You've got to fight. For your right. To . . . hang your laundry?
Yes.
Glad to hear some others are turning this into a movement.
I guess one person's "trailer trash" is another person's treasure. I'd rather see clothes hanging on the lines than sterile cookie-cutter rows of suburban homes any day. But if sterility is your thing . . .
It is not simply a matter of aesthetics, though. Clothes drying by electric or gas dryer is an absurdity of the wildest proportion. According to the above article, it accounts for 6% of residential energy use. And the biggest issue is that it is simply not necessary. How in the world are we going to manage the world's resources better and potentially make some sacrifices if we can't eliminate something that is energy intensive and absolutely unnecessary? In all honesty, drying by nature doesn't take much more effort than drying in a dryer.
I restrict the use of clothes dryers to when I am in an urgent hurry or if weather conditions are so unfavorable that I have no other choice. Every so often some items can be fluffed up a bit, but more often than not they dry just fine by Mother Nature.
If I can't hang them outside, I have a large wooden drying rack inside. You can put one right next to your washing machine if the physical labor of carrying wet laundry is unmanageable. The only caveat is that I don't like to spend much time in the room where they are drying. Fumes from the detergents bother me, and I do question the health effects.
On hot summer days, a load of laundry can be bone dry in less than an hour hanging outside, and not much longer drying inside. Even on the murkiest, dampest days, it rarely takes longer than a day or two to dry anything. Putting an electric fan directed toward them can speed up the process with less energy inputs, and that is a better alternative than the dryer.
I don't understand at all why people have reservations about laundry hanging outside. It is simply too practical to avoid, in my opinion. Just dry your underwear inside, like the woman in the article does. What other problems can this possibly cause?
Showing posts with label Sustainable Living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sustainable Living. Show all posts
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Eat It, Quick!
Once fruits and vegetables are picked off the vine, the clock starts ticking on their nutritional value. Within minutes, in some cases, the favinoids and other micro nutrients start breaking down.
Most of us in North America will probably never know the true taste of items such as coffee, bananas or pineapple. I would imagine at least several days go by after picking before any of those items appear on our store shelves. If they do arrive sooner, it is due to being flown in which is a massive problem for our carbon footprint!
You can eat fresh fruits and vegetables all year long, but if you aren't getting items that have been recently picked, you may be missing out on some important nutrition (not to mention flavor). Ironically, some frozen and canned items are preserved quicker than the fresh items in your store and may carry these nutrients better.
I encourage everyone out there to rotate some ultra-fresh items in your diet. A few times a year, go berry picking and eat the berries as you pick. Go to your garden and eat some things right off the plant--tomatoes, snap peas, lettuce and green beans are good candidates for that. At the very least, eat them within a few minutes of picking.
Our traditional ancestors ate a good portion of their diet right off the vine, and our bodies evolved to eat that way. While modern preservation and distribution methods have made life easier, they have come at a cost to quality. We could be missing out on some essential nutrition. Modern science does not yet have a good understanding of how this works, but in light of all this, eating fresh, whole foods is recommended.
Most traditional cultures also have a habit of going on a "fresh foods pilgrimage" several times a year. Some go wild berry picking, mushrooming or follow whatever the local delicacy is. They are in search of these amazing items picked ripe off the vine.
I write this after eating a fresh yellow squash that I just picked this morning. I cooked it up with some parsley that was just plucked out of the front yard. My body is soakin' it up! I also picked some radishes this morning. I almost never choose them at the salad bar, but I ate a few slices as I was cutting them up and they were absolutely delicious. If there is any vegetable that you don't like, try eating it fresh off the vine and you may reconsider your opinion. I bought some stalks of fresh broccoli last year, and couldn't stop eating them. Normally, I eat a few clumps from a veggie tray and need gobs of dressing to make it appealing. With the fresh stuff, I was wolfing it down and just couldn't stop.
Most of us in North America will probably never know the true taste of items such as coffee, bananas or pineapple. I would imagine at least several days go by after picking before any of those items appear on our store shelves. If they do arrive sooner, it is due to being flown in which is a massive problem for our carbon footprint!
You can eat fresh fruits and vegetables all year long, but if you aren't getting items that have been recently picked, you may be missing out on some important nutrition (not to mention flavor). Ironically, some frozen and canned items are preserved quicker than the fresh items in your store and may carry these nutrients better.
I encourage everyone out there to rotate some ultra-fresh items in your diet. A few times a year, go berry picking and eat the berries as you pick. Go to your garden and eat some things right off the plant--tomatoes, snap peas, lettuce and green beans are good candidates for that. At the very least, eat them within a few minutes of picking.
Our traditional ancestors ate a good portion of their diet right off the vine, and our bodies evolved to eat that way. While modern preservation and distribution methods have made life easier, they have come at a cost to quality. We could be missing out on some essential nutrition. Modern science does not yet have a good understanding of how this works, but in light of all this, eating fresh, whole foods is recommended.
Most traditional cultures also have a habit of going on a "fresh foods pilgrimage" several times a year. Some go wild berry picking, mushrooming or follow whatever the local delicacy is. They are in search of these amazing items picked ripe off the vine.
I write this after eating a fresh yellow squash that I just picked this morning. I cooked it up with some parsley that was just plucked out of the front yard. My body is soakin' it up! I also picked some radishes this morning. I almost never choose them at the salad bar, but I ate a few slices as I was cutting them up and they were absolutely delicious. If there is any vegetable that you don't like, try eating it fresh off the vine and you may reconsider your opinion. I bought some stalks of fresh broccoli last year, and couldn't stop eating them. Normally, I eat a few clumps from a veggie tray and need gobs of dressing to make it appealing. With the fresh stuff, I was wolfing it down and just couldn't stop.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Getting Wax Off Apples
I have heard all the arguments in favor of it, but I still don't like (nor do I trust) artificial wax on apples. For starters, I just don't like the taste and texture of it, regardless of whether there are no ill health effects.
I have tried different kinds of off-the-shelf solutions that supposedly remove it, but they end up leaving an even worse taste--sometimes an outrageously bad taste. And bad, as they say, is not good.
But alas, I have found a way to handle this: The hot water valve on the company coffee machine.
I put my apple in a cereal bowl and pour some hot water over the apple. I swish it around in the hot water for a few seconds, then wipe it off firmly with a paper towel. You can see the waxy film in the water, so it is doing some good.
At home, I simply get hot water from the tea kettle to do the same thing.
Am I reducing the nutritional value by subjecting the apple skins to hot water? I don't know. It does cause some slight discoloration and for apples with thin skin you can end up reducing the crunchiness of the skins substantially. However, most apples taste just fine. I suppose if there are any living microbes on the skin they might be killed off, but I don't imagine too many microbes surviving under a wax coating in the first place. The apple does not spend much time in the hot water, though.
The end result is that the apples tastes better.
Added Later: I have read that sometimes the wax can actually hold in pesticide residue that the growers did not clean off. Getting the wax off offers you then a better chance of getting any leftover pesticide residue off, as well!
I have tried different kinds of off-the-shelf solutions that supposedly remove it, but they end up leaving an even worse taste--sometimes an outrageously bad taste. And bad, as they say, is not good.
But alas, I have found a way to handle this: The hot water valve on the company coffee machine.
I put my apple in a cereal bowl and pour some hot water over the apple. I swish it around in the hot water for a few seconds, then wipe it off firmly with a paper towel. You can see the waxy film in the water, so it is doing some good.
At home, I simply get hot water from the tea kettle to do the same thing.
Am I reducing the nutritional value by subjecting the apple skins to hot water? I don't know. It does cause some slight discoloration and for apples with thin skin you can end up reducing the crunchiness of the skins substantially. However, most apples taste just fine. I suppose if there are any living microbes on the skin they might be killed off, but I don't imagine too many microbes surviving under a wax coating in the first place. The apple does not spend much time in the hot water, though.
The end result is that the apples tastes better.
Added Later: I have read that sometimes the wax can actually hold in pesticide residue that the growers did not clean off. Getting the wax off offers you then a better chance of getting any leftover pesticide residue off, as well!
Friday, February 13, 2009
On Mission at Work
One of the most convenient places to help transform the world is right in your current community and workplace. Sure, it is tempting to want to go away and be with other like-minded people. It is tempting to quit your job so that you can pursue a ministry vocation full time. However, doing ministry while working through a church or non-profit may not have quite the impact you may think. It is probably already an environment teeming with people doing that very thing.
Working 8-5 for some corporation can put a real damper on your time and energy for outreach. However, it also puts you right on the front lines. There are valid points to be made for both approaches, and only you can know for sure what you are called to do.
There are so many possibilities to do good right where you are at: Start a recycling program at work! It is much less productive to start a recycling program at an environmental organization, whereas many of the businesses out there are ripe for sustainable practices. It often just takes an employee with initiative to get the ball rolling. Be pastoral with your co-workers--people who may never step foot into a church or be impacted directly by the outreach done from there. Work is probably the one place people can be reached who are otherwise inaccessible.
Working 8-5 for some corporation can put a real damper on your time and energy for outreach. However, it also puts you right on the front lines. There are valid points to be made for both approaches, and only you can know for sure what you are called to do.
There are so many possibilities to do good right where you are at: Start a recycling program at work! It is much less productive to start a recycling program at an environmental organization, whereas many of the businesses out there are ripe for sustainable practices. It often just takes an employee with initiative to get the ball rolling. Be pastoral with your co-workers--people who may never step foot into a church or be impacted directly by the outreach done from there. Work is probably the one place people can be reached who are otherwise inaccessible.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Vegetarian Misconceptions
It is amazing to me the way vegetarianism is such an "all or nothing" endeavor for many. I don't know what it is, but when people become vegetarians it turns into a near religious crusade for them. Not one scrap of meat at all! Some even avoid honey, since it is the byproduct of insects. Honey, imagine that!
