Plant, Protect, Prosper: Gardening to Guard Your Health and Home

It’s normal for kids to play in the dirt, but as we age, many of us turn to cleaner hobbies. What if we told you that, as an adult, it may be worth picking up the lost childhood habit?

Getting your hands dirty with gardening has loads of health benefits—from physical and emotional well-being to social well-being.

Physical Well-Being

While tending a garden, you perform movements that mimic whole-body exercise, improving your balance, strength and flexibility.

Growing and eating your own fruits, vegetables and herbs can also have a positive impact on your diet, providing different vitamins and minerals that can improve your overall health, from reducing heart disease to boosting your immune system.

Many herbs and roots also have naturally occurring medicinal properties. For example, chamomile can help with anxiety; garlic reduces inflammation; and ginger eases nausea.

Emotional Well-Being

Gardening, with its routine-like quality, has shown to lighten mood and lower levels of stress and anxiety.

Spending time in nature also provides a calming effect, as people tend to breathe more deeply when outdoors, which in turn helps to clear out the lungs and increase oxygen levels in the blood.

Social Well-Being

Gardening brings people together and strengthens social connections through participating in community gardens, swapping plants and expertise with fellow gardeners, and sharing garden-sourced meals with friends and loved ones.

Other Benefits

Some greens also provide an additional perk to improved well-being: repelling insects. The following lists a few examples of easy-to-grow herbs that act as natural bug repellants for your indoor or outdoor garden:

Basil repels mosquitoes, flies, aphids, mites and tomato hornworms.
Lemon thyme deters mosquitoes, cockroaches and termites.
Mint keeps away cabbage moths, ants, mice and fleas.
Rosemary repels Japanese beetles, carrot flies, slugs and snails.
Sage deters cabbage worms, beetles and carrot rust flies.

These herbs grow best in warm, sunny locations with well-draining soil. Check out the Old Farmer’s Almanac for growing guides to these herbs and other fruits and vegetables.

Fresh herbs are great for adding flavor to your meals. Visit our Dimensions archive for suggested common food and spice pairings; or, try out this herb-loaded summer recipe:

Ingredients
- 4 medium skinless chicken breasts
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¾ oz fresh mint, chopped
- ⅓ oz fresh parsley, chopped
- ¾ tsp chili flakes
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Cooking spray
- Salt, to taste

Instructions
1. To make the chimichurri, add the mint, parsley, white wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, chili flakes and a tablespoon of water into a food processor and blend until combined. Season to taste, then set aside.
2. Heat the grill to high. Mist the chicken with cooking spray and season with cumin and salt to taste. Transfer the chicken to a large, nonstick ovenproof griddle pan and cook under the grill for 15-20 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through.
3. Serve the chicken topped with the chimichurri.

WeightWatchers (WW) 101

Who: If you are a HealthFlex participant, you, your spouse and your dependents age 18 or older are eligible for a WeightWatchers discount.

Cost: $9.75 per month for the digital plan; $19.11 per month for the digital and workshops plan (more than 50% off the retail price).

Our United Methodist Table

United Methodist (UM) Communications’ Our UM Table digital cookbook provides recipes from across the UM community. Consider sharing your favorite recipes or exploring other submissions on the UM Communications website.