ABQ Stew

In a time and place where many people who have uteri experience little support and yet so much outside control, it’s important to understand, love, and nourish our bodies. I think learning and implementing elements of cycle syncing can be a great way to support ourselves. The phrase “cycle syncing” was put in place by functional nutritionist Alisa Vitti. It describes the practice of shifting elements of one’s diet, exercise, and activities to better fit the natural changes experienced throughout the menstrual cycle. There is nuance to what we eat because of access based on location, season, time, and cost. It can be really hard to avoid processed foods and eat enough fruits and veggies. There is nuance to how we exercise our bodies. Cycle syncing is not at all meant to restrict our diets or exercise. Instead, a way to supplement our diet and give our physical bodies extra love and support throughout our cycle. Nourishing your body is a personal journey and doesn’t need to align with any program. Not all foods/herbs are right for everyone and should be further researched especially if you have any known health conditions. If your cycle is irregular, extremely painful, etc. consult a medical expert or someone knowledgeable you trust.

Cycle Overview

Our hormones are constantly fluctuating throughout the month, rising and dropping at different rates and times. This affects how we function and feel, so how we care for ourselves should reflect and nurture that. Our cycle can be roughly broken down into phases. The follicular phase, ovulation, and luteal phase are your ovarian cycle. At the same time, your uterine cycle occurs and this is your menstrual phase, proliferative phase, ovulation, and secretory phase. Theses charts and webpages from Clue and Palm Health are awesome resources to further understanding your cycle.

Supporting Every Phase

Menstrual Phase: During the menstrual phase, we are feeling our lowest and losing iron from bleeding. Foods with ample iron and B vitamins for energy can help replenish and boost us. Foods with vitamin C can also help with iron absorption. Consider eating leafy greens, beans, berries, bananas, citruses, and quinoa. Flaxseeds, chia seeds, raspberry leaf, and nettle leaf tea can help with cramps by reducing inflammation. Additionally, practice gentleness with yourself, it’s a great time to draw yourself a bath, do some gentle yoga or stretching, and simply rest. 

End of Follicular/Proliferative Phase: In this phase, our bodies prepare to drop another egg and recuperate from menses. This means energy support and balance are the focus. It is like Spring. Dancing, going on a jog, or any form of cardio are perfect to wake our bodies and give us a boost of energy. Brown rice, chickpeas, and lentils are great options for energy and carbs. Eggs, avocados, broccoli, and fermented foods help balance hormones. Nettle leaf and holy basil tea for any lasting inflammation. Holy basil tea can help to reduce stress hormones, as well.

Ovulation: Our bodies likely feel best and this is when our hormones are at their highest. Eat foods similar to the follicular phase to try to balance hormones: avocados, eggs, fermented foods, walnuts, spinach, and berries. Dandelion root and burdock root are herbs that may help with digestive issues in this phase. Exercises like HITT or weightlifting suits this phase.

Beginning-Mid Luteal/Secretory Phase: The mini rise and peak of our estrogen and progesterone hormones. Foods containing antioxidants like strawberries, blueberries, and dark chocolate are great for supporting this phase. More hormone-balancing foods like avocado, kale, and spinach, as well as energizing foods like brown rice and quinoa help minimize PMS symptoms. Herbs that can help reduce upcoming PMS symptoms are burdock root, red raspberry leaf, and ginger. Medium-intensity exercise would likely feel best, maybe pilates, jogging, or weightlifting.

Late Luteal/Secretory Phase: Coming back into low-energy and hormones. Eating foods to reduce inflammation for the upcoming period: Chia seeds, edamame, and brussel sprouts. Fruits, high-fiber and high-protein foods to help satisfy our natural cravings sweet potatoes, quinoa, eggs, chicken, lentils, etc. Red raspberry leaf and dandelion root, as mentioned in other phases, for inflammation and digestion. This is another phase where we may experience low energy so be caring and kind to yourself. Yoga, walks, meditation, or anything that makes you feel connected to yourself and cared for is perfect.

Here are a few charts to help you cycle sync. Click here and here and here for more information and recipes!