I can sort of understand if someone chooses this lifestyle because they are against the exploitation of animals. However, that is only one of a number of reasons why people opt for a vegetarian diet. Many are vegetarians for environmental reasons or for their own health. Yet, many of these folks often fall into the same fervor about avoiding meat. It almost doesn't seem to matter to them that they are chowing down on bananas and coffee shipped from several thousands miles away from farms where humans and the environment are exploited. Nope, they still are against my grass fed beef grown right down the road by a reputable farmer with well-raised animals.
I think the vegetarian movement has done a lot to devalue the health benefits of meat. When someone becomes a vegetarian, the first thing people ask is, "Where are you going to get your protein?" That very question itself communicates misinformation. It makes people think that meat is nothing more than a lump of protein. And we know we can get protein from all sorts of sources. In fact, getting enough protein is quite easy for a vegetarian--even a vegan--just by eating a balanced diet that includes some whole grains, beans and nuts.
The real question for a vegetarian should be this: "Where are you going to get your B-12, calcium, iron, beta-carotene and omega fatty acids?" B-12 is the most significant issue, because it is not to be found in a vegetarian diet at all. Milk and eggs have some B-12, but what they have is often not absorbed well enough by people to be useful. B-12 deficiencies can be quite serious. Supplements are not always effective (B-12 is destroyed by exposure to the sunlight). Certain individuals are not good at extracting beta-carotene and omega fatty acids from plant sources. A lot of it is probably based on genetics.
The only meat out there that actually is nothing but a lump of protein would be your lean muscle meats, like a chicken breast. While that is a prized item on today's menu, it is the least nutritious. You have no doubt heard stories of our hunter & gatherer ancestors who were able to utilize every last item from an animal without wasting any, right? Well, truth be told is that if they were ever to leave some of the meat behind, it would have been the lean meat. Lean meat is devoid of the essential oils and other nutrients, and if you ate nothing but lean meat you might actually die. Lean meat must be accompanied by starches or fats or else the body can go into something called rabbit starvation (usually that requires living in extremely cold temperatures, though). People who tried to survive a tough winter by hunting rabbits found out that the lack of fats made the meat actually useless.
So meat has been devalued, but that's nothing compared to the misconceptions about fat. People think of fat as nothing but empty calories. Not true. Fats and oils are every bit as critical to good health as vitamins and minerals. They are nutrients! Yes, there are such things as "bad fats", such as hydrogenated oils or the weird masses of fat that develop on feedlot animals (which you won't find on animals fed a natural diet, such as grass fed cattle). Those fats are unbalanced and can cause health problems for humans who eat them in excess. But eating a diet that is too lean can throw yourself out of whack, too.
Fruits and vegetables are not always so friendly, either. Yes, we need to eat a lot of them, but any single one of them eaten in excess can be harmful. Most plants have defenses to keep predators away and digestive inhibitors to keep themselves from sprouting. Raw items are good, because you have access to all the microbes, but they can be bad in excess because of all these chemicals that are often broken down in cooking. Yet, the current assumptions that people have would idolize fruits and vegetables.
I say this not to arouse suspicion about fruits and vegetables--just eat a wide variety of them, cooked and uncooked. I say this only to point out that for all the so-called negative effects of meats and fats, you can find negatives about fruits and vegetables, too. This all-or-nothing attitude that is promoted by many vegetarians is misleading and promotes an unwise diet. Most of the negative impact of meats is limited only to those raised in factory feedlot conditions, which, admittedly, is most of the meat consumed in the America. But sustainably raised meats can be a great option for the environment as well as your health.
I can sort of understand if someone chooses this lifestyle because they are against the exploitation of animals. However, that is only one of a number of reasons why people opt for a vegetarian diet. Many are vegetarians for environmental reasons or for their own health. Yet, many of these folks often fall into the same fervor about avoiding meat. It almost doesn't seem to matter to them that they are chowing down on bananas and coffee shipped from several thousands miles away from farms where humans and the environment are exploited. Nope, they still are against my grass fed beef grown right down the road by a reputable farmer with well-raised animals.
I think the vegetarian movement has done a lot to devalue the health benefits of meat. When someone becomes a vegetarian, the first thing people ask is, "Where are you going to get your protein?" That very question itself communicates misinformation. It makes people think that meat is nothing more than a lump of protein. And we know we can get protein from all sorts of sources. In fact, getting enough protein is quite easy for a vegetarian--even a vegan--just by eating a balanced diet that includes some whole grains, beans and nuts.
The real question for a vegetarian should be this: "Where are you going to get your B-12, calcium, iron, beta-carotene and omega fatty acids?" B-12 is the most significant issue, because it is not to be found in a vegetarian diet at all. Milk and eggs have some B-12, but what they have is often not absorbed well enough by people to be useful. B-12 deficiencies can be quite serious. Supplements are not always effective (B-12 is destroyed by exposure to the sunlight). Certain individuals are not good at extracting beta-carotene and omega fatty acids from plant sources. A lot of it is probably based on genetics.
The only meat out there that actually is nothing but a lump of protein would be your lean muscle meats, like a chicken breast. While that is a prized item on today's menu, it is the least nutritious. You have no doubt heard stories of our hunter & gatherer ancestors who were able to utilize every last item from an animal without wasting any, right? Well, truth be told is that if they were ever to leave some of the meat behind, it would have been the lean meat. Lean meat is devoid of the essential oils and other nutrients, and if you ate nothing but lean meat you might actually die. Lean meat must be accompanied by starches or fats or else the body can go into something called rabbit starvation (usually that requires living in extremely cold temperatures, though). People who tried to survive a tough winter by hunting rabbits found out that the lack of fats made the meat actually useless.
So meat has been devalued, but that's nothing compared to the misconceptions about fat. People think of fat as nothing but empty calories. Not true. Fats and oils are every bit as critical to good health as vitamins and minerals. They are nutrients! Yes, there are such things as "bad fats", such as hydrogenated oils or the weird masses of fat that develop on feedlot animals (which you won't find on animals fed a natural diet, such as grass fed cattle). Those fats are unbalanced and can cause health problems for humans who eat them in excess. But eating a diet that is too lean can throw yourself out of whack, too.
Fruits and vegetables are not always so friendly, either. Yes, we need to eat a lot of them, but any single one of them eaten in excess can be harmful. Most plants have defenses to keep predators away and digestive inhibitors to keep themselves from sprouting. Raw items are good, because you have access to all the microbes, but they can be bad in excess because of all these chemicals that are often broken down in cooking. Yet, the current assumptions that people have would idolize fruits and vegetables.
I say this not to arouse suspicion about fruits and vegetables--just eat a wide variety of them, cooked and uncooked. I say this only to point out that for all the so-called negative effects of meats and fats, you can find negatives about fruits and vegetables, too. This all-or-nothing attitude that is promoted by many vegetarians is misleading and promotes an unwise diet. Most of the negative impact of meats is limited only to those raised in factory feedlot conditions, which, admittedly, is most of the meat consumed in the America. But sustainably raised meats can be a great option for the environment as well as your health.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Bag It Up
It is easy to hate plastic grocery store bags. You can often see them decorating tree branches or strewn along roadsides. They are an eyesore and are extremely dangerous for wildlife who ingest them or get tangled in their handles. They are made from petroleum and thus contribute to our dependence on foreign oil, not to mention global warming. All plastic is quickly becoming a worldwide problem as it is turning up just about everywhere, such as the massive pile of trash in the Pacific Ocean that is twice the size of Texas.
You might think it is good news that some stores offer paper bags as an alternative. This seems like the best solution--here you have a biodegradable option. The unfortunate reality is that it is not so. Paper bags actually require much more energy to manufacture and produce more pollutants than plastic bags.
So you have what seems like a catch-22 situation: You can use the plastic bags but find yourself contributing to plastic waste and fossil fuel usage. But if you choose paper, you may have a biodegradable option but the increased energy use to make them contributes to global warming. You're damned if you choose one, damned if you choose the other.
There is another option: B.Y.O.B! Bring your own bags. This is a wonderful habit to get into and you can nip this problem in the bud right there. You can use backpacks, gym bags or even a cardboard box. I have a few reusable bags with handles and they work out great. Here are some options.
I admit it took some adjustment for me to do it, because this is a lifestyle change (albeit a minor one) and I had to remember to keep the bags in my car or in a readily accessible place. But now that I have gotten into the habit it is quite easy. If I have to make an emergency trip to the store and don't have a bag with me, I try to buy only what I can carry in my hands. Keep these pointers in mind when using reusable bags, such as making sure to actually use them without having them sit in a closet somewhere, just becoming a new form of waste.
You might think it is good news that some stores offer paper bags as an alternative. This seems like the best solution--here you have a biodegradable option. The unfortunate reality is that it is not so. Paper bags actually require much more energy to manufacture and produce more pollutants than plastic bags.
So you have what seems like a catch-22 situation: You can use the plastic bags but find yourself contributing to plastic waste and fossil fuel usage. But if you choose paper, you may have a biodegradable option but the increased energy use to make them contributes to global warming. You're damned if you choose one, damned if you choose the other.
There is another option: B.Y.O.B! Bring your own bags. This is a wonderful habit to get into and you can nip this problem in the bud right there. You can use backpacks, gym bags or even a cardboard box. I have a few reusable bags with handles and they work out great. Here are some options.
I admit it took some adjustment for me to do it, because this is a lifestyle change (albeit a minor one) and I had to remember to keep the bags in my car or in a readily accessible place. But now that I have gotten into the habit it is quite easy. If I have to make an emergency trip to the store and don't have a bag with me, I try to buy only what I can carry in my hands. Keep these pointers in mind when using reusable bags, such as making sure to actually use them without having them sit in a closet somewhere, just becoming a new form of waste.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Overstretching the Food Movement and Holistic Medicine
You can count me among the people who think the new food movement is a wonderful thing. People are taking an interest in what they eat, and they are clamoring for quality foods--organic and nutrition-rich. They are rebelling against additives and toxins. They are also exploring "natural" medicine instead of having a blind faith in western doctors.
But this can be taken to extremes just like anything else. There are people who believe they don't ever need to see a doctor because they can "cure" whatever they have with the right combination of foods. They act like they can just eat their way out of any problem.
