Are you mostly apples and carrots, or potato chips and soft drinks?
There is no denying that you are what you eat. The human body needs a steady source of fuel to operate–and what you consume determines how well your body functions. Junk foods provide calories, but would you expect your car to run smoothly on sugar water mixed with gasoline? Why would you operate your body on empty calories like candy and french fries when you could provide premium-grade fuel?
A diet rich in the nutrients found in fruits and vegetables helps you maintain optimum weight, increase your energy level, and ward off preventable illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, stroke and heart attack. You won’t just live longer, but you’ll feel energized if you eat a balanced, nutrient-dense diet. It takes no more time to steam fresh broccoli than to heat a can of processed food.
Growing your own fruits and vegetables allows you to control exactly what’s in your food, and using natural fertilizers and pest controls is not only better for your body, it offers long-term peace of mind. Fresh-picked produce tastes so much better that your family will make better choices at the dinner table and at snack time.
Commercially grown produce is rushed to market, picked while still unripe–and before the nutrients have had a chance to fully develop. A well-planned home garden, including a mix of textures, colors and flavors, will produce a balanced diet with vitamins, minerals, fiber and all the essential nutrients necessary for great health.
There is a non-commercial website that succinctly lists the vitamin and mineral content of produce, called “The World’s Healthiest Foods.” This excellent resource details important information about the foods you consume, including allergy warnings, complete nutritional values, and how components in some foods complement the absorption of nutrients in other foods. Check out this site http://whfoods.org/foodstoc.php to learn more about maximizing the health benefits of your garden by including all the good ingredients nature intended!
