10 Ways to Boost Immunity & 10 Ways to Damage It January 31, 2008

I have been reading “Gut and Psychology Syndrome” by Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride. She has had quite a lot of success treating children in her clinic in England, reversing autism, allergies, ADHD, and many other conditions. Her own son was diagnosed with autism. He is now in a regular school and is completely functional.

Dr. Campbell McBride recommends a special diet, what she calls the “GAPS diet”, as well as supplementation with cod liver oil and therapeutic-grade probitoics. I was very interested to learn this, as I have heard of many people having success with diet and probiotics with autistic children.

Including Jenny McCarthy, who, in her book, “Louder Than Words”, wrote about her son’s marked recovery after she changed his diet (to gluten-free, casein-free) and started giving him probiotics. Her son regained his language and social skills, and is now fully recovered.

If diet and probiotics can have this kind of affect on autistic children, what kind of affect can they have on other children? What kind of affect can they have on us? Those of us with food allergies and chronic fatigue and asthma and digestive problems and chronic colds and sinus infections? And auto-immune disorders such as arthritis, lupus, and MS.

How do we improve our immunity, and how do we avoid damaging our immunity?

In her book, Dr. Campbell-McBride made lists of how we can strengthen and weaken immunity. Here they are:

TOP 10 THINGS THAT BOOST IMMUNITY:

1. Cold-pressed oils - olive oil, fish oils (including cod liver oil), nut and seed oils (flax seed, sunflower seed).

2. Fresh eggs, particularly raw egg yolk. (Note: Raw eggs are safe as long as they come from healthy pastured chickens, not sick battery chickens from a factory farms. It is not advisable to eat raw egg whites, however. I usually boil my eggs for 3 minutes or fry them, and eat the yolk runny.)

3. Onions and garlic.

4. Freshly pressed vegetables and fruit juices (this means freshly juiced, not store bought).

5. Regular consumption of greens: parsley, dill, coriander (cilantro), spring onion and garlic, etc.

6. Probiotic supplementation and fermented foods (kombucha, kefir, cultured butter, yogurt, homemade sauerkraut, beet kvass, etc.).

7. Contact with animals: horses, dogs, etc. Having a pet in the family can do a lot for children’s immune status.

8. Physical activity in the fresh air.

9. Swimming in unpolluted natural waters: lakes, rivers, and sea.

10. Exposure to sunlight and sensible sunbathing.

TOP 10 THINGS THAT DAMAGE IMMUNITY:

1. Sugar and everything containing it: sweets, soft drinks, confectionery, ice cream, etc.

2. Processed carbohydrates: cakes, biscuits, crisps (chips), snacks, breakfast cereals, white bread and pasta.

3. Chemically altered and artificial fats: margarines, butter replacements, cooking and vegetable oils (including soy oil and canola oil), processed foods prepared with these fats.

4. Lack of high-quality protein in the diet from meats and fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts and seeds.

5. Exposure to man-made chemicals: cleaning and washing chemicals, personal care products, paints, fire retardants, petrochemicals, pesticides, etc.

6. Exposure to man-made radiation: electronic screens (TV, computers, play station, etc.), mobile phones, high-power electricity lines, nuclear station and nuclear wastes.

7. Drugs: antibiotics, steroids, antidepressants, painkillers, anti-cancer medication, anti-viral drugs, etc.

8. Lack of fresh air and physical activity.

9. Lack of exposure to sunlight.

10. Lack of exposure to common microbes in the environment. Living in a too sterilized environment is strongly associated with compromised immunity. The immune system needs constant stimulation from the microbes in the environment.

Surprising lists, huh? According to Dr. Campbell-McBride, pets, cod liver oil, fresh air, eggs, fermented foods, and sunshine all strengthen immunity. White flour, sugar, vegetable and soy oil, antibiotics, chemical cleaners, personal care products, and vegetarianism all weaken it.

Daily Photo January 30, 2008

Here she is wearing the adorable dress her Grammy knitted before she was born:

This photo is actually from Christmas but I just now downloaded it from my camera.

Daily Photo January 28, 2008

The dishwasher is a fun toy for babies all over the world.

Here’s Kate unloading the dishwasher:

And Amaya in France (daughter to Riana, she’s just a few months older than Kate):

No Poo: Day 39 January 28, 2008

It worked!

Just two days of using distilled water on my hair instead of tap water and it is 95% less greasy. That was the answer.

Seth thinks I’ve lost my mind. He keeps asking me, “Why don’t you just wash your hair with shampoo?”