While in theory this may in fact be possible, as of right now there isn't anybody out there who knows the precise combination of foods for each individual person that will ward off or even cure all diseases. Even herbal remedies haven't been thoroughly tested and often they may not cure you but "rebalance" your body so that it can cure itself. Many work and many do not, and it may vary from person to person.
It is also problematic because these movements are partly a protest against western culture and medicine. They represent a desire to get back to whole foods and by working with the body in a holistic manner rather than filling us full of toxins and then having to fill us full of drugs when things go wrong. The problem is that these folks are treating food as if it is a drug. They are still in the "drug" mindset, even though they think they are protesting it. Eating grass-fed steak, despite being full of Omega-3's, is not the same as taking your heart medication. You can't pop steak cubes as if it were a pill and expect the same results. It works much, much differently.
Food is made up of chemicals and as such it can have curative properties, like a drug. However, it should be noted that natural, holistic health is usually focused on prevention and maintaining health rather than extreme cures. Drugs tend to have extreme concentrations of certain chemicals, whereas food normally does not. In my book, western medicine is still the place you need to go when things get out of hand. I think it would be a mistake for any person to put all their eggs in any one basket based on some hunch. I'll see a doctor when I need to and an herbalist/nutritionist as well. A lot of people die due to their blind faith in their doctors, but I have also personally seen people suffer by putting all their faith in "natural" cures that get them nowhere. Be smart and consider all options with an open mind.
Food by itself is also just one component of a healthy lifestyle. Putting a lot of wonderful foods in your body without an appropriate amount of exercise is like putting sugar in your coffee and not stirring. Sure, you'll get some sweetness, but you'll have to add a whole lot more to get the sweetness you need and in the end you just have a pile of sludge. The food movement and holistic medicine involve a deeper change in lifestyle and philosophy. It is not about popping pills or being passive while some doctor or herbalist "fixes" you. It is about taking an active and informed role in your own health and working at it day by day--listening to your body and sculpting the lifestyle that is conducive to good health.
But this can be taken to extremes just like anything else. There are people who believe they don't ever need to see a doctor because they can "cure" whatever they have with the right combination of foods. They act like they can just eat their way out of any problem.
While in theory this may in fact be possible, as of right now there isn't anybody out there who knows the precise combination of foods for each individual person that will ward off or even cure all diseases. Even herbal remedies haven't been thoroughly tested and often they may not cure you but "rebalance" your body so that it can cure itself. Many work and many do not, and it may vary from person to person.
It is also problematic because these movements are partly a protest against western culture and medicine. They represent a desire to get back to whole foods and by working with the body in a holistic manner rather than filling us full of toxins and then having to fill us full of drugs when things go wrong. The problem is that these folks are treating food as if it is a drug. They are still in the "drug" mindset, even though they think they are protesting it. Eating grass-fed steak, despite being full of Omega-3's, is not the same as taking your heart medication. You can't pop steak cubes as if it were a pill and expect the same results. It works much, much differently.
Food is made up of chemicals and as such it can have curative properties, like a drug. However, it should be noted that natural, holistic health is usually focused on prevention and maintaining health rather than extreme cures. Drugs tend to have extreme concentrations of certain chemicals, whereas food normally does not. In my book, western medicine is still the place you need to go when things get out of hand. I think it would be a mistake for any person to put all their eggs in any one basket based on some hunch. I'll see a doctor when I need to and an herbalist/nutritionist as well. A lot of people die due to their blind faith in their doctors, but I have also personally seen people suffer by putting all their faith in "natural" cures that get them nowhere. Be smart and consider all options with an open mind.
Food by itself is also just one component of a healthy lifestyle. Putting a lot of wonderful foods in your body without an appropriate amount of exercise is like putting sugar in your coffee and not stirring. Sure, you'll get some sweetness, but you'll have to add a whole lot more to get the sweetness you need and in the end you just have a pile of sludge. The food movement and holistic medicine involve a deeper change in lifestyle and philosophy. It is not about popping pills or being passive while some doctor or herbalist "fixes" you. It is about taking an active and informed role in your own health and working at it day by day--listening to your body and sculpting the lifestyle that is conducive to good health.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Eating Meat: Ethical Issues
Vegetarian culture would have you believe that simply not eating meat is the appropriate way to deal with ethical issues around animal cruelty and ecology. They have valid points, but the answer is not so simple:
If you choose not to eat industrial-raised meats, you are definitely saving animals from a cruel life and a cruel death. You are saving chickens from living virtually their entire lives in tight cages nor cows pumped full of hormones and antibiotics. However, what you are also doing is making it so that some animals are not raised at all. When the demand for such meats goes down, producers will simply raise fewer animals. Those animals will never have a life at all, cruel or otherwise. Would the animals really thank you for that? Hard to say.
You can eat sustainably raised meats. The problem is that the more animals raised on farms just translates into less land available as natural ecosystems. Maybe the chickens you ate were sustainably raised, but a small forest glen had to be cleared out to make room for them to live. Numerous animals in their natural habitat died off to make room for the livestock.
At this point in history, we are seeing the last remnants of widespread natural ecologies. What I mean is that human population is growing so densely over the earth that natural ecosystems will soon only exist in isolated pockets. Large-scale migrations of animals across hundreds of miles may actually cease to exist. When was the last time you saw tens of thousands of buffalo stampeding across the Midwestern plains? How many salmon waterways are still open today, compared to what their once were? You have animals like deer and raccoons who can slip in between the cracks and live between humans, but there is a great cost compared to what was once there.
I often opt for seafood at a restaurant. I prefer wild caught, since farm-raised fish are often worse for the ecology than wild caught. I figure that at least the animal lived a normal life and had a relatively normal death, for a fish. But I also know that the waters are being depleted. The more fishing that is done, the worse the oceans become. Many popular fish species are near extinction, and the ecology of the oceans hangs in the balance. Maybe this fish I am eating is a sustainable choice if you evaluate it as an individual animal, but the overall impact of the fishing industry brings suffering to untold millions of sea animals just to get me the few fish I eat. Am I saving animals from cruelty by eating this wild caught fish?
Eating meat is part of nature. Lions would die if they had to eat grass--they eat other animals. However, if the lions did not eat them, those prey animals would eventually overpopulate and die. The cycle of life and death is part of nature, and there is no way to escape it. If you could somehow disallow animals from killing each other, soon the lions would die of starvation and then their prey would fall on hard times, too. Perhaps an entire species of deer would die off due to overpopulation, rather than just a few being taken here and there by lions which keeps the whole species in check.
In our modern tree-hugging culture, we like to think that every living creature can live to full health and happiness all together in one loving ecology. That is not true: nature is a constant fight for survival, and one death only brings life to someone else. It's not pretty, but it is what it is.
The reputation of the Native Americans seems to fit the best: Take what you need, use what you have, and respectfully leave the rest.
If you choose not to eat industrial-raised meats, you are definitely saving animals from a cruel life and a cruel death. You are saving chickens from living virtually their entire lives in tight cages nor cows pumped full of hormones and antibiotics. However, what you are also doing is making it so that some animals are not raised at all. When the demand for such meats goes down, producers will simply raise fewer animals. Those animals will never have a life at all, cruel or otherwise. Would the animals really thank you for that? Hard to say.
You can eat sustainably raised meats. The problem is that the more animals raised on farms just translates into less land available as natural ecosystems. Maybe the chickens you ate were sustainably raised, but a small forest glen had to be cleared out to make room for them to live. Numerous animals in their natural habitat died off to make room for the livestock.
At this point in history, we are seeing the last remnants of widespread natural ecologies. What I mean is that human population is growing so densely over the earth that natural ecosystems will soon only exist in isolated pockets. Large-scale migrations of animals across hundreds of miles may actually cease to exist. When was the last time you saw tens of thousands of buffalo stampeding across the Midwestern plains? How many salmon waterways are still open today, compared to what their once were? You have animals like deer and raccoons who can slip in between the cracks and live between humans, but there is a great cost compared to what was once there.
I often opt for seafood at a restaurant. I prefer wild caught, since farm-raised fish are often worse for the ecology than wild caught. I figure that at least the animal lived a normal life and had a relatively normal death, for a fish. But I also know that the waters are being depleted. The more fishing that is done, the worse the oceans become. Many popular fish species are near extinction, and the ecology of the oceans hangs in the balance. Maybe this fish I am eating is a sustainable choice if you evaluate it as an individual animal, but the overall impact of the fishing industry brings suffering to untold millions of sea animals just to get me the few fish I eat. Am I saving animals from cruelty by eating this wild caught fish?
Eating meat is part of nature. Lions would die if they had to eat grass--they eat other animals. However, if the lions did not eat them, those prey animals would eventually overpopulate and die. The cycle of life and death is part of nature, and there is no way to escape it. If you could somehow disallow animals from killing each other, soon the lions would die of starvation and then their prey would fall on hard times, too. Perhaps an entire species of deer would die off due to overpopulation, rather than just a few being taken here and there by lions which keeps the whole species in check.
In our modern tree-hugging culture, we like to think that every living creature can live to full health and happiness all together in one loving ecology. That is not true: nature is a constant fight for survival, and one death only brings life to someone else. It's not pretty, but it is what it is.
The reputation of the Native Americans seems to fit the best: Take what you need, use what you have, and respectfully leave the rest.
Monday, November 3, 2008
The Price of Gas: The National Distraction
Few things are as hotly discussed as the price of gasoline. I know people who will make a special trip to the gas station when they hear reports of a price change of a few cents on the gallon. I scratch my head when I realize that 2 cents off a gallon only gives you only an extra 20 cents in your pocket on a 10 gallon tank. It doesn't logically make sense to put that much attention into something with so little payback. People will give their dimes away when you need help at the vending machine, yet they run out at lunch to save the same. I call it The National Distraction.
Let's say I have a 10-gallon tank and that I fill up 4 times a month at $4/gallon, for simplicity's sake. At its peak, that would run me $160/month and $1920/year.
If prices went down to $3.50 that would be $140/month and $1680/year--a difference of only $240 over the course of an entire year and only and extra $20/month in my pocket!
Right now, we are seeing prices at half of $4. Well, that's $80/month and $960/year, and we are starting to see some significant savings.
