Brody Ekberg

Chris Wang wrote:Are their any benefits of longer fasts that you don't get by eating once a day? I don't have any trouble losing weight, are there other advantages to fasting 2+ days?

Slightly off topic, but one other thing I have often wondered about is if it ideal to eat meals that contain a mixture of different food types eg. meat and vege at the same time. Wouldn't we digest food better eating meat and veges (even different types of plants) as separate meals, as I assume we have an evolutionary history of doing? For example have a vegan meal, carnivore meal, vegan meal, carnivore, carnivore, leafy food, carnivore, tubers, carnivore, carnivore, fruit... etc. While something like a chimp is a fair way off a human they don't appear to gather fruit to save for when they catch a monkey to snack on.

I think I read farther up in this thread that thebbody will start burning it’s fat reserves around the 12 hour mark. There probably are specific advantages to fasts lasting longer than 2 days, but the risks/disadvantages also grow with longer fasts. I think it’s best to listen to your body and not force anything.

As far as eating different food groups separately, I think that makes sense logically, but life doesn’t run on logic. You could look into “food combining”, which is the theory that certain groups should be eaten together and others separately. I also know that there are benefits to mixing some things for increased digestion. I believe mixing fats with vegetables helps get us more minerals and nutrients from the vegetables, and mixing something acidic with harder to digest things like meats can help us break them down more completely.

Matt Leger, I totally agree with you. The bacteria in our digestive system dictate what we desire to eat. If you’re constantly craving sweets and carbs, you’re probably lacking diversity and have an abundance of “bad guys” like candida. They want to thrive and signal your brain to make you continue feeding them. If you’re happy eating fats, vegetables and fermented foods, you probably have a good diverse system. And in my own experience, if it isn’t sugar cravings, it’s mindless, habitual, and emotional eating that kicks me off course. Controlling stress levels and staying present throughout the day is how I usually manage to combat that.

Pedal McCoy wrote:While everyone my age is off getting their degrees and careers in the usual cookie cutter fields, I want to dedicate my energy and time to a different career.

That in permaculture design. With a minor in homesteading.

Probably one of my ultimate life goals is to create a real life Garden of Eden. The ultimate ideal that everyone on this board holds close.

That is the career i wish to pursue. However, I don't think any college would offer a degree relevant to what I wish to do.

What would be the best means of aquiring the skills and experience to fulfill this aspiration?

Would Wwoof be a good outlet? I hear many things, good and bad about the farms and organizations that are part of it. I recently sent for a directory and waiting eagerly at the mailbox.

Anyone have experience with Wwoof? How did you learn your skills?

Thanks.

Hello Pedal! I see this is a pretty old thread but am curious where your life took you in this. Your words about recreating the garden of eden are words I myself use often. It is my dream to live that as my life, but am in a bit of a hole with mortgage and student loan debt and am contemplating a drastic job transition into something more fulfilling with most likely much less money. Just curious how things have turned out for you since posting this.

Tyler Ludens wrote:

helen perks wrote:We do need more people out there who are not only homesteading (which is also super-valuable!) who are models, mentors, trainers for people who want to have permaculture be their lives and their livelihoods and to greatly expand the options.

What you seem to be saying is that there need to be more jobs available to people who are interested in permaculture and other land restoration concepts.  But who will provide these jobs?  These jobs won't exist unless someone develops businesses based on regenerative techniques, and who better to start a business than a person who needs a business?  (I say this as someone who started their own business which has operated for over 20 years.  My household's primary income is from two home businesses.)

This was very inspiring and motivating for me! I so badly wand to spend all my time deeply involved in a permaculture lifestyle and work to spread that lifestyle to the public, specifically children. But, with about $150,000 worth of debt between a mortgage and my wife’s student loans, working for “the man” is how I spend at least 40 hours of my week, which is very disheartening. But I have good fermentation recipes and am considering starting a small business with that. Also I’m considering taking a PDC and teaming up with a local contractor to see if we can find a niche here doing sustainability minded landscaping and design/construction work. All just ideas as of now, but I need to quit this damn job and start manifesting my dream sooner than later.

