Learn How Gardening is Good for Your Health | Carson Tahoe Health

Healthy Gardening

Physical activity and mental stimulation can be found as close as your own backyard

Physical activity and mental stimulation can be found as close as your own backyard. It takes some planning and sweat equity to build yourself a successful garden, but there are plenty of rewards, not the least of which is better health for you. A great place to start is at your local nursery. They can help you determine the best types of plantings to suit your taste and lifestyle. Or bend the ear of a friend or neighbor who already has a garden for advice. For fresh veggies all season long, consider a vegetable garden or take on an herb garden to add fresh-from-the-garden flavor to your healthy dishes.

Reap the benefits of many vegetables that will grow great in our area—carrots contain a very large amount of vitamin A and they also contain falcarinol, which may prevent cancer, summer squash is a good source of lutein and is very low in calories, and pumpkins are a great source of beta carotene, vitamin A and other carotenoids that are powerful antioxidants.

Source: http://nutrition.about.com