Home Garden: Bring Flavor Inside This Winter!
Don’t let the fading of fall get you down! Bring color inside by starting your own indoor home garden this season.
Benefits of a Home Garden
Gardening indoors allows you to save money at the grocery store and add delicious flavors to your favorite holiday meals.
Not only will growing your own herbs and vegetables benefit your seasonal activities, but it will benefit your heart health as well. Over the years, increases in processed and fast foods have given rise to increased sodium consumption.
The American Heart Association recommends that you consume no more than 2,400 milligrams of sodium per day. Consuming less than this recommended amount can help lower blood pressure and protect your heart.
Fortunately, one of the easiest ways to replace sodium and add flavor is by using herbs and spices, which you can grow right in your kitchen!
What You’ll Need Get to Started:
- Planting pots or jars
- Potting soil
- Seed packets of your selected herbs
- Sunlight
- Water
Once you have your pots or jars filled with potting soil, follow the planting instructions on the back of your seed packet for how to plant your herbs. Not all plants need the same amount of sunlight or water, so read the instructions carefully or do a quick online search to find out how others have had success.
As the holiday season approaches and your plants start growing, challenge yourself to eat out less and make your own meals using the flavors that are growing right in your kitchen.
Practice substituting an extra teaspoon of salt with some freshly picked herbs instead. You will notice the delicious addition of flavor to your recipes and your heart will reap the benefits.
Happy gardening!
These blogs were written by the CHI Health Weight Management Team.
