April, 2010
GetFitColville
Growing your own food in a garden is one of the best ways to promote healthy living. Here are some of the benefits that result from gardening:
Sunlight: 20 minutes of sunlight per day when the sun’s rays are most direct gives more than enough vitamin D for the body’s needs. Adequate vitamin D is important for cardiovascular health, central nervous system function, calcium metabolism, bone health and cancer prevention.
Healthy Foods: The benefits of direct-to-your-table fresh vegetables and fruits just cannot be overemphasized. Colorful, tasty, nutritionally robust, low calorie, high fiber foods are exactly what you can expect from the garden. Locally grown, fresh, whole foods such as those from your own garden are nutritionally of superior quality compared with those shipped from long distances.
Exercise: Working in a garden expends calories. Hoeing, hauling, lifting, digging and planting activities that are required with gardening help to burn off excess pounds.
Positive Mental Attitude: Many people experience a sense of peace at watching things grow and watching the interaction of the natural world in the garden.
Family Time: Invite family members to participate in the planting, cultivating and harvesting of foods. Even at a young age, children enjoy discovering and sampling what’s growing in the garden. You can turn a child loose knowing that virtually anything they find will be healthy. Valuable lessons about care for the earth and our food supply can be taught as well.
I DON”T HAVE SPACE FOR A GARDEN! So find out about the brand new Colville Community Garden, located near the high school on Highway 20. The Colville Community Garden is an inexpensive, great way to have your own fresh produce, even if you don’t have your own plot at home. Garden plots range from $10-40 per year, depending on size. Call 684-2066 to find out more
An enjoyable gardening season to you all.
GetFitColville Washington Health Foundation