When I told him what I figured out about the hard water, he said, “You’re a scientist! With all this research you’re doing, you could get a college degree. From Hippie University.”

Ha ha very funny.

So I tried to explain it to him.

He said that he understands the whole tap water thing. “I never drink tap water,” he said. “Never have.”

Well, I read somewhere that we absorb more water through the pores in our skin when we take a shower then by drinking tap water all day.

He said, “That makes sense.”

So if the water is doing this to my hair, what’s it doing to our bodies? I don’t think there are any issues with hard water and health, but I don’t like the idea of absorbing all these harsh chemicals when showering.

The water is one thing. The other issue is shampoo.

Here is an excerpt from an article on the Breast Cancer Fund website about petrochemicals in shampoo and bath products:

Cancer-causing Chemical Found in Children’s Bath Products

Women’s Shampoos and Body Wash also Contaminated

WASHINGTON — A hidden cancer-causing petrochemical has been found in dozens of children’s bath products and adults’ personal care products, in some cases at levels that are more than twice the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s lenient recommended maximum.

Laboratory tests released today revealed the presence of 1,4-Dioxane in products such as Hello Kitty Bubble Bath, Huggies Baby Wash, Johnson’s Baby Wash, Scooby-Doo Bubble Bath and Sesame Street Bubble Bath. The tests also found the carcinogen in Clairol Herbal Essences shampoo, Olay Complete Body Wash and many other personal care products.

1,4-Dioxane is a petroleum-derived contaminant considered a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a clear-cut animal carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program. It is also on California’s Proposition 65 list of chemicals known or suspected by the state to cause cancer or birth defects. Because it is a contaminant produced during manufacturing, the FDA does not require it to be listed as an ingredient on product labels.

The problem of 1,4-Dioxane contamination in personal care products is highlighted in a new book, “Safe Trip to Eden: Ten Steps to Save the Planet Earth from the Global Warming Meltdown,” by David Steinman. The laboratory results were released jointly today at the National Press Club by Steinman and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition of U.S.-based health and environmental groups working to protect cosmetics consumers from toxic chemicals and hold companies accountable for the safety of their products.

“Regrettably, 1,4-Dioxane contamination is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Jeanne Rizzo, R.N., executive director of the Breast Cancer Fund, a founding member of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. “Because the FDA does not require cosmetics products to be approved as safe before they are sold, companies can put unlimited amounts of toxic chemicals in cosmetics.”

Steinman said parents should be outraged that companies are willing to spend a significant amount of money on entertainment licensing agreements that entice children but won’t spend pennies to remove contaminants such as 1,4-Dioxane.

“Consumers who have young children, as I do, have the right to expect the highest purity in children’s products,” Steinman said. “I call on American consumers to say no to dangerous petrochemicals in their children’s cosmetic and personal care products.”

So, for the water… I’m looking into shower filters and whole-house systems now. If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know.

And as for shampoo and bath products… we are using Dr. Bronner’s now, as well as handmade soaps made from plain olive oil and coconut oil and essential oils. Kate’s using Terressentials baby bath wash.

Yes, it’s a small thing. I don’t think shampoo on its own would cause cancer. But shampoo combined with many other toxins that we consume, inhale, ingest, and absorb on a daily basis — this shit adds up. We can’t control the smog we are breathing in Los Angeles. It’s just out there. So I figure why not cut down on the things we can control. Like shampoo and water.

So call me a hippie if you want but I think this makes sense.

Daily Photo January 27, 2008

Sarah and Kate shopping yesterday at the Organic Pastures store downtown.

No Poo: Day 37 January 26, 2008

After rereading the LJ Noo Poo community basics, I figured out why my hair looks like I dipped my head in a vat of melted butter.

Apparently we live in a red zone. Los Angeles has extremely hard water. It’s also highly chlorinated. Which explains why I feel itchy when I get out of the shower that I have to slather oil and lotion all over otherwise I will itch and scratch all day and leave a trail of white flakes.

This is why you have to use harsh detergents on your hair when you have hard water. It really dries out your scalp which makes you produce more oil!

I also read on LJ No Poo that the 5th and 6th weeks are often the worst.

So today I did not put my head under the shower. I rinsed first with a cup of distilled water and a teaspoon or so of white vinegar. Then I “washed” with 2 cups of distilled water with 1/2 to 1 tsp of sea salt. Then rinsed again with the white vinegar/distilled water.

