Grow your own Food: Improve your well-being

Lately, we’ve been keeping busy with projects and commitments throughout these past winter months. We’re really grateful for the opportunities that come our way. We just have to remember it’s essential to prioritize self care.

This post serves as a gentle reminder for all of us to take a step back and focus on our well-being. Here are five practical lifestyle changes you can implement today to improve your overall health. While we particularly love the ideas of getting deep sleep and growing a garden for fresh, nutritious food, each suggestion is important for your wellness journey. Let’s get started!

Deep sleep

Poor sleep doesn’t just leave you feeling tired, it causes inflammatory markers in your body to rise. During deep sleep, your brain activates its lymphatic system, a kind of “waste management system,” which clears out toxins that accumulate during the day. Without enough restorative sleep, these toxins build up, contributing to chronic inflammation.

How can you optimize your sleep for less inflammation?

• Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep. This is the sweet spot for most adults.
• Stick to a consistent sleep schedule. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day helps regulate your body’s natural circadian rhythm.
• Create a calming bedtime routine. Dimming the lights, practicing deep breathing, or reading a physical book can help signal to your body that it’s time to wind down.
• Spend time in natural light during the day. Exposure to sunlight helps regulate your internal clock, improving your ability to fall asleep at night. (This is hard for us during the winter months, when it’s sunny – we open the windows blinds and lay in the sun when we can!)

Move

Exercise isn’t just good for your heart and muscles, it also plays a key role in lowering inflammation. Research shows that consistent movement can significantly lower inflammatory markers over time, improving your overall health.

The best part? Exercise doesn’t have to mean spending hours at the gym. The key is to find something you enjoy and stick with it.

Examples of ways to move regularly:

• Go for a brisk walk or hike in nature. Walking in green spaces not only counts as exercise but also reduces stress.
• Try gardening. Digging, planting, and weeding are great forms of low impact physical activity. Plus, being outdoors enhances your connection to nature. During the winter we grow hydroponically indoors, this helps us stay active.
• Take up dancing, yoga, or swimming, activities that are fun and easy on the joints.

Remember, consistency is more important than intensity. Even 20-30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week can make a big difference.

Eat real food

The food you eat has a direct impact on your body’s inflammatory levels. A diet rich in whole, nutrient dense foods can reduce inflammation, while processed and sugary foods can trigger it.

By focusing on anti-inflammatory powerhouses and minimizing inflammatory triggers, you can nourish your body!

Anti-inflammatory foods to prioritize:

• Fatty fish (like salmon, mackerel, and sardines) are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which combat inflammation.
• Berries are rich in antioxidants that neutralize harmful free radicals.
• Leafy greens (like spinach, kale, and Swiss chard) are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and anti-inflammatory compounds.
• Olive oil is a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet and contains healthy fats that fight inflammation.
• Nuts and seeds (like walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds) supply fibre and anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Foods to minimize or avoid:

• Ultra processed foods like chips, packaged snacks, and fast food.
• Added sugars found in sugary drinks, desserts, and many packaged products.
• Refined oils like soybean and corn oil, which are high in omega-6 fatty acids and can promote inflammation when consumed in excess.

(Believe it or not, this one is hard for us, because we didn’t grow up eating “healthy” in our childhood. We have to keep reminding ourselves that our garden is growing nutrient dense food for us to enjoy!)

Therefore: Grow your own food!

Growing your own fruits, vegetables, and herbs is an excellent way to ensure you’re eating fresh, pesticide free produce. Plus, gardening itself has been shown to reduce stress and improve mental health, both of which help combat inflammation.

Imagine stepping outside and picking fresh kale for your salad or grabbing a handful of homegrown berries for your breakfast?

Manage stress

Stress is an inevitable part of life, but chronic stress can wreak havoc on your body. When you’re stressed, your body releases cortisol, a hormone that, when elevated over time, triggers inflammation.

The solution? Create strategies to manage and reduce stress.

• Daily walks, especially in nature. Spending time in green spaces has been shown to lower cortisol levels and reduce inflammation.
• Meditation and mindfulness practices.
• Deep breathing exercises. Slow, intentional breathing!
• Time with loved ones. Make time for meaningful conversations and quality time.
• Gardening. Working with plants has a grounding effect, reducing stress and promoting mindfulness. Again, during our winter we grow indoors. Even if you just have a sunny windowsill, you can grow microgreens or sprouts.

By building stress reducing habits into your daily life, you can lower your cortisol levels and protect yourself.

Gut health

Our gut is home to about 70% of your immune system. A healthy gut plays an important role in keeping inflammation in check.

When your gut lining becomes compromised, a condition often referred to as leaky gut, it allows inflammatory signals to spread throughout your body, contributing to chronic health issues.

How can you support a healthy gut?

• Eat a diverse range of fibre rich foods. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes provide the fuel your gut bacteria need to thrive.
• Incorporate fermented foods. Foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi contain beneficial probiotics that support gut health.
• Limit alcohol. Excessive alcohol can disrupt your gut microbiome and contribute to leaky gut.
• Stay hydrated. Drinking enough water supports digestion and keeps your gut lining healthy.

Bonus tip: Grow your own gut friendly foods.

Consider planting herbs like basil, mint, and oregano, which have anti-inflammatory properties, or growing your own vegetables like carrots and cabbage for homemade sauerkraut.

Not only will this enhance your diet, but gardening itself supports gut health by exposing you to beneficial microbes in the soil.

It’s all about making small, sustainable changes to your daily life. Prioritizing quality sleep, regular movement, real food, effective stress management, and gut health, you can significantly lower your inflammation levels and improve your overall well-being.

And don’t forget to connect with nature along the way. Whether it’s taking a walk in the park or growing your own food, nature has a profound ability to heal and restore.

We hope you join us on this journey – to good health and happiness! 💚