14 Year Old Donates EVERYTHING He Grows To Families In Need

Help Ian WIN a $10,000 grant for Katie’s Krops!
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“The Giving Garden was created when Ian learned there were children at his school going to bed hungry. Wanting to make a difference for his classmates, Ian decided to take action. He raised funds and solicited volunteers to construct a raised bed garden and small fruit orchard at his elementary school to provide free access to fresh produce for anyone in need in his community. Ian began to realize that many students didn’t have the knowledge to prepare the produce they were receiving from the gardens. He began offering cooking demonstrations and provided sample recipes to help teach the students that healthy food can taste good. He didn’t stop there. Ian has continued to install gardens in local schools and communities in the Austin area. In the spring of 2016, his sister, Addison, joined the fight against hunger by developing the Frutas Frescas Orchard Program. The siblings have partnered with each other to help fight hunger in their community. In 2016, Ian became part of the Katie’s Krops garden program. He was able to build a garden in his own backyard and donates 100% of the produce to local hunger relief organizations or to families in need. In 2016, Ian grew and donate 869 lbs of organic produce. He reached his goal of growing and donating 1,000 lbs of organic produce in his backyard Katie’s Krops garden in 2017 and will exceed his donation totals in 2018.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT IAN AND HIS GARDENS: https://iansgivinggarden.weebly.com/about-us.html

Help Ian WIN a $10,000 grant for Katie’s Krops!

1. CLICK – Ian McKenna’s name at the “Vote Say Thanks, Austin” link 
2. TEXT – MCKENNA to (512) 456-9244
3. MESSAGE – MCKENNA to our Facebook fan page at facebook.com/recognizegood
4. TWEET – MCKENNA to @RecognizeGood with the hashtag #saythanksaustin
5. EMAIL – MCKENNA (in the subject line) to saythanks@recognizegood.org
6. WRITE IN – your name, then sign and date where indicated on Say Thanks forms (also downloadable) – I can pick up write in votes locally or if you’re out of town, you can scan or take a picture and email them to saythanks@recognizegood.org with MCKENNA in the subject line. 

Why Raleigh needs a stronger commitment to urban agriculture

The City of Raleigh supports urban agriculture rhetorically in its Strategic Plan. The city has made ad hoc interventions, like providing resources for rain harvesting at Raleigh City Farm and the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle farm.

Yet this leaves Raleigh behind other cities, like Atlanta, that implement systematic programs supporting the wide array of urban agriculture. Without a comprehensive plan, programs like land for community gardens, setting up organic matter drop-offs for composting, hiring master gardeners to provide expert knowledge, and more do not have the municipal support they need.

This is the case, even though the city’s Environmental Advisory Board has unanimously adopted an Urban Agriculture Program recommendation. That recommendation includes important steps, such as surveying vacant and public land, building a farm incubator system, and hiring a full-time city employee to administer urban agriculture programs. Implementing the recommendations will bring stability and growth to urban agriculture, which will entail beneficial impacts on communities, such as food security, food literacy, biodiversity, and income.

READ MORE HERE: https://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/article220040400.html

The city needs more gardens — urban gardening in Berlin [VIDEO]

What was once a gloomy parking lot is now a green oasis in the middle of the German capital, Berlin. The “Prinzessinnengarten” (princesses’ garden) has become one of the best-known urban gardening projects in Europe. Neighborhood city gardening is on trend and in the last few years, pretty plots have been sprouting like mushrooms from the earth.

WATCH THE VIDEO/STORY: https://www.dw.com/en/the-city-needs-more-gardens-urban-gardening-in-berlin/av-46264250

DIY Fungi – Interview: William Padilla-Brown

Not long into our conversation at his lab based in Lemoyne, I decide that William Padilla-Brown, of Elizabethtown, is one of the most fascinating people I’ve ever met. At 24, Padilla-Brown is the founder of his own mushroom cultivation company, MycoSymbiotics. He’s traveled the world, attending schools here in central Pennsylvania, in Taipei, London and elsewhere. He dropped out, got a GED and a permaculture certification. He designed his own model for a DIY college-level curriculum. He learned all he could about growing mushrooms from experts and online videos and started his own business, which he has slowly grown in the past few years. He wrote “Cordyceps Cultivation Handbook Vol. 1” — one of the first books written in English detailing the process of growing cordyceps, a type of fungus used in traditional Chinese medicine. He organizes mushroom festivals and foraging expeditions. He lectures about sustainable, low-tech, DIY gardening and growing methods with the aim of making it so anyone, anywhere can grow their own food.

READ THE STORY: https://lancasteronline.com/sunday/interview-william-padilla-brown-on-diy-fungi/article_b1bc0f70-1fee-11e9-b44b-db2654101d38.html

Urban farmers seek stability

Growing Lots is a working farm tucked into an increasingly dense urban landscape.

