Our story It began in a foreign country in Western Europe. It was the summer of 2018. We made a move and later, another decision that would change our lives f o r e v e r. The city was Berlin. The year was 2017, in the … Read more...
The beginner’s guide to composting at home
Composting is a vital step that we all take to reduce the current garbage crisis. In other words: roll up your sleeves!
Composting is an option to manage food waste. It is the process by which organic material is decomposed in order to provide nutrients and fuel to enrich the
There have been different studies on the efficiency of household composting. One of these found that on average, composting saved 125 kg of waste per person per year. (The link of this research can be found at the end of this post.) If you do not trash your organic waste, your garbage doesn’t fill up so easily as well.
Let’s get back to those harmful greenhouse gases, which appears when food decomposes in a landfill. As it is underground, which means that it doesn’t have any access to oxygen. It undergoes a process called anaerobic decomposition. This releases methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. The better and less harmful is when organic matter decomposes above ground in compost. Since it has access to oxygen, it undergoes aerobic decomposition, which doesn’t generate methane.
All you need to know on composting
If you choose to compost, the process is quite simple, but there are some guidelines to know.
You can compost eggshells, nutshells, teabags, coffee grounds, fruits, vegetables, and other plant matter.
You cannot compost dairy products, grease, oils, bones, and meat scraps.
If you are composting at home:
- Select a dry shady spot in your yard to keep your compost.
- Mix food scraps with plant materials such as dead leaves or branches.
- Add water to your compost pile as needed to encourage decomposition.
- Turn over your compost pile regularly to mix the top additions into the base of the pile.
Composting at a small apartment, the cold method
If you have limited space in your apartment, which is common in big cities, you might think that composting is not for you. Luckily there are two easy ways to compost indoors.
The simple way is called vermicomposting, which is managed by the help of worms to break down the organic matter.
The idea is simple:
You need a bin with a lid, filled with soil and some red wiggler worms. Now, your organic matter is ready to dump in there. The worms will do the work to break down your garbage into something called castings, which are extremely rich in nutrients. Then you can transplant your castings into potted plants or a small garden. At the end of the post, you can find a link, which describes vermicomposting in full-depth.
Composting in the backyard, the cold method
This method of composting for people is for those who live in the suburbs, in the countryside or just happen to have a backyard. The low-maintenance composting is the so-called cold method. It requires an enclosed area or an unused spot where you dump all available leaves, yard waste, and grass into the pile. Now, wait six months to two years, then continuously more stuff to it, and turn it around a bit with a rake or a shovel. You’re done, it will eventually decompose.
This is what the gardeners in our area are kindly doing, though I do not think that people actually turn the piles around.
The hot method of composting
The hot method is for those, who do not want to wait around but rather do some muscle work. For this method, the right type of “starter” material is needed. That involves an equal balance of ingredients that are carbon-rich and nitrogen-rich.
Things like paper, twigs, and leaves are rich in carbon, while grass, coffee and, tea grounds, fruit, and vegetables are rich in nitrogen. The proper mixture is key – you should have far more carbon than nitrogen. Once you have enough material to create a pile that is at least 1 by 1 meter, start adding the organic matter in. When carbon and nitrogen are mixed, the microorganisms inside will begin their work immediately and the mixture will keep heating up at first, but after about a month, it will cool down and finish the composting at about half that temperature. It takes a few month’s time, but the process will yield nutrient-rich soil that you can use throughout your garden.
The fact is if you are composting at home or bringing your food scraps elsewhere to be composted, you are benefiting the environment with minimal effort.
If you happen to keep a home garden, you will soon see the benefit as your soil quality improves and your plants and universe thank you!
Tips for writing this post came from Maximumyield.com and Popsci.com
Read more: How about organic waste?
Why plastic is nasty and why to stop using it
We are daily surrounded with so much plastic, that we even do not notice how much of it is out there. It is practical, it is poisonous and it is forever.
Look on your table, in the kitchen drawer, and in your bag? How many plastic items you can count? I bet quite a few. These are the things we need in our lives. We buy more of these things every week. Then we trash these. We toxicate ourselves every day with plastic. Plastic is forever. Plastic is nasty!
Why plastic is nasty?
You may wonder why all this fuzz about plastic, while this is a strong, lightweight and waterproof all at once. Making it really a wonderful product. No? But maybe you do not wonder so much about the fact that most plastics are oil-derived and non-biodegradable. Which means plastics last for centuries and more.
We are using this wonderful product just for our convenience and greed. But all plastic, especially food and product wrapping are discarded very hastily. And all that ends up as litter, polluting all water bodies and damaging the life of all life on earth.
Most plastics are non-biodegradable. This is the main problem with plastic. It never disappears. At least nobody’s eyes can see that in their own lifetime. It can’t be burned, as it releases dioxins, a group of highly toxic chemicals to the atmosphere, therefore contributing to global warming. Plastic is nasty!
People love plastic
The other problem is us – the users. We value comfort, cheap price, and the lightness of plastic. Actually so much that we hoard the stuff home mostly in plastic. As we are at home start cooking or eating, we discard the plastic wrappers just like that – easy come, easy go! As plastic makes sense only during the transporting. For example in the UK, people generate 3 million tonnes of plastic annually.
Think of the first three items that come to your mind when you think of plastic litter? Perhaps you were thinking of food packaging, disposable cups, and sweet wrappers. The wrapper lives only a few seconds in our hands and then flies to the bin. And then it becomes a litter if you discard it in public and do not care where you are throwing your rubbish.
