Thought about growing your food but wondered if it was worth your time and effort?
In today's episode of Real Food Reality we're going to answer that question plus take a peek into how your decision might help you avoid a growing health crisis....(more on that in a minute).
If you’ve gardened before (or maybe this is your year to start) then you know that hope + anticipation begin sprouting long before the seeds are planted.
To help you keep it real, let's ask ourselves three important questions. And shatter the myths growing fresh food has to be hard.
#1 Is it worth my time?
Here’s the thing about a garden. It's a lot like adopting a new pet. It needs you. You have to water it. And weed it. And spend time with it.
Your harvest is connected to your commitment. And your skill level.
Having a green thumb isn't a special talent. It's about paying attention to the needs of your veggie plants. Knowing what they need, recognizing when they don't have it.
The trick comes in knowing what those things are - and that sometimes takes a lot of practice. But even if you try and things don’t work out (you kill the veggie starts) you have the chance to learn something. And isn’t that the point of it all?
#2 Is homegrown food any better?
Most shoppers don’t know that our modern food system allows pretty loose controls over the wording in advertising and descriptions. Take the word fresh, for example.
- An apple can be picked half way around the world + stored for 6 months before it ever gets to your table
- Eggs can arrive on the supermarket shelf 10 days after being laid and still be called ‘extra fresh’. Those same eggs can sit on the store shelf for up to another 28 days before the wording 'fresh' no longer applies.
- Fresh veggies like spinach, lettuce, green beans, begin to loose nutritional value from the moment they're cut from the vine. With the clock ticking, fresh veggies must make their way from field, packing, warehouse & shipping. By the time they're stocked in the produce bin, many are 7 days old. And legally - still ‘fresh’
Here’s the thing you should understand about fresh food. The life force that exists within it - the nutritional qualities, the energy potential you gain - begins to diminish once the piece is cut from the vine. Every day that goes by there’s less vavoom in the food for your body to use.
Remember, your body is the tool you use to create your life - You can’t get to all those hopes, dreams & goals without a body. It's the suit you wear to the party of life!
The amazing benefit about eating food that came from your own garden - is that it’s TRULY fresh! You’re getting the most nutrition possible.
#3 Will it help me stay healthy? Here’s what I love about gardening. It puts you in the place where healthy things happen.
- You’re spending time outside
- you’re eating ‘REALLY FRESH’ food
- you’re moving
- gardening has been shown to be meditative - something we’re finding great value in with our busy lives. Gardening helps us slow down + reflect on the things that are going on in our lives.
Turns out these are some of the same things prescribed avoiding prediabetes!
So many of us - because of a lifetime of less than optimal eating + hectic lives - find ourselves part of a growing health crisis that’s been creeping up on us as a society.
It's called prediabetes. And most of us don’t know we have it!
I too was surprised to learn that my blood sugar levels were high….It’s a serious condition, often with no symptoms, that if left undiagnosed, can easily progress to full blown type 2 diabetes.
The good news is that it’s reversible, requiring diet & lifestyle changes.
Should you grow your food?
If you want my advice - make room in the flower beds, dig up the lawn, put a planter on the patio - it’s all about eating better more often.
