How has growing your own food improved your health?
We have so many great stories from folks about how growing their own food healed them.
For me, I got completely free of very severe allergies. Seriously, I couldn't breathe through my nose for two to three months of the year. And then the add-on sinus infections, bronchitus, etc. I was in a real daze and I'm not sure how I functioned. A big chunk of each year was just wasted in misery. It was really, really bad. I'm so happy to be healed and I know it is because of whole foods that I grow myself.
I also have amazing cold and heat tolerance. I grew up in Florida and always cold sensitive. I thought 72 degrees was COLD. I would be reaching for a jacket... Now, I am very comfortable in bare feet in the 40's.
I've talked with some of our community members and people have reversed serious, serious things like cancer, diabetes, heart disease.... I'm curious - what's your story?
Comments
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Growing a garden of Veggies, & fruits, & herbs, & flowers has helped us in soul & mind & body.
Soul = One is nearer God's heart in a GARDEN, than anywhere else on earth. As we chat with God in the garden, we stay Appreciative of all God's blessings... & get yet more inspired.
Mind = peaceful, & anticipatory, & hopeful, and all other positive.... emotions
Body = whatever pains & complications & Disabilities any "medical professionals" YIKES! inflicted us with, we get to ignore in the garden. - More later.
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Oh @rainbow yes, the spiritual benefits are enormous...
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We saved for years for land on which to garden and grow our own perennial crops. The first win was being able to establish beds that didn't have to be plowed down and returned to lawn every Fall in the event we moved before Spring. In addition we could finally plant perennials that took a few years to mature and fruit. So check off Annual Garden Frustraton Level. I have gardened for years, and right away noticed that my resistance and stamina went way up, I think because placing your hands in soil grounds unfavorable electromagnetic charge and also helps me absorb trace minerals that increase immune resistance, in addition to increasing flexibility , strength and oxygen exchange that reduces lactic acid. The next is the satisfaction of developing a relationship with Nature by living with it and learning how to bring our land to verdant life, which tastes ever so much better without the trip to to supermarket! I can now grow as much asparaagus as I ever wanted, eat as big a salad as I can imagine and thrill to see the changing array of blossoms and insects who have learned that I am a friend and co-worker in Nature. And that salad no longer gives me the hives that would show up even with organic store veggies. One year while still living and working in a city, my doctor detected a sudden very high reading of mercury in my blood, with corresponding severe low resistance and ill health. I had started to make pretty good money, and had indulged that summer in a lot of organic strawberries from the health food store. I discussed this with a farmer's market friend, and he pointed out that the organic standard permits the use of mercuric bromide in organic strawberry fields because it is the only way to mass produce organic strawberries without chronic crop failure due to fungal imbalance. So now I can grow and eat my own lovely, healthy strawberries with no limit all year long. And the metabolic balance, yup, prior to getting serious about gardening I never went anywhere without a jacket or sweater, even in the summer. My toes now stay warm in winter, and the hat I wear for gardening is the same hat I wear while shovelling snow. We live in Zone 3 where we get nights in the -30 and lower range, so I do wear a sweater or jacket inside, but i no longer shiver in bed for a half hour until the blankets heat up. Life is good, and steadily getting better all the time!
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wo @sandy uh oh... there are a lot of Snady's who haven't posted photos yet~!
BUt I absolutely love your story. It is so inspiring. ZOne 3? Yikes, I can't even imagine it.
Thanks for writing in.
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Have you overcome allergies or diabetes by gardneing?
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@Marjory Wildcraft - are you asking in generality? - or someone who posted in this discussion already?
Presently there's a docu-series "I thrive" - that helps Anyone with "diabetes &/or obesity": far too many have, & are falling prey... to the lucrative-business of conventional medicine's $"managed" death trap$.
Instead, this https://go.ithriveseries.com/episode1-live course clearly spells out: how Diabetes &/or Obesity develops, and How to reverse both, & heal... so you can enjoy... life the way God us Intelligently Designed. - And something I have taught since a teen at church: "Notice: God had humanity start 🙂... IN A GARDEN...
iow when a person, a family, their children, a village, a country, the world grows... in & from a healthy...Garden's goodness: at least half eating veggies especially raw, & also balanced with fruits, with less than 10% complex starch, then any chronic/terminal condition would be history.
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hi @rainbow I am looking for inspiring stories and testimonials to share with others.
