You may have wondered in the past if growing your own food is worth the effort. The short answer is yes. In fact, there are many reasons why you should garden, from saving money to having access to produce without chemicals. There also happen to be quite a few health benefits of growing your own food. Here are some health benefits to keep in mind.
Health Benefits of Growing Your Own Food
Fresh Produce is Loaded With Nutrients
Freshly picked fruits and vegetables not only taste better but will also provide you and your family with more nutrition. Grocery store produce goes through a long journey from harvest, shipment to a distribution center, and then distribution to stores. The produce then remains on the shelves until purchased. Much of the original nutrition of the food is lost during this process.
Superfoods
Growing your own food will assure you get maximum nutrition and health benefits from the food you eat. Fresh produce, including fruits, vegetables, and herbs, naturally have tons of nutrients. Many of these are considered superfoods, which have a higher amount of vitamins and minerals. Some good superfoods are blueberries, kale, spinach, and strawberries. All fruits and veggies have a lot of nutrients you want, which are a higher amount with fresh produce. This includes vitamins C and A, vitamin D, folate, potassium, fiber, and lots of antioxidants.
Need some help getting started? Find out how to start a garden from scratch and how to start a garden in a small space.
You Can Prepare Well Balanced Meals
Thanks to the nutritious fresh produce and the convenience of having them at home, you can also use them to prepare healthier, more balanced meals. This is an excellent health benefit as your family might be struggling with malnutrition without even realizing it. Sure, you might be eating enough food, but not the right foods. In the United States, more than one third of the population is obese, but less than 1 in 10 eat enough fruits and vegetables. Having fruits and vegetables right in your own backyard encourages you to prepare more of these balanced meals for the good of your family’s health.
Best Benefits of Growing Your Own Food: Exercise!
Even the growing itself of fresh produce in your backyard is going to be good for your health. It helps you burn calories, be more active, and can even get your kids involved. Plus don’t forget that when you are outside more often by planting your veggies and herbs, you are going to get more vitamin D from the sunlight. This helps to prevent vitamin D deficiency, which is common for many people. Try to get everyone in the family involved in growing your own food and you will all benefit from it.
Other Great Benefits
You Won’t Have Nasty Chemicals
Growing your own produce means you have full control of what is added to it. You can avoid harsh fertilizers in the soil and use pest control methods that are completely natural without chemicals in them. This is the same thing you get from buying organic produce, but when you grow it on your own, you have the convenience factor and save money at the same time. Less chemicals is always a good thing when you start feeding your family more fruits and veggies.
Eliminate Food Safety Worries
It is difficult not to worry about food safety when foods like spinach, peanut butter, and tomatoes are regularly recalled for safety reasons. Growing your own food will eliminate worries about pesticides used in the growing process or contamination that can occur anytime from the planting to distribution process.
With all these benefits, why wouldn’t you at least grow one vegetable? Check out how to start your garden from scratch for some beginner tips.
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