New Year's Resolution - Improving Your Health?
Everyone has goals they want to reach in a new year, and for most of us, that includes improving our health. Whether you are trying to lose a few pounds, feel stronger, have more energy, or strengthen your immune system, your diet is the first to look. A great way to stay on track with your health goals is to grow fruits and vegetables throughout the year. It's also great to save money if you plan it right.
- It's an exercise: If your New Year resolves to get out and get active, what can be better than doing yard work? It's a great way to burn a few calories without going to the gym or buying expensive equipment.
- Keeps you focused: A bowl of fruit and veggies isn't always desirable, especially at night or around snack time. However, if you grew them yourself, you will take pride in that fact and choose to eat them over something store-bought.
- Healthier source: Even if you are not growing them organically, you decide what goes into and onto these plants to help them grow and when you are ready to eat and prepare them. Also, because you are picking them right from your yard, they will not wait days or weeks to be processed and shipped to the grocery store, which means they will last longer than you usually purchase.
- Teachers' kid's responsibility: If you have kids, you want to give them tasks that help to develop a good work ethic, teach them responsibility, and also the benefits of eating healthy. Because they are taking care of something they can eat, they will take the responsibility more seriously and have more pride in eating better.
Before you head out to buy a shovel and a bag of soil, you need to have a game plan on what to grow in your home. Yes, you want to pick healthy options, but also pick the stuff you want to eat. If you hate the taste of something, growing it at home isn't going to change that. Be smart with what you choose. Grow some garden plants!
Best fruits to grow at home:
- Blueberries: Full of antioxidants and great for improving your immune system, blueberries are a favorite among people trying to improve their health. You can throw them into oatmeal, add them to a smoothie or eat them as is.
- Strawberries: A popular choice for people who live in smaller homes or apartments because they taste great and can be grown in pots and soil. Strawberries can get pretty expensive unless they are in season, which is why many people prefer growing them at home.
- Raspberries: These are always on demand for DIY fruit growers. The reason is that stores rarely have a good batch in stock at a low price. These are usually sold in packs with other options, so if you only want raspberries, the intelligent thing to do is grow them yourself.
- Tomatoes: Is it a fruit or not? Well, we will put it in this category until otherwise told. Not only are these simple to grow, but they are used in many dishes from salads, pasta sauce, sandwiches, and next to an egg-white omelet for a healthy breakfast.
Best vegetables to grow at home:
- Peppers: If you love to spice things up in your meals, peppers are great to grow at home. They aren't always cheap, especially if you have a specific type you like. They are also easy to grow in soil or a pot, so you do not need much space to get started.
- Herbs: Whether you categorize this as a vegetable or not, herbs are a great thing to add to any garden. It's the only way to have new options in the house throughout the year without making several trips to the store during the week. Dried and preserved options for basil, parsley, cilantro, and others are ok, but nothing beats the fresher choices.
- Kale: The problem with store-bought salad is that you can buy the mixed bags, which probably have something you aren't a fan of, or you can buy each type of lettuce individually, in which case you have too much. If you prefer romaine or ice burg salad, mixing in a bit of kale adds to the nutrients, and you don't have to buy an entire bag.
Having realistic expectations is the key to reaching your New Year's Resolutions. As you begin to plan things out, make sure you give yourself small goals to reach every day, every week, and every month. Please keep track of your progress, and don't worry about whether you are making it fast enough. Stick to the plan, and you will see results.
TN Nurseries best selling fruit plants
Dewberry
Black Raspberry
Blackberry
Blueberries