Sore sight for an eye, right?
Plastic is nasty everywhere
If you can’t really think of how bad the situation really looks, then please take a look at this wonderful gallery by Atlantic. It doesn’t matter that it may happen far away from you. As it all affects the air, the oceans and wildlife and humans everywhere on this planet. If this again is too broad then think of:
- Fish and sea birds ingest plastic which can kill them or stuck in plastic,
- Drainage systems get blocked with plastic causing flooding,
- Layers of plastic trash choke grasslands and lakes
Since the ocean is downstream, much of the plastic trash generated on land ends up there. It has been estimated that 6.4 million tons of debris ends up in the world’s oceans every year. And that some 60 to 80 percent of that debris, or 3.8 to 5 million tons, is improperly discarded plastic.
The nasty plastic degrades rather than biodegrades, which means it simply breaks up and becomes smaller pieces. These are microplastics. Synthetic clothing releases thousands of plastic fibers every wash. Some cosmetics include small beads, which all end up in the water somewhere.
The sea salt you are using, definitely consists of some microplastics. We can’t see it but we eat some of it in our healthy meals every day. The same is happening to animals, who seeing little pieces of plastic think it is food. Since it has no nutritional value it makes the animals underdeveloped and underweight. The chemicals in plastic poison them secretly and many get tangled in plastic twine and ghost fishing nets and starve to death.
Plastic is poisonous
There are many different categories of plastic. Exactly 7, which determines how the plastic is made and how it can be used. Even the most common plastic with a marking 1, though recyclable, proven to be cancerous and advised not to reuse after the first time. But most of the food comes in plastic containers with such marking! Manufacturers are not obliged to reveal what they use in their plastic mixes. Though the polymers used in base plastics are mostly considered to be harmless, the potential toxicity of the additives is often unknown.
Take a look at what plastic does
Visit Chris Jordan’s project Midway: Message from the Gyre and take a look at what birds have eaten and how their bodies look filled with all plastic found in them.
Or visit Plasticrubbish.com about the sad stories what is happening to animals all around us, of whom we hardly ever think or pay attention.
In conclusion
I hope this a bit hectic post gave you an overview that plastic is nasty. And perhaps next time when shopping for groceries or anything else you happen to need in your life, then you are making a better choice than buying disposable and short-life items that quickly end up as everlasting rubbish.
Perhaps now it is the right time to read also this article about minimalism on our website and get your decluttering on ASAP.
Reference from: Why we hate plastic.
Minimalism – a way to a better life
I love minimalism in photography. I have tried to capture it, but it is difficult. Is it easier to apply minimalism to your life and why one should want it?
What is minimalism?
“So what is this minimalism thing? It’s quite simple: to be a minimalist you must live with less than 100 things, you can’t own a car or a home or a television, you can’t have a career, you must live in exotic hard-to-pronounce places all over the world, you must start a blog, you can’t have children, and you must be a young white male from a privileged background.
Minimalism isn’t about any of those things, but it can help you accomplish them. If you desire to live with fewer material possessions, or not own a car or a television, or travel all over the world, then minimalism can lend a hand. But that’s not the point. Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom from worry. Freedom from overwhelm. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from depression. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve built our lives around. Real freedom.”
From: The Minimalists
Does this sound a bit familiar to you, at least one of you? These blurbs are taken from the world-renowned The Minimalist website and these lines were written by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. You could call these two friends minimalist lifestyle pioneers. In a way what they do is nothing extraordinary or innovative. We kind of all know about this, but never bothered to put it into practice, but they did and got all the fame and fortune.
By their website, they have helped more than 20 million people live meaningful lives with less while using to promote their ideas through their website, books, podcast, and documentary, which you can all find in their web site.
The idea of minimalism
Minimalism is not a new term in the conventional sense, as we know it has been applied in architecture. Showing clean forms with straight lines or lean curves. Basically less is more, also in art. Perhaps most known in photography. The almost empty shots of clean surfaces with one item in it. Sometimes not even that, but the shadow of the pictured gives the depth. We all love those forms and photos, as they say, they are easy on the eyes.
Minimalism as a lifestyle follows more or less the same line, but in there the whole story is around owning possessions. Not only having heaps and heaps, but also giving too much meaning to what we own. Often times we are abandoning more important, such as relationships, passions, personal growth and most importantly our health. Minimalism is foremost about choices. Do you want to have a family, car and a career, you can do all that.
“Minimalism simply allows you to make these decisions more consciously, more deliberately.”
By Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus
Who are minimalists?
Anybody can be a minimalist. You, me or your neighbour. There is no limit. The only limitation is the wish to change and the determination of letting things go that doesn’t matter.
The Minimalists introduce on their website their friends. Some have careers, are married and have six children. Or someone who owns only 51 things and travels all over the world. And a couple who lives in a tiny house and own no car. Though these people are different, they share two things in common: they are minimalists. And minimalism has allowed them to pursue purpose-driven lives.
You may want to ask, how come they all still can be minimalists? Joshua and Ryan help you out here again with summing it up in one sentence: “Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important – so you can find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom.”
How minimalism can help me?
- Eliminate your discontent
- Reclaim your time
- Live in the moment
- Pursue your passions
- Discover your missions
- Experience real freedom
- Create more, consume less
- Focus on your health
- Grow as individuals
- Contribute beyond ourselves
- Rid ourselves of excess stuff
- Discover purpose in our lives
What are exactly things?