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Hi @Marjory Wildcraft - Well (except diabetes), I have multiple natural & man-made disasters I have been blessed to heal & recover from, starting in 1982, some sans direct gardening . Are you interested?
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Who cares about me; when in the docu-series "I thrive" mentioned above are 8+ individuals who recounted their own Recovery. For example Robby Barbaro's older brother was insulin-dependent, & Robby kept telling his parents that he thought he was also diabetic, their response: "don't be silly". One day at age 12 it was so bad, they said: "ok test your BS with your brother's meter." And his blood sugar was 400+ ! - of course he was diagnosed. - But he read everything he could, & 1 book told him "it is possible to Reverse type 1 diabetes with Lifestyle changes..." of course every clueless wonder countered that as impossible. - So he used the example of the Athlete who said the 4-minute mile is possible, when everyone told that dude too "impossible!" UNTIL he proved it. -This motivated Robby even more! - After failing more or less with other diets, Robby embraced a Plant-based, Low-fat Whole food diet at age 16 & continuing so today.. In his own words "To this day, adopting this lifestyle has been one of the best decisions of my life, and since that fateful day my hemoglobin A1c value has never exceeded 6.6%. I graduated from the University of Florida in 2011 and worked at Forks Over Knives for 6 years before turning my attention to coaching people with diabetes full time. I co-founded Mastering Diabetes." - Six levels of diabetes: pre-diabetes, & Gestational, & type 1, & type 1.5, & type 2, & type 3
You can't argue with success... 🤗
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Having Lymes Disease I had to have a new outlook at gardening... So far I've donated 180 large non medical use perennial flower plants to our local V.A. And just pulled too many flowers to count.
I've turned those beds into additional medical herb beds. Instead of buying herbal tablets or bulk herbs; that my or may not have additives or by organic I'm working on making my own, so I know that they are chemical free.
The interior of my home is a drying center for herbs.
If all goes well with finances; I plan to buy a distillation unit to make my own essential oils, and it can make beer, wine and distilled water.
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Can you give examples of what you have grown?
Personally, I love mints, such as lemon balm. Lemon balm helped me stay calm.
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Growing my own food forces meat to eat healthier. Knowing I have fresh veggies that need to be used allows me to skip some grocery store trips and keeps me away from the processed food.
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So many ways this has helped. Besides allergies and no additives/preservatives which I feel are a contributing factor to cancers, it is the psychological health as well. You have a well being that is known to help with your health in all areas!!😊😊
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Yes! I am super interested. We need more inspiring stories to help others in the journey.
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Hi there,
to better understand: You donated "180 large non medical use perennial flower plants to our local V.A." ? Not sure, is that the Veteran's Administration? - Do they use them for Landscaping?
Excellent 🤗 re Making your own Medicinal herbs... Currently still buy Liquid herbs, as present Herb-beds became a knarly mess - Ooops! - I need a helper...
re "Distillation unit to make my own essential oils, and it can make beer, wine and distilled water." - for instance if you HEAT-distill herbs, doesn't the heat kill alot of its beneficial qualities? - plus in your Distilled water, how would you REPLACE the 14++ minerals we all need for Optimal health. - Your post is so helpful already, so would you please explain these two matters better... Thank you 🙂
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How has growing your own food improved your health?
Yes and a 1000x YES!! I was slowly dying before I started gardening. I bought a small house with a small front and backyard. I had always wanted to garden but had low energy from anemia, obesity and no motivation to get up out of bed after 9hrs at work. I finally decided that I needed to get busy living or get busy dying (Shawshank Redemtion).
I spent about 1/2 hr after work doing one thing in my yards each day. That's all it took, a half our and one thing. It could be digging a small section, weeding, raking, composting... something, anything. Slowly but surely, my yards were coming to life. I had no timeline to get anything done because I knew I was going to live in my house for decades so I took my time. In a years time, I had a beautiful front yard with flowers and herbs. It is a cozy courtyard now.
Some of the benefits; I started losing weight and I started socializing. I was spending more time being vertical than laying in my bed feeling disgusted with my life and self and because I had no deadline, I took my time doing it right. It's amazing to see my dream courtyard materialize from nothing.
Being out in the sun does wonders for your soul. Working in dirt and all it's microbes has healing powers. Watching everything I planted grow (or not) helped me learn. My life started to feel meaningful.
