8 Benefits Of Growing Your Own Veggies

Upping your vegetable consumption can prove troublesome at times. If you hit the farmers market on the weekend, you may find soggy produce by Thursday. If you buy as you go, you emit carbon into the air each time you drive to the store. 

Why not grow your vegetables at home? You will learn a lot by growing things, and you can share your love of gardening with your children if you have them. You create a ready supply of produce. Even if you dwell in an urban apartment, you can grow some vegetables successfully in containers. Here are eight great reasons to get out the hoe and shovel. 

1. You'll Consume More Phytonutrients 

Did you know every colour in fruits and veggies consist of phytonutrients, natural chemicals that protect plants from bugs — and which pack a nutrient punch to humans? Many Americans fail to consume all the phytonutrients they'd benefit from daily. 

When you grow your veggies, it's easier to eat a rainbow. You can make a rich ratatouille out of zucchini and tomatoes you grow yourself. You can add cucumber and radish slices to sandwiches. Any time you want to add veggies to your meal, look to your garden. 

2. You Reduce Your Cancer Risk 

Eating more veggies reduces your cancer risk in two ways. By consuming fewer calories, you control your body weight, which lowers your risk of developing colorectal cancer. Plants also contain anti-carcinogenic compounds to further increase your resistance. 

Researchers haven't identified one specific compound but believe the way nutrients in plants work in synergy with each other provides the effect. Some plants reduce inflammation, which doctors implicate in most Western diseases. Others contain substances like lycopene that improve the function of soft tissues. 

3. You Have A Salad In Your Backyard (or Patio)

Did you know that eating deep, leafy greens like spinach and kale benefit your oral health as well as provide a great plant-based protein source? Such veggies make you produce more saliva when you chew, which naturally rinses teeth. As dentists recommend waiting at least 30 minutes after you eat before brushing, eating a salad with lunch or dinner acts like a toothbrush. 

If you follow a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, getting adequate protein intake proves tricky. Greens like Swiss chard contain a high level of protein, as does spinach (remember Popeye?). 

4. You Get Some Exercise

If you have a sizeable garden plot, you can get quite the workout hoeing and shovelling. Even if you have a patio container garden, you still need to heft weighty bags of soil and mulch. 

Many Americans fail to take adequate exercise. Most experts recommend 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days per week. A half-hour long gardening session can burn calories and leave you feeling tired — in a positive way. 

5. Make Vitamin D Naturally 

Do you slather on the sunscreen every morning? If so, you might lack sufficient vitamin D. Spending a little time in the sun helps your body produce its vitamin D. 

This doesn't mean to abandon sunscreen altogether, especially if you're fair-complexed. But do strive to spend 10-15 minutes outdoors daily minus the slather. 

6. Your Produce Will Always Taste Great

When you buy veggies from a store or farmers market, they've already begun decomposing. When you grow your own, your food stays fresh until you're ready to put it on your plate. Bid adieu to veggies that grow slimy by the end of the week, and hello to more money in your wallet. 

7. You Have A Ready Food Supply

You might not like thinking of the possibility, but life happens to everyone. Companies downsize, causing people to lose jobs and suffer financial hardships. And with the for-profit health care system in the U.S., one serious illness or accident can bankrupt you. 

When you grow your veggies, you have a ready supply of food. You can keep your family fed even during lean economic times. Many plants, like herbs, continue growing year-round so you're never without some fresh greens to eat. 

8. You Reduce Your Carbon Footprint 

Finally, why drive to the store when you can walk out to your garden and pick your ingredients? Reducing the number of grocery store runs you make means emitting less carbon into the air. Plus, many people put their store-bought produce in single-use plastic, which ends up in the ocean. Do your part to save the planet by planting a victory garden. 

Growing Your Veggies Makes Economic And Ecological Sense 

There are so many great reasons to grow your own veggies. You can improve your health and the health of your family. Plus, you'll save money and do your part to protect the planet. What are you waiting for? Get digging!