8 Ways Your Vegetable Garden Improves Your Health

Organic products are much healthier than the commercially-grown foods. More and more families try to cultivate strawberries, tomatoes, and other plants. Well, it is true that you will never find tastier and cheaper sources of vitamins and minerals. Growing potatoes or other veggies will help you ease up the pressure and the result of your efforts will be delicious. Here you will see the health benefits of eight fine harvests from your backyard. These are some of the most essential foods on your menu. You will be surprised to see what health improvements you get with fresh products right from your garden.

Tomatoes Protect You From Cancer and Heart Attack

Legally, tomatoes are vegetables but scientifically, they are fruits. In 1893, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that they were not fruits. These nomenclature contradictions don't make a difference to consumers. Growing tomatoes is very easy and the end result will be juicy. They go together with almost everything on your plate. Tomatoes have lots of lycopene, the carotenoid pigment that makes them red. While it helps the plant grow faster and guards it from sun damage, the benefits for you are entirely different. Lycopene is the most potent antioxidant found in nature. In other words, tomatoes guard you from maladies like prostate cancer and heart attack.

Garlic Is a Killer of Rampaging Free Radicals

Garlic is often a metaphor of smelly peasantry. However, garlic always makes a fine addition to our dishes, except for people with particular digestive issues. Just like tomatoes, garlic helps you reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. It is very low in sodium, lowers blood pressure and the levels of cholesterol as well. Garlic is efficient against some cancer types – its phytonutrients intercept the free radicals that damage your organism. The most delightful characteristic of garlic is its ability to add flavour to any recipe. You can even combine it with honey.

Spinach Sharpens Your Vision

When it comes to eyesight, spinach helps just like carrots. Grow your own spinach and enjoy all its natural benefits – mainly lutein and zeaxanthin. These are carotenoid pigments that protect your eyes and improve your vision. Eat more spinach and you will lower the risk of age-related macular degeneration. Spinach also contains vitamin A, which boosts your night vision. Another ingredient found in spinach is vitamin K, which helps blood clotting.

Broccoli Prevent Countless Diseases

Because they are a great source of vitamins like K, A, and C. Also: fibres, potassium, folic acid, and lutein. The consumption of broccoli helps you reduce the risk of cancer. Brocolli prevent diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and also lower cholesterol. Don't boil them – most of their healthy nutrients will disappear. Stir-fry, steam, or roast them instead. The best way to preserve the taste and the nutrients of broccoli is to store them in a crisper. Keep them unwashed before cooking and consume them within a few days.

Eat Carrots to Lose Weight and Improve Your Vision

Carrots are easy to grow and don't require much space. They contain carotene. Consume them sweet and crunchy to benefit from their antioxidants, vitamins, and fibres. They are also perfect for weight loss – ridiculously low on fat and without any cholesterol. Also, their flavonoid compounds prevent many types of cancer (skin, lung, and oral cavity). You can find many B-complex vitamins in carrots, including pyridoxine, thiamin, and pantothenic acid.

Onions Destroy All Kinds of Viruses

It is a common knowledge that this vegetable is as efficient as a vaccine during flu epidemics. Also, it is almost impossible to imagine any national cuisine without onions. Onions have fibres and are very low in fats. They also contain the unique compound allium, which protects you from cancer and keeps the balance of sugar in your body. Moreover, allium has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal effect. Other healthy substances you can find in onions include chromium, quercetin, and vitamin-C.

Fresh Cabbages Contain Unusual Amount of Vitamins and Minerals

When fresh, cabbages are very low in fat and calories. These veggies are rich in thiocyanates, indole-3-carbinol, lutein, zea-xanthin, sulforaphane, and isothiocyanates. These compounds provide excellent protection against many types of cancer. They also rid you of bad cholesterol. Fresh cabbage is also rich in vitamin C – it helps you fight infectious diseases and neutralises free radicals. Other vitamins found in cabbage are B-5, B-6, and B-1. Besides vitamins, you will acquire minerals like potassium, iron, and magnesium. Last, but not least, cabbage is a source of vitamin K. This compound guards you from osteoporosis and cures Alzheimer's disease.

Cucumbers Are More Than Just Water with Electrolytes

Most people consider cucumbers nothing more than an appetising addition to their fresh salads. You may have heard that cucumbers are mostly water plus electrolytes. However, the gardening experts point out lots of additional benefits from this vegetable. Like other low-calorie vegetables, cucumbers don't contain saturated fats or cholesterol. The main electrolyte in this vegetable is potassium. It lowers the blood pressure and heart rate. Also, cucumbers have moderate amount of antioxidants, mild diuretic properties, and high amounts of vitamin K.

You can see that organic gardening will bring you countless health benefits – even with easy-to-grow vegetables like the aforementioned. Keep in mind that there are many other plants with healthy characteristics. You can grow them in your garden without too much effort. For instance, you can harvest artichoke, bell pepper, eggplants, and many other healthy veggies. Growing vegetables is good for you not only because of the vitamins and minerals they produce. With a vegetable garden, you will also beautify your community and save money. Same applies for growing strawberries and other fruits.