If you don’t want to use distilled water (kind of a pain), you have to get a shower filter. I have to do that anyway, because, as I mentioned above, I am sick of the itchies and scratchies! Of course, we are talking about getting a whole-house system so there is a lot more research to be done. I’ll use distilled water until I get it figured out.

I can’t tell what my hair is doing yet because it’s still wet. I may be wearing a baseball hat again today. But hopefully the distilled water will solve this problem in time.

Low-Carb: Relief for GERD January 26, 2008

I was thinking about my father-in-law yesterday. He has very severe GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). He lives with it and never complains. That’s just how he is — an upbeat optimist.

However, I was wondering if there was anything that could help him. I found this very interesting article by Dr. Thomas Cowan on the WAPF website.

Here’s an excerpt:

A recent study done by Professor Yancy and his team at the gastroenterology department at Duke University examined this very question. The article was published in Alternative Therapies Nov/Dec 2001, Vol. 7 No. 6 under the title “Improvement of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease After Initiation of a Low-Carbohydrate Diet: Five Brief Case Reports.” In this study, the Duke researchers took on people very much like yourself. They were mostly diabetic patients, often with a host of other medical problems. Furthermore, they were described as patients who had failed all other conventional therapies. In other words these were their most refractory patients with GERD.

Much to their amazement they report that in spite of continuing to smoke, drink coffee, and other GERD-unfriendly habits, in each case the symptoms of GERD were completely eliminated within one week of adopting a very low-carbohydrate diet (about 20 grams per day.) The patients were able to stop all antacids and prescription stomach medicines and this improvement continued even after they liberalized their carbohydrate intake to a more tolerable 70 gram per day.

Goodness! All symptoms eliminated within one week? That’s pretty amazing.

Dr. Cowan writes:

I have used this low-carbohydrate approach for the treatment of GERD for many years and with many patients. I can report that it is one of the most effective interventions that I use. It is not unusual for people to report relief even within a few days.

Got filmjölk? January 26, 2008

Kate enjoying her breakfast — Swedish filmjölk and fruit.

What’s filmjölk, you ask?

It’s a lot like yogurt, only not as sour.

And it’s easy to make at home. Just add the culture to milk and let it sit out for several hours. That’s it! (And if you add the culture to cream, it will make crème fraîche.)

We love it!

No Poo: Day 36 January 25, 2008

OK it’s been 5 weeks now and my hair looks like shit.

Seriously. It’s really really really greasy. I look like frickin’ Ethan Hawke.

Hahahahaha!

Yuck. I am beginning to really feel like a hippie.

Seth keeps asking me when am I gonna wash it. I had a dream the other night that I wasn’t paying attention and accidentally washed it with some chemical-laden endocrine-disrupting mainstream shampoo.

Of course they (”They”, i.e. The Live Journal No Poo Community) say that if you use commercial SHAM-POO (lie + caca), you will have to start all over and go through the detox period all over again.

I don’t want to go back to square one!

When I complained about my grease to our sweet nanny, Alla, she said, “Well, as long as it’s healthy, it doesn’t matter.” Don’t you just love her?

I know there is supposed to be a detox period. I know, I know — I KNOW!

But for THIRTY SIX DAYS!?!

ARGGGGGHHHH — WHEN WILL IT END??!!!!??!!!

PS: Using cornstarch to combat the greasies does not work. It makes you feel like you are wearing a powdered wig, a la Louis XV.

PS2: I just read some more on the Live Journal No Poo community. They say (1) the detox period can and often does last for 2 months and (2) a vinegar rinse is very helpful in reducing grease.

Only you can’t use too much vinegar. Just a tsp or so to a cup of water. I have been using 50/50 — and not all the time. Lots of times I’m just too lazy to bring the vinegar into the shower with me.

They also say white vinegar works better for some people. Apple cider vinegar (which I have been using) can make your hair look greasier.

So… white vinegar rinse, only a tiny bit.

I’ll try it. And I’ll try to be patient for 3, maybe 4 more weeks.

Insta-composting! January 25, 2008

There’s no need for a compost heap when you can just compost directly in your garden bed!

Here’s my easy composting method:

Just bury your kitchen scraps directly in the garden.

You don’t have to dig very deep. Just barely enough to cover the scraps with dirt.

Do not use any meat scraps or anything from animals — otherwise you will have pests in your yard.

If you have worms, they’ll go at this right away and it should break down completely within a matter of a few weeks. If you do not have worms in your soil, add some. You can buy them at any garden store.

