Top 5 Vitamins and Minerals from The Garden
Well first off, Happy New Year to all the BigYellowBag fans out there! 2018 is shaping up to be an excellent year, and we just can’t wait until spring is in full swing. Many people are thinking “new year, new me”. Tons of us make resolutions to be more active, but not enough people make a resolution to improve their intake of essential vitamins and minerals!
Healthy Homegrown Fuel
While you can buy supplements from the store, health experts agree that the best source for essential vitamins and minerals is fresh fruits and vegetables. Forget about spending countless dollars at the latest “health store”… Just invest some time into your homegrown fuel factory, your garden!
1. Vitamin A
Vitamin A contributes to your eye health more so than all other vitamins. It can help support the growth and development of your corneas, as well as supporting your night and low-light vision. A deficiency of this vitamin is a leading cause of blindness for children in developing countries. Vitamin A also helps you develop strong bones, skin and teeth, and there are some studies that indicate it may help decrease your risk of some cancers!
Fruits and veggies with Vitamin A: sweet potatoes, dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale, dark orange fruits and vegetables like carrots and oranges.
2. Vitamin C
It’s pretty common knowledge at this point that if you want to prevent the sniffles, or get over a cold faster, you should try to get a little extra Vitamin C. But did you know that Vitamin C can also help protect you against heart disease, help your body absorb iron, prevent scurvy and may help prevent certain kinds of cancer? Vitamin C is the immune system vitamin, and you can get it from all sorts of garden favourites!
Fruits and vegetables with Vitamin C: asparagus, berries, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, dark green leafy veggies like spinach and kale (get ready; you’re going to see these on a lot of lists!), peppers, potatoes and tomatoes.
3. Vitamin D
You probably already knew that calcium is good for your bones, but did you know that Vitamin D helps your body absorb it? It also helps your teeth, muscles and nerves. Vitamin D is critical to help your immune system fight off bacteria and viruses. It can also help reduce your risk of heart disease and depression, and might help you with weight loss.
Fruits and vegetables with Vitamin D: mushrooms
There is a lot of controversy among physiological experts regarding the difference between Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3… Mushrooms contain D2, where as animal sourced Vitamin D is usually of the D3 variety. To learn more about both sides of the argument, check out this article and this article!
(A lot of other common foods, like salmon and egg yolks, naturally contain Vitamin D, and other foods, like milk, cereal, yogurt and orange juice, often have it added in).
4. Calcium
Speaking of the relationship between Vitamin D and calcium, did you know that besides helping your teeth and bones, calcium can also help with high blood pressure, and might help prevent some cancers? There is also some evidence that calcium can help prevent PMS symptoms.
Fruits and vegetables with calcium: dark green leafy vegetables, like kale and spinach (told you!), broccoli, and Chinese cabbage.
5. Iron
Iron is vital to your health. It helps your body create energy from the nutrients in the food you eat. Most of your body’s iron is in your red blood cells. They transport the oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. If you have an iron deficiency, you might experience fatigue, weakness, difficulty concentrating or dizziness. Iron deficiency is most common in women who are still menstruating. If you are experiencing symptoms, be sure to speak with your healthcare provider to get tested.
Fruits and vegetables with iron: (say it together, now) dark green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach, lentils, beans, broccoli and split peas.
Ditch The Pill Vitamins for A New Garden!
Keep in mind that this is just a very short list of healthy fruits and vegetables that you can grow in your garden. There are many other beneficial vitamins and minerals, like Vitamin K, Vitamin E, zinc, potassium … the list is practically endless.
Whatever you want to grow, your best growing medium is BigYellowBag Black Garden Soil. Not only is it light and fluffy – we screen it multiple times to make sure that all clods are removed – but it’s also made up of a perfectly-balanced mix of black loam, peat loam, compost and manure. This makes sure the soil doesn’t get too wet or too dry. Before your plants can get high levels of vitamins to fuel you, they need fuel too! We engineer our soil to be the perfect fuel for whatever you’re growing.
Also, if you want more information on the specifics of growing certain fruits and vegetables, be sure to look at our other posts. We have articles all about peppers, broccoli, berries, tomatoes, and many more.
Balance Your Vitamins
A final word of caution: while we heartily support everyone eating healthy and especially including plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet, it’s also very important not to overdo it. Too much of one or another kind of vitamin or mineral could have adverse effects on your health. It’s a good idea to speak with your doctor and/ or dietician to determine what vitamins and nutrients you’re lacking, and the best way to address any deficit. Do your research, consult with the experts, and get help preparing the best plan for your personal health.