Once my front yard was complete, I started in my backyard which is dedicated to fruit, vegetables and herbs. I planned on doing a mixture of HugelKulture and raised bed gardening. This was a project! But again, I did little bit by little bit with no deadline. Again, watching my vision come into being does something to your soul. It teaches you that if you dream it, you can materialize it. It's so simple! This concept starts affecting all aspects of your life.
I'm a true believer that gardening is the answer to great health for body and spirit.
Dianne
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@dianne.misspooz Hi Dianne, you are an inspiration ... Truly you are. @Marjory Wildcraft did you see this Testimonial. Just Outstanding! - Many times wanted to give both the AWESOME, & the vote UP, but it seems we can only choose one. This is yet another example where I'd like to give two of each 🤗 Dianne, (except for me being crippled from too many medical malpractices), we have Alot in common, as I too dressed up the Front-yard, mine with a 55 ft. thus far mostly Floral continuing Rainbows. It resuscitated & its beauty continues encouraging, just like your beautiful gardens does you... Thank you so much for sharing !
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If you grow your own food, then there are few concerns about GMO items or pesticides. From what I have read, some organic fruits and vegetables are not really organic. This concerns me.
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Gardening ihas always been a passion for me and now that I'm older with long term disabilities it means less time on the road to shop and alot of money saved.
To me gardening means freedom. Freedom from disease from pesticides, gmos and so on...It means getting my produce from my space and not the grocery store. The vibrant colors of my maters and peppers is an instant mood lifter. I particularly love making rounds and having breakfast on the go...a cuke, then a pepper, than a couple black cherry maters.
I love planing what I will grow and what flowers and herbs I will plant as companions. I love learning from my mistakes and knowing that I can do things that sometimes intimidate me. Thinking about and planing my garden during the winter gives me the same excitement every year and makes the cold dark days seem to go by faster.
Saving money too. Sharing with people when I have plenty is a huge biggy for me. Eespecially for people who don't garden for whatever reason, other than lazy lol.
I really enjoy seeking out new things to grow. I recently started planting Thai Red Roselle and to my delight it is one of the most beautiful tree I have ever seen. No calyx yet due to being in zone 7 but the joy of seeing them in my garden is better than not having them even without the calyx. My next endeavor, all be it late, is the Moringa tree and a red buckwheat. Then in a few months I will plant some old old rosa dog rose and hope I have rose bushes in the spring with rose hips next winter.
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Wow Dianne! Your story is so inspiring. Thank you so much for posting.
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I agree with your concerns! Buying USDA Organic "should" mean you are not getting GMOs and it "should" be cleaner - pesticide wise - but, how do you know? They say you should "know your farmer" in order to make sure the food you get meets the requirements that you have personally. There is no better way to "know your farmer" than to "be your own farmer", even if it is on a very small scale. With growing your own food, you can deal with the pests, the insects and weeds, in ways that leave you with clean food to eat.
In growing our own food, my family has learned many, many thing that work and perhaps even more that don't work! We are always adjusting to maximize what works, and continuing to learn.
On our path to clean food, we have seen so many health improvements! Joint pain, skin rashes, fatigue and many more things are gone in addition to loosing weight without trying! The weight loss is slow (and not always steady 🙂), but with no attempt to 'eat less' and 'exercise more', I'm very happy with the 38 lb. loss.
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Within 6 months after the birth of my now 33 year old daughter, I began coughing. Nasal congestion, mouth breathing only most of the year, runny eyes (and on and on and on). I was told and convinced that I was allergic to everything. After reaching the age of menapause I got tired (hahaha ... I was always tired) of the physical madness.
Along the way I had tried many medications and some herbal treatments but, my short term attention had always stopped me from real relief.
Now, after learning to grow about 65% of my own food and refusing to take any "medications" that I don't make myself, the cough is gone. The allergic reactions are gone. I still have "hot flashes" but they are subsiding as time goes on.
Yes, my physical activity has increased substantially and I now drink more water and fruit juices that ever before but, this all came as I was beginning to grow my own food and vegetables!
Thank you Mother Earth News
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"Buying USDA Organic "should" mean you are not getting GMOs and it "should" be cleaner - pesticide wise - but, how do you know? They say you should "know your farmer" in order to make sure the food you get meets the requirements that you have personally.
Yes, Yes THIS: "Be 🙂 your own farmer" Excellent.
There is no better way to "know your farmer" than to "be your own farmer", even if it is on a very small scale. With growing your own food, you can deal with the pests, the insects and weeds, in ways that leave you with clean food to eat."
