It can be costly to eat healthy in this day and age, as organic foods come at a premium cost and many groceries have small, or no organic section at all. From hunting to gardening, here are some great hobbies for keeping you healthy and in control of the foods you eat.
Gardening
Gardening is a fun and fulfilling way to take control of what you’re eating. But it's important to know that different kinds of gardens (vegetable, fruit and herb) have different care requirements and come with different difficulties. Luckily, garden.org offers tips on how to get the most out of the garden you choose to pursue, or if you decide to jumble them all together to grow a balanced collection.
Gardening doesn't only take time, but it also takes a good amount of land, which fueled the idea of community gardens. More and more community gardens are springing up in metropolitan areas, so if gardening is something you think you will enjoy, put in the work to get a plot for yourself.
Fishing
Fishing is a hobby that gets you into nature as well as putting food on your plate. Wild caught fish are low in cholesterol and high in protein. Because of this, the American Heart Association recommends a regular diet of fish. So what are the advantages of catching your own meal? A study published on the "Science Magazine" website found that the level of PCBs, a carcinogenic chemical, was ten times as prominent in farmed fish compared with wild caught. With fish meat as expensive as it is, fishing is a money-saving hobby that also keeps important Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. However, you may be required to obtain certain permits for fishing, so visit takemefishing.org to check the requirements for your state.
Hunting
If you're a meat-eater, hunting could be a great hobby for you. Deer, elk and moose are among the big game legal for hunting in the U.S., and because wild game feeds on grass and other natural sources instead of grains, has considerably less fat in it, which also means fewer calories. Meat sources fed from grass have three to four times more Omega-3 fatty acids than grain-fed animals. These factors alone are enough to make a strong case for hunting your own meat.
If you do take up hunting, it’s important that you know the laws of individual states and acquire the necessary permits for owning a firearm and hunting in your state. Visit huntercourse.com for state hunting laws and safety courses.
Cooking Conclusions
What do all of these hobbies have in common? They're all followed by preparing the foods in unique and interesting ways. For guidance, there are many cookbooks to prepare your self-grown spinach and raspberries, or your self-caught venison. Don’t be afraid to pick up a good cookbook and experiment in the kitchen with the ingredients your other hobbies have brought to your table.