I’m just adding new mini-compost holes in between in the plants in a line along the garden in my side yard. To keep track of your holes, just leave the shovel standing where you left off — then you will know where to make your next hole.

When your good rich compost is created, you can dig up a little and pat it around the roots of your plants.

A good book to read (one of my all-time favorites for organic gardening): Lasagna Gardening by Pat Lanza.

Her lasagna method is even easier because there is no digging. Just lay down some wet newspaper and do layers of scraps, peat moss, hay, what-have-you. You can plant directly into it. I’m going to do this in my vegetable bed.

PS: I’m till going to do a real compost heap because I have a lot of yard and grass clippings that I need to put somewhere other than the city yard scrap recycling bin.

Daily Photo January 25, 2008

Our park play date got rained out so we went to the mall with two other mommies and their babies. Kate loved the playground!

Rainy Night Marrow on Toast January 24, 2008

It’s pouring rain tonight. I love the sound of raindrops on the roof.

I wanted to make something really nurturing and warm — but I was tired because Kate and I spent the afternoon at the mall. Our regular Thursday afternoon play date in the park got rained out, so we went for a fast-paced stroller walk with two other mommies, and then the kids played in the indoor playground.

Kate drank her bottle in her stroller just before we left the mall and then I put her in her car seat for the drive home. Unbeknownst to me, she had an air bubble and needed to burp. I thought she was just tired — and she cried all the way home. (I knew it was an air bubble because she burped really loudly when I took her out of her car seat — poor thing.)

After all of that drama, she still didn’t go down at a reasonable time. She had a slight diaper rash from a cheap disposable diaper I put on her at the mall. So she didn’t go down ’till eight. (An hour and a half past her usual bedtime.)

Phew! Are you exhausted just reading all of that? Children are a lot of work.

But they are so worth it. Beyond words. Her squeal of delight and ear-to-ear smile in the mall playground, the grateful look on her face when she drank her bottle, the way she held me tight.

Anyway, by 8:15, when she was finally in bed and out like a light, I still hadn’t thought of what to make for dinner. And I was starving.

I dug around in the freezer in the garage, and found a ziploc full of “white chili” my sister had made for me when Kate was born. Chicken and cannellini beans. Such nice memories, thinking back on the time my sister was here with her daughter Stella, to see the tiny newborn baby Kate.

And the chili is soo delicious. My sister is one of my favorite chefs in the whole world.

I looked in the fridge and saw the defrosted bison marrow bones that I have been meaning to roast the past few nights — but haven’t had the energy.

If I was going to do marrow, I knew we needed toast. Yes, I’m only supposed to do bread once a week. But I decided to make an exception. I pulled two slices of my homemade sourdough from the freezer.

So here’s the dinner I made:

Bison marrow with cultured butter on homemade sourdough bread
Green salad with vinaigrette
Chicken and white bean chili

It was a totally fulfilling meal on a cold, rainy night. I had a crisp white and Seth had a glass of red (he prefers red).

The marrow was extremely easy to prepare.

Here is what you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Put the bones on a roasting pan or cookie sheet (I lined mine with a Silpat).
3. Stick in oven for 15 minutes.
4. Slather on buttered, toasted sourdough bread.
5. Sprinkle with a scant amount of sea salt.

Seth gave the thumbs up.

Time for bed now.

PS: The leftover marrow is going to be baby food.

Weight Update January 24, 2008

I’ve been waiting to say anything about my weight until I could report more progress. Every day I step on the scale (okay, I’ll admit it, it’s several times a day) and sometimes I see a change, most times I don’t.

But I’m happy to tell you that I have lost two more pounds! I am now at a steady 148.

Down from 157 when I started dieting on December 18th.

I’m still using FitDay to track my carbs and protein and fat each day. I’m averaging around 10% carbs, 20% protein, 60% fat, and 10% alcohol (I normally have 2 glasses of wine in the evening).

I’d like to get a little more fat in my diet but it’s not so easy. We are so trained to eat low-fat! I’d like to bump it up to 65-75% fat. I’m trying to increase my consumption of coconut oil — I think that will make a big difference.

Does Eating Lard Prevent Wrinkles? January 24, 2008

Read an interesting article last night about how eating more good fat helps your body. I was particularly fascinated by this excerpt:

On a side note, I worked with a client from Mexico who was here visiting her daughter over the summer. The mother was 85 years old, very strong and healthy, and had not one wrinkle on her beautiful face. Her skin was incredible! It was so soft and silky, not at all dry, scaly or wrinkly like the skin I’m so used to seeing with most of my clients.