I feel the pain! I am 26 and I personally have no student loan debt but with marriage, I willingly inherited my wife’s of close to $50,000. I then had a bit of a revelation and realized that I want to spend my life being well physically and mentally and helping others to do the same. I had an idealistic vision of my wife and I surrounded by beautiful organic foods and knew I could make it a reality. We bought a house with 2.5 acres for $100,000 with the idealistic intentions of creating a permaculture style farm providing much of our own food and giving excess away to local children and people in need. Fast forward about 1.5 years and we still have about $150,000 debt, my current job, though financially supportive, is physically destroying my body and I feel the need to quit daily. My wife has a job in her degree field but barely makes any money and doesn’t enjoy it. I’m willing to sacrifice the house and our credit to get as much of a clean slate as possible, but see no relief with the student loan debt. I’m looking into possibly starting several different food and education based “side hustles “ in hopes that they may grow and become supportive enough for me to quit my current job while still paying off the debts. I have to say that college and owning a house are generally bad ideas for most of us. There are much more sustainable and fulfilling options, but these are not widely promoted or encouraged, or at least weren’t when we were in school. I advise not digging a hole and jumping in, but for those of us who have already done that, only we can get ourselves out. It may be painful and take a while, but that’s life and it needs to be done. Have faith and stay focused on the present. Now has a beautiful way of presenting opportunities so long as we are able to listen. Don’t get stuck staring at ideals and hoping the future is better. Right now is perfect and is all we will ever have.

Over the past several years, my wife and I have “cleaned up” our eating for the most part. Started with 2 weeks of juice/broth fasting, then a couple weeks of organ cleansing, then about a month of leaky gut diet. Both of our health and digestion has improved greatly and we lost about 20 pounds in the first 3 weeks. The majority of it has stayed off and we are a few years later now. I now found what eating patterns works best for me, what makes me look, feel and function best. Typically, I eat a large breakfast that consists of mostly fats and proteins, small amount of carbs. Then snack on fruit and nuts until I eat a salad for lunch. Then I eat dinner preferably before 6 and try not to eat again for about 12 hours. Even with this intermittent fasting of 12 hours most nights, I still find that in these winter months my body really enjoys skipping breakfast on Saturday and eating very light throughout the whole day. I believe our metabolism and bacterial activity in our digestive tract changes with the seasons and moon phases.

As of now, I have the grape cuttings in the garage and the rose cuttings in our entryway with a bag over the top for humidity. The garage is not heated and the entryway is only maybe 10-15 degrees warmer than the outside. I suppose I will leave them as is for now until I feel something should be changed. I appreciate the input and am open to any suggestions. I will try to remember to post some results in the spring, but as I'm sure you all know, spring can be quite busy and exciting.

Today I took some cuttings of grape vine and two different roses to try to get to take root for planting next spring. This is my first time doing anything like this and I am unsure of how to keep the cuttings until spring. So far, what I've done is dipped the bottom ends of all the cuttings in rooting hormone and stuffed the bottom 3-4 inches into a mix of vermiculite and soil, since I could not find any sand. I watered it well and the containers have drainage holes in the bottom. I live in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and the winters get harsh around here. I've read not to baby the grapes and just let them stay out in the cold until spring, regardless of what the weather does. I've read conflicting information about roses, some say to keep a jar or bag over the top for humidity and some say to keep them warm. Does anyone have any advice as to whether I should leave them all outside, put them in the garage, keep them in the basement or in the house at room temperature? Also, any recommendations as to keeping a bag or jar over the top vs leaving the tops exposed? Any help is appreciated!

Tj Jefferson, I like your ideas and am curious how they turn out. I was strategically tossing various edible wild mushrooms (unfit to eat) around the property in hopes to spread spores. I took some prints as well and may try to get something started with them. I also have a couple logs going with lions mane plugs that should fruit next year.

S Bengi, thank you for the advice. That is exactly the product i was looking at buying. It seems to be very well rounded and could be used for a wide variety of future plantings.