We could all do wonderful things with an extra grand in our pocket for a year. But keep in mind this is an extreme example where you are taking the price of gas and cutting it exactly in half and being able to sustain that price level for an entire year. Gas prices were not at $4 for an entire year, nor will they be at $2 for an entire year.
The bottom line is that with all the nervousness over the price of gas, when you factor in your actual travel against the fluctuations in the price, you may be looking at a difference of only a few hundred bucks over the course of a year and only an extra Hamilton in your wallet each month.
By no means am I suggesting that pricing is fair, nor am I trying to justify the runaway profits of oil companies.
I realize small business owners as well as those with large SUV's with high mileage can actually measure their gas expenses in the thousands of dollars a year, and these folks are more acutely sensitive to the price of gas. Also, an extra $20/month for a poor family can make a huge difference, as well.
But for most of us, it is really not going to make much of a difference. I'm not saying it's not a big deal--I am only wondering if it is worth all the attention folks give it. Get a fuel efficient car, try to reduce your miles by carpooling and consolidating your trips, and quit worrying about the price change of a few cents. Try to put your attention on projects that will really save you much more money than keeping yourself on the lookout for the cheapest station to fuel at.
The real problem with the price of gas is when everything on the store shelves becomes more expensive as every company has to pay higher costs to ship their products. This is where the real threat comes into play.
If you really want to save money, consider these:
25-50% of food is wasted in American homes. Look at your food budget and you may see hundreds of dollars of potential savings there!
Try greening your home. This site says the average home in my zip code can save $682/year. It does require some investment, but it will continue to pay out year after year. It is also good for the environment. It is also something--unlike gas prices--that you have real control over.
Let's say I have a 10-gallon tank and that I fill up 4 times a month at $4/gallon, for simplicity's sake. At its peak, that would run me $160/month and $1920/year.
If prices went down to $3.50 that would be $140/month and $1680/year--a difference of only $240 over the course of an entire year and only and extra $20/month in my pocket!
Right now, we are seeing prices at half of $4. Well, that's $80/month and $960/year, and we are starting to see some significant savings.
We could all do wonderful things with an extra grand in our pocket for a year. But keep in mind this is an extreme example where you are taking the price of gas and cutting it exactly in half and being able to sustain that price level for an entire year. Gas prices were not at $4 for an entire year, nor will they be at $2 for an entire year.
The bottom line is that with all the nervousness over the price of gas, when you factor in your actual travel against the fluctuations in the price, you may be looking at a difference of only a few hundred bucks over the course of a year and only an extra Hamilton in your wallet each month.
By no means am I suggesting that pricing is fair, nor am I trying to justify the runaway profits of oil companies.
I realize small business owners as well as those with large SUV's with high mileage can actually measure their gas expenses in the thousands of dollars a year, and these folks are more acutely sensitive to the price of gas. Also, an extra $20/month for a poor family can make a huge difference, as well.
But for most of us, it is really not going to make much of a difference. I'm not saying it's not a big deal--I am only wondering if it is worth all the attention folks give it. Get a fuel efficient car, try to reduce your miles by carpooling and consolidating your trips, and quit worrying about the price change of a few cents. Try to put your attention on projects that will really save you much more money than keeping yourself on the lookout for the cheapest station to fuel at.
The real problem with the price of gas is when everything on the store shelves becomes more expensive as every company has to pay higher costs to ship their products. This is where the real threat comes into play.
If you really want to save money, consider these:
25-50% of food is wasted in American homes. Look at your food budget and you may see hundreds of dollars of potential savings there!
Try greening your home. This site says the average home in my zip code can save $682/year. It does require some investment, but it will continue to pay out year after year. It is also good for the environment. It is also something--unlike gas prices--that you have real control over.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
So Far, So Good
I renewed and expanded my commitment to eat only humanely-raised meats, eggs and milk about a month ago. It has been difficult, since I don't have a freezer full of meat like I did last year. It was convenient always having that around. I have to be more vigilant and go to specialty stores, and they are expensive. I will soon buy a quarter cow of grass fed, organic beef to cut my costs and load up my freezer.
I eat vegetarian at restaurants, now. This is the one area that I was very lax last year. While my grocery meat purchases were right on the money, I would eat anything if it came from a restaurant. This is the major place I have changed this time around.
A few days after I made my commitment, however, I was hungry late at night and indulged in some Chinese food loaded with no doubt factory-raised chicken. Aside from that one instance, I've kept my commitment rather well.
It can get extreme if I factor in all the eggs, milk and animals fats that are ingredients in just about everything. I try not to worry about all that and focus my attention on the items with large components of animal products.
I picked up a couple of whole chickens at the farmers market. I use them to make soup and usually extract some meat for sandwiches. I also have been eating a lot of fish.
Wild caught fish is a good option, since the animal did not live in confinement and probably suffered little at the end, comparatively speaking. However, the fishing industry as a whole is causing massive turmoil in all of our waters, so it is not a perfect choice. But knowing that none of our food choices is perfect helps me to make the best of it. Even if you eat only vegetables, if they are raised through conventional agricultural methods they are contributing to destruction of ecosystems and global warming when you factor in pesticide usage and erosion. But you can avoid cruelty to animals and have a smaller environmental impact overall by eating vegetarian or properly-raised meats.
Restaurants
I ask for the veggie patties at Subway. They are not on the menu, so you have to ask for them specifically. Most Subways carry them, but not all. They are quite good!
I eat pork and chicken at Chipotle. They are listed as "naturally raised" in Columbus, OH (each restaurant may be different, so you have to check what their menu says). I am under no delusions that this meat would meet all my ethical standards, but I support their efforts to bring better quality meats to the mainstream markets. A chain like Chipotle is large enough to help the industry develop in size and infrastructure, making the work of the next generation of meat vendors easier. Hopefully, we will see meats from animals not raised in confinement and completely organic, but what we have now is a start.
A baked potato and caesar salad at Wendy's isn't a bad lunch, either. I'm a growing boy, so I can often get spacey if I go too long without a substantial meal, so it takes some work to find suitable alternatives to meat. My foray at the Chinese restaurant above was due to not planning and then having a major protein crash. Keeping trail mix conveniently stashed in my car or desk at work helps out in case I get hungry and a substantial meal is too far away.
It has taken some adjustment, as I often eat meat only once a day now, and there are longer gaps between servings. It is best when I can avoid restaurants, especially fast food, but it is unrealistic to think that I can avoid them altogether. The best options in town are the Whole World Bakery & Restaurant, one of the Aladdin's locations or the Northstar Cafe's. The latter serves grass-fed beef and free range turkey as well as great vegetarian meals.
I eat vegetarian at restaurants, now. This is the one area that I was very lax last year. While my grocery meat purchases were right on the money, I would eat anything if it came from a restaurant. This is the major place I have changed this time around.
A few days after I made my commitment, however, I was hungry late at night and indulged in some Chinese food loaded with no doubt factory-raised chicken. Aside from that one instance, I've kept my commitment rather well.
It can get extreme if I factor in all the eggs, milk and animals fats that are ingredients in just about everything. I try not to worry about all that and focus my attention on the items with large components of animal products.
I picked up a couple of whole chickens at the farmers market. I use them to make soup and usually extract some meat for sandwiches. I also have been eating a lot of fish.
Wild caught fish is a good option, since the animal did not live in confinement and probably suffered little at the end, comparatively speaking. However, the fishing industry as a whole is causing massive turmoil in all of our waters, so it is not a perfect choice. But knowing that none of our food choices is perfect helps me to make the best of it. Even if you eat only vegetables, if they are raised through conventional agricultural methods they are contributing to destruction of ecosystems and global warming when you factor in pesticide usage and erosion. But you can avoid cruelty to animals and have a smaller environmental impact overall by eating vegetarian or properly-raised meats.
Restaurants
I ask for the veggie patties at Subway. They are not on the menu, so you have to ask for them specifically. Most Subways carry them, but not all. They are quite good!
I eat pork and chicken at Chipotle. They are listed as "naturally raised" in Columbus, OH (each restaurant may be different, so you have to check what their menu says). I am under no delusions that this meat would meet all my ethical standards, but I support their efforts to bring better quality meats to the mainstream markets. A chain like Chipotle is large enough to help the industry develop in size and infrastructure, making the work of the next generation of meat vendors easier. Hopefully, we will see meats from animals not raised in confinement and completely organic, but what we have now is a start.
A baked potato and caesar salad at Wendy's isn't a bad lunch, either. I'm a growing boy, so I can often get spacey if I go too long without a substantial meal, so it takes some work to find suitable alternatives to meat. My foray at the Chinese restaurant above was due to not planning and then having a major protein crash. Keeping trail mix conveniently stashed in my car or desk at work helps out in case I get hungry and a substantial meal is too far away.
It has taken some adjustment, as I often eat meat only once a day now, and there are longer gaps between servings. It is best when I can avoid restaurants, especially fast food, but it is unrealistic to think that I can avoid them altogether. The best options in town are the Whole World Bakery & Restaurant, one of the Aladdin's locations or the Northstar Cafe's. The latter serves grass-fed beef and free range turkey as well as great vegetarian meals.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Smart Lifestyle Changes for the Environment
I bought a reusable, hemp coffee filter. I don't remember the brand, but it is kinda like these. I bought it at the local co-op. It is sold as an eco-friendly way to make coffee. Nice.
However, I feel like I am always nursing this thing. I reverse it inside-out and scrape off the grounds with a butter knife, although it often splatters. The grounds always stick in the seams and are a pain to get out. I try to hang it out to dry before scraping, but if it gets too dry, the grounds will shoot all over the place with the slightest touch. I used to rinse off the filter. Then I started to wonder if all the extra water was offsetting the environmental benefits of a reusable product. I only rinse it occasionally, now. The manufacturer recommends boiling the filter in water every once in a while to kill off germs and thoroughly clean it.
