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Is Fake Meat More Sustainable?

2/11/2018

Plant-based diets have become all the rage in the past decade or so - with more and more people moving towards vegan or vegetarian eating plans.

However, while eating less meat is certainly an admirable goal - both for health and environmental reasons, it is also important that we take a good look at what is replacing meat in our diets.

If you are going to stop eating meat completely, what are you eating in its place?

I ask this because I have known vegans who rave all day about how wonderful it is to be vegan, and how everyone else should be as well, and how eating vegan has made them so much healthier, etc., yet when you take a look at what they eat, it consists in large part of highly processed vegetable oils and grains (along with artificial colorings, thickeners, preservatives, flavorings, etc.) - none of which are AT ALL healthy. (In fact, cleanly sourced meats are, in my opinion, MUCH better for you than these "Franken-foods.")

In particular, one type of processed foods that has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years due to the "plant-based" eating movement is fake meats or meat substitutes. Fake meats are touted as being healthier, more sustainable, and more ethical than real meat - but are they really?

Today we take a closer look at the world of fake meats to find out...

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5 Important Reasons to Take Control Of Your Own Health In 2018

12/17/2017

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It's no secret that we now live in an information economy. We are bombarded with information from all directions all day long - is it any wonder we often suffer from what is now called "information overload"?

However, rather than feeling overwhelmed, I think all of this information can be a good thing - provided we use it wisely and for good...

For example, one thing that all of us now have instant access to - which even our parents' generation didn't - is information on how to live healthier. We no longer have to entrust our health to corporations or the medical industry.

While it is of course always wise to consult with a qualified medical professional for any serious illness, there are many ways that we can improve our health naturally and take preventative measures to reduce our odds of needing medical treatment in the first place. And with the growth of the internet, we now have access to loads of information on how to care for our health in this manner. The trick is knowing how to separate the good and useful info from the less helpful stuff. (By the way, that's what I aim to do on this blog, so please check out our archives to get the facts on important health and holistic living issues!)

But besides just reducing your risk of disease or living longer, there are a number of other reasons to consider taking more of an interest in your health. Below we explore 5 reasons why it is a good idea to learn more about how to live healthy and embrace a more holistic lifestyle - not just for yourself, but for the community around you, and for the planet!

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How to Make Your Own Safe & Natural Cleaning Products + 8 DIY Recipes

11/6/2016

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If you've been reading this blog for a while, you probably are aware that most home cleaning products (and personal care products too, by the way), are full of chemicals that are pretty harmful for the environment - and may be toxic to you and your family as well. In fact, according to the Environmental Working Group, indoor pollution is one of the most dangerous environmental hazards to health—and the cleaning products you use are a major contributor.

The good news is, there are tons of much safer natural options on the market today. While many of them used to be quite pricey, prices have come down in recent years, and you can find many all-natural cleaning products for about the same price as their chemical-filled counterparts.

However, some of these products may still contain ingredients you may not want in your home - or they may still cost a bit more than you want to spend.

If this is the case for you, don't despair! You can still have a clean, fresh, and safe home, without spending lots of money on cleaning products. Just make your own using simple, natural, and safe ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry!

In fact, all you need to get started are 6 very basic ingredients, plus some spray bottles for mixing and storage. Here's what you'll need, as well as a list of all-natural D.I.Y. home cleaning product recipes, courtesy of Thrive Market:

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[Video] The Future of Healthy Food

7/10/2016

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With all the craziness going on lately with regards to health and nutrition, you may be wondering where we're heading as a species.

Will we all have to become vegan for the planet to survive, or can we still eat meat? Will GMOs kill us all, or are they okay? How can we possibly regain our health with all the conflicting information floating around out there?

This interesting video sheds some light on the subject of healthy eating, and how we can learn to eat healthier while still preserving the planet's precious resources.

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The Truth About Grass-Fed Beef

2/7/2016

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** Updated June 2016**

I don't usually like to call out my fellow health-minded writers; after all, we are all in this together, right? We are all trying to do our best to help people learn to make healthier choices and lead healthier lives. And while I'm sure the author of the article I read this week about grass fed-beef had good intentions, it got me pretty fired up, and since this topic is near and dear to my heart, I felt I had to address some of the many points in her article that were misleading, misinformed, or just plain false.