Let me come back to the things. Sometimes people call health, relationships, growing also things, yet they are not obvious. Things are just a sad term, we tend to overuse. Things can’t give us happiness and freedom in life, they may help us to get there and to enjoy that. Have you ever heard somebody say that their life is complete now when they have iPhone 11 Pro or that they are driving the latest model of BMW? You may have, but again then they are not your people and it is difficult for us to relate with them.
Happiness, isn’t this the one and only thing we all are craving? While incorporating minimalism into our lives, we can find lasting happiness. This we can’t find through things but through life itself. We can individually determine, what is important and what is not in our lives. This seems like a daunting task and that is how the above mentioned two guys, The Minimalists are trying to help us out. But with every new thing, every change in your life, this can be a bit complicated in the beginning. But it is guaranteed by Joshua and Ryan that your journey towards minimalism gets much easier – and more rewarding – the further you go.
Where to start?
I watched first their documentary. It is available on Netflix. Then I read their book. My first thought is that they will Marie Kondo me, so I will start throwing things out I do not need. It didn’t happen. But I know it will happen. Firstly I needed to understand what is important and who is important. What is my passion and what I like doing? Giving up things is the next step. I can’t tell you this is the right way to start. But I feel like this is what I want to share to inspire others like I was inspired.
Hopefully, this little intro was useful for many of you and maybe helped some to get back on track. While writing this, I am thinking of the knick-knacks drawer what desperately needs some minimalist touch….but I hope this act of writing, while seated by a clean desk with just a bunch of field flowers in a reused iron supplement dark glass bottle and a laptop in front of me, helped me pursue my passions, create more, grow as an individual and contribute beyond myself.
May be also a useful read: Change your mindset, change your life!
Baking soda – the household wonder helper
I have known that baking soda is good, but I never realized how good it is for the environment, my wallet and my everyday life!
Be warned that this is going to be a mammoth post, but it has do be done, as EVERYBODY should know the tens and tens of wonderful purposes of SODA. The best part about baking soda is that it is CHEAP and comes oftentimes in a carton box – a real treat to those, who want to save money and save planet earth!
Baking soda or washing soda?
There are two kinds out there – baking soda and washing soda. I have mainly used baking soda. If you want to know what the difference is between the two, then it is water and carbon dioxide.
Baking soda’s chemical makeup is NaHCO3 (1 sodium, 1 hydrogen, 1 carbon, and 3 oxygen molecules).
Washing soda’s chemical makeup is Na2CO3 (2 sodium, 1 carbon, and 3 oxygen molecules). Some of that school knowledge must have floated in, right? 🙂 If you want to read more about them both, please kindly visit this website for more information Science Struck.
How to use baking soda?
For your health
1. Use soda as a deodorant, rubbing it into the underarm – you can do it like that, but rather, mix it with coconut oil, some starch and add a little bit of essential oil, whichever is to your liking (ie. lavender or tea-tree). Your own natural deodorant is done!
Eve says: “When I first made natural deodorant, I felt my life and social life had changed because I had no odor! Sadly, the excitement was short-lived and my armpits started to burn. I had used too much soda and it burned my armpits! What we do know is to keep a jar of coconut oil and an open jar of baking soda. Ideally each morning, I take a tiny bit of coconut oil with my first two fingers and rub it gently under my arms, I then I dip my fingers into the jar of soda and then apply them to my underarms.
I can’t help but think that it may be unsanitary – so it’s probably safer to dip into the oil and rub it till it melts some, then dip into the soda then apply to your pits or just make the recipe Kerly provided above. I’m shutting up now! 🙂
2. Mix half a teaspoon of soda with a peroxide paste and use it to wash your teeth – would love to try that, but have to find peroxide paste first! (It sounds a bit dangerous, so before you try it, research it and be careful.
3. Add a cup of soda bath to make your skin softer.
4. Reduce pain caused by sunburn, while applying soda on it.
5. To remove strong smells from hands, rub them with baking soda and water.
6. Apply soda to rashes, insect bites and irritated skin of poisonous plants.
7. Add soda to bathwater to relieve skin irritation or to heal diaper rash, while washing infants.
8. Does heartburn afflict? Drink half a glass of water with a tablespoon of baking soda stirred in.
10. Freshen your breath by gargling a cup of water, mix half a tablespoon of baking soda and the same goes to heal any cuts in the mouth.
11. Use soda to heal bee stings.
12. Use a baking soda to reduce the pain caused by a medusa touch.
Home use
13. You can keep your vase flowers fresher longer if to add a tablespoon of soda to the water.
14. It is possible to get rid of unpleasant smells from the fridge if an open box of baking soda is placed in it.
15. Sprinkle the soda to the ashtray to reduce the smell of smoke and the smell of butts and use to clean the trays with soda as well.
16. Sprinkle soda to remove unpleasant odors in your wooden homeware, boots, shoes, and socks.
17. Removing the food smell, wipe baby’s chin and chest after eating with a wet cloth sprinkled with baking soda.
18. Rub the car’s windshield with soda to counteract rain.
19. The smell of a washing sponge can be improved if the sponge has been soaked in soda water.
20. Suck soda into the vacuum cleaner to ease the unpleasant smell coming from inside of the machine.
Eve says: ”This one made me laugh out loud!”