Personal Testament

I have just begun my journey with cycle syncing, but I already feel more supported just from learning more. I struggle with severe period pain and discomfort, especially at the beginning of my period. It has caused me to miss important obligations, such as school and work, as well as valuable time with friends and family. Many people who menstruate know the feeling all too well of being weighed or burdened by their cycle. We all deserve to feel our best and be taken care of no matter what phase we are in.

I have already noticed a change in the severity of my mood swings and experienced discomfort for a shorter amount of my premenstrual and menstrual phase. Another big change is the feeling that I have more agency when it comes to my hormones and cycle. Of course, I cannot fully control my inner-body functions but it feels great knowing that I can help and honor my body in a way that feels right to me. People who have menstrual cycles are often told not much can be done to address their pain or imbalances without synthetic medications such as birth control or OTC pain relievers. For some, these synthetic medications may help, but often times they only aid the wound that has long been festering in healthcare.

-Posted by Talia

“Mindfulness is the capacity to bring full attention and awareness to one’s experience, in the moment, without judgment.” This definition from The Center For Mindful Eating synthesizes pretty clearly what it means to be present and aware of one’s surroundings. Introducing these concepts to how people consume their meals can be highly beneficial for a number of reasons, including personal health (both physical and mental), environmental health and a deepening of self understanding.

Mindful eating is a practice that starts with addressing one’s state of hunger and encourages decisions about eating choices to be made surrounding the state. There are seven types of hunger including stomach, mouth, eye, nose, cellular, mind, and heart.

1. (Stomach) This is hunger based on needs. A body feels a physiological need for food or fuel.
2. (Mouth) This is a craving that exists in the mouth. It’s based on one’s desire to experience a certain taste and not based on a physical need for food.
3. (Eye) This is a craving based on sight and seeing a delicious food that one wants to experience.
4. (Nose) This is a craving based on smell. It is intertwined with mouth hunger, the memory of a delicious food experience.
5. (Cellular) This is a hard type to identify. When one feels dehydrated it is undeniable that one’s body needs water. The same is true for nutrients.
6. (Mind) This is hunger based on thoughts and ideas about food. For example if one is stressed or anxious they may feel that food is needed to calm that mind.
7. (Heart) This is hunger that is often attributed to “emotional eating.” Eating when one is experiencing extreme emotions. These can be both positive and negative.

Mindful eating does not say whether any of these seven are wrong or right but it’s important to know which is present to make the best choice for food consumption. For example, eating something that is craved and letting that lead to mindless eating. This reduces feeling empty or uncomfortably full as well since when one is present and not acted upon correctly it can lead to either over- or under-eating.

I decided to implement the practice into my daily routine over the course of four days. I journaled about the hunger I experienced and then what being mindful about the experience did for me. Overall through the experience I found myself feeling on both a physiological and mental standpoint much better than when I wasn’t being mindful about my food choices.

As I worked through this process, the organization that was the most helpful in guiding me was The Center For Mindful Eating. This organization works to educate people on the practice of mindful eating and helps people develop their own practice since it works a bit differently for everyone. The organization does this by offering free recorded online seminars, live events and personal mindful eating development. For further information, check out their Mindful Eating Food For Thought Blog.

Mindful eating has benefits for mental and physical health but beyond that it also is a great contributor to reducing a personal carbon footprint and working towards more sustainable food systems as a whole. Roughly 40% of food in the US is wasted every year. When food is put in a landfill and does not go through the process of composting it eventually rots and releases CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Taking steps to reduce one’s own food waste is a great side-effect of implicating mindful eating practices.

This of course is only a first step but it is also a cascading one. The higher amount of people that participate in this creates a higher number of people living a more healthy lifestyle that can be used to make more sustainable choices.

-Posted by Michael

A MORNING IN THE BEE YARD

Martin Marklin, age 61, wakes up before dawn, pulls on his boots, and heads outside. He approaches his bee-buggy: a small, two-seater Mitsubishi truck painted in black in yellow. The truck bears a few modifications including a slot to hold the bee-smoker, a light up “stinger”, and two antennae (wire coils with painted foam balls).

Martin moves about his bee-yard gathering his hive tool, smoker, veil, empty frames, and other equipment. He loads it all into the bee-buggy and sets off.