It used to occupy three sites in South Minneapolis where co-owners by Taya Schulte and Seamus Fitzgerald grew vegetables, operated a community-supported agriculture program, or CSA, and sold produce to local chefs. In 2018 those three sites were reduced to two.

Growing Lots lost access to the third site after their Longfellow landlords decided to sell. Schulte and Fitzgerald had been leasing the property for a few years, but for the landowners, the process of renting out to urban farmers with a labor-intensive business and slim profit margins got too complicated. Add that to neighborhood development pressure and the outcome became almost inevitable.

Fitzgerald certainly wasn’t surprised.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: http://www.southwestjournal.com/news/green-digest/2019/01/urban-farmers-seek-stability/

Now, Rent a Farm and Harvest Your own Veggies. Real-Life Farmville is Here

Most people living in apartments are deprived of the luxury of owning a terrace or garden farm, where they can grow vegetables. Yet, many living in big cities dream of spending their time on a farm after retirement and eat the produce of their own farm. Now, to live that dream you won’t have to leave behind your city life nor live at a farm. Bangalore-based Farmizen — a farming Airbnb of sorts — is connecting urbanites to farmers who help you rent a mini-farm and grow your organic veggies.

What’s more, you get to see the harvest not only through pictures and videos but you can also visit your farm over the weekend. It was the question: whether the organic veggies we buy from the market are truly organic or not that got co-founders — Shameek Chakravarty, Gitanjali Rajamani and Sudaakeran Balasubramanian — thinking. In 2017, they founded Farmizen, an app-based service to rent a mini-farm and grow chemical-free vegetables. This concept not only helps the urban buyers but also provides regular income to farmers. After Bangalore, the startup has now expanded to Hyderabad and Surat. In the next phase of growth, it plans to enter Chennai, Pune, and Mumbai. The third phase of growth would take it to Delhi and other cities.

READ THE ARTICLE: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/326404

What is a Normal Period? Better Understanding Your Cycle

Our periods can tell us a lot about our health, so as women, it is important to know what a normal period is like.  In fact some people consider them a vital sign and I completely agree with that idea.  If your cycles are abnormal, then you could be experiencing symptoms that indicate imbalanced hormones, or something else going on in your body.  I find that lots of women don’t know what their periods should be like.  We tend to accept intense period cramps and moodiness as”normal.”  But that couldn’t be further from the truth.  It isn’t our fault that we don’t know what to expect from our periods; this is often not something that we are taught.  Today I am going to teach you this important lesson and answer the question: what is a normal period?

Length of Your Cycle

Day 1 of your cycle is the first day that you see blood, and the last day of your cycle is the day before your next period starts.  This count equals the length of your cycle.  A normal cycle should last between 21-35 days (28 days being average).  Ideally your cycle length would be fairly consistent (within a few days) versus skipping around a lot cycle to cycle.  If one month your cycle is 21 days and the next month it is 35 days, then it might be worth doing some investigating to find out why the large variation (especially if it stays consistently irregular).

If your cycle is longer than 35 days it may be due to stress, illness, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), undereating, thyroid issues, or moving into menopause.

I do want to note that a teenager that just started her period may have a longer cycle in the beginning lasting up to 45 days but this should improve with time.  If it doesn’t then it could be a symptom.

How Long Should it Last

Your period bleeding should last 2-7 days.  The flow is often its strongest for 3-5 days and you may experience a couple of light days as your period finishes up.  If you see brown (almost dried up looking) blood initially this is often blood that was “leftover” from your previous cycle and could indicate low progesterone.  The first day that you see fresh blood is day 1 of your cycle. Any spotting that happens before or after your cycle usually still counts as bleeding days.

Periods lasting longer than 7 days could be a sign of PCOS or be due to perimenopause.  Spotting in between cycles is often a sign of low progesterone.

Blood Clots

If your periods are heavy, then your anticoagulants may not have enough time to keep up with your blood flow, which can cause large blood clots.  The most problematic clots are ones that are larger than a dime and happen frequently.  If you have the occasional small clot it may be normal.

Period Pain

Pain and cramping are symptoms that are by far accepted as being “normal”, but that isn’t necessarily the case.  A little cramping can be normal.  Light cramps or pain that last 1-2 days, but don’t knock you out for the day is ok.  It is the super painful cramps that are throbbing and last for days that can be a symptom of something out of whack.  It might be so bad that you are doubled over in pain or need to take the day off work to stay in bed.

This type of pain can be caused by imbalanced hormones or, in worse cases, things like endometriosis.

Heavy Periods

From a medical perspective, you normally want to lose about 50 mL of fluid during your period.  That usually equals about three tablespoons of fluid over the length of your period.  One regular pad or tampon holds about one teaspoon of fluid and you shouldn’t need to change that pad or tampon more than once every two hours.

If your period is super light, then it could be a sign that you didn’t ovulate.  A heavy period can be caused by many different things like copper IUD, no ovulation, endometriosis, perimenopause, thyroid issues, or estrogen dominance.