21. You can mix soda with some scented bath salts to refresh the air and put the mixture into small bags.
22. Soften rigid brushes by cooking them in a solution consisting of two liters of water, three tablespoons of vinegar and a bowl of baking soda.
23. Keep the soda near sink and basement windows to control cockroaches and ants.
24. Sprinkle baking soda on flower beds to prevent rabbits from eating your prized vegetables.
Eve says: ”I have a vision of Bugs bunny eating your carrots if you don’t try this.”
25. Improve the taste of tomatoes by sprinkling baking soda in the soil surrounding the tomato plant.
26. Sprinkle the soda in your cat’s sandbox to lose that unpleasant odor.
27. Sprinkle the soda on your pet’s ridge or comb to make the sheath smell more pleasant.
Cooking
28. Use soda as a substitute for baking powder by mixing soda with tartar or vinegar.
29. Wash with soda fruit and vegetables to remove the greasy residue.
30. Soaking the dried beans in a soda and water solution makes the beans easier to digest.
31. Make your own sports drink by mixing baking soda with boiled water, salt, and juice powder.
32. Reduce the acidic content of tomato-based dishes by sprinkling them with a pinch of baking soda.
33. Use soda to reduce acidity – I made a large pot of leek-mushroom risotto and added a tad too much of lemon juice. Thought that it is all ruined, but found out after short research, that a half teaspoon of baking soda would save my dinner. It sure did!
Eve says: ”It was so delicious, and I was in awe of the magic of that stuff.”
For cleaning up
34. Pour a cup of a soda into the toilet bowl, allow it to stand for an hour and then flush it down. Soda cleans the inside of the toilet bowl and absorbs bad smells.
35. Use sodas for scouring sinks, shower cubicles, plastic surfaces, and porcelain baths. Works like a miracle on white coffee and teacups! Removes all lines!
36. Use soda for cleaning the walls, mirrors, and kitchen counters.
37. Add a spoonful of soda to the dishwasher to simplify the cleaning of the dish.
38. Remove grease stains from pots and pans with soda.
39. Dry clean carpets and upholstered furniture – sprinkle baking soda on the items and scatter it gently with a cloth. Leave the soda to stand there for a few hours or overnight and then clean the surface with a vacuum cleaner.
40. Increase the cleansing power of your washer, sprinkling a handful of soda on dirty clothes.
41. Stainless steel and chrome surfaces can be polished with water-soda paste.
42. Scratches can be removed from the linoleum floors and walls with soda.
43. You can clean waste bins with soda.
44. Hairbrushes and combs soaked in the water-soda mixture will get rid of the grout. You have no idea how useful this tip came to me not long ago – read more in the future post of our site!
45. Use a damp cloth to absorb soda and then clean with the cloth laminated surfaces.
46. Use soda to remove stinking odor from coolers and thermoses.
47. Heat the soda in the coffee machine and then rinse with it the contents of the machine.
48. Sprinkle the soda on the dirty garage floors, rub the floor and rinse it with clean water.
49. Remove easily burned food from the pan, soaking it before washing for 10 minutes in a soda solution.
50. Clean the drain pipes by pouring in them every week four tablespoons of baking soda and then flush it down with hot water.
51. Clean the shower curtains by soaking them in soda water.
52. Use soda to clean your dentures.
53. Make a thick paste from baking soda and water and use it for scouring your baking oven.
54. Use soda to scrub clean your kitchen cupboard doors. Matte or shiny works on both!
55. Baking soda doesn’t make you poor!
Thank you for making it to the end.
Translated from an Estonian site.
All in all once more
The most amazing thing about baking soda is its cheap price. All of the above points can be made at a very low cost. Baking soda is a real miracle product, whether it is used in cooking or elsewhere. These 55 listed points here are not all the good uses of soda, there is plenty of more and I am sure the readers can add their own recommendations, which would make a great addition to this list here!
My praises of baking soda are not done yet!
What about organic waste?
As you probably noticed, I didn’t tackle the organic waste subject in my previous post. From several ways how to manage your biowaste, with our little tips below, you can easily find yours!
In a short period of time, we got used to collecting organic waste. When we’re doing the first garbage disposal after moving in, we couldn’t find a bin for, what I like to call – alive trash. As it seems, our property managers haven’t invested in disposing of green waste. Therefore we are left to our own devices – to throw all alive waste in the same bin as garbage or? Yeah, what else is there really?
There are basically two options, to compost or scatter the scraps back to nature. If you throw your organic waste in the garbage, it will travel to the landfill. From there, it will start to create methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, which harms our environment.
Once you create compost with the help of the earthworms and some soil, you need to use the final product or take it where it is needed. But what if you do not have a garden, plants or a green thumb friend to give it to? I guess the only option is to take it back to nature, which is not so bad, right?
Taking your organic waste back to nature
This is far from the ideal option, but if you happen to have some wild nature area where you live, then why not? Do so in moderate amounts. Of course, it is not the best to take banana peels, avocado seeds and orange peels to your European forests. This is because such fruits do not grow here and therefore it conflicts with the local flora.
Maybe you’re wondering how I came across the idea to scatter food scraps in nature?
The story
We were staying in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria in the summer of 2017 hosted by a wonderful soul Andrei (name changed for privacy). Our Bulgarian friend is also vegan and into saving the planet. He has a big heart. Because he didn’t ask for money from us during our month stay at his humble abode. He is quite awake, knowledgeable and works out daily, trying to prove that when vegan, you can be as fit as an omnivore.