The drive to his next bee-yard is peaceful, the route well known and the winding roads empty. Martin has five apiaries (bee-yards) one at his home and four on the properties of friends. Many have asked him to keep hives on their land, but he is particular about his locations. He only keeps honeybees in spots that have ample forage, a nearby source of water, and beautiful scenery. The last requirement is more for Martin than for the bees.

The first thing Martin does when entering a bee-yard is not opening a hive, rather it is to walk amongst them observing. In a conversation with Martin he said, “Most of the time I stand outside and observe. You can tell a lot about the health of the hive before you even open the lid. Are they coming and going? Bearding? Gathering pollen?”

When it is time, however, to open the lid, Martin does so without a bee-suit. In fact, he prefers to work in just shorts and a tee-shirt. After fourteen years of keeping honeybees, Martin is not afraid of the sting and prefers to have as little separating him from the bees as possible.

Martin fills his smoker with the traditional wood shavings and newspaper plus a little sprinkle of incense, his own special addition. The smoke works to calm Martin as much as it does the bees and allows him to enter a peaceful headspace. With the smoke wafting around him, Martin begins lifting the lids of the hives and entering the world of the bees.

A CANDLEMAKER’S JOURNEY INTO THE HIVE

Sixteen-year-old Martin stood in his mother’s kitchen melting crayons. This was the very first step in his journey to become a candle maker. Thirty-two years later, nearing his mid-life crisis, Martin had an epiphany. He realized that despite working with beeswax every day, he had no idea how bees made it. This thought sparked the purchase of his first package of bees and the discovery of a new passion.

Over the years, Martin’s one hive grew to around 150 and his single bee-yard expanded to five. Now he sells his honey in his retail store and even has a honey tasting area. The flavor of honey varies depending on the plants the bees pollinated. Because of this, honey from each of Martin’s apiaries tastes, and looks, different.

A MILLION LITTLE TEACHERS

The more time Martin spends in the bee-yard, the more he has come to learn and the more his skills as a beekeeper have advanced. “You have to anticipate their next move. Beekeeping isn’t about being invasive, it’s about providing them with the necessary things to survive” says Martin.

The lessons Martin has learned, however, go beyond beekeeping.

LESSONS FROM THE HIVE

1. Collectivism over individualism

Martins notes that “The bee is a superorganism. It’s about numbers, you don’t think about the individual bee you think about the colony, the collective.” They are also altruistic, everything they do is for the good of the whole. A queen can choose whether to fertilize an egg. If she does, the egg will become a worker bee (female), if she doesn’t it will become a drone (male bee). Drones provide very little benefit to the colony from which the come; their sole purpose is to mate with the queens of other hives. This means that the queen who makes drones is doing it for the sake of the species as a whole and not for the benefit to her own colony. “Beekeeping reminds me that I am part of a larger society” says Martin.

2. Work with not against

Honeybees play a vital role in the health of ecosystems. Without them we lose the plants we love. In just the month of February, 90% of all U.S. bees are transported to California to pollinate almonds. This practice has benefited humans but at a great cost to the honeybee. We can follow the honeybee’s example, however, and produce food that supports humans without harming the environment. The “Bee-Better” Certificate program is one step in this direction. Martin reminds us that “beekeeping reinforces that everything is interrelated. We can’t isolate one thing without affecting the whole.”

3. Share the good news

Bees have a highly complex and effective way of communicating with a funny name: the waggle dance. This dance is used to communicate the location of food sources. Martin says this dance is “the sharing of good news.” When we find something sustainable, beneficial, and good, we should share it with others.

CLOSING UP THE HIVE

It is the end of the day. Martin is in his final bee-yard closing the last hive. He may be sore from lifting the heavy supers and from the several stings he endured, but he feels a sense of accomplishment.

“Beekeeping keeps me focused and humbled. They go about their work tirelessly and without complaining.” With this thought, he turns on the bee-buggy and drives home.

-Posted by Anna

What is Sustainable Medicine?

For as long as I can remember I have loved the outdoors and have felt passionately towards Mother Earth. Several summers ago, I went vegan and that was the peak of my dedication. However, since reverting to an omnivorous diet I realized that I could be doing a lot more on my part to make up for leaving behind the plant-based diet. Here at UNM (University of New Mexico), I have had the opportunity to learn more about environmental threats, as well as what we can do on our end to improve the health of our plant alongside our own. Sustainable medicine is the basis of a healthy lifestyle and a thriving planet!