This is a daily hastle, and I'm not sure if it is worth it. I probably save a few boxes of coffee filters a year. I used to buy unbleached filters, and would throw all the used grounds (filter and all) right into the compost bin. The box would be sent to the recycling bin. Unbleached filters are kinder to the environment at the point of manufacture and being able to directly compost the product makes for less waste. Reusing is always better than recycling, but disposable filters seem to have minimal environmental impact in the first place.
I'm not sure if the coffee filter industry is bad enough that it deserves this much time and attention. There is certainly nothing wrong with having a reusable filter. It would be great to have reusable everything. But I also know that you can easily spend every waking hour of your day making your life greener. Most of us are going to make certain changes and leave the rest--but not all green changes are equal.
Here's my concern: We may pacify ourselves by making these drop-in-the-bucket changes in our carbon footprint but ignore the big stuff. No amount of reusable coffee filters can offset the miles driven in our cars or our home heating and A/C energy use. Our time and energy would be better spent insulating our water heaters or homes. We would be better served researching for the most fuel efficient car or experimenting with the bus lines. Other folks go out and buy new clothes regularly, which accounts for a significant strain on our environment through agriculture, pesticides and oil-based fuels.
I totally recommend the reusable coffee filter. It's a little more hastle, but it is nice--and you never run out of filters or have to use paper towels as a substitute. But don't let it lull you into thinking you are somehow "green." If you want to go green, try to target the changes that will have the biggest impact. Don't drive yourself neurotic trying to save a single coffee filter every morning and leave no energy for the big things!
However, I feel like I am always nursing this thing. I reverse it inside-out and scrape off the grounds with a butter knife, although it often splatters. The grounds always stick in the seams and are a pain to get out. I try to hang it out to dry before scraping, but if it gets too dry, the grounds will shoot all over the place with the slightest touch. I used to rinse off the filter. Then I started to wonder if all the extra water was offsetting the environmental benefits of a reusable product. I only rinse it occasionally, now. The manufacturer recommends boiling the filter in water every once in a while to kill off germs and thoroughly clean it.
This is a daily hastle, and I'm not sure if it is worth it. I probably save a few boxes of coffee filters a year. I used to buy unbleached filters, and would throw all the used grounds (filter and all) right into the compost bin. The box would be sent to the recycling bin. Unbleached filters are kinder to the environment at the point of manufacture and being able to directly compost the product makes for less waste. Reusing is always better than recycling, but disposable filters seem to have minimal environmental impact in the first place.
I'm not sure if the coffee filter industry is bad enough that it deserves this much time and attention. There is certainly nothing wrong with having a reusable filter. It would be great to have reusable everything. But I also know that you can easily spend every waking hour of your day making your life greener. Most of us are going to make certain changes and leave the rest--but not all green changes are equal.
Here's my concern: We may pacify ourselves by making these drop-in-the-bucket changes in our carbon footprint but ignore the big stuff. No amount of reusable coffee filters can offset the miles driven in our cars or our home heating and A/C energy use. Our time and energy would be better spent insulating our water heaters or homes. We would be better served researching for the most fuel efficient car or experimenting with the bus lines. Other folks go out and buy new clothes regularly, which accounts for a significant strain on our environment through agriculture, pesticides and oil-based fuels.
I totally recommend the reusable coffee filter. It's a little more hastle, but it is nice--and you never run out of filters or have to use paper towels as a substitute. But don't let it lull you into thinking you are somehow "green." If you want to go green, try to target the changes that will have the biggest impact. Don't drive yourself neurotic trying to save a single coffee filter every morning and leave no energy for the big things!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Going, Going Granola . . . Gone!
I realized yesterday how far I've come on the trek toward a healthy diet.
I spent the day snacking on apples and cashews. Meals were full of whole grains and other healthy foods. Here's the amazing realization: It never once occurred to me that I was sacrificing or depriving myself in any way.
You have to understand that while I have opted for healthy foods in the past, those decisions came with a bit of discipline. I enjoyed them, but if I were to hit the grocery store uninhibited, I would have often opted for something else. I wasn't forcing myself with clenched fists, but at the same time, it wasn't the most natural change in habit, either. Yesterday, I realized how much I have weaned myself off of those temptations.
I can still give a bag of chips a run for its money. No, I'm not as good as I once was, as Toby Keith will tell you, but I'm still as good once as I ever was. However, when it comes to chips, you can find me munching on Kettle Brand or some organic corn chips with salsa instead of Doritos (which I absolutely never, ever touch anymore). I don't miss Doritos at all. In fact, I resent them. They are addictive (probably due to the high MSG content). Even worse, I have always blamed them for getting cancer. Whether that is fair or not, I don't know, but I stay the hell away from them, and I have all sorts of vicious anger toward them. A couple times I have bought a bag of Doritos and then just sat there as I realized my rage for being hooked on something that might be killing me, and I then suddenly grabbed the bag and threw it into the trash with all my might. It's personal.
Note: There are mixed reports as to whether Kettle Brand products are all perfect angels with regards to additives, but in any case I consider them to be significantly better than Doritos.
I am disappointed as I scan the contents of grocery carts of other people. They are stuffed full of frozen pizzas, prepared meals, candy, pop tarts, deli counter meals, carbonated beverages, you name it. There is hardly anything that hasn't been significantly modified and chock full of additives. My cart? Potatoes, onions, 100% juices, whole grains, dried beans, etc. "Prepared" foods are still very basic and would include things like hummus, salsa and guacamole and the Ezekiel Brand cereals.
I spent the day snacking on apples and cashews. Meals were full of whole grains and other healthy foods. Here's the amazing realization: It never once occurred to me that I was sacrificing or depriving myself in any way.
You have to understand that while I have opted for healthy foods in the past, those decisions came with a bit of discipline. I enjoyed them, but if I were to hit the grocery store uninhibited, I would have often opted for something else. I wasn't forcing myself with clenched fists, but at the same time, it wasn't the most natural change in habit, either. Yesterday, I realized how much I have weaned myself off of those temptations.
I can still give a bag of chips a run for its money. No, I'm not as good as I once was, as Toby Keith will tell you, but I'm still as good once as I ever was. However, when it comes to chips, you can find me munching on Kettle Brand or some organic corn chips with salsa instead of Doritos (which I absolutely never, ever touch anymore). I don't miss Doritos at all. In fact, I resent them. They are addictive (probably due to the high MSG content). Even worse, I have always blamed them for getting cancer. Whether that is fair or not, I don't know, but I stay the hell away from them, and I have all sorts of vicious anger toward them. A couple times I have bought a bag of Doritos and then just sat there as I realized my rage for being hooked on something that might be killing me, and I then suddenly grabbed the bag and threw it into the trash with all my might. It's personal.
Note: There are mixed reports as to whether Kettle Brand products are all perfect angels with regards to additives, but in any case I consider them to be significantly better than Doritos.
I am disappointed as I scan the contents of grocery carts of other people. They are stuffed full of frozen pizzas, prepared meals, candy, pop tarts, deli counter meals, carbonated beverages, you name it. There is hardly anything that hasn't been significantly modified and chock full of additives. My cart? Potatoes, onions, 100% juices, whole grains, dried beans, etc. "Prepared" foods are still very basic and would include things like hummus, salsa and guacamole and the Ezekiel Brand cereals.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Tomorrow Morning, 9:00 AM
Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone woke up tomorrow morning and decided unanimously not to do anything until all the suffering of the world were taken care of?
Some people say they are called to help the needy, like some kind of religious vocation. Some don't feel called. But do you feel called when your mother gets sick? Do you feel called when your best friend is in trouble? No, you respond out of a deep impulse within you. Instinctively, you jump into action, as if the whole world stopped right then and there. If your mother needed you, there would be no hill or mountain that could stand in your way.
I think this is what Jesus is getting at when he wants us to rethink our family relations. All people are your brothers and sisters. The same instinctive, immediate response to the suffering of one of your blood family members should be the same response you feel whenever anyone is suffering. All people are your family.
Our ancestors who lived several thousand years ago had an edge on us. Living in isolated villages, many of them probably lived out their entire lives without knowing that there is extensive suffering in the world. They went to sleep at night not realizing there were hungry people they could have helped.
If a neighbor fell on some catastrophe in one of those ancient villages, I would imagine people would have helped out. House burned down? Just stay with the folks next door. Food supply went bad? The town will pull together to cover the difference. How could you go to bed at night knowing the folks in the next hut are literally starving to death while you have plenty of food? You wouldn't let that happen. Human nature being what it is, I'm sure it was a few steps removed from utopia, but I think it is quite possible that basic needs were met in one way or another in a lot of these places.
We don't have that luxury today. We know that there are millions upon millions of desperately suffering people--from sickness, famine, war, drought, homelessness, emotional anguish, you name it. This is one of the most shocking changes in human culture over the last 100 years: We hear statistics like 'so many thousands of people die of hunger every minute.' People who lived previously saw suffering, for sure, but they didn't have quite that same information in front of them. What that does to our souls is something I don't want to consider.
I just wish all people expressed a collective "No!" one day. Let's not do a single thing until every person goes to bed with a full belly. Let's all stop everything we're doing and hit this hard--with the same fervor as if it were our very mother who were hungry, with the same immediacy as if it were our own levees that were about to fail. Let's take to the streets, boldly go where no one has gone before, and get 'er done!
Some people say they are called to help the needy, like some kind of religious vocation. Some don't feel called. But do you feel called when your mother gets sick? Do you feel called when your best friend is in trouble? No, you respond out of a deep impulse within you. Instinctively, you jump into action, as if the whole world stopped right then and there. If your mother needed you, there would be no hill or mountain that could stand in your way.
I think this is what Jesus is getting at when he wants us to rethink our family relations. All people are your brothers and sisters. The same instinctive, immediate response to the suffering of one of your blood family members should be the same response you feel whenever anyone is suffering. All people are your family.
Our ancestors who lived several thousand years ago had an edge on us. Living in isolated villages, many of them probably lived out their entire lives without knowing that there is extensive suffering in the world. They went to sleep at night not realizing there were hungry people they could have helped.