On garbage disposal day at his place, he asked me to take the green waste while he threw out the garbage near his home. I was left to carry the green bag quite far from his house. We were talking while walking to his training spot in the wild huge park in the middle of Sofia. I really didn’t want to interrupt, but when we were quite deep in there, I asked, “So where is the green recycling bin?”. He replied: “Just scatter the content of the bag wherever you want and trash the plastic bag in the bin”. I was, probably like you are now reading these lines – very surprised! Yes, all the green waste back to nature to do its natural thing there – decompose.
This is exactly what we are doing now in our small building without a green waste disposal unit; we gather the little waste we create in a glass jar with a lid. The jar came home from the store with pickles and now has another use and when it is full, we scatter it in a nearby large nature spot. Don’t worry, it is not a park or anything, just a woman-made dirt path, otherwise, completely wild!
Give your organic waste a chance!
The only reason we are able to do this is that we happen to live not far from nature. Also, we only create plant scraps. We do not recommend taking your meat scraps and wasted prepared food to nature! We only scatter peeled potatoes, carrots, onion skins, apple hearts, and occasional banana peels. If once in a blue moon some food that we saved happens to go to waste, it will find its final resting place there as well, but only in small quantities.
The other reason why we get away with doing this is that we are most likely the only people in this area who are doing it. Even so, I must say I have noticed that some people, who have their little summer houses in the area, have created a huge pile of garden waste, which is honestly huge and always there.
We create so little waste that it withers in just a few weeks with no harm done. It is nothing like putting your waste in Central Park, no, we would never do that or recommend you doing it!
Look outside of the box
If you like the idea of taking nature back to nature but happen to live away from natural areas or wilderness, then there is still hope. Just bring the jar of food scraps with you in your basket and scatter at a suitable place. In bigger cities, there are always opportunities around. It is important to choose areas away from human traffic. Also, it is wise to use different spots to avoid accumulation, as the gardeners in our area have created.
We are proud to save green waste going to the garbage bin. It makes us really happy contributing to the wellbeing of our planet. This is great that we were able to solve the problem of not having a green waste collection point.
We’ll see how the winter goes while doing this. At least the bin can be bigger and kept outside on the balcony in cool temperatures. I definitely will keep you updated.
… A note from Eve:
Be creative when green bins are not part of your living situation. This is another great lesson we learned on our travels in Bulgaria, from two different people on opposite sides of the country. First, discarding green matter by the Black Sea (in the wild there), and smack in the middle of the bricky capital city, Sofia.
Learning that it is okay to bring organic waste to nature was so important. We have been made to feel that it would be considered littering, but then again – look at our world. There are millions who live on human waste in landfills, trying to survive.
To return nature back to itself seems obvious. Still, it will take some time to get used to it. We have been heavily indoctrinated to follow rules and to do things are you are instructed to do even if it makes no moral sense. I would rather the food be poked at by animals than to join our discarded goods in landfills. These food scraps would otherwise sit in landfills, creating greenhouse gases with other materials that will never be part of the earth anyway.
Think outside of the box that modern humans create since they are often at odds with the wisdom of nature.
Want to learn to compost at home easily?
The Beginner’s Guide to Composting at Home
*UPDATE 2019
Since spring we also have organic waste bin, so we have been happy users of that. First, it took some time educating some of the people in our building, but now it finally works. People have started to use it more eagerly, which only makes us happier. As more waste is put to good use and fewer ends to a landfill.
Veganism is the new today
Animals, nature, and well-being have never mattered us so much than now. It seems like veganism is the only way. If you need some persuasion, read below!
The inspiration to write this article came after watching a YouTube video of VEGAN 2018 – The Film. As a vegan, I am not really looking to educate myself more on the matter, as I am already a vegan, so I am doing my best, as it is, right? No, it doesn’t stop here. Educating myself more, I am more confident and I have actual facts to present, when in discussions, the never-ending subject, why I am vegan, comes up.
Veganism is not a trend
Being a vegan is not a trend and it is not a phase. At least to those, who really believe in what they are. Veganism is not a lifestyle. It is a life dedicated to saving lives. Not participating in the slaughter of animals, eating healthy and being environmentally conscious.
If you have become vegan just recently, it may not be the case for you, as you are in the whirl of finding out what to eat and which meals to cook. But one day you will start seeing the bigger picture and your small, but important role in it. Perhaps these little thoughts are helping you to be more aware of the current situation and be ready to protect yourself when you are under attack because of who you are.
Why veganism is not a trend? Because people are waking up and seeing that this is not the way to go on. Many changes will take place! Perhaps this is the reason that last year veganism really made a huge raise, precisely 500%! Whopping 500%!
Veganism entered the mainstream
2019. is the year when veganism is entering the mainstream. Many beliefs are changed, the year when every week a vegan restaurant is opened. In the US alone, nearly 25% of the people call themselves a vegan – wow! Being vegan has never been so easy than today. Even for those, who just can’t give up the meat because of its flavour. Worry no more – become a vegan now because now there is Beyond Burger.
It is an invention that was worked out in the United States. Even meat-eaters have been fallen in love with it. This meat alternative is found the aisles between the meat, not in a special corner only meant for free-from products. Ten years ago it would have been unthinkable. More fresh products are available to us and unimaginable amounts of processed vegan foods are available to make the beginning times of a new vegan easier.
