How to Grow Your Own Vitamins

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Here at Iglehart Wellness, we’ve been discussing gardening. And one of my favorite gardening tips for my patients is how to grow your own vitamins. In my office, we often talk about good nutrition as an integral part of mental health. And these easy-to-grow garden vegetables will help you optimize your nutrition intake without taking too much out of your day.

Vitamin C: The Immune Booster

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We all know that vitamin C keeps your immune system strong. But did you know that chili peppers are one of the best sources of vitamin C around?  Each pepper contains 109.13mg of vitamin C which is 182% of the daily recommended dose. And they’re much easier to grow than oranges. 

Pick your chili peppers green for a mild salsa verde that’s packed full of healthy vitamins. Or wait until they heat up and turn red and dry them for a year-round source of great vitamins and spice.   

Calcium: For Healthy Bones

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It’s not just in milk and cheese. Turnip greens are a great vegetarian source of calcium at 10% of your daily recommended dose per cup. They’re so easy-growing that you can just plant them and virtually forget them. And they remind me of my grandmother’s cooking.

Turnip greens are great boiled with spices. Or you can blend them with any other green leafy vegetables, ½ banana and a little agave. It’s a delicious breakfast drink packed with the stuff that makes strong bones and healthy teeth.

Vitamin A: For Age-Resistant Vision and Skin

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This important vitamin supports vision quality, boosts immune function and keeps your skin glowing and moist. My favorite source of it is butternut squash. A mere ½ cup of butternut squash has 200% of your daily recommended dose of vitamin A. It’s easy to grow in cold climates and it’s delicious. Caramelize it for sweet-potato flavor or make a soup or sauté for a delicious potato-like treat.

Vitamin E: To Fight Heart Disease and Cancer

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Keep up with your daily recommended dosage of vitamin E and you can reduce your risk of developing heart disease, cancer and macular degeneration. And spinach is a great home-grown source. These big, leafy beauties are easy to grow even in containers. And when cooked, they contain half of your daily recommended vitamin E per cup.

Dr. Sharon

Starting your own vitamin garden is a great way to introduce balanced nutrition into your everyday life. But like many lifestyle changes, it takes time. Start with one plant and use my growing guide as a jumping off point. And once it’s an integral part of your recipe rotation, move on to the next. Make plans to add one plant a year and you’ll soon be on your way to great physical and mental health.