MD Reveals 3 Plants You Should Grow to Help Reverse Chronic Disease
John from http://www.growingyourgreens.com/ visits Lifestyle Medicine Physician Dr. Jeff Pierce at his urban homestead in Northern California to share with you how to best grow and eat the food from your garden to optimize your gut health, boost your microbiome, and reverse chronic disease.
In this episode, you will get a comprehensive tour of Dr. Jeff's high-diversity garden, where he showcases how he uses nutrient-dense homegrown food to fuel his family's lifestyle medicine habits. Dr. Jeff emphasizes the massive health benefits of an organic, plant-based diet, highlighting the critical importance of eating a wide variety of whole food fibers, antioxidants, and phytochemicals. Throughout the tour, Dr. Jeff shares powerful medical insights into his prolific "berry alley," cold-hardy backyard avocados, winter fava beans, and his absolute favorite perennial green—purple tree collards—explaining their unique nutritional value and how they directly protect your body against inflammation.
The episode concludes with an in-depth discussion between Dr. Jeff and John on how gardening serves as the ultimate tool for longevity. They break down the science of the gut microbiome, resistant starches, short-chain fatty acids, and how simple habits—like picking fresh dessert straight from your fruit trees—can lower your blood pressure and cortisol levels. Overall, this episode serves as an inspiring, informative guide for viewers interested in exploring the profound health benefits of homegrown food, boosting their immunity through the soil, and taking personal responsibility for their well-being.
Jump to the following parts of this episode:
00:00 Episode Starts: Visiting Dr. Jeff Pierce
01:05 Why Growing Plant Diversity Guarantees Success
03:08 Introducing Lifestyle Medicine MD, Dr. Jeff Pierce
03:45 How to Use Lifestyle Habits to Prevent & Reverse Disease
05:17 Why Grow Dozens of Different Berry Varieties?
06:25 The Powerful Health Benefits of Anthocyanins in Berries
08:26 The Best Performing Berry for Your Garden
09:55 How to Use Fresh Garden Berries in Daily Meals
11:30 How to Care for & Overwinter Berry Canes
12:40 John Kohler's Secret Technique to Freeze & Thaw Berries
13:22 Growing Avocados Successfully in Northern California
16:00 The Best Cold-Hardy Avocado Genetics for Marginal Zones
17:44 Rare Heirloom Seedling Avocados Found in Sonoma County
20:10 Avocado Nutrition: Whole Food Fats vs. Bottled Oils
21:59 Experimenting with Marginal Tropicals: Bananas & Papayas
25:29 Fava Beans: The Ultimate Off-Season Crop to Plant
27:27 Bean Protein vs. Animal Protein: What Travels with Your Food?
29:00 Resistant Starch & Short-Chain Fatty Acids for the Microbiome
30:04 Tour of the Converted Carport Tropical Greenhouse
33:25 The Concrete Saw Trick: How to Plant Trees in Solid Concrete
34:30 Transforming a Driveway into an Urban Food Forest
38:50 Plant This Green Once & Harvest Forever: Purple Tree Collards
40:15 Spice Up Your Diet with Self-Seeding Wild Arugula & Greens
41:25 MD Interview: How Gardening Directly Fixes Your Gut Health
43:25 Why All Fiber Is Not Created Equal (Beyond the Quantity)
45:10 Hidden Longevity Benefits of Gardening (Vitamin D, Stress, & Purpose)
48:50 How to Start Your First Garden Box
49:15 Follow Dr. Jeff Pierce on Instagram: / drjeffpierce
49:50 Schedule a Telemedicine Consultation: https://www.lifestyletelemedicine.com/
Referenced Episodes:
First Visit to Dr. Jeff’s and Lifestyle Medicine
• Organic Gardening #1 WAY to use Food As Li...
Medical Doctor Prescribes Growing a Garden instead of Drugs
• Medical Doctor Prescribes Growing a Garden...
How to Eat out of your Garden for the best Health with Dr. Jeff
• Medical Doctor Shares How to Best Eat from...
Gardening as Your Medicine Cabinet Presentation at Heirloom Expo
• Garden as Your Medicine Cabinet: Prevent &...
Watch all GrowingYourGreens Videos at:
/ growingyourgreens
Subscribe to GrowingYourGreens for more videos:
http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c...
Follow John on Instagram at:
/ growingyourgreens
Connect with Dr. Jeff Pierce
https://www.jeffpiercemd.com/
/ drjeffpierce
https://www.lifestyletelemedicine.com/