Sustainable healthcare upholds that our health – plus the health of our environment – are essentially connected and helps to promote a system that affordably delivers high-quality care while minimizing the environmental impact. The practice of sustainable medicine also aims to endorse the long-term goal of maximizing health by emphasizing nutrition, physical activity, personal fulfillment, and spiritual balance. This system strays away from ‘quick fixes’ that simply suppress the symptoms and instead focuses on nurturing the patients from the core.

It is crucial that the carbon footprint is kept to a minimum when delivering care and treatment to patients. Minimizing the resources and the emissions required to distribute high quality healthcare; using sustainable products and materials and/or reusing equipment where clinically appropriate. It is important to keep in mind that this minimization must not compromise the quality of care or health outcomes experienced by the patient.

As the years progress, population growth, unhealthy lifestyle trends, increases in chronic disease, and aging populations drive the increase in healthcare demands and resource consumption. The need for sustainable healthcare becomes more vital as climate change intensifies alongside the anticipated health impacts.

Herbalism: Curanderismo & Homeopathy

Herbalism, the practice of utilizing plants and herbs as medicine, can be the perfect gateway to sustainable medicine. When we connect sustainability to herbalism, we can begin to be mindful of the significance that our decisions carry, based on our responsibility to the health of our wider ecosystems. Talia Moore writes that “when we learn from the natural resource that is the local plants around us, we can use them to provide relief, a sense of autonomy over our healing, and a space for play and exploration in the kitchen.”

The University of New Mexico offers some great natural medicine related courses! Firstly, I want to highlight the course Thriving with Homeopathy: A Practical Guide, taught by Dr. Angelina Koch. This is an online course that aims to aid students in understanding homeopathic applications and doctrines. The curriculum essentially allows students to examine the interrelationship between the mind, body, and soul. Dr. Koch gives students a space to explore natural homeopathic remedies applicable to various circumstances. Secondly, the extensive Curanderismoprogram and curriculum, led by Dr. Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, teaches students the history of traditional Hispanic/Latino medicine. “People want to know about the medicine of their culture, of their grandmothers or grandfathers. We offer something unique in that we work with some of the top healers around the country and around the world in this class” (Torres 2021). Many of the topics examined in this course included remedies that I was already quite familiar with, thanks to my Hispanic upbringing!

Medicine: Western vs Natural

As I mentioned earlier, sustainable medicine aims to endorse the long-term vision of optimal health by emphasizing nutrition, physical activity, personal fulfillment, and spiritual balance. This natural route to healing focuses on prevention and treating the root of the issue/ailment rather than simply suppressing symptoms, which tends to be the goal of Western medicine (I.e., common overuse of antibiotics and pain medications). Generally speaking, Western medicine is more expensive and resource intensive than natural medicine (I.e., drug manufacturing, transportation, insurance issues, etc.).

How do I get started?

It is crucial we educate ourselves before jumping into the practice of natural healing. Remember the importance of sourcing healing herbs locally and supporting local herbalists to reinforce the element of community relationships within sustainable medicine. Be sure to give back to the plant world by researching the area’s endangered medicinal plants and growing more of them to protect these vital ecosystems! Holistically speaking, cultivating a practice of gratitude with plants and the natural world reciprocates a cycle of nourishment.

Considering a plant-based diet is another excellent way to incorporate sustainable medicine into your life. This is because food is medicine, as it is our fuel. A plant-based diet helps to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and other preventable medical issues. This shift to a greener diet not only benefits our bodies, but especially our home. Research shows that plant-based diets encourage significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in comparison to non-plant-based diets that are extremely common in most industrialized countries.

Make a difference with your medicine by opting for sustainable medicinal alternative whenever possible! Some examples of plants – found here in the Southwest – that can replace your over-the-counter pain medication:

Osha: The root is consumed primarily as a tea or tincture to enhance immunity to colds, cases of flu, and viruses. The Osha plant can also relieve digestion issues, body pains, and lung diseases.

