OREM, Utah - Changing your diet is a hard process that doesn't happen overnight; However, growing your own produce may help increase your odds.
Intermountain Healthcare LiVe Well Dietitian, Daniel Burgess says good nutrition is easier to manage if healthy foods are available.
That’s exactly what gardeners at Intermountain Healthcare’s LiVe Well Garden at Intermountain Orem Community Hospital are finding as they reap the rewards of working in their community garden.
What are some other benefits you can enjoy from growing your own fruits and vegetables?
• Increase access to less expensive produce.
• Freshly harvested produce adds variety and color to your meals; these can improve your overall quality of your diet.
• Fresh herbs add wonderful flavor when preparing foods and growing your own can help to increase the variety of foods you eat and save money.
• Most garden produce can also be harvested and frozen for future use.
• Stress relief, provide opportunities for exercise, and socializing.
Orem Community Hospital offers 44 plots to families every year through an application process. But you can also work as a garden volunteer, by applying online at oremcommunity.org/garden. Applications for 2020 season will open on Presidents Day in honor of President Lincoln who started the agricultural college system in the U.S.
Orem Community Hospital is the first Intermountain facility in Utah County to open a LiVe Well Garden. Park City Medical Center, Primary Children’s Hospital and Fillmore Community Hospital also maintain gardens. Although each LiVe Well garden operates a little differently, the purpose behind them is the same.
On Monday, September 30, Orem Community Hospital will celebrate the season’s bounty of produce with the 4th Annual Orem Harvest Festival.
However, this year the festival is adding a twist and also focusing on emergency and disaster preparedness.
It’s a great celebration of wellness, health, and community with:
• Fresh product vendors
• Free pumpkins, Free popcorn, Free fun!
• Free health screenings for adults
• Free disaster preparedness booths
• Information about local and safety CERT classes
When: Monday, September 30
Booth and games: 4 – 7 p.m.
Li’l Sebastian Concert: 7 – 7:45 p.m.
Where: Intermountain Orem Community Hospital
331 North 400 West, Orem
