Ep. 138 - Gardening for Nutrition

Did you know that poor diet is the leading cause of disease worldwide? Diets low in fruits and vegetables contribute significantly to some of the world’s most widespread and debilitating nutrient-related disorders. Which is why many of us garden. We want to include those fruits and vegetables in our diet.
And, if we have limited space, we need to be particular about what we’re planting. When I help people plan their gardens, I’m always reminding them to go back and review their “why”. If your goal for your garden is to reduce your family’s food budget, like mine was in the beginning, then maybe the things you should prioritize planting are the things your family eats the most or the things that cost you the most in the grocery or at the market.
But, if we’re gardening to increase the overall nutrition our family consumes, does that mean we should be focused on planting something other than our most purchased items? And, if it’s all about saving dollars, can we grow things that make us feel fuller longer because they’re more nutritious? Which fruits and vegetables degrade the most from the time they leave the farm to when they hit our plate? Which fruits and vegetables the most nutrient-dense overall?
On today’s episode I’ll give you the rundown on some studies that have been done about which vegetables decline in nutrition the fastest, which ones are the most nutrient-dense overall, and what we need to do in our own gardens post-harvest to preserve those nutrients that we’ve worked so hard to grow. Let’s dig in!
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RESOURCES
Ep. 52 - Cabbage
Low Energy Density Foods and Recipes: Will They Help You Feel Full with Fewer Calories? | Optimising Nutrition
Optimising foods for satiety - ScienceDirect
Maximizing the Nutritional Value of Fruits and Vegetables (ucdavis.edu)
Nutritional comparison of fresh, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables. Part 1. Vitamins C and B and phenolic compounds (ahealthylife.nl)
Vegetables_122107_S (fda.gov)
Fruits_122107_S (fda.gov)
Postharvest Handling | USU
Harvesting and storing home garden vegetables | UMN Extension

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