Think where your food comes from
When not consuming meat, you save lives and you also save the environment. These are reasons enough to jump on the vegan boat. I guess everybody would agree, if meat-eaters, would see how the cow is milked or the animal is killed for their meal, they would not want to eat it. It is disgusting! But yet it is a norm and vegans are the villains.
Everything that is new is not accepted and this is normal. But everybody, not only vegans, should think that eating no animal products is normal. Nevertheless, we still hear things like: “We have always eaten meat, from the beginning of the time”; “Meat and dairy are good for you”, etc. 2019 can tell you not to believe all that, as these are all outdated reasons and the information – surveys, researches, articles – is out there.
Times have changed
Yes, we used to eat meat, as there was nothing else to eat. Meat and dairy are definitely not good for you. They are the leading cause of tens and tens of health issues. I am not making it up, or nobody is making it up. It was made up by the big corporations. So they can sell more products, to flourish and grow. This all happened for the sake of human lives, who have gotten sicker in recent years, because meat and dairy products are not clean, fresh and healthy, as we believe they are.
With anything that is produced in large quantities, it becomes mass production. And to make it more sustainable monetary wise, different means have set in, which changes the end product and makes the products unhealthy. Any attacks you face in the news by meat industries are not based on real evidence. But bought researches to save their doomed businesses, as their products are no more in such a high demand they used to.
Another big change that veganism is spreading, is being more open about the current climate situation and with changed eating habits making an actual change. In the news, you can read that experts warn that we have until 2030 to stem catastrophic climate change. I mean, we are still young. Life is still ahead. This may be the time when your children are in your prime and they have to grow up in a world, which may be quite unlivable. And they may never enjoy it the way you did when you were young.
Future, not our problem?
The world doesn’t end with us. There are more generations to come. We need to leave the world in such a state for them, which allows them to continue preserving it. We have land enough to feed 9 or 10 billion people. But not when they all eat veal, chicken, and pork. Meat and dairy industries are extremely exhausting for Mother Earth. We are close to depleting its natural sources and for what? For wrong beliefs and our taste buds? Think for a moment, that it takes 127 kg (280 pounds) of grain to make 450 g (1 pound) of beef. But imagine how many people that 127 kg of grain would feed?
Every year people are more and more health-minded. Nevertheless, we are the sickest today. In US the most money is spent on healthcare, but people are not healthier. On the opposite – the situation is getting worse. This makes, of course, to look at what is on the plates of the people. Health becomes better not with visits to a doctor, but changing what is eaten.
Eating meat and dairy is the main cause of today’s illnesses. Heart diseases are the number one killer in the USA. They can be beaten, just with changing a diet. Eating only plant-based meals is known to prevent various cancers, respiratory diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, pneumonia, influenza, and even suicide. Knowing that it would be enough of a reason to quit. To enjoy this life to the fullest and live longer and healthier.
Conclusion
Vegans have given up on serving their taste buds. But they are dedicated to saving the lives of 150 million animals killed daily for food. They do not think they are better, they just want the lives of animals to be better. Also planet Earth. Please do some research, if this wasn’t enough information and please make the change to join the new life already this year. We are here to help you on your path!
Click here to watch the Vegan 2018 – The Film HERE.
Sorting garbage in the kitchen
With little space in a small household, it is smart to come up with creative ways how to sort garbage. Read below, what option we came up with?
With a new home usually comes emptiness, also in the garbage and in the recycling section. With a limited place and a buy less mindset, we decided that we need really a little section for the waste. Moreover, if we are looking more into a zero-waste and plastic-free household.
We would need three containers for the garbage: paper/cardboard, waste, and packages. Yep, just three sections, as this is what the rules are in our building. Usually, there should be also a fourth section for organic waste. We were used to collecting it. I guess we have to come up with something if we want to keep the garbage container emptier.
Working out a simple solution
The other day I was doing grocery shopping and I put my purchase in a cardboard box. I found a suitable one in the middle of the aisle, laying on the floor. The stores are oftentimes giving these away by the cash checkouts, some can be found by the bins and at the end of aisles. In bigger stores, you can find workers constantly stocking up the shelves, just like I got ours. Luck was at my side, as the box I had brought home was just enough to fit all three small plastic bags for our sorting purposes.
We are trying to become plastic-free step by step. But we do not believe in trashing bags and containers that we already have just to be free of them. Instead, we are using up all the suitable plastic we have somehow brought home with purchased food. We are getting the weekly specials of many stores weekly. I find the idea of such bundles great, but the papers come in a plastic sleeve. For some time it was fun to go through the offers, recycling them and using the sleeve for the garbage collecting.
We do not really like the weekly bundles, so I guess we will put out a sign not to receive any advertising, as this is just too much. So we will start receiving less garbage in the mail.
A small box is all you need!
The little cardboard box has enough room to fit three little bags. We really do not fill them much, as we really do not have much garbage or packaging. Cardboard or paper is something we gather the most. Good thing is that it all gets nicely recycled. When the plastic bag is full, we do not throw it away but reuse the plastic as long as possible. With waste and packaging, we can’t always practice it, due to messy contents. If there is an option we will do that, so we can reuse plastic more times.
The ideal would be to fold three boxes out of the newspaper and keep the garbage area organized that way. I guess something to try out in the future!
*UPDATE: before going to our summer holidays we taped a sign outside of the box saying: “No ads!”. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.
