Small Space Gardening

by Andrea Holwegner | May 23, 2018

Growing vegetables in a garden or in pots is one of the best ways you can boost your nutrition this spring and summer. The good news is that it is simple, you don’t need as much space as you think and there are plenty of local resources to help you succeed.

What are the 3 key things in vegetables that make them so nutritious for us?

Eating more vegetables and fruit will enhance your intake of…

1. FIBRE
Fibre promotes good digestive health but also lowers cholesterol, stabilizes blood sugar, protects against diabetes, and can help you keep full to manage a healthy weight.

2. VITAMINS AND MINERALS
Fresh veggies contain more vitamins and minerals per calorie than any other food group.

3. PHYTOCHEMICALS
Phytochemicals are protective compounds in plant-based foods that have health promoting and disease preventative effects. Since there are hundreds of phytochemicals in vegetables and these can’t be consumed in a supplement, be sure to eat a variety of veggies each day to maximize your health.

What can you do if you don’t have a large amount of space to plant a full garden?

There are three ways to grow a garden:

1. Plant one in your yard if you have space and plenty of sun.

2. Plant container gardens by placing in planters/pots on sunny decks.

3. Join a community garden and rent a plot.

Another option is to consider a U-pick farm or visit your local farmers market if you want the benefits of a garden but don’t have the space or time to do it yourself. Also check out the community garden resource network, a project of the calgary horticultural society www.calhort.org/community-gardens.aspx for community garden locations and gardening resources.

Andrea Holwegner

About Andrea Holwegner

CEO, Registered Dietitian, Counseling Practice Director & Professional Speaker

Andrea the «Chocoholic Nutritionist» is founder and CEO of Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc. since 2000. She is an online nutrition course creator, professional speaker and regular guest in the media. Andrea is the recipient of an award by the Dietitians of Canada: The Speaking of Food & Healthy Living Award for Excellence in Consumer Education....Read more

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Peter Whitehead, Nutrition Counseling Client

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Amy Floyd, Nutrition Counseling Client

“Thanks Andrea for an amazing presentation, I have heard all positive remarks from attendees and the evaluations show the same sentiment. It is really gratifying when a speaker does their “homework” and weaves in our profession’s day to day challenges within their content, you did an awesome job of this! You truly took the “die” out of Dietician! Your information on healthy eating and simplifying how we can work towards this as we are all so busy really hit the mark. Andrea connects very well with her audience; she is energetic, funny, and very approachable.”

Carole Ann LaGrange, Transfusion Medicine Safety Officer

Event Planner for Laboratory Diagnostic Imaging Annual Event

“I am a family physician who sees patients with a myriad of eating concerns – from wanting to know how to plan healthy meals for active families, to weight loss, to eating disorders, and so on. I cannot recommend the Health Stand team highly enough. I have worked with (and been to!) other Dieticians in the past and too often find that they just ask for food logs and make suggestions that are easily obtained online or in books. The Dieticians at Health Stand offer much more than just telling clients what they “should be eating.” In contrast, the team really does more of a counselling practice, and they work hard to help their clients learn more about why their eating habits may be off track and not optimal for them, as well as helping people to effect change at a deep level that, most importantly, is sustainable for lifetime health.”

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Gillian Gray, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant

“As a construction company, we select speakers who can relate to our industry and its employees. Andrea’s message was delivered with humor and empathy. She makes people feel as though they can make changes without leaving behind every favorite food. Andrea focused her presentation on healthy eating as a way to keep energy high throughout the day. This message and the way it was delivered resonated with our predominantly male, blue collar culture. I would highly recommend Andrea as a speaker for groups such as ours. She will get your message across without alienating anyone in your audience – which is a huge hurdle when trying to introduce a wellness program in the workplace!”

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Erin Kronstedt, Nutrition Counseling Client

“Excellent presentation! What a refreshing change to have a speaker inspire rather than “lecture” about nutrition. Your captivating stories, tips and overall approach to healthy eating uplifts and puts people at ease. It was great to hear we don’t need to strive to be perfect eaters, and that small changes really can make a difference in how we feel and in our health. Thanks to Andrea, we have solutions to our everyday nutrition challenges that can actually work in real life!”

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Small Space Gardening

What are the 3 key things in vegetables that make them so nutritious for us?

What can you do if you don’t have a large amount of space to plant a full garden?

Andrea Holwegner

About Andrea Holwegner

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