Farming is beautiful. Farming is brutal. It’s early mornings, late nights, and the kind of exhaustion that settles deep in your bones. It’s watching animals you love suffer or die. It’s fixing broken fences in the rain, hauling feed with a fever, and wondering if you’ll ever catch up—financially, physically, emotionally. Even on a smallContinue reading “đź’” The Weight of the Work: Mental Health and the Reality of Farming”
Category Archives: Health & Wellness
Eating for Life—What Nature Can Teach Us About Real Food
In a small school farm in northern California, middle school students conducted a simple experiment that left a lasting impression. They placed various foods into a worm box—one side filled with processed snacks like Twizzlers, gummy bears, and Velveeta cheese, while the other held whole foods like apples, bananas, beef, and fresh green beans. AContinue reading “Eating for Life—What Nature Can Teach Us About Real Food”
When the Rain Falls, the Mosquitoes Falter: How Precipitation Influences West Nile Virus Prevalence
In late summer, when the heat hums on the horizon and evenings come with a lazy dusk glow, most people associate mosquitoes with a seasonal nuisance—a minor irritation at cookouts or camping trips. But in parts of the country, especially the Midwest, they are more than an itchy annoyance. They’re potential carriers of West NileContinue reading “When the Rain Falls, the Mosquitoes Falter: How Precipitation Influences West Nile Virus Prevalence”
Functional Medicine: A Personalized Approach to Health
Functional medicine is a holistic, patient-centered approach to healthcare that focuses on identifying and addressing the root causes of disease rather than just treating symptoms. It integrates genetics, lifestyle, environment, and nutrition to create personalized treatment plans that support long-term health. Unlike conventional medicine, which often focuses on symptom management, functional medicine takes a systemsContinue reading “Functional Medicine: A Personalized Approach to Health”
Reclaiming the Plate: Solutions for Fixing “Poor Folk Food”
For generations, poor folk food meant survival—not just in the sense of calories but in resilience, knowledge, and resourcefulness. It was the food people grew, preserved, traded, and cooked with intention. Today, poor folk food has been stripped of its dignity and turned into highly processed, corporate-controlled pseudo-nourishment—cheap enough to fill a belly but engineeredContinue reading “Reclaiming the Plate: Solutions for Fixing “Poor Folk Food””
Farm Table Talk: The Science Experiment Masquerading as Food
If you ever needed proof that most of what we eat isn’t actually food, just look at the difference in food regulations between the US and the EU. That’s right—10,000 different chemicals, preservatives, stabilizers, emulsifiers, artificial flavors, colors, and compounds are legally permitted in American food, many of which have been banned elsewhere due toContinue reading “Farm Table Talk: The Science Experiment Masquerading as Food”
Malnourished but Overfed: The Health Crisis of Modern “Poor Folk Food”
Once upon a time, food insecurity meant hunger—real hunger, the kind that gnawed at the ribs and left people desperate for sustenance. Today, food insecurity has taken on a new, insidious form. Instead of starvation, millions suffer from chronic malnutrition, despite consuming more than enough calories. How? Enter the modern version of “poor folk food”—cheap,Continue reading “Malnourished but Overfed: The Health Crisis of Modern “Poor Folk Food””
The Price of Poverty: Why “Cheap” Food Costs More in the Long Run
If you ask the average person why low-income households rely on processed foods, they’ll likely say, “Because it’s cheap.” And, on the surface, they’d be right—when a box of instant mac and cheese costs less than a bundle of fresh spinach, the math seems simple. But dig a little deeper, and the economics of “poorContinue reading “The Price of Poverty: Why “Cheap” Food Costs More in the Long Run”
Fasting: A Natural Reset for Your Body’s Health
I’ll admit it—justification is one of my best skills too. After all, if I can’t explain away my habits as “the pursuit of optimal health,” then what’s the point? Case in point: my sporadic eating schedule. Dinner? Oh, I’m a pro. Breakfast? A rare treat. Lunch? Practically a myth. And when I stumbled across anContinue reading “Fasting: A Natural Reset for Your Body’s Health”
Rethinking Convenience: How a Whole-Food Diet Offers Long-Term Health Beyond the Standard American Diet
Transitioning from the Standard American Diet (SAD) was a pivotal step toward reclaiming my health, energy, and sense of balance. As I embraced a whole-food approach, focusing on nutrient-dense, unprocessed foods, I experienced firsthand the vast difference in how food impacts the body. It’s easy to be lulled by the convenience of SAD, but theContinue reading “Rethinking Convenience: How a Whole-Food Diet Offers Long-Term Health Beyond the Standard American Diet”
