Why is Gardening Good for your Health?

1. Getting Enough Vitamin D.
Typically, gardening isn’t done at night, so while tending a garden one is constantly in the sun. The body naturally produces Vitamin D from sun exposure, and since Vitamin D is protective against types of cancer and heart disease, it is logical that those with higher Vitamin D levels could live longer.

2. Playing In the Dirt.
Gardening, by its nature, means sticking your hands in the dirt. While our society shuns dirt and invents things like chemical hand sanitizers, dirt can actually be good for you! In fact, lack of dirt and the soil borne organisms that come with it has been linked to higher auto-immune disease.

Soil is an incredibly rich source of natural bacteria, minerals and microorganisms. Touching the soil regularly exposes the body to beneficial microorganisms that can boost the immune system. Since beneficial bacteria and gut health are so vital to overall health, it is logical that the immune boosting properties of dirt could increase longevity as well.

3. Getting Grounded.
Gardeners spend time touching the earth and the soil. According to the book Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever, this alone could have tremendous benefit.

The theory is that many of us rarely or never touch the earth with bare skin, and certainly not for extended periods of time. This leads to a build up of positive electrons in the body from electrical energy, electromagnetic frequencies, Wi-Fi, and more. The earth acts as a ground, just as it does for electrical outlets, by reducing the extra positive charge.