If a neighbor fell on some catastrophe in one of those ancient villages, I would imagine people would have helped out. House burned down? Just stay with the folks next door. Food supply went bad? The town will pull together to cover the difference. How could you go to bed at night knowing the folks in the next hut are literally starving to death while you have plenty of food? You wouldn't let that happen. Human nature being what it is, I'm sure it was a few steps removed from utopia, but I think it is quite possible that basic needs were met in one way or another in a lot of these places.
We don't have that luxury today. We know that there are millions upon millions of desperately suffering people--from sickness, famine, war, drought, homelessness, emotional anguish, you name it. This is one of the most shocking changes in human culture over the last 100 years: We hear statistics like 'so many thousands of people die of hunger every minute.' People who lived previously saw suffering, for sure, but they didn't have quite that same information in front of them. What that does to our souls is something I don't want to consider.
I just wish all people expressed a collective "No!" one day. Let's not do a single thing until every person goes to bed with a full belly. Let's all stop everything we're doing and hit this hard--with the same fervor as if it were our very mother who were hungry, with the same immediacy as if it were our own levees that were about to fail. Let's take to the streets, boldly go where no one has gone before, and get 'er done!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Meat-Eating Vegetarian
Despite the fact that I had a freezer full of beef and pork all last year, I actually consider myself a vegetarian. Well, I'm a meat-eating vegetarian. How can this be?
I support many of the arguments for a reduced meat diet. The environmental devastation due to the conventional meat industry as well as cruelty to animals are each enough of a reason in my book to steer clear and away.
Other than that, I am not against eating meat. Some animals species are simply designed to eat meat and that's the way it is. The cycles of nature depend on it or else animals would die from overpopulation. I don't subscribe to the idea that eating meat is unhealthy--although that largely depends on what you eat specifically and your overall lifestyle (which is true for anything you eat).
I tried to be a vegetarian for a while and managed to stick with it for a few months (with meat supplements about every 5-7 days). I was actually surprised that I liked it. It took a while to learn how to cook differently. I was eating nothing but eggs with a can of pinto beans, because I couldn't figure out what else to prepare. I almost went into a panic at first, with my stomach grumbling, my mind hazy and the cupboards bare. It took my body a while to transition, too. But when it was all said and done I didn't miss the meat as much as I thought I would. I was gorging myself on nuts, fruits, beans, whole grains, salads and other things I've always neglected. I discovered a lot of new dishes. It was nice going to restaurants and only having to pick from 2 options instead of wading through a 10 page menu.
However, I did not do well on the diet. Despite my best efforts to make it nutritionally balanced, I just felt like crap. I discovered later that a vegetarian diet is a problem for some people. Deficiencies of B-12, beta carotene, iron and calcium can happen. Some people are able to manage better than others, usually based on which part of the world your ancestors came from. I thought it was in my blood--my grandparents grew up in Slovakia with only occasional options for meat.
I support many of the arguments for a reduced meat diet. The environmental devastation due to the conventional meat industry as well as cruelty to animals are each enough of a reason in my book to steer clear and away.
Other than that, I am not against eating meat. Some animals species are simply designed to eat meat and that's the way it is. The cycles of nature depend on it or else animals would die from overpopulation. I don't subscribe to the idea that eating meat is unhealthy--although that largely depends on what you eat specifically and your overall lifestyle (which is true for anything you eat).
I tried to be a vegetarian for a while and managed to stick with it for a few months (with meat supplements about every 5-7 days). I was actually surprised that I liked it. It took a while to learn how to cook differently. I was eating nothing but eggs with a can of pinto beans, because I couldn't figure out what else to prepare. I almost went into a panic at first, with my stomach grumbling, my mind hazy and the cupboards bare. It took my body a while to transition, too. But when it was all said and done I didn't miss the meat as much as I thought I would. I was gorging myself on nuts, fruits, beans, whole grains, salads and other things I've always neglected. I discovered a lot of new dishes. It was nice going to restaurants and only having to pick from 2 options instead of wading through a 10 page menu.
However, I did not do well on the diet. Despite my best efforts to make it nutritionally balanced, I just felt like crap. I discovered later that a vegetarian diet is a problem for some people. Deficiencies of B-12, beta carotene, iron and calcium can happen. Some people are able to manage better than others, usually based on which part of the world your ancestors came from. I thought it was in my blood--my grandparents grew up in Slovakia with only occasional options for meat.
Being a vegetarian--however briefly--was an invaluable experience and I recommend it for everyone. I learned how to enjoy meatless meals more than ever. I trained my body to go without meat for sustained periods. Sure, I have always enjoyed a vegetarian meal every now and then, but I used to feel empty--even angry--if I went a full day without meat. It was good to break that meat addiction.
Still, being a full-time vegetarian just wasn't working for me at all. I decided to go back to eating meats, limiting myself to properly raised ones. As far as I'm concerned, eating naturally-raised meats offsets most of the vegetarian arguments. In some cases, eating these meats may actually be better for the environment than eating conventional vegetables!
When the power went out, I threw out the last of my meat. Being suddenly without, I got a wake-up call. When I had a freezer full of meat, I got lazy. I had a constant supply of exceptional quality meat. I bought it in bulk and got a rather good deal. If I was looking for some variety, I'd get a chicken from the farmers market or some wild caught salmon every now and then. Normally, I would just go to the freezer anytime I wanted to eat, and kept items thawing on a regular basis in the fridge.
Without that, I have suddenly remembered how expensive and difficult it is to find this kind of meat on a cut-by-cut basis. Stores like Whole Foods are outrageously expensive and stores are not exactly in everyone's backyard. Farmers markets are open mostly on weekends. Buying in bulk takes a good deal of planning and sometimes involves a wait of a month or two.
Last year, I did pretty well. I bought virtually no meat from the grocery stores that wasn't raised well. Over 99% of the meat I bought fit this description. However, I was just horrible when it came to restaurants. I ate there indiscriminately. I'd eat the naturally-raised option when restaurants like Chipotle would offer it. But if they didn't, I pretty much ate anything. This is what I need to work on.
I am here to state my re-commitment. I only want to eat meats that are sustainably and humanely raised. I'll make exceptions for when I'm invited to someone's house. But there is no reason why I can't eat vegetarian at restaurants.Monday, September 22, 2008
Gardening, Year 2
What a difference a year makes.
Last year, you couldn't stop the tomatoes if you tried. Just about any summer vegetable thrived in the pleasant planting weather then subsequent steady summer sun.
However, the fruit trees were bare. An early thaw in February caused the trees to bud, only to be re-frozen as the winter returned. The onslaught of the Japanese Beetles combined with birds made sure there was nary a grape to be had in the land.
This year, spring vegetables were outstanding. We took a chance and planted way before the frost date, knowing in our bones another frost was not going to happen. We planted an early crop of spinach, potatoes, lettuce and peas, and they all produced famously. We expected the summer to continue in like fashion, but it was not to be had. Tomatoes stumbled to a weak harvest. Peppers were interrupted by some parched days and have only now started to recover (better management on our part would have helped). The broccoli bolted. Cute lil cucumber beetles ransacked our pumpkins, cukes and gourds. Basil, however, could not be stopped. Carrots and beets did just fine, too.
Then all of a sudden, there was fruit! Peaches were falling off the trees, a little unripe but sweet and juicy. We picked them early to beat the squirrels to them. A couple of baskets of grapes were picked, which Erin made into jelly (we lost much of it in the power outage). Then we discovered an old apple tree! Small but great tasting apples right out of the backyard! A little pruning and that tree may have a lot of fruit left in it to give.
I never had much hope for the fruit. In my grandma's yard growing up, there was a virtual orchard of trees, but if my dad didn't spray them, you would be hard pressed to find any fruit that wasn't absolutely invaded with insects. I once picked a couple pecks of small apples that my mom got me to sell to Nolan's grocery store in Garrettsville. The good hearted owner bought them off of me, knowing he couldn't make a dime off of them. We'd go into the store in the days and weeks to follow, and I'd see my little apples still sitting there, untouched. Nowadays, local, fresh produce would be appealing to consumers, but at the time they looked so pale and sickly next to the robust commercial fruit. So I was pleasantly surprised to see Erin's unsprayed, organic trees yielding edible fruit.
Berry bushes and asparagus have been planted this year and last, so hopefully it won't be long before they start yielding, as well.
Last year, you couldn't stop the tomatoes if you tried. Just about any summer vegetable thrived in the pleasant planting weather then subsequent steady summer sun.
However, the fruit trees were bare. An early thaw in February caused the trees to bud, only to be re-frozen as the winter returned. The onslaught of the Japanese Beetles combined with birds made sure there was nary a grape to be had in the land.
This year, spring vegetables were outstanding. We took a chance and planted way before the frost date, knowing in our bones another frost was not going to happen. We planted an early crop of spinach, potatoes, lettuce and peas, and they all produced famously. We expected the summer to continue in like fashion, but it was not to be had. Tomatoes stumbled to a weak harvest. Peppers were interrupted by some parched days and have only now started to recover (better management on our part would have helped). The broccoli bolted. Cute lil cucumber beetles ransacked our pumpkins, cukes and gourds. Basil, however, could not be stopped. Carrots and beets did just fine, too.
Then all of a sudden, there was fruit! Peaches were falling off the trees, a little unripe but sweet and juicy. We picked them early to beat the squirrels to them. A couple of baskets of grapes were picked, which Erin made into jelly (we lost much of it in the power outage). Then we discovered an old apple tree! Small but great tasting apples right out of the backyard! A little pruning and that tree may have a lot of fruit left in it to give.
I never had much hope for the fruit. In my grandma's yard growing up, there was a virtual orchard of trees, but if my dad didn't spray them, you would be hard pressed to find any fruit that wasn't absolutely invaded with insects. I once picked a couple pecks of small apples that my mom got me to sell to Nolan's grocery store in Garrettsville. The good hearted owner bought them off of me, knowing he couldn't make a dime off of them. We'd go into the store in the days and weeks to follow, and I'd see my little apples still sitting there, untouched. Nowadays, local, fresh produce would be appealing to consumers, but at the time they looked so pale and sickly next to the robust commercial fruit. So I was pleasantly surprised to see Erin's unsprayed, organic trees yielding edible fruit.