I just had to ask her what kind of fats she eats. Her daughter translated my question to her mother and then replied, “She said she eats mostly lard. I can’t believe it! I keep telling her that’s not good for her, but she just won’t listen!” Us silly Americans!

Daily Photo January 24, 2008

Here’s our squealing, happy baby, who refused to nap yesterday afternoon but went down like an angel at 6 pm sharp:

Kombucha Status January 23, 2008

Here it is, in all its glory:

This is after 7 or 8 days of fermenting. I can’t remember exactly which day I started it.

They say it’s ready when there is a layer all across the top. Looks like there is one. Our Russian nanny, Alla, is going to taste it for me and tell me what she thinks.

Apparently, she drank kombucha her whole life when she was living in Russia. I kept talking about kombucha, asking her ifs he knew what it was and she said no.

Then one day I showed her the mushroom. She said, “Oh, my god! You’re making mushroom tea!”

In Russia, they don’t call it kombucha; they call it “mushroom tea”. She also drank kefir — and they made all these things at home. Now she is just starting to make kefir and kombucha again here in America.

UPDATE: Alla tasted it and she said it is fine — ready to drink.

I don’t know why the instructions from GEM Cultures said to only make one quart. And I can’t quite decipher their instructions re: what to do next. I’m going to see what it says in Nourishing Traditions.

Daily Photo January 23, 2008

Kate and I were rolling on the floor laughing (literally) last night after dinner.

Check out those teeth!

Inspired by These Days in French Life, I’m going to start posting a daily photo.

What to Do With Kohlrabi January 22, 2008

Have you ever made kohlrabi before? I haven’t. But we got some in our CSA box this week so I need to make something with it.

This is the great thing about a CSA — it forces you to learn how to prepare all kinds of fruits and vegetables.

I thought about doing a kohlrabi au gratin — maybe with some steak. But I am already defrosting some ahi tuna — I was planning to marinate in rice wine vinegar, ginger, soy sauce and garlic, then sear it, garnished with some green onion.

So I thought a slaw would be nice. I found this recipe. I’m going to use it except I’ll leave out the apple — we are low-carbing. I also don’t have any lime — so I’ll substitute lemon.

I also have some red chard and broccoli… I think I’ll do them Asian-style — sautee in olive and sesame oil and garlic. Normally I’d do some brown rice or noodles but again — this is low-carb.

UPDATE: Holy moley this was a good dinner! Seth said it was one of my best ever. I did not follow the slaw recipe exactly. We had a blackout! For real! It lasted for like 45 minutes.

So I couldn’t get on the internet to look up any recipes.

So here’s what I did (after the lights came back on):

Kohlrabi & Carrot Slaw
1. Peel 3 kohlrabi bulbs, chop into large pieces, and throw into food processor. Pulse.
2. Peel 4 carrots, chop into large pieces, and throw into food processor. Pulse.
3. Chop 1/4 of a medium yellow onion (coarsely) and throw into food processor. Pulse.
4. Transfer to large bowl. Add 6 (-ish) TBS of mayonnaise (I used my homemade mayo) and a few generous dashes of rice wine vinegar (to taste).
5. Add sea salt to taste.

Red Chard with Broccoli
1. Rinse large bunch red chard and cut up into large chunks.
2. Put 1 TBS of olive oil and 1 TBS butter ((I was going to do sesame/olive oil but I just don’t have that down yet) into a skillet; turn heat on medium. When butter is melted, throw in chard. Cook for 10-15 minutes, turning with tongs or spatula occasionally.
3. Rinse and chop up broccoli (a few large stalks). Add to skillet with chard — when chard is soft. Cook for another 10 minutes or so.
4. Add sea salt to taste.

Seared Ahi
1. Put ahi in a bowl with a few TBS soy sauce, a few TBS rice wine vinegar, and some grated fresh ginger (sorry, I did not measure while I did this — taste it as you go). Make sure ahi is covered in the marinade and let it sit out for at least 10 minutes.
2. Coat a skillet with olive oil. Set the heat on high. When the olive oil is very hot, throw on the ahi steaks. Sear on both sides for 1-2 minutes.
3. On dinner plates, make a bed of the chard and broccoli and dress with a little soy sauce.
4. When the ahi steaks are done, remove from heat and set on the beds of chard/broccoli.
5. Dress the steaks with a tiny bit more soy sauce and some very thinly sliced green onions (scallions).
6. Serve with a side of kohlrabi slaw.

