From the moment a fruit or vegetable is picked it begins to lose it's nutritional benefits most noticeable is the reduction in vitamin content. All produce now has a sell by date and a consume by date but, when it comes to fruit and vegetables they are best consumed as soon after harvesting as possible. Food should not be too processed, it should not be cooked for too long, as this further degrades the vitamins (steaming of fresh vegetables is increasing in popularity because it helps retain vitamins). Freezing the produce as soon after harvesting as possible can help greatly but nothing beats food which is picked and eaten on the same day.
By indulging in a little gardening you can ensure that at least some of your diet includes food which can be picked and eaten on the same day. Furthermore you can ensure that it is even healthier by avoiding the use of artificial chemicals. Organic fruit and vegetables are considered far healthier and organic gardening is not really that difficult. You will be amazed at how gorgeous a fresh organic new potato can taste and as for tomatoes, have you tasted a tomato recently? They are disgusting, they are often orange and rather tasteless. Compare the cheaper tomatoes with organic vine tomatoes and you can really taste the difference, and I really do mean that you will taste a massive difference. Sadly there is just a massive increase in the price but, happily, tomatoes are one of the most commonly grow vegetables or fruit grown in indoor gardening. I have often grown tomatoes on my kitchen window where they receive most sunlight and where they can be watched closely (as they do require a fair bit of attention). Homegrown tomatoes are simply the best and they remind me of my great grandfather who always grew a great many in his small greenhouse alongside one or two pot plants, a cacti or two and some seed trays full of annuals for his beautifully kept flower garden. He was an avid gardener all of his long life and credited his good health to his love of gardening.
There are numerous other health benefits to gardening, far to many to comprehensively list here, but, with a little research you will find sufficient ways in which to benefit from gardening to encourage almost anybody to take up the hobby. Even the disabled can benefit and can have a garden designed to compensate for their disabilities, such as raised beds which can enable them to weed, prune and plant. However the greatest benefit has to be the enjoyment of the garden itself. Time spent relaxing in a garden it truly priceless, especially if you have a hectic modern lifestyle. Just an hour or two a week spent taking in the sun surrounded by the sounds of birds and other wildlife can prove highly restorative. It is therefore little surprise that nearly every hospital, hospice, health spa or other such places, all have well kept gardens.
http://www.landscapinginfo4u.com/ is dedicated to providing quality information about all aspects of landscape gardening. The author, Andrew Kelly, has been a keen gardener since his childhood and, now retired, he spends most of his spare time enjoying the hobby and writing about it.
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