When we think of healthcare, we often think of doctors’ offices, surgeries, prescriptions, and health insurance. But healthcare is so much more than the healthcare industry.
Long before there were medical schools and hospitals, there were gardens. Gardening, for most of human history, has been a way for people to have access to nutritious food. As the adage goes, “let food be thy medicine”, but gardening’s health benefits go far beyond food.
Here are three benefits of gardening including, and beyond, the harvest.
Natural Movement
Gardening is great to stay active with natural movement. Klamath Falls is the first Blue Zones Community in the Pacific Northwest. One Blue Zones’ Power 9 principles (lifestyle habits of the World’s healthiest, longest-lived people) is to move naturally. Gardening is a perfect example of this principle.
When we garden, we exercise. We walk, we kneel, we use our hands and arms. Depending on the task, gardening is considered light to moderate cardio. Not only is gardening cardio, but it can also strengthen muscles. According to Harvard Medical School, we lose muscle mass as we age and after 30 adults can lose as much as 3%-5% per decade.
Gardening can help reduce stress in a number of ways.
Exercising and being outside can help lower our anxiety.
While having a routine with sowing, weeding, watering and harvesting can also help provide structure that can improve mental health.
An improved diet from eating the food you grow can also decrease stress.
Gardening increases time spent in nature and can also have a social element. Both of these things lower risk and symptoms of anxiety and depression.
A sense of fulfillment and accomplishment can create a positive outlook, which has many health benefits, including stress reduction and improved immunity.
And of Course, the Food Itself
Let’s save the best for last: the food! The food we grow in our gardens is much more nutritious than store-bought food. Our garden veggies contain more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than their store-bought counterparts.
In America, our grocery stores are filled with ultra processed foods and produce bred for appearance and not nutritional value. It seems increasingly harder to find whole foods and healthy options. Ultra-processed foods have been linked to an increased rate of diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In the United States, an estimated 24% to 30% of adults and 5%-10% of children suffer from NAFLD. Cutting back on ultra processed foods and incorporating more garden grown foods can help improve health.
Garden Anywhere
Gardening can feel like a lot of work. And many people believe they don’t have the space for a garden. Gardening may not be easy, but it is possible for anyone to do. With community gardens, urban gardening solutions like balcony and indoor gardening systems, tool libraries, and how-to’s on the internet, gardening is more accessible than ever before.
Easy to Grow at Home!
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- Microgreens
- Sprouts
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Arugula
- Tomatoes
- Herbs
- Scallions
- Garlic
- Chili peppers
- Strawberries