* Fall UPDATE: we added to the sign: “and no free newspapers!” As many free papers come with ads in between. It worked this time. This little hand-made sign of cut-out letters from the store booklets saves paper and more plastic coming into our home.
… A note from Eve:
I am proud of our garbage system! It’s encouraging to see how little garbage we make as a family of 2. When we walk on our street home, we are baffled by the bags and bags on trash sitting out. We are glad that we know is a better way, and we are living proof of this! By not buying much processed and packaged food, we have cut our garbage down considerably.
Two cents on becoming a vegan
We are both are vegans & we love it! Before that, we were vegetarians for more than 10 years. I feel when I was becoming a vegan, this is when I really woke up!
Becoming a vegan is a decision, and as with many decisions in life, you have to make it yourself. If you need information on why to start a plant-based diet, there is so much information is available for you. Also, there is lots of material, why not to go vegan. I hope this story helps somebody who is in limbo. If not that, then I hope it at least a fun reading of somebody’s personal story.
How it all started
I became a vegetarian or rather a pescetarian ( I ate fish sometimes) in 2008. It actually happened by a surprise. I saw a really vile movie made by the Animal Liberation Front. I remember the public free viewing in the local library still so clearly, as if it was just yesterday. The show hall was full and I remember myself crying a lot and shielding my eyes from the cruelty. The movie was mostly filmed secretly by activists and presented the relentless animal abuse in many institutions. After watching the movie, I knew I had to stop eating meat. I didn’t want to participate in such a heart-breaking killing of animals anymore.
The shift was difficult of course. In Estonia in 2008, there were very few food options for a vegetarian. Of course, the beans and lentils were available, but since I didn’t like them, I didn’t have many options. While eating out the main meatless meal you were a tomato-cucumber, onion, and iceberg salad. Not very exciting, isn’t it?
I have always been a big animal lover, so for me going vegetarian wasn’t really so surprising. Though at that time, I really knew nothing about being a vegetarian! My new lifestyle didn’t mean I was instantly meat-free, I had some bites of meat in the next few months. I didn’t know what to replace meat with to get enough nutrients to obtain a healthy lifestyle. Or what to cook as a vegetarian – no, no, no. It was all if I can put it like that, lots of bulls**t! I even didn’t eat beans, so I wonder what I was eating at all then. Healthy eating wasn’t even a thought in my mind, but instead, my wish was not to consume dead animals. Eating was just for surviving not a pleasure.
Is becoming a vegan difficult?
It took me seven years to become a vegan. Why so long? I always thought that vegans were something superior. I was looking at them like they were a special species, thinking that I could never be one! Life intervened and once in 2015, I participated at a local Animal Protection Society’s summer days. The girl responsible for cooking the meals for us for two days was vegan. I approached her and asked “how difficult is it to be a vegan and what does it really mean’’? She said, that it is giving up all animal-derived products, like milk, cream, yogurt, cheese, eggs, and honey in addiction to meat”. I thought, well…that is not so difficult and I could give it a try.
The beginning of my life as a vegan, wasn’t so easy, as to be expected. I have always been into creamy cakes and sweets, and those usually have cream, cream cheese, butter and eggs in them. Little by little, I tried to become vegan, but I still had some cake every now and then.
Therefore I wasn’t really counting myself fully vegan until in 2016 when I saw another movie – wrong! – I saw a 3-second clip of the “Earthlings” trailer. The disturbing part wasn’t even connected to the eating of animals, but abusing them for human needs. I am telling you if you have balls, do please watch it, but I can’t watch that movie. I have nothing to be afraid of anymore because I already have given up milk, eggs, cheese, meat, and even honey. It is just that I know I would ball my eyes out and I would be traumatized for all those animals, who are slaughtered or abused by people. This is why I can’t watch “Earthlings”.
How does it feel to be vegan?
So yeah, I have been vegan for more than two years now, so what has changed? I definitely pay more attention to what I eat. I eat more greens, more than I ever ate when omnivore or pescetarian, I eat more beans and nuts, which are really necessary for maintaining good health and I definitely cook more, therefore eating fewer preservatives, salt, and unnecessary food additives. Next, to the fact that I am feeling good, I love the variety of recipes, which I am constantly discovering thanks to the group of likeminded people around me in the virtual world.
When I was a vegetarian I wasn’t really thinking so much of the environment. When I become vegan this matter changed a lot. I appreciate Mother Earth much more for giving me all these beautiful plants to eat and feel good. I do not want to create more garbage, I want to save food and lives. Becoming vegan has made me love the environment more!
What is the moral of this story – be who you are, make your own discoveries, educate yourself, try different foods, do not tell others how to eat and also don’t always try to eat food from a vegan’s plate. 😉
Sugar and gluten fast: 10 days is not enough
If you do not eat sugar and gluten for 10 days, does it make you feel any different? Is it difficult or easy-peasy? Read more to decide yourself.
We are vegans and have been not eating gluten on a regular basis for years. This year we kind of lost the track. Due to excessive amounts of free bread and pastry, we have been blessed to receive. We tried once sugar-free fast for two weeks. I remember it was a struggle. So we decided to see how easy it is fast again, giving sugar and gluten a break for ten days.
Who wouldn’t love sugar and gluten?