The title of her article is "Is Grass-Fed Beef Worth the Money?", and you may have a different answer than me, and that's fine. But I want to make sure you are getting the facts straight before you decide, so here is my rebuttal.

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Homesteading Update: Geothermal Install Complete!

10/11/2015

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The drilling rig.

It was an exciting week on our little homestead, as the geothermal project we have been planning since before we bought the house was finally completed on Friday!

I've been promising an update for a while, so here is the scoop on our installation - though it's probably not as exciting for you. :-) I did want to share our experience anyway, for those who may be considering a geothermal system for your own place. I did a LOT of research over the past year, and found some of the experiences that others had shared to be very helpful.

This is an old house - built in the 50's, and so it is a replacement for the old furnace - not a new build. This means the contractors had some fun challenges to deal with, like the 4' crawlspace the pipes had to be run through to get to the basement. :-) But overall the project was actually pretty straightforward - the planning phase took the longest. The actual installation took about 2 weeks, and that was mostly because the company that drilled the wells couldn't fit us into their schedule right away.

Here's what happened (plus pictures!) - and our experience with the system so far (which has been about 48 hours). :-)

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The Agricultural Con Game

7/13/2015

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Decades ago, when people said "farming", the "organic" part went without saying. But during the second half of the last century, massive food producing conglomerates collectively now known as "agribusiness" have changed the way that we look at, purchase, and consume food.

As if this weren't bad enough, they've somehow managed to convince us that artificial fertilizers, pesticides, and genetically modified foods are the only way our planet can survive.

The truth, in fact, is just the opposite!

In reality, if we want to survive as a species, it's only a matter of time before we will find these modern methods completely unsustainable. (Hopefully, we'll figure this out before it's too late!)

Here are the 7 things that make our current model of industrial agriculture unsustainable, and what we need to do in order to fix this mess:

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How Healthy Are You - Really?

5/25/2015

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I've noticed something interesting about our weekly email updates that we send out to our subscribers. Whenever we send one that focuses on something like improving relationships, or financial balance, fewer people open the update than when we send one that directly addresses a specific physical health topic like healthy eating, or fighting disease.

From a marketing standpoint, you might say that in that case, it would be better not to focus on those topics. But this defeats the purpose of our main premise of holistic living - that is, that everything is connected!

While most people may think that being healthy simply means eating foods that are good for you, and getting enough exercise, in fact, we feel that True health goes much deeper than that.

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Homesteading Update: April Showers Bring...Spring Fever

4/6/2015

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The current swamp/site of future pond.

As brutal as parts of this winter were, it's hard to believe it's actually April already! Winter shook us like a dog with a rat, then rather suddenly lost interest and went away....

Now the sun is shining, trees are budding, and sap is rising - and I am chomping at the bit to be out in the garden! Only, I can't, because the "garden" is basically a swamp....

Hot with excitement to get out the tiller, build beds in our newly roped-off garden space, and plant asparagus, fruit trees, veggies, and more, our lofty ambitions were dashed last week when we checked the forecast and realized rain was predicted nearly every day for the next 10 days. :-(

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3 Reasons to Plant Heirloom Seeds This Spring

3/15/2015

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If you're anything like me, you love an uplifting, feel-good story about taking back control of our food supply - and this one comes just in time for spring planting! Whether you're a fan of Forks Over Knives, Food, Inc., or Fresh, you need to check out the new documentary, Open Sesame: The Story Of Seeds. This may be one of the most important food documentaries out there, as it tells a story that affects each and every one of us, no matter what your dietary beliefs, preferences, or choices are.

Everything starts with a seed. As it says in the movie, "without seeds, nothing else would exist." Whether you're a vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore like me, you and your food exist because of seeds. Everything you eat comes from a seed - even animals, which are fed on plants that come from seeds.

Yet you may be shocked to learn that 90% of the vegetable seed varieties in existence 100 years ago are now extinct! (I shared a helpful visual of this a couple of years ago on our sustainable gardening blog.)

The loss of seed diversity may seem like a shame, but how does it really affect you? In truth, it's actually a grave danger to our survival as a species (see #1 below).

The good news is, there IS something you can do about it: Plant heirloom or open-pollinated seeds!

Here Are 3 Reasons Why You Should Grow Heirloom Seeds This Year:

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