Serves 2, with leftover slaw for tomorrow’s lunch. This meal is low carb, and gluten- and casein-free!

Homemade Sourdough January 20, 2008

I have been feeding my new pet for a week. With fresh (so fresh it’s frozen) whole grain rye flour (organic, naturally) and warm distilled water. It’s been bubbling and growing happily in its gallon glass jar in the corner of the kitchen.

So today — I decided it was stable enough, and I fed it one last time and then mixed it into a dough. Using the recipe from “Nourishing Traditions”, I used spelt flour (whole grain, organic, also frozen — to retain freshness). I kneaded it for a good 15-20 minutes. Then I poured it into a Le Creuset stoneware loaf pan, slashed it with a knife, and let it rest in a warm oven.

Within about 5 hours, it had doubled in size! It looked like a proper loaf of bread, albeit unbaked.

By then it was 8:30 pm, and we had already given up and ordered take-out sushi (I had sashimi and ONE piece of sushi — since I’m low-carbing).

So I punched it down again and put it back to bed.

I’ll bake it in the morning.

I’m really excited! How silly to be so excited over a loaf of bread. But it’s more than that. There is something so comforting about baking real sourdough bread. It takes you back to your ancestors. This is the way people have been doing it for centuries.

I hope it tastes good. I’ll eat one slice only — since I’m low-carbing. I’ve decided to allow myself bread once a week. That’s reasonable! If it slows my weight loss, so be it. I may get hit by a bus tomorrow, and I want to eat some bread before that happens.

And yes, I’m going to put LOTS of butter on it. Or some good raw cheese. I just bought 3 French varieties from Whole Foods. And maybe some honey (a tiny bit — since I’m low-carbing). RAW honey, mais bien sur.

UPDATE: My sourdough bread came out great!

I know, there’s a big hole in the bottom. That’s because when I took it out of the loaf pan, some of it got stuck to the bottom.

I made it with spelt, so it’s denser than the typical loaf. We are used to that, though, since we love German pumpernickel and rye breads. I loved the sour, nutty flavor of my bread. It was so delicious slathered with butter. It would be good, too with cheese or liverwurst (and more butter).

I was good and only ate once slice. I promptly sliced it and stuck it in the freezer. I’ll have another piece next week.

How to Reduce Global Warming: Compost! January 20, 2008

Here is the number one thing you can start doing today for the environment:

Start composting!

I was just listening to one of my favorite shows on the Lime channel on Sirius Radio. It’s called The Organic Gardeners.

They had a guy on the show this morning named Joe Lamp’l of JoeGardener.com.

Wow — he is amazing. One of the things they talked about was this:

Over 60% of the trash that goes into landfills is compostable.

and

Landfills are the number one cause of greenhouse gas emissions.

Isn’t that staggering? I had no idea! That means if we all started composting, we would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60%. Holy moley!

Are you composting? If not, why not?

I wasn’t doing it because I thought it was too much trouble. I didn’t have a compost bin set up. And it was easier just to throw things in the trash. And a lot of stuff went down the garbage disposal. Which just clogged it up. It’s funny because whenever the plumber comes to snake the drain, the always tell you not to put stuff down there.

Composting is a simple thing we can all do to help the environment.

How to get started with composting:

1. Find a bucket or a big bowl.
2. Start putting scraps in there. Vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, egg shells and the like. (What not to compost)
3. When it fills up, throw it onto a compost heap, bin or worm trays.
4. If you don’t have any of those things, just go dig a hole in your yard and bury it. You don’t have to bury it very deep. I just barely cover mine with dirt. You can pour scraps all over your garden beds this way.
5. Also be sure to add leaves and grass clippings to your piles.

Add some worms to your soil if you don’t have any. You can get worms at most gardening supply stores. If you feed the worms with scraps, they will multiply. You will know if you have worms by just digging into your dirt with a shovel — you should see them wiggling around in there.

I have worms in my dirt and I will tell you they eat fast! I buried a large bucketful of scraps in mid-December. A few weeks later, I went to check it and guess what? All the scraps were gone!

If you don’t have a yard, you can compost in an an apartment using worm trays or a Bokashi bucket. Then you can use your compost for your houseplants.

What? You don’t have any houseplants? Get some! Houseplants are so good for you — they increase oxygen indoors and actually reduce toxins.

Joe Gardener says you can use a paper shredder to make compostable material out of your junk mail. How cool is that? And what better use for all that paper? Give it to the worms!