We skipped eating gluten because of health conditions a few years ago. It was not so difficult, though the bread was following us everywhere. Not only that but other food items, which had wheat in as a supporting ingredient. I remember we got our rice cake game on. Sweet and savory. In the morning and in the evening. We were okay reading the labels and avoiding anything with gluten. We felt good. But then we started getting lots of free bread, which would have gone to waste otherwise. So we found ourselves back at the gluten train.
We tried sugar fast a few years ago, also in the fall time. I remember that the first few days were quite tough for me. Eve took it better and she was looking for options, how to clench our sugar thirst. She got us stevia, as a natural sweetener for gluten-free baking and for sweet tea. I remember lots of struggling and thirst for sugar. We usually have something sweet after having a good savory meal. In a way, it is so dumb, as the meal was enough, why need more. But habits are meant to break, right?
Knowing all that, I was eager to see if we can pull this ten (just 10 days!) day fast through. We declared October a health and well-being month, so we were taking it seriously. This is a known fact that sugar and gluten make you addicted. Anyway on these days, if you really need to eat something regular, like a loaf of bread or pasta, then it is easy to get gluten-free options. Sugar-free items are a bit difficult to find, but fruits are easy to get!
We were on!
Breakfast headaches and evening pains
I love breakfast. Love making them, love eating them. While we were using bread, it was so easy to make something easy, really fast. Cut that bun open, spread coconut oil and add some cheeze (vegan) on it. Fry and enjoy it! Or make the bread any other way. Now we had to plan a bit ahead, what to eat. But then again it was more like fun and a challenge, than a struggle.
I love warm porridge, especially oatmeal, but amaranth, millet, and buckwheat get good scores as well. So I knew that we are covered. Sure, it takes more time, but definitely we would be eating healthier. If something sweet was needed, I had always some fruits or berries at hand to sweeten up our meals free of sugar and gluten.
Some examples of our sugar and gluten-free breakfasts:
- Overnight oats with dried fruits, seeds, nuts. Fresh cuts of plum and pear on top
- Smoothie
- Oatmeal with coconut oil, nuts, and seeds
- Pan toasted oats with sugarfree jam, plant milk, nuts, and seeds mix
- Potato pancakes with salad on aside
- Oat flour pancakes
The other thing was the evening snacks. This was more like a challenge, especially in the first days. We were so used to have something sweet, like squares of dark chocolate with a cup of tea. I guess we had every evening something like that. I was really looking forward to times of just enjoying the fresh cup of tea. Now the time had arrived.
Some examples of snacks we had:
- Natural kettle-cooked chips (first night!)
- Plums
- Dried fruits, nuts, and fresh apple slices
- Pear slices with peanut butter
- Sugar and gluten-free brownie
- Rice cake with peanut butter, topped with fresh plums
I mean it is not perfect but as a first test fast of sugar and gluten, it did a good job.
Some tips on how to avoid sugar and gluten
Knowing that sugar and gluten are not good for you is a good start. Usually, if you skip those, you will skip many processed and unhealthy components from your meals. This is a win-win situation. It makes you focus more on quality food items. Also making the right choices will make you more creative while preparing your meals.
What we kept in mind while on sugar and gluten fast:
- We avoided artificial sugars (including sodas and juices).
- We avoided anything with wheat in it.
- Naturally, our meals became less fatty.
- We cooked more creatively with plants, beans, and gluten-free grains.
- We started to appreciate fruits and vegetables more.
If you are considering having any kind of fast, set yourself goals. It makes the whole process easier to follow. Start with something in which you feel comfortable and keep your promise. We chose 10 days, as after that my mom came to visit us, and we wanted to enjoy the best vegan meals with her. Often times they may have some gluten or sugar in them, unfortunately (for example udon noodles, cinnamon buns and vegan ice-cream).
We started another 10 days fast yesterday. It will be broken, because of our trip to Italy. If you do not eat gluten there, then I mean, what you are going to eat anyway :)) After that we will continue. I feel like this is the way to go now.
Is fasting good?
Intermittent fasting is actually good for you. It means that fasts which are occurring at irregular intervals are not continuous or steady is what your health needs. While not eating sugar and gluten you are not damaging your health in any way. Think of it as a little rest. Some people have to avoid sugar and gluten for serious health issues every day in their lives. If you are healthy and like to eat healthily, then having these fasts can only be greeted.
It has scientifically proved that fasting when combined with a healthy diet and lifestyle, can be effective. Especially if there is a wish to lose weight. We didn’t fast because of that reason. Mostly we wanted to get back to our usual way of eating, meaning no gluten. Sugar…well, there is so much of it everywhere, so it doesn’t hurt to cut back every once in a while.
Harvard Health Publishing recommends for successful fasting:
- Avoid sugars and refined grains. Instead, eat fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats (a sensible, plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet).
- Let your body burn fat between meals. Don’t snack. Be active throughout your day. Build muscle tone.
- Consider a simple form of intermittent fasting. Limit the hours of the day when you eat, and for best effect, make it earlier in the day (between 7 am to 3 pm, or even 10 am to 6 pm, but definitely not in the evening before bed).
- Avoid snacking or eating at nighttime, all the time.
Conclusion
We can’t really say that consuming no sugar and gluten for ten days made us feel any different. Probably we need at least 2-3 weeks to really feel the difference. One thing we noticed though. The more time we were in with our fast, the less we dreamed of having something we were not supposed to have. So in a way, our minds learned to cope without gluten and sugar. We were getting used to not having that. It was difficult in the first few days, but in the end, it got easy-peasy.
Used source: Harvard Health Publishing
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