Berry bushes and asparagus have been planted this year and last, so hopefully it won't be long before they start yielding, as well.
Hatchet Man
Erin bought me a new hatchet, and I'm as happy Paul Bunyan in front of a stack of flapjacks.
She wanted some trees cut down. A neighbor volunteered to be right over with his chainsaw, but I calmly assured everyone that I could make quick work of these trees with my trusty hand saw. It was a male territorial thing.
The saw had served me well in the past, and I expected to need only a few minutes and some elbow grease. I bought the saw a couple years ago to cut down a Christmas tree. It was sharp and very handy. But then I tried using it the other day and it was like it had spontaneously quit. Like every tooth had gotten dull all on cue. I would've had better luck using a butter knife, it just would not make a dent in these trees.
So off we went to the store. I found something between an ax and a handheld hatchet. I wasn't sure to go the saw route or not, but gave this a try to try something new.
I couldn't believe how sharp and dexterous it was. I was tearing through these trees like Zorro. I had them felled and defoliated in moments. In just a swish-swish-swish they were reduced to a pile of fire wood and a pile of leaves for composting. Two chops did all the work that 20 minutes of shared labor on the saw could barely do.
As a teenager, I used to chop up wood for exercise and stress management. I'm not sure what my family did with all the firewood, but my dad often had big logs behind the barn, and I would go out usually with a hammer and wedge to split them up. It was very gratifying work and some serious exercise to boot. Axes and hatchets were frequently on the scene, as well.
My new one has the plastic handle molded over the head. I'm generally a traditionalist and prefer wood handles, but I can't argue with this. I'm surprised I didn't kill myself as a teenager with that ax head flying off the handle so many times. I'd put nails and all sorts of things in there to hold it in, but it would never fail to come off. This new one ain't going nowhere.
I'm thoroughly sore but feeling really, really good.
This is a fine time to find wood around Columbus. Virtually every house has piles of branches in the front from the Hurricane Ike windstorm last week. The city hasn't gotten around to picking it up, yet. Many homes even have neat stacks of freshly cut firewood just sitting out there. I have never seen anything like it. In the country, you may see a "Firewood 4 Sale" sign but I have never seen piles of logs just sitting by the curb waiting for someone to pick them up. Never.
We got two loads in Erin's Scion just driving around the block. I'd toss my hatchet in the back and we'd be off for another wood cutting adventure. The truth is that we didn't have to work very hard to get much of this wood, though. We were like rats in the grain silo. We'd just drive up to a house, pick the choice pieces then go off to the next one.
In a related thought, we removed the leaves from the large pile of branches in front of the house. The line of twisted, bare branches now looks like a World War II-era barricade. After the storm, we dragged the wreckage to the front like the neighbors were doing, but as the days have gone on we have realized the value and started picking out wood, mulch and kindling. We ended up with 3 large piles of leaves to mulch the garden. I wonder how many people will buy fertilizer and yet let the city take away piles of grass and leaves from their yard. I'm composting lots of wood chips and twigs as well, but decided to let some of it go just due to volume. However, if the pile is still there at the end of work today, we may just take the rest of it to the back for keeping.
She wanted some trees cut down. A neighbor volunteered to be right over with his chainsaw, but I calmly assured everyone that I could make quick work of these trees with my trusty hand saw. It was a male territorial thing.
The saw had served me well in the past, and I expected to need only a few minutes and some elbow grease. I bought the saw a couple years ago to cut down a Christmas tree. It was sharp and very handy. But then I tried using it the other day and it was like it had spontaneously quit. Like every tooth had gotten dull all on cue. I would've had better luck using a butter knife, it just would not make a dent in these trees.
So off we went to the store. I found something between an ax and a handheld hatchet. I wasn't sure to go the saw route or not, but gave this a try to try something new.
I couldn't believe how sharp and dexterous it was. I was tearing through these trees like Zorro. I had them felled and defoliated in moments. In just a swish-swish-swish they were reduced to a pile of fire wood and a pile of leaves for composting. Two chops did all the work that 20 minutes of shared labor on the saw could barely do.
As a teenager, I used to chop up wood for exercise and stress management. I'm not sure what my family did with all the firewood, but my dad often had big logs behind the barn, and I would go out usually with a hammer and wedge to split them up. It was very gratifying work and some serious exercise to boot. Axes and hatchets were frequently on the scene, as well.
My new one has the plastic handle molded over the head. I'm generally a traditionalist and prefer wood handles, but I can't argue with this. I'm surprised I didn't kill myself as a teenager with that ax head flying off the handle so many times. I'd put nails and all sorts of things in there to hold it in, but it would never fail to come off. This new one ain't going nowhere.
I'm thoroughly sore but feeling really, really good.
This is a fine time to find wood around Columbus. Virtually every house has piles of branches in the front from the Hurricane Ike windstorm last week. The city hasn't gotten around to picking it up, yet. Many homes even have neat stacks of freshly cut firewood just sitting out there. I have never seen anything like it. In the country, you may see a "Firewood 4 Sale" sign but I have never seen piles of logs just sitting by the curb waiting for someone to pick them up. Never.
We got two loads in Erin's Scion just driving around the block. I'd toss my hatchet in the back and we'd be off for another wood cutting adventure. The truth is that we didn't have to work very hard to get much of this wood, though. We were like rats in the grain silo. We'd just drive up to a house, pick the choice pieces then go off to the next one.
In a related thought, we removed the leaves from the large pile of branches in front of the house. The line of twisted, bare branches now looks like a World War II-era barricade. After the storm, we dragged the wreckage to the front like the neighbors were doing, but as the days have gone on we have realized the value and started picking out wood, mulch and kindling. We ended up with 3 large piles of leaves to mulch the garden. I wonder how many people will buy fertilizer and yet let the city take away piles of grass and leaves from their yard. I'm composting lots of wood chips and twigs as well, but decided to let some of it go just due to volume. However, if the pile is still there at the end of work today, we may just take the rest of it to the back for keeping.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
What I learned from Hurricane Ike
Being without power for over 1 week (projected return: Sunday @ midnight) wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have nagging commitments. School is the big one here. The pace of the modern lifestyle, when you're working full time and going to school full time, doesn't allow for much flexibility with the ebb and flow of Mother Nature. Fortunately, school and work have also experienced some down time, so we're somewhat in sync there.
The last of my cow and pig was finished off by this power outage. Luckily, there was only a bunch of liver, heart, tongue, and kidney left. A few decent cuts got thrown out, but virtually all that was left were these organs, which just weren't moving through my kitchen at a fast rate at all. I probably squandered all the carbon benefits by buying this organic, pasture-raised meat in bulk by having to throw it out, but it was still great for my health as well as the welfare of the animals.
If I were more on top of things, I would have just distributed the meat around the neighborhood. My poor grilling techniques and the actual cuts remaining made me squeamish about offering it to others. Imagine knocking on the door of neighbors you've never met, saying, "Here's some fresh grilled liver! Yep, all 5 lbs of it!" Who's really going to cook up soup bones on a portable Coleman stove?
If you study the Bible or other ancient peoples, scholars are quick to educate you how much these people were keenly aware of the cycles of the moon, even building structures to predict it. Students today have a hard time understanding this, seeing it as some ultra-primitive mindset, almost like a nature religion, something that we just cannot understand. It is actually not that hard: Spend a few days without power, and it would be actually more amazing if you weren't aware of the role of moon! Walking around at night with a full moon is worlds apart from pitch blackness.
In the olden days, candle making wasn't just some cutesy little craft. It was a matter of survival. Lanterns work so much better by keeping the light out of your eyes and projecting forward.I've met more neighbors than ever. The next door neighbor and I pulled down a tree that was suspended among some branches. We shared equipment. We talked to some others over the backyard fence. Nice.
I really like the quiet of a city without electricity. It reminds me of growing up in the country. You can't read much at night, but there's not a whole lot of other loss. Families tend to stay together around a firelight, playing games, telling stories, doing what people have been doing for countless centuries before the rise of modern technology which has done more to break these most natural rhythms than anything else.
It is definitely an adjustment to realize that when the sun goes down so does most of your activity. We have clearly forgotten this. Without power, it is really dark at night. A few candles can keep you from bumping your head, but they won't help you do much else. As the sun goes down, what's not done is going to be left undone until the morning. That's all that there is to it.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The Temperature and Outrageous Habits
It's 90 degrees and partially sunny today in Columbus, OH.
I don't think it's too much to ask this of my fellow Americans (and others worldwide): If you are able-bodied and have reasonable access to a clothesline (inside or outside), you should not be using a clothes dryer on a day like this.
You wanna know how hot it is? Lemme tell you:
It's so hot that a load of clothes has dried before the next load is ready to hang!
That's hot, folks.
There is no reason to burn dinosaur when the earth is positively throbbing to help you out.
I just did a few loads, and it really didn't take much more time and effort than if I had chucked them in the dryer. I was amazed how easy it was. I think it becomes harder when the air is cooler and you have to conserve line space and let things sit out longer. But in weather like this, they'd dry even rolled up in a ball in the bucket.
I'm not trying to guilt anyone, but let's be reasonable. Consider how outrageous it is to use a clothes dryer when just letting them hang out in the air for the same amount of time can accomplish the very same thing.
The sun is also a bleaching agent, and the smell of freshly dried clothes is wonderful!
I don't think it's too much to ask this of my fellow Americans (and others worldwide): If you are able-bodied and have reasonable access to a clothesline (inside or outside), you should not be using a clothes dryer on a day like this.
You wanna know how hot it is? Lemme tell you:
It's so hot that a load of clothes has dried before the next load is ready to hang!
That's hot, folks.
There is no reason to burn dinosaur when the earth is positively throbbing to help you out.
I just did a few loads, and it really didn't take much more time and effort than if I had chucked them in the dryer. I was amazed how easy it was. I think it becomes harder when the air is cooler and you have to conserve line space and let things sit out longer. But in weather like this, they'd dry even rolled up in a ball in the bucket.
I'm not trying to guilt anyone, but let's be reasonable. Consider how outrageous it is to use a clothes dryer when just letting them hang out in the air for the same amount of time can accomplish the very same thing.