Color

When your period starts, it should be a nice bright red color, similar to cranberry juice.  If it gets dark and almost purple in color then it could be a sign of estrogen dominance.  If it gets light pink then it could be a sign of low estrogen.  If your blood is brown, that is old blood that has been oxidized and it didn’t make it out of your uterus during the last cycle, which can be a sign of low progesterone.

Your period is something that should be paid attention to every month because it can tell you a lot and give you clues about your health. Don’t feel bad if you have abnormal periods because this is something that most doctors don’t even know and this topic isn’t talked about with enough.  Use the clues your body is giving you as helpful hints to investigate and dig deeper to find the root cause and get things back on track.  One thing I don’t recommend to “fix” an irregular period is birth control.

Hormones are a complicated system with many moving parts so one of the best things you can do is to work closely with a practitioner that will do proper functional testing like DUTCH from Precision Analytical and help you get to the root cause.

ARE YOU READY TO GET TESTED AND TURN YOUR HEALTH AROUND?  CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO REQUEST A FREE 30 MINUTE DISCOVERY CALL…

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As a Holistic Dietitian and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, I help clients get proper testing, assist in the process of reading those results using clinical correlation (treating the patient and not just the test results), and give them the proper tools (diet, supplements, and lifestyle) to start the healing process.

The post What is a Normal Period? Better Understanding Your Cycle appeared first on The Organic Dietitian.

How some home truths can help save the planet

The garden is one of the keys to solving the two greatest problems facing humankind, namely rapid species extinction and the effects of our changing climate.

Gardens, plants, and the ecosystems in which they thrive will act as carbon sinks and filter the air that we breathe. It has never been more important that we realize this and that we protect our garden spaces, and by this, I don’t just mean our few square meters outside the back door. No, I also mean the wild public spaces. They are ours and they are helping us all to survive. We need to think about how, in our own gardens and in public spaces, by welcoming in nature, we can play an extremely important role in saving the planet.

Most of us don’t want to damage the natural world, the great outdoors, even though we sometimes unwittingly do. Thus, we need to educate ourselves as to what all of us can do with our gardens.

READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/lifestyle/outdoorsandgarden/how-some-home-truths-can-help-save-the-planet-898556.html

‘We’re black sheep’: the people who are fascinated by soil in cities

A recent gathering of scientists on the upper west side of Manhattan enthused about a crucial element in the formation of the surrounding city. The substance talked about in revered tones? Soil.

In a fairer world, soil would be receiving reverence from people well beyond the fourth annual NYC Urban Soils Symposium, given that the slender outer layer of the planet supports the life that treads, grows and flies above it. As it is, though, it is up to soil aficionados to extol the urban importance of this crumbly manna.

“Soil is a neglected resource; it can solve a lot of the environmental problems we have,” says Richard Shaw, a US Department of Agriculture soil scientist who grew up in urban New Jersey but was drawn to the outdoors and found himself fascinated by soils.

For the past decade Shaw has been involved in the New York soil survey, plodding around the city’s parks and community gardens taking soil samples. This has usually involved digging a 4ft-deep pit, a process that has attracted police attention. “They’d ask what we are doing and then they’d spend half a day talking to us once we told them,” he says. “Others will say ‘sorry to hear that’, like it’s the worst job in the world.”

READ THE FULL STORY AT: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jan/16/dirty-secret-can-urban-soil-help-solve-our-environmental-problems

7 Trends That Will Define Gardening in 2019

Americans are gardening in record numbers but what are they most interested in this year?

Here are highlights of the seven top 2019 trends in gardening:

• The Slow Garden Movement: The same trends that millennials are driving across consumer brands — transparency, sustainability, hand-crafted, experiential, and authenticity — are showing up in gardens and garden centers nationwide.
• Architecture Rules: Garden designers will use plants with plenty of intriguing, often formal, shapes, forms, textures, and branching habits within otherwise naturalistic gardens, resulting in a delightful yin-yang effect.
• Desperately Seeking Season: With seasonal changes that are less distinct and predictable marked by longer summers and shorter winters, gardens that dramatically, graphically evolve over the seasons are becoming even more prized.
• Do it For Me!: Consumer research has identified a growing segment of “Do It for Me” homeowners who want the beauty and seasonal rhythm of a landscaped space, but may not have the time to make this happen.
• Working Overtime: With home lots getting smaller and less time for gardening, consumers are snapping up one-and-done plants that do double or even triple duty in the landscape.
• One-Stop Garden Shop: Seeking more than the free wifi and caffeine buzz offered at your local coffee shop, consumers are flocking to garden centers for a newer, fresher experience.
• Into the Woods: Cool, mossy, and damp, small space woodland gardens bring a welcome sense of organic zen and a respite from digital overload, especially in dense urban areas where they can help to mitigate the effects of pollution.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.greenhousegrower.com/management/7-trends-that-will-define-gardening-in-2019/

A Phoenix Urban Garden Provides At-Risk Individuals a Path Forward

Incarcerated a total of eight times over 15 years, Darren Chapman sat in a maximum-security prison cell at age 25 and thought of happier times.

