{"id":116839,"date":"2023-11-01T11:08:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-01T15:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=116839"},"modified":"2023-11-03T11:46:40","modified_gmt":"2023-11-03T15:46:40","slug":"quality-is-better-than-quantity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/quality-is-better-than-quantity\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Quality Is Better Than Quantity in 4 Areas of Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why is quality better than quantity? How does an emphasis on quantity distract businesses from their core purpose<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quality over quantity is a phrase referring to the preferred focus on the condition of something as opposed to how much you have of something. Even if you\u2019re instantly satisfied by the immense quantity of something, you\u2019ll earn long-term gratification by focusing on quality<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a look at why quality is better than quantity in four areas of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Why Quality Matters<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To demonstrate why quality is better than quantity in most situations, we\u2019ll look at general and niche areas where individuals and businesses should invest in quality. These areas include the food industry, your happiness, business models, and the YouTube community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Food<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The food industry\u2019s focus on quantity over quality has stripped most of the nutritional value from whole foods on the market today. The result of efforts to simplify how food is grown, make food more durable, and reduce the number of food species is food inflation<\/a> in the American diet<\/a>. <\/strong>Food inflation is when more food must be eaten to gain the same level of nutrients that less food provided in the past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to In Defense of Food<\/em><\/a> by Michael Pollan and USDA studies, since the mid-20th century, vitamin C has decreased by 20%, iron by 15%, riboflavin by 38%, and calcium by 16% in produce. What this means is you would need to eat three apples today to get the same amount of iron as one apple in 1940. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One way the industry promotes quantity over quality is through genetics. Many manufacturers breed certain types of food sources for high yields, such as seeds and certain types of livestock. Wheat is bred to increase its yield output, which has nearly tripled over the last century. Holstein cows have been bred since 1950 to produce more milk. But when you breed for a certain outcome, other elements go by the wayside. In the case of food, it\u2019s nutrients.<\/strong> Today\u2019s wheat contains 28% less iron than before and milk from Holstein cows has less butter fat and fewer nutrients than milk from other cow species. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another way quantity has pushed quality out of the way is the industry’s focus on foods high in calories and low in price. After a surge in food prices in the mid-1970s caused homemakers to revolt, the U.S. government created new agriculture policies to ensure the availability of cheap food<\/strong>. The subsidies for corn and soybean farmers are an example of these policies. Farmers were encouraged to grow large amounts of food in small amounts of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This dietary focus on quantity over quality has created a strange phenomenon in society\u2014overfed but undernourished citizens. <\/strong>Old deficiency diseases are cropping back up, but now they\u2019re being seen in obese people, especially children. Deficiency breaks down DNA, which can lead to cancer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best way to choose quality over quantity is to stay out of its home environments: grocery stores, quickie marts, and fast food chains. <\/strong>Independent growers and food manufacturers don\u2019t have the resources or ability to process foods to the degree of big industry. When you shop at farmer\u2019s markets, join community-sponsored agriculture (CSA) groups, or grow your own garden, you will always get real food. <\/p>\n\n\n\n