The sun is also a bleaching agent, and the smell of freshly dried clothes is wonderful!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
If You Want to Exercise Regularly . . .
. . . you have to figure out a way to incorporate it into the natural flow of your day--if you expect to have any success at all, that is.
To-Do List
You wake up, get out of bed, and drag a comb across your head--and hurry through traffic to your job. You work 8 hours plus lunch, then scramble through traffic again on the return trip home. You pick up kids from school and the daycare, run to the bank before it closes and the grocery store for milk which you just remembered is nearly empty in the fridge. There is perhaps a quick trip to the doctors office or auto body shop somewhere in the middle of all this, or a return trip to pick up something your kid left behind somewhere that he urgently needs for class tomorrow. You go home and grab dinner. By that time, it is 7:00, you are at the end of your energy, and it's time to pack everyone back up again and go to the gym. Whew!
Headache, sickness, unexpected errands or the slighted provocation and you'll be ditching your excursion to the gym. In such an environment, exercise is superimposed on a lifestyle and it is completely extraneous. It will be the first thing to go when the scales are tipped and your to-do list increases by even the slightest bit. You'll be lucky to hit the gym once a week under these conditions. And let's not even factor in time for rest and relaxation.
Some people are able to find time for the gym despite all distractions, but for many of us, it just ain't gonna happen this way. It takes a colossal effort to force it into your lifestyle when your lifestyle is set up this way. You may end up disappointed in yourself when really the deck was seriously stacked against you and you only had a small margin for success to begin with.
Integration
I spent a semester in Spain in college. Me and a buddy lived with a family about a mile out of town. We quickly learned that taking the bus was going to be too costly and saved it for only the rarest of occasions. We had to walk to class and return to town anytime we wanted to shop or go out socially. We walked a few miles every day, and that doesn't count the many more miles walked on weekend excursions around the country.
And we walked. Rain? We walked. Tired? We walked. Blisters on our feet? Walked. Sick? You guessed it. Didn't feel like walking? We. Still. Walked. And walked and walked. We had to!
Walking is often thought of an old person's exercise. However, walking became a nearly religious experience for my friend and me, and we were 22-year old men. We absolutely loved it. Once we got into shape, we looked forward to it. On the rare occasions when we took the bus, we noticed how irritable we were and how unsatisfying the day was without our morning and afternoon walks.
In Addition
Yet, the moment walking was not absolutely essential, we dropped it. We had every intention of maintaining the habit once we got back to America. After a few attempts, we both let it slip away and quick. Despite our conditioning and intense love for walking, it got put off when it no longer fit into the normal flow of the day back in America.
So do what you can to make sure that exercise is integrated into your day in a natural way. You won't need to force yourself, because sheer necessity will do that for you. Set yourself up and make the planning easy on yourself. Live within walking distance to your favorite stores or within a safe bike ride to work. Don't allow yourself too many modern conveniences when you could be getting valuable motion and exercise. Put your Exercycle in front of the TV, not in some out-of-the-way corner of the basement. Any other ideas?
Design your day with exercise in mind. Make exercise an essential part of your normal activities--then you won't have to tack on additional time for it. You also will have great success doing it--you'll have to!
To-Do List
You wake up, get out of bed, and drag a comb across your head--and hurry through traffic to your job. You work 8 hours plus lunch, then scramble through traffic again on the return trip home. You pick up kids from school and the daycare, run to the bank before it closes and the grocery store for milk which you just remembered is nearly empty in the fridge. There is perhaps a quick trip to the doctors office or auto body shop somewhere in the middle of all this, or a return trip to pick up something your kid left behind somewhere that he urgently needs for class tomorrow. You go home and grab dinner. By that time, it is 7:00, you are at the end of your energy, and it's time to pack everyone back up again and go to the gym. Whew!
Headache, sickness, unexpected errands or the slighted provocation and you'll be ditching your excursion to the gym. In such an environment, exercise is superimposed on a lifestyle and it is completely extraneous. It will be the first thing to go when the scales are tipped and your to-do list increases by even the slightest bit. You'll be lucky to hit the gym once a week under these conditions. And let's not even factor in time for rest and relaxation.
Some people are able to find time for the gym despite all distractions, but for many of us, it just ain't gonna happen this way. It takes a colossal effort to force it into your lifestyle when your lifestyle is set up this way. You may end up disappointed in yourself when really the deck was seriously stacked against you and you only had a small margin for success to begin with.
Integration
I spent a semester in Spain in college. Me and a buddy lived with a family about a mile out of town. We quickly learned that taking the bus was going to be too costly and saved it for only the rarest of occasions. We had to walk to class and return to town anytime we wanted to shop or go out socially. We walked a few miles every day, and that doesn't count the many more miles walked on weekend excursions around the country.
And we walked. Rain? We walked. Tired? We walked. Blisters on our feet? Walked. Sick? You guessed it. Didn't feel like walking? We. Still. Walked. And walked and walked. We had to!
Walking is often thought of an old person's exercise. However, walking became a nearly religious experience for my friend and me, and we were 22-year old men. We absolutely loved it. Once we got into shape, we looked forward to it. On the rare occasions when we took the bus, we noticed how irritable we were and how unsatisfying the day was without our morning and afternoon walks.
In Addition
Yet, the moment walking was not absolutely essential, we dropped it. We had every intention of maintaining the habit once we got back to America. After a few attempts, we both let it slip away and quick. Despite our conditioning and intense love for walking, it got put off when it no longer fit into the normal flow of the day back in America.
So do what you can to make sure that exercise is integrated into your day in a natural way. You won't need to force yourself, because sheer necessity will do that for you. Set yourself up and make the planning easy on yourself. Live within walking distance to your favorite stores or within a safe bike ride to work. Don't allow yourself too many modern conveniences when you could be getting valuable motion and exercise. Put your Exercycle in front of the TV, not in some out-of-the-way corner of the basement. Any other ideas?
Design your day with exercise in mind. Make exercise an essential part of your normal activities--then you won't have to tack on additional time for it. You also will have great success doing it--you'll have to!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
When 'Apples to Apples' Isn't a Fair Comparison
When I was young, I thought a frozen pizza was a complete meal, because it contained the 4 Food Groups. The problem is that the cheese was more vegetable oil than dairy, the flour wasn't whole, there really weren't that many veggies and the meat was anyone's guess--loaded with chemicals, no doubt.
This example illustrates a problem with the kind of nutritional perspective Americans have. Let me explain:
Most of us were raised on the 4 Food Groups. While this approach has been denounced in recent years (and for good reasons), I will go out on a line and say that all in all, it is not a bad model for eating, if you don't take it too strictly. At its basic, it reminds us that we should balance our eating between fruits, veggies, starches, meats and dairy, with slightly less on the meats and dairy. That's not bad advice.
The 4 Food Groups has become so fundamental to how we view eating, it is hard to imagine not having such a perspective. Most people know they shouldn't sit down to a meal of just steak. We take it for granted now, but people did not always see it this way before that. I still plan my meals with a meat, a starch and two of the fruit/veggie group. For people who don't take much interest in knowing the details of food nutrition, this is a simple, straightforward approach that will serve you well when you serve yourself.
But the 4 Food Groups is misleading in that a starch is not equal to another starch, and one person's veggies are not the same as another person's veggies.
Look at the hamburgers I ate for lunch today: Grass-fed, organic beef patties on fluffy, whole-grain wheat buns with minimal additives--cooked on a cast iron skillet with some olive oil and simple spices. Compare that to what you get at your local fast food joint: Grain-fed, unhealthy beef on the cheapest refined white bread, cooked in God-knows what kind of fats and oils. The beef is full of the bad fats, low on the good fats (the reverse of mine). Additives, preservatives and maybe even taste enhancers are everywhere. The problem is that in both cases you can use the word "hamburger" to describe your lunch. Yet, I would say these are two entirely different meals.
The 4 Food Groups unconsciously taught us that beef is beef, grain is grain and apples are apples. Not so. How you prepare your foods and how they are raised can put them into an entirely different class of foods. The 4 Food Groups does not take into account the "wholeness" of foods, the cooking method used, the way it was farmed or the amount of additives it has.
We may need a whole new vocabulary for talking about foods this way.
This example illustrates a problem with the kind of nutritional perspective Americans have. Let me explain:
Most of us were raised on the 4 Food Groups. While this approach has been denounced in recent years (and for good reasons), I will go out on a line and say that all in all, it is not a bad model for eating, if you don't take it too strictly. At its basic, it reminds us that we should balance our eating between fruits, veggies, starches, meats and dairy, with slightly less on the meats and dairy. That's not bad advice.
The 4 Food Groups has become so fundamental to how we view eating, it is hard to imagine not having such a perspective. Most people know they shouldn't sit down to a meal of just steak. We take it for granted now, but people did not always see it this way before that. I still plan my meals with a meat, a starch and two of the fruit/veggie group. For people who don't take much interest in knowing the details of food nutrition, this is a simple, straightforward approach that will serve you well when you serve yourself.
But the 4 Food Groups is misleading in that a starch is not equal to another starch, and one person's veggies are not the same as another person's veggies.
Look at the hamburgers I ate for lunch today: Grass-fed, organic beef patties on fluffy, whole-grain wheat buns with minimal additives--cooked on a cast iron skillet with some olive oil and simple spices. Compare that to what you get at your local fast food joint: Grain-fed, unhealthy beef on the cheapest refined white bread, cooked in God-knows what kind of fats and oils. The beef is full of the bad fats, low on the good fats (the reverse of mine). Additives, preservatives and maybe even taste enhancers are everywhere. The problem is that in both cases you can use the word "hamburger" to describe your lunch. Yet, I would say these are two entirely different meals.
The 4 Food Groups unconsciously taught us that beef is beef, grain is grain and apples are apples. Not so. How you prepare your foods and how they are raised can put them into an entirely different class of foods. The 4 Food Groups does not take into account the "wholeness" of foods, the cooking method used, the way it was farmed or the amount of additives it has.
We may need a whole new vocabulary for talking about foods this way.
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