“I remember[ed] watching my grandfather trade collard greens and carrots with others and interacting with his community,” he says. “My dream as a little boy was to do the same; I wanted to work with others in the same community [of South Phoenix] where I grew up.”

After Chapman’s final release in 2005, he followed the example his grandfather had set and established TigerMountain Foundation (TMF), an organization that focuses on working the land and producing sustainable foods for the local economy, while also creating a sense of community.

“Community doesn’t happen unless people share something in common,” Chapman says. He felt that a community garden had the potential to bring people together around a singular goal and create “a classroom without walls and a place where people could feel proactive hope.”

READ THE FULL STORY HERE: https://civileats.com/2019/01/17/a-phoenix-urban-garden-provides-at-risk-individuals-a-path-forward/

A LOOK INSIDE RINO’S ROOFTOP URBAN FARM

If you’ve recently walked down Lawrence Street in RiNo,  you have probably have been stopped in your tracks by the sight of a rooftop garden. At the very least, you’ve probably wondered what was going on above Uchi. This beautiful greenhouse space is home to Altius Farms. As one of the largest vertical aeroponic rooftop gardens in the country, Altius currently grows varieties of lettuce, herbs and edible flowers galore.

Part of the new S*Park condo community, Altius landed at the RiNo location where the land historically has been farmed since the 1930s. The greenhouse itself offers 8,000 square feet to run operations, and the community garden outside will double the growing space once the spring comes. S*Park and Altius are planning to team up for great farm-to-table events and community dinners come warmer temperatures.

READ THE FULL STORY AT: https://303magazine.com/2019/01/altius-rino-rooftop-farm/

Reviving monastery’s city farm, started a century before urban agriculture was cool

Members of religious orders have always had a need to garden, inspired no doubt by one of the Christian faith’s noted cultivators, Saint Fiacre, a green-fingered holy man who became the patron saint of gardeners.

When monks, friars and nuns established their enclaves, they turned to gardens of herbs, wildflowers and vegetables to feed and heal themselves. Other essential elements: a dairy and a fruit orchard. Apiaries also played a key role, providing honey, mead and beeswax for candles.

The garden, as Westerners know it, survived the Dark Ages because of monasteries. Given these traditions, it was natural for the founders of the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America to count on a small farm when in 1897 they purchased 100 acres of open land in Northeast Washington.

READ THE ARTICLE: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/a-city-farm-is-revived-faithfully/2018/07/10/713f1f40-7e23-11e8-b0ef-fffcabeff946_story.html?utm_term=.eaa91050eb78

Urban Gardening 101: How to Deal with Contaminated Soil

Urban soils are particularly prone to contamination. 50 years ago, your yard could have belonged to a farmer, who, perhaps not knowing any better, disposed of old bottles of anti-freeze or contaminated diesel in a hole out behind the tractor garage. Or perhaps the remains of a fallen down outbuilding, long ago coated in lead-based paint, was buried on your property buy a lazy contractor when your subdivision was built.

For those wanting to garden on non-residential urban property – school yards, church grounds, parks, commercial areas, vacant lots – the likelihood of contamination is even higher. There is no telling what sort of past activities took place there, all visible signs of which have disappeared. Prior the 1970s, environmental rules were very lax, and it was not uncommon for all sorts of hazardous chemicals to be dumped at any location where they were used. Many such chemicals persist in the soil for decades, if not longer.

The good news is that if the property was redeveloped (any significant new construction, demolition, or change of use) since environmental laws tightened, it would have had to go through a strict assessment to determine if contamination was present. If anything unacceptable was found, the owner would have been forced to remediate the soil before starting construction. However, if the property has remained more or less as-is since the 1970s (or earlier), it is unlikely that anyone has ever investigated what might be lurking in the soil.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE: https://modernfarmer.com/2018/06/urban-gardening-101-how-to-deal-with-contaminated-soil/

Long Beach Gears Up For Martin Luther King Jr. Day Of Service

More than 400 Long Beach-area volunteers are expected to give back to the community to mark the national MLK Day of Service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Monday, Jan. 21.

The civil rights leader who fought against racism is honored with a federal holiday every January, around the time of his birthday. Some people get the day off from work, but others take part in the National Day of Service — where people are encouraged to participate in community work.

For the ninth year, Long Beach’s MLK Day of Service will connect volunteers to 16 local service projects for “Day On, not a Day Off.” The event is hosted by Leadership Long Beach, the Port of Long Beach and Mayor Robert Garcia, in addition to council offices and some neighborhood groups.