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Hi
at 1st. I hesitated to Add here because (as said previously), some were as a result of spontaneous healing, some were from hypnosis, & some from just simply continuing... & Doubling up of the same Nutritious way I started life.. - Starting 1982 One of my many examples was when Naturopaths (won't mention names as the primary man is well known) told me point-blank "Better check yourself into Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research center for that Acute adult leukemia" - my immediate response was: You wish. But I REFUSE to worship at humanity's feet. From innocently Trusting countless times, only to discover I was used for their Evil aims, I have been forced to suffer ! way too much !! trusting evil people.- Whereas God MY GOD created me to heal & this naturally, and so this is what will happen," - and TRUE I did: with my last ounces of strength... I would get on the bus, & ride to rotating PCC co-ops in Seattle. And dragged home everything I could afford. - Since I could not even hold down water anymore, I simply asked Jesus "Please help me retain a couple ounces of Organic Carrot juice, & Parsley, & whatever else I can find that is Organic" - And God did, Help me that is. Long story short, about the time doctors claimed/predicted I would be long dead, my little body Returned to LIFE, to being able to Breathe better, to energy, & to being able to continue Inspiring yet others to do the same. -
In 1985, something even more Wonderful happened. - Yet I will wait to See if you want to hear more @Marjory Wildcraft
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Absolutely healthier! It has helped my sinus, allergies and fatty liver issues. Raising our own food from the garden, poultry and honeybees has helped my wife ditch her pain medication from her back injury that she often would have to take as well as acid reflex. I often tell her she is my case study regarding the benefits of raising own food and not being sucked into the industrial food system nonsense. It is now our passion to educate others including our four sons to take responsibility of being self sufficient of their food source and to live healthier and happier!.
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When I was growing food with my family growing up I didn't really pay it a lot of attention, however, in 2002 when I started growing food as an adult I saw some positive changes. I started to become more patient, more loving (towards myself, my daughter, and others), more spiritual, and resurrected some parts of me that had been lost for some years. Not to mention how good it felt to have my hands in the soil (healing myself from outside in and inside out), eating freshly picked food, and helping to teach my female friends (most of whom are single mothers) how to grow food for their families.
I think that it is empowering too. No one can take away the knowledge of growing (or foraging) for food once you start to acquire it and you now are less dependent on the whims of the "market" as you have the capacity to feed yourself (even if just a few meals a month). It has also been an equalizer in the sense that sometimes people are prejudiced against me because of the color of my skin but once they find out that I also grow food then the bias comes to a halt and a connection occurs.
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Working with the earth and dirt is very grounding. There is something satisfying about planting, weeding and harvesting plants.
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Growing our own foods has helped us with very significant food allergies within our families lives. One of my daughters has suffered since birth with severe food allergies to the point that one night she was so sick a fever that just kept climbing when she hit 107.0 degrees the doctors tried to prepare us for the fact that she was not going to make it and even if she did there would be severe brain damage. By the grace of God she survived & with no brain damages. By 9 am the next morning her fever was gone she was sitting up talking and wanting to go home. After many days we found out she had a peanut allergy along with many many more foods. Turned out she was allergic to most all foods. After growing our own and not using pesticides; foods that she had not been able to eat before she is now able to eat with no reaction. Her doctor says that he is amazed that she is able to consume so many of theses foods on a regular/daily basis and attributes the reason to homegrown fruits and veggies .
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I've been growing organic gardens for over 40 years. Because of events that come up in life, sometimes my gardens are more extensive than other times. When I am growing a lot, which equates to eating a lot of my own homegrown food (along with foraging for lots of wild greens) I really feel the best. In fact, I would say that I feel like I am getting younger rather than older!
At this point in life, I plan to focus on extending my gardens and food forest every year a bit. It is the best for my health and well being, so I am just making it priority!
Kathryn
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Growing our own foods has helped us with very significant food allergies within our families lives. One of my daughters has suffered since birth with severe food allergies to the point that one night she spiked a fever of 107 and was extremely lethargic, struggling to breathe. She was admitted to the hospital and we were told they didn’t think she was gonna make it. It turned out it was the quality of the food she was consuming. I would have never dreamed it was the food we ate making her deathly ill. We started growing our own foods. All organic methods and slowly but surely my daughters health improved greatly fast forward 15 years she is now able to consume foods that she use to have anaphylactic reaction too. We all enjoy food now and will never again take for granted the things we put into our mouths, our bodies our home.
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