have-a/) [Brian Littrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-littrell/) > [“like my body—I may not control the expiration date, but I can certainly influence the quality of the shelf life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-hendricks/like-my-body-i-may-not-control-the-expiration-date-but-i-can/) [Gay Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-hendricks/) > ['Local Hero' was probably the most enjoyable job I've ever done then or since. It's had a very long shelf life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-lawson/local-hero-was-probably-the-most-enjoyable-job-i-ve-ever-done-then-or/) [Denis Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-lawson/) > [Good music shouldn't have a shelf life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-ware/good-music-shouldn-t-have-a-shelf-life/) [Jessie Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-ware/) > [As with many pop acts, your shelf life isn't that great, we peaked with our first album.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-donnelly/as-with-many-pop-acts-your-shelf-life-isn-t-that-great-we-peaked-with/) [Declan Donnelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-donnelly/) > [ ... everyone has come to understand that unconditional love is a reality, but with as shelf life of about eight to ten seconds. \[p. 110\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/everyone-has-come-to-understand-that-unconditional-love-is-a-reality/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [The medium's gaze is brief, intense, and promiscuous. The shelf life of the moral causes it makes its own is brutally short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-medium-s-gaze-is-brief-intense-and-promiscuous-the-shelf-life-of/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [I'm kind of a firm believer that songs can have a shelf life with an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-kennedy/i-m-kind-of-a-firm-believer-that-songs-can-have-a-shelf-life-with-an/) [Myles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-kennedy/) ## More by Barbara Kingsolver > [“Jesus was a more reliable backer, evidently, less likely to drink himself unconscious or get liver cancer. No wonder people chose Him as their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/jesus-was-a-more-reliable-backer-evidently-less-likely-to-drink/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Now I'm starting to think he wasn't supposed to be my whole life, he was just this doorway to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/now-i-m-starting-to-think-he-wasn-t-supposed-to-be-my-whole-life-he/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Cooking is 80 percent confidence, a skill best acquired starting from when the apron strings wrap around you twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/cooking-is-80-percent-confidence-a-skill-best-acquired-starting-from/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“In Bobby Ogle's version of heaven everyone would wind up in one place, criminals and Muslims included.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/in-bobby-ogle-s-version-of-heaven-everyone-would-wind-up-in-one-place/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Weeds are job security for the gardener.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/weeds-are-job-security-for-the-gardener/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“It's what you do that makes your soul, not the other way around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/it-s-what-you-do-that-makes-your-soul-not-the-other-way-around/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Lusa turned to Crys, her eyes shining. "That was a luna." Crys shrugged. "So?" "So? So what? You want it should sing, too?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/lusa-turned-to-crys-her-eyes-shining-that-was-a-luna-crys-shrugged-so/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [The strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/the-strength-of-motherhood-is-greater-than-natural-laws/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“An imperfectly remembered life is a useless treachery. Every day, more fragments of the past roll around heavily in the chambers of an empty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/an-imperfectly-remembered-life-is-a-useless-treachery-every-day-more/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Respecting the dignity of a spectacular food means enjoying it at its best. Europeans celebrate the short season of abundant asparagus as a form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/respecting-the-dignity-of-a-spectacular-food-means-enjoying-it-at-its/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Somehow it had come to pass that this man was her whole world, and she had failed to take his measure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/somehow-it-had-come-to-pass-that-this-man-was-her-whole-world-and-she/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [After 'The Poisonwood Bible' was published, several people believed that my parents were missionaries, which could not be further from the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/after-the-poisonwood-bible-was-published-several-people-believed-that/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [I can count all the ways in which being a mother has enriched my understanding of the world, of character, my sense of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-can-count-all-the-ways-in-which-being-a-mother-has-enriched-my/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [But we've all ended up giving body and soul to Africa, one way or another. Even Adah, who's becoming an expert in tropical epidemiology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/but-we-ve-all-ended-up-giving-body-and-soul-to-africa-one-way-or/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [If the Lord hasn't got a boyfriend lined up for me to marry, that's his business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/if-the-lord-hasn-t-got-a-boyfriend-lined-up-for-me-to-marry-that-s/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) [Explore all 939 Barbara Kingsolver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) ## More Accepted quotes > [Merkel has realized that the euro is not working, but she cannot change the narrative she has created because that narrative has caught the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/merkel-has-realized-that-the-euro-is-not-working-but-she-cannot/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/) [Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/) > [Greatness is not guarding yourself from people. 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