READ THE FULL STORY: http://www.gazettes.com/entertainment/nonprofits/long-beach-gears-up-for-martin-luther-king-jr-day/article_12781f62-1508-11e9-9ecc-772ea4330ed2.html

Buying Time: Extend your garden’s growing season with a cold frame

Part incubator, part greenhouse and part time machine, a cold frame is anything but cold. It’s an empty, bottomless box that protects plants from winter weather. With its hinged lid of glass or rigid plastic, a cold frame captures solar energy and converts it to radiant heat, creating a warm microclimate where plants thrive. Like the windshield of your car on a cloudless day, sunlight passing through the glass is absorbed by interior surfaces and re-radiated as heat. It makes for a snug, safe space for plants to grow when the weather is inhospitable.

Sara Barton is a big fan of a cold frame. Barton got her master’s degree in public health from the School of Public Health at City University of New York, but she likes to say she got her work experience “in the field,” on an organic farm. Since 2017, Barton has been the Learning Garden Coordinator with the VCU Office of Sustainability, where she manages three urban campus green spaces.

All three are “small-scale gardens where a cold frame is a very useful tool,” to extend the season and expand the harvest, she says. “Just like in a home garden.”

READ THE REST OF THE STORY: https://richmondmagazine.com/home/experts/buying-time/

Urban Gardening Activist Works To Connect People To Their Food Sources

Activist Duron Chavis realized early on he needed to get his hands dirty, and that his work begins in the soil.

The 38-year-old is a proponent of urban gardening, an effort he says can address the disconnect African-Americans feel toward growing and accessing food, along with promoting self-sustainability. It’s not just about eating healthy; it’s about being able to provide for yourself.

“The urban gardening stuff has been an exercise in building community in its truest sense, and it changes the conversation,” Chavis says. “It’s one thing to talk about community issues and another to advocate about them.”

Growing up in the city’s South Side, Chavis, with friends, frequented convenience stores. Honey buns, soda, chips, ramen noodles and processed foods were all part of their diets. Nearby, the golden arches of McDonald’s, the smiling Hardee’s star, and the pink and purple hues of the Taco Bell sign shone brightly. The closest grocery store was miles away. The place he called home was smack dab in a food desert, an urban area with limited access to healthy and affordable food.

READ THE REST OF THE STORY: https://richmondmagazine.com/news/features/growing-activist/

Edible Landscapes Are Un-Lawning America

Lawns are ubiquitous in the United States and according to a 2015 NASA study, they take up three times as much space as the next largest irrigated crop, corn. These familiar patches of green require 9 billion gallons of water per day, around 90 million pounds of fertilizers and 75 million pounds of pesticides per year. Plus, the lawnmowers that maintain them largely use gas and emit pollutants. All for a crop we can’t eat.

A growing group of people and businesses are trying to change that. For over a decade, “unlawning,” or the act of turning sterile lawns into fertile, edible landscapes, has been gaining popularity in the United States. These edible yards aren’t just backyard garden plots with a few squash and tomato plants, rather they are landscapes that incorporate edible native plants, like paw paw trees or bush cherries, along with fruit trees, pollinator habitats, medicinal herbs and water features.

One well-known proponent of edible landscapes is Fritz Haeg, an artist who in 2005 began a years-long project called “Edible Estates,” during which time he traveled the country and turned ordinary yards into edible masterpieces. In the years since Haeg’s project, there has been a steady growth in awareness of edible landscapes in the U.S.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE: https://civileats.com/2019/01/14/edible-landscapes-are-un-lawning-america/

Santa Fe garden created to aid shooting survivors seeking donations

SANTA FE, Texas (KTRK) — Painted on Santa Fe City Hall, a mural serves as a reminder of the May 18 attack, but directly behind the building, there’s a place that could one day help survivors cope with the trauma.

Mandy Jordan leads the nonprofit Keep Santa Fe Beautiful. Jordan’s working to turn the greenspace behind City Hall into a therapeutic garden, and as the mother of a Santa Fe student, she knows how useful it could be to the entire community.

“During the holidays I wanted to lock myself away and that’s not good,” said Jordan. “Getting outside, feeling the sunshine, being around others, and having that group therapy is actually very beneficial to our emotional health.”

READ THE STORY: https://abc13.com/therapeutic-santa-fe-garden-seeking-donations/5063589/

Estrogen Dominance…6 Root Causes That Are Easy to Miss

Estrogen dominance is very common these days,but that DOES NOT make it normal.  Our modern world creates the perfect environment for estrogen to take over.  It may seem impossible, but you can do something about it.  Yes, YOU can!  You just have to know what is causing estrogen dominance in you specifically.  There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to addressing estrogen dominance.  I know because I spent years trying to figure out what was causing estrogen dominance in my own body.  Different doctors told me what to do, but nothing was helping.  That’s because no one was addressing the root cause.

