Gardening Promotes Good Health

©Nannette Richford

Let's face it. Most of us garden because we love to watch things grow and like to think we have a hand in the process. Naturally, it makes us feel good to see the fruit of our labor and to get out in the fresh air and sunshine.

What you may not know is that gardening provides a host of health benefits you might not have thought about before. Consider these proven benefits to gardening.

©Nannette Richford

Relieves Stress

We all experience stress in our daily lives and gardening is one way to relieve it. According to CNN Health, a study completed in the Netherlands actually measured the stress hormone cortisol in two groups of subjects instructed to either read or garden for 30 minutes. Gardening reduced cortisol levels more than relaxing with a good book.

High cortisol levels caused by stress are known to contribute to increased blood pressure, high blood sugar and insulin resistance, suppress the immune system and cause fatty deposits in the face, neck and abdomen. Lowering your cortisol levels will improve your health and may even help you lose  few pounds.

Gardening is a good way to relieve stress and reduce cortisol levels.

©Nannette Richford

Improves Mental Health

Gardening has also been shown to improve mental health, specifically by alleviating depression and reducing anxiety. While there may be a number of reasons why gardening might elevate mood and relieve symptoms of depression, such as exposure to new experiences and working out in the fresh air and sunshine, there may be another reason. 

Soil contains a harmless bacteria, Mycobacterium vaccae , that stimulates the release and metabolism of serotonin in the brain.  This stimulates the area of the brain that controls mood and cognitive functioning. Digging in the soil and contacting soil that contains Mycobacterium vaccae is like getting a mini-boost of serotonin-boosting antidepressants.

As an added bonus, food grown and eaten straight from the garden contains this beneficial bacteria, too. Perhaps this explains why so many gardeners enjoy a tasty snack of fresh veggies while working in the garden.

©Nannette Richford

Combats Dementia 

Studies on people in the 60's and 70's suggest that those who garden are less likely to suffer from dementia by an amazing 36 to 47 percent. (CNN Health) These results are likely due to a combination of effects, such as exercise, experiencing new things and perhaps getting a good dose of beneficial bacteria.

©Nannette Richford

​Improves Nutrition

Nearly everyone knows that eating fresh fruits and vegetables is good for you. When you grow them yourself you also control whether they are exposed to pesticides or other chemicals. But that's not the only benefit to eating fresh fruits and veggies from the garden.

1. Home grown veggies are more nutritious. Once harvested, the nutritional value of veggies begin to decline. According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, veggies can lose between 15 and 55 percent of their vitamin C within a week of harvest with some veggies (like some types of spinach) can lose a whooping 90 percent within 24 hours. Fruits and veggies in the store have been harvested days or weeks before they reach your table.
2. Home-grown veggies taste better. Like nutritional value, flavor begins to decline once fruits and veggies are harvested. The sugar in some veggies, like fresh corn and peas, begins to breakdown and turn to starch almost immediately after harvest. That means losing their delicious sweet flavor. Because you control when you harvest your veggies and can eat them right away, your home-grown fruits and veggies will be more flavorful.
3. Children are more likely to eat veggies from the garden, especially if they have been included in growing them. They are also more likely to try new veggies.

©Nannette Richford

Promotes Earthing

If you are into the New Age practice of Earthing, you will be happy to learn that gardening is a natural form of earthing. Earthing refers to the practice of going barefoot or otherwise making contact with the earth without artificial barriers (like the rubber soles on your shoes) between you and the earth.. 

Earthing is thought to draw negative ions from the earth to re-balance the body by evening out positive and negative charges in the body and restoring your body to its natural state.

According to supporters of Earthing, our bodies are filled with positive ions, mainly from free radicals caused by food additives or other environmental sources. These positive ions can lead to inflammation, pain and disease. The earth, on the other hand, is a natural source of negative ions. If your body (with a positive charge) contacts the earth (with its negative charge) energy from the earth is drawn into the body to neutralize your body's energy. Earthing is thought to bring a host of health benefits from feeling better and experiencing more joy and happiness to eliminating pain and inflammation and other health ailments..