Welcome to a new series at Cooking Club. We are not just looking at another gardening course; we are starting a journey of nutritional transformation based on the principles of the ProHuerta program. This is a public policy with over 26 years of experience led by the Ministry of Social Development and INTA. This initiative does not only seek to teach how to plant, but to guarantee the basic right to access fresh, healthy, and sovereign food in urban, peri-urban, and rural communities.

The proposal is clear: improving our quality of life through self-production. Cooking is the final act, but the true art begins months before, when we decide which nutrients we want to bring to our table. In this first installment, we will understand the vital connection between the soil, the food it produces, and the well-being of our family.

What does it truly mean to be a healthy person?

We often associate health simply with the absence of disease, but the concept is much deeper. Being a healthy person is the result of a balance where eating well equals feeling well and being healthy. It is not about eating a lot, but about eating with diversity and awareness.

A healthy diet must be varied and proportional. Imagine your diet as a path where safe drinking water is the indispensable foundation—at least 2 liters or 8 glasses a day. On this foundation, we must build a pyramid of nutrients that includes:

• Cereals and legumes: The energy base.
• Vegetables and fruits: Natural regulators full of color and life.
• Milk, yogurt, and cheeses: Fundamental for our bone structure.
• Meats and eggs: Tissue builders.
• Oils, seeds, and nuts: Essential fats in moderate amounts.
• Sugars and sweets: Only for special moments and in minimal quantities.

Food and Nutrients: The fuel of life

Every time we ingest a product from our garden, we are incorporating natural chemical elements that the body uses to function. Nutrients are the building blocks of our health, and the agroecological garden is the best provider of these essential resources.

Vitamins: The invisible regulators

They are indispensable for life. We incorporate them through food, and they are responsible for regulating critical processes such as breathing, digestion, and circulation. Without them, our biological "machine" simply stops.

Fiber: The great cleanser

Although sometimes forgotten, the fiber present in fresh vegetables is fundamental for digestion. It helps regulate sugar and cholesterol in the blood, and even fulfills a mechanical function by cleaning our teeth when chewing.

Natural sugars: The pure fuel

Unlike processed sugars, those we obtain from fruits and vegetables are the ideal fuel for the body, providing slow-release energy that keeps us active throughout the day.

Water: The transport medium

Fresh vegetables have a very high water content, which helps cover the daily requirements necessary for all metabolic processes to be carried out correctly.

The garden as a source of well-being

Agroecological garden products stand out for being biologically active foods. By not using pesticides or chemical fertilizers, plants develop natural defenses that translate into a higher concentration of nutrients for us. When you harvest a tomato or lettuce from your own backyard, you are consuming a product that has not spent weeks in cold storage, keeping all its properties intact.

This self-production process also encourages collective participation and training. We not only feed the body but also the spirit by seeing the fruit of our effort grow. It is an invitation to bring popular knowledge into dialogue with the technological innovation provided by INTA.

Remember that eating well means eating a diversity of foods and water, in the appropriate amounts for each age. The garden gives us that diversity for free, naturally, and always within reach.

In the next installment: The Power of Vitamins

Do not miss Volume 2 of this series, where we will delve into the secrets kept by the colors of our garden. We will analyze pages 12 and 13 of the manual in detail to learn:

• Where do we find Vitamin C? and how it protects our gums and defenses.
• Where do we find Vitamin A? to take care of our eyesight and skin.
• Different needs according to age: From pregnancy and breastfeeding to the growth of children.

We wait for you to keep cultivating your health!

Images (Inta Argentina)