I work with a lot of women dealing with the symptoms of estrogen dominance.  Things like PMS, heavy or irregular periods, bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, brain fog, mood swings, depression, irritability, low libido, histamine intolerance, fibroids, endometriosis, thyroid problems, gall bladder issues, and blood sugar issues.  Any of these sound familiar? Many things can contribute but here is a list of the top causes I see with my clients… 1. Gut dysbiosis (bacterial imbalance) Your gut and hormones are absolutely connected.  Glucuronidation is one of the major phase 2 detoxification pathways in the liver that helps us eliminate hormones from the body.  An enzyme called beta glucuronidase can block this detoxification process, which can cause your hormones (including estrogen) to get reabsorbed, reactivated, and put back into circulation.  Beta glucuronidase is produced by imbalanced intestinal bacteria. So to address the cause, you need to lower this enzyme by balancing your gut bacteria.  Sorry to say it but simply taking a probiotic is usually not enough to re-balance the gut.  Get a good stool test, like the GI MAP, to address bacterial overgrowth.  The nice thing about the GI MAP is that it actually tests for the beta glucuronidase enzyme.  This result below was the first GI MAP I took…it showed over double what the lab considers normal!  In order to address the cause, I worked to re-balance my gut bacteria, which is a process that should be customized to you and your microbiome.

2. Poor liver detoxification (overall, phase 1, or phase 2?)   If your liver is sluggish, then it will be difficult to clear estrogen from your body, no matter what.  We live in a pretty toxic world, which makes our livers work really hard.  The liver processes hormones to get them ready to be eliminated from the body.  If the liver is not functioning optimally, estrogen levels can be high because your body is not breaking it down and getting rid of it like it should.  It is important to know if there is a specific phase of liver detoxification where estrogen is getting backed up.  This information can help figure out what you need to do to address the cause. If phase 1 of estrogen metabolism is stuck then a supplement like DIM can help but if that isn’t the problem, then you could be wasting your money on an unnecessary supplement or even cause estrogen to drop too low. Phase 2 of estrogen detoxification is a process called methylation.  Genetically we might not be good at methylating properly, but we also depend on certain nutrients for this process to work correctly.  We need vitamin folate, B12, B6, and magnesium. If you are deficient, then that could be a contributing factor to your estrogen dominance.  These pathways can’t be tested using blood or saliva, but you can test them with urine, which is why I use DUTCH test by Precision Analytical with my clients.  So much more information!  Save yourself a lot of trouble and get tested instead of guessing.

3. Constipation I talk about pooping all the time with my clients.  Your bowel movements can tell you a lot about your health.  When you are not having at least one bowel movement per day, when you are not eliminating fully, or when you are going and it looks like little pellets, then you are constipated.  Estrogen that should have been eliminated from the body in your stool is reabsorbed in the gut and re-circulates in the body.  It’s the gut’s responsibility to eliminate hormones.  Get to the root cause of your constipation.  Is it your thyroid, gut pathogens, motility issues, dehydration, low fiber, stress, or something else?  Start by increase your water intake.  You should be drinking at least half of your body weight in pounds in ounces of water per day (coffee and alcohol doesn’t count).  Then make sure you are eating enough fiber by increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables.  If that doesn’t help then you may need to investigate further.  Test your thyroid and gut with functional lab testing.  Proper testing is key! 4.  Low progesterone Estrogen dominance does not always equal high estrogen.  Estrogen can be at a normal level, but if progesterone is too low then you can still have estrogen dominance symptoms.  So why is progesterone low?  Not eating enough healthy fats, too low body weight, chronic stress, HPA axis dysfunction (AKA adrenal fatigue), gluten sensitivity, lack of ovulation, hypothyroidism, or high prolactin– these are just some causes of low progesterone.  It is all about getting to YOUR root cause.  A good practitioner should be able to help you with this investigation.  That is exactly what I do with my clients. 5.  Copper toxicity and Other Heavy Metals We can become copper toxic in a variety of ways.  Hormonal birth control (pill, patch, ring), copper pipes, copper IUDs, hormone replacement therapy.  It can even be something that was passed to you in-utero from your mother.  Copper stimulates estrogen production and estrogen can increase copper; they are very connected.  When one goes up the other can follow.  In my practice I use hair mineral analysis testing to look for copper issues.  If you have looked at all the other factors and still can’t seem to find out what is causing your high estrogen, then it might be time to consider copper. Other heavy metals like aluminum, mercury, and lead are also considered metalloestrogens, which means that they have the ability to mimic estrogen in the body.  Some metals are considered essential minerals, but if the concentration of these metals become too high, they can interfere with hormones.  These types of metals are much harder for the body to eliminate on its own.  I like to do a hair mineral analysis test with clients, especially when they are having a hard time addressing why their estrogen is high. 6.  Inflammation Do you have a lot of inflammation in your body?  Maybe aches, pains, skin problems, joint discomfort, gut issues, heart problems, excess weight, inflamed gums in your mouth?  Do you have a lot of food sensitivities?  Have you been exposed to a lot of toxins?  Inflammation anywhere in your body can be a problem because it can drive up your production of cortisol (your stress hormone that can also be anti-inflammatory).  High cortisol can equal higher DHEA, which then can get made into testosterone and – yes-even estrogen. These are the top root causes of estrogen dominance that I see in my practice.  It is also very possible to have more than one root cause.  This can be an overwhelming and sometimes complicated beat to tackle.  Working with someone that can help you navigate your root cause(s) and provide you with the best game plan to get your hormones back into balance can be very helpful.   When your hormones are balanced it is easier to maintain a healthy weight, have clear skin, have healthier periods, and slow down the aging process.  If you don’t have the ability to work with a professional, below are a couple things you can  start to do on your own. What can you start doing today to help your estrogen?  1.  Use safer beauty products. Toxic chemicals in conventional beauty products can be hormone disruptors.  These chemicals can act like hormones in your body and contribute to higher estrogen levels.  Beautycounter is my favorite safer beauty line!  Consider swapping out your shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, and makeup for non-toxic products.  Read my post Are Your Beauty Products Contributing to Hormone Imbalance for more info. 2.  Eat more veggies.  Things like cruciferous vegetables contain a compound that help to support phase 1 of estrogen detoxification.  Even raw carrots contain a beneficial fiber that helps to eliminate estrogen from your system.  Don’t forget your leafy green veggies that are a good source of folate and support phase 2 of estrogen detoxification.  These are easy things you can incorporate into your daily meals. 3.  Love your liver with castor oil packs. I wrote a whole post about it so go check it out here. 4.  Get enough sleep. Sleep is super critical for overall health and it is whenyour body does a lot of repair work.  Just two consecutive night of not sleeping well can negatively impact your cortisol levels.  And high cortisol can lead to high estrogen.  Get to bed by 10pm and work toward getting at least eight hours per night. 5.  Manage your stress. I can’t emphasis this one enough!  Stress is terrible for your hormones.  Stress negatively impacts your adrenal glands and cortisol levels, which makes it really hard to get your hormones back on track.  Deep breathing, getting out in nature, and a daily self-care ritual are my favorite ways to keep my stress in check. Resolving estrogen dominance is a multi-factorial process including nutrition, lifestyle, proper detoxification, and healing other bodily systems like the adrenals and gut. ARE YOU READY TO GET TESTED AND TURN YOUR HEALTH AROUND?  CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO REQUEST A FREE 30 MINUTE DISCOVERY CALL… Schedule Your FREE 30 Minute Discovery Call As a Holistic Dietitian and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, I help clients get proper testing, assist in the process of reading those results using clinical correlation (treating the patient and not just the test results), and give them the proper tools (diet, supplements, and lifestyle) to start the healing process.

