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Important Health Benefits of Growing Fresh Produce? There are many reasons people choose to grow their own fruits and vegetables at home, from saving money to having access to produce without chemicals.
For a lot of the new gardeners out there, it is simply a matter of food security. After COVID-19 hit and people rushed to the stores to stock up for quarantine, a lot of store shelves sat pretty empty for weeks and weeks. People started growing their own food, and often trying their hands at canning, to make sure that never happened to them again.
Health Benefits of Growing Fresh Produce
There also happen to be quite a few health benefits to choosing fresh produce, especially when you grow it yourself. Here are some health benefits to keep in mind.
It is Loaded With Nutrients
Fresh produce, including fruits, vegetables, and herbs, 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 of fresh produce. This includes vitamins C and A, vitamin D, folate, potassium, fiber, and lots of antioxidants.
As I have been doing a series of different vegetables for planting in your garden, I have made sure to tout the health benefits of that specific item. From tomatoes to lentils, I have tried to spell out the wonderful reasons you should consider planting (and then eating) them.
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.
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.
Each one of those items in my "growing tips" series has had at least one recipe added to help you try it. From lentil Amazing Crock Pot Vegetarian Lentil Sloppy Joes to Chinese cabbage and egg stir fry, we have made sure that the Important Health Benefits of Growing Fresh Produce came with a delicious way to actually TRY them.
Gardening Itself is Good 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.
Do you have arthritis or a bad back? I have a series coming up soon about making it easier for you! Before that happens, you might want to consider first like getting a raised garden bed started, or even a container garden.
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. Fewer chemicals is always a good thing when you start feeding your family more fruits and veggies.
I know you could go to the Farmer's Market and stock up, or even check out and see if one of your local farms is still involved in a Community Supported Agriculture program, but you will find that even the kids take great pride in the results and fruits of your harvest!