The post Estrogen Dominance…6 Root Causes That Are Easy to Miss appeared first on The Organic Dietitian.

Women who farm: The changing face of Indiana ag

INDIANAPOLIS — There is a burgeoning group of generationally and ethnically diverse women growing food in central Indiana.

The face of agriculture is changing, and there is great momentum behind the trend of more women involved in agricultural enterprises, said Eliana Blaine, soil health outreach coordinator at Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District.

“Women run and work with a wide range of organizations that grow food as part of their mission and activities,” Blaine said. “These include market farms, community gardens, youth education and non-profit organizations, and school and university gardens.

READ THE STORY: http://www.agrinews-pubs.com/news/women-who-farm-the-changing-face-of-indiana-ag/article_1c58637d-d052-5e55-8916-0aa936fd4ea0.html

Bottle Tower Gardens Provide Exceptionally Efficient Small Space Growing

Dr. Willem Van Cotthem experimented with this vertical gardening system using recycled plastic bottles stacked and attached to a fence.  He began with the 2011 growing season and continued through 2012 with great success.  This type of garden is cheap to start and is extremely effective for those who do not have a lot of growing space.  A system like this could be built along a fence, wall, or on a balcony.

READ THE ORIGINAL STORY at “OffGridWorld.com”

Florida Senate bill that could usher more beds of beets revives home rule debate

More mushrooms?

A proposed bill in the Florida Senate could usher in more beds of beets at homes statewide by barring local governments from regulating vegetable gardens.

It would create a Catch-22 for cities such as Orlando, where city officials bristle at preemptive moves from Tallahassee and are looking to expand urban agriculture.

City officials said this week they plan to oppose the legislation (SB 82) because it flies in the face of home rule, which allows local governments to chart their own course. Orlando may argue for the city’s existing ordinance to be grandfathered into the proposed bill.

“We believe these decisions are best made locally,” assistant city attorney Kyle Shepherd said.

Volunteers harvest produce such as mustard greens, spinach and sorel, as part of Fleet Farming’s Sunday Swarm Ride. Sunday, February 11, 2018. (Sarah Espedido/Orlando Sentinel)

State Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Orange Park, first introduced the bill in January in reaction to a dispute in the Village of Miami Shores. A couple dug up a 17-year-old vegetable garden to avoid $50-per-day fines by the village, which passed an ordinance banning front-yard vegetable gardens.

The 3rd District Court of Appeal upheld the ordinance was constitutional after an appellate court ruled in favor of the Village.

READ THE STORY: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orange/os-ne-vegetable-garden-bill-20181224-story.html

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Beehive safety in parks debated

Before they might open up selected Eau Claire parks to beekeepers, City Council members want more details as they grapple with how that could affect residents who are allergic to the insects’ stings.

The council discussed potential changes Monday night to its ordinance that allows beekeeping, which are expected to come back for a vote later this month after undergoing some revision.

“Overall I like the direction this is going,” Councilman Jeremy Gragert said.

The changes would ease requirements for people seeking a license to have beehives in their backyards for personal use, while also allowing beekeeping in parts of six city-owned public spaces.

READ THE STORY: https://www.leadertelegram.com/news/front-page/beehive-safety-in-parks-debated/article_66d8c6c2-c91e-5d8f-8e18-a1914cbf4d8c.html

Make the most of ‘living green’ in Seattle

Young Woman Working in a Home Grown Vegetable Garden

Whether you’re a newcomer to the city or a born-and-bred Seattleite, it’s no surprise that the Emerald City has a reputation for being green in more ways than one. In July, Seattle became the first city in the nation to ban the use of plastic straws at cafés and restaurants. In 2015, composting became not just a nice alternative to trash and recycling, but mandatory within city limits.

“Living a greener lifestyle is almost second nature for Seattleites, whether that’s recycling, composting, riding a bike to work or carpooling,” says Randy Bodkin, assistant manager in Amica Insurance’s Seattle office.

If you’re looking to get into the Seattle groove and start living a more eco-friendly lifestyle, there are many ways you can get in on the action. “We suggest checking with local ‘green’ energy efficient affiliates, your power company, or your waste management company for safe and easy ways to live greener,” Bodkin says.

One quick and easy change to make? Sign up for paperless billing from your insurance company and other utilities. Many companies will even offer a discount for going paperless. “Insurance companies, for one, generally send many policy documents. When our customers go paperless, this helps in reducing their carbon footprint,” Bodkin says.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://www.seattletimes.com/sponsored/make-the-most-of-living-green-in-seattle/

Opportunities abound for New York agriculture

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Saratoga County is a microcosm of New York’s diverse $5 billion agriculture industry, which ranks nationally as a leader for goods such as yogurt, cheese and sour cream (first); apples and maple syrup (second); and milk production (third).

Many more opportunities such as farm-to-school initiatives, urban gardening and enhanced marketing of products ranging from hemp to concord grapes are also on the horizon in 2019.

The state’s 35,000 farms encompass more than seven million acres and are responsible for nearly 200,000 jobs.

“There are a lot of positive trends,” state Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball said. “We need to exploit these opportunities.”

But there are challenges as well, such as bringing state leaders, who make crucial budget decisions, up to speed on high-priority issues confronting farmers today.

Democrats now control the upper house of the Legislature so Sen. Jen Metzger, of Ulster County, has replaced Sen. Patty Ritchie, of St. Lawrence County, as chair of that body’s agriculture committee. In the Assembly, Donna Lupardo of Broome County, succeeds fellow Democrat Bill Magee, of Oneida County, as committee chair.

READ THE STORY: https://www.saratogian.com/news/local-news/opportunities-abound-for-new-york-agriculture/article_67f21f3c-1126-11e9-a03a-9b19258f0fbb.html

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Farm Bill would benefit Detroit’s urban agriculture

Detroit — Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow on Monday championed reforms to encourage urban agriculture in the 2018 Farm Bill.

Stabenow, a ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, urged President Donald Trump to sign the bipartisan legislation that would widen a safety net for farmers, encourage conservation efforts and protect food assistance programs.

Both chambers of Congress passed the bill by wide margins last week after the 2014 Farm Bill expired Sept. 30.

“I see through the lens of Michigan, and Michigan really is on every page,” Stabenow said during a press conference at Eastern Market. “I’m proud we were able to get this done in the midst of all of what has been happening in Congress…This is something that will be a wonderful Christmas present for many, many, many people.”

READ THE FULL STORY https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/michigan/2018/12/17/stabenow-farm-bill-michigan-urban-agriculture/2332256002/

Uber CEO and Alphabet Invest in Urban Farming Startup

Bowery Farming Inc., a two-year-old startup that uses robotics to cultivate crops indoors, is on track for more growth. The New York-based company plans to announce on Wednesday that it raised $90 million from investors including Alphabet Inc.’s GV and Uber Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi, said Bowery’s co-founder and CEO, Irving Fain. The company declined to provide its valuation.

Bowery is part of a new crop of agriculture technology startups growing leafy greens in controlled environments near cities. Last year, Plenty, a San Francisco-based vertical farming company, raised $200 million from the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group Corp.’s Vision Fund. Bowery grows its veggies in layers of sensor-rich trays that move and react to humidity, carbon dioxide and light. One square foot of Bowery’s indoor farm is 100 times more productive than an equivalent plot of arable land, Bowery says. Plenty makes similar claims.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-12/uber-ceo-and-alphabet-invest-in-urban-farming-startup