Ashwagandha: The root and leaves contain nutrients that can be extracted and/or turned into a powder. Ashwagandha has been proven to reduce anxiety and stress levels, improve sleep and brain function, build hormonal strength and may reduce blood sugar levels and inflammation.

Yerba Mansa: It has antibacterial properties that allow the root to disinfect and treat wounds, sores and ulcers. Yerba Mansa can be consumed as tea, powder, capsule or extract to soothe and shrink inflamed tissues.

-Posted by Isa

It can be difficult to eat sustainably. What I mean by “sustainable eating” is based on the Planetary Health Diet, dietary guidelines based on research done by scientists to determine which diet is ecologically healthiest while also being nutritionally adequate. To make everyday eating more sustainable, the food system should be constructed so that eating sustainably no longer takes much effort or requires special expensive grocery stores but instead is the default for consumers. Not everyone has access to sustainable groceries. It can be difficult to replace nutrients from animal products with plant-based foods. According to the Planetary Health Diet, this isn’t non-negotiable. PHD does include small amounts of animal products. Of course, not everyone can eat the same way. Diets vary based on nutritional needs, health conditions, and personal preference.

At this point, you might be asking yourself: why is this important? Well, it affects how we live. Later I’ll be discussing shifting the entire food system. Diet is one of the most impactful changes an individual can make to reduce their ecological footprint. Climate change is a severe threat to humanity, so making the default food choices for consumers sustainable is crucial.

I’ve had my own struggles eating sustainably. I don’t have time to cook, so getting enough mostly plant-based food is a huge challenge that takes a lot of time and energy. There are other barriers people face when trying to eat sustainably. It’s difficult to tell which products are sustainable, especially with greenwashing. Another barrier to everyday sustainable eating is that the price or health of foods outweighs sustainability. The price of sustainable foods is often higher. Lastly, even if a food is obviously more sustainable, people are often uncertain about just how effective or how much more sustainable that food is. This could lead to other factors outweighing perceived sustainability.

The first method by which a sustainable food system can be accomplished is changing the supply chain. No-till farming and crop rotation are two methods of sustainable farming. No-till farming is farming without tilling soil, which degrades the soil and makes it less nutritious. Crop rotation is when farmers switch which crops they grow in a certain field over time. Growing the same crop can deplete nutrients from the soil. Regenerative agriculture techniques such as these can improve soil health and ensure that crops can be grown for a long time.

There are ways to make grocery shopping more sustainable. Emissions from transportation to grocery stores can be reduced by implementing e-groceries or improving walkability. On the consumer side, once there’s a critical mass of demand for sustainable products, companies will stock them. Lastly, grocery stores can “nudge” shoppers to make more sustainable choices. Sustainable products can be displayed at the front of the store, there can be posters reminding shoppers of sustainability, or shoppers can be given discounts for sustainable products or practices. I went to a Smith’s that displayed brown bananas with a recipe for banana bread, and another Smith’s has “green bag points” for customers who don’t use single-use bags. One method that’s been piloted in the UK is eco-labeling, where brands can choose to have a label on their products with a grade for how eco-friendly that product is based on a few factors. This strategy may be more effective if it is required of all foods, like nutrition labels.

The last way the food system can become more sustainable is through taxes and/or incentives. The simplest way to do this is to put a monetary value on ecosystem degradation and add that to the cost of products depending on how harmful they are. However, the effect of this would be to force low-income people into lifestyles that are seen as inaccessible today. Another way this could be done is by taxing environmentally harmful luxuries like cruises and flights and providing incentives for purchasing sustainable products. For example, there could be a combination of required eco-labeling and tax write-offs for money spent on products with high ratings. The food system is not sustainable as it is, and it is nearly impossible to live sustainably within it. However, with enough action at all levels of society, it can be changed for the benefit of the environment and all of us.

-Posted by Cameron

When you’re a child you get lectured by your parents for not finishing your dinner. They reference children in Africa that starve while you waste the pile of peas on your plate. While this is relevant to the food waste epidemic, it’s nothing compared to the food waste that is created in America yearly. Americans throw out 400 pounds of food per person annually or 1,250 calories per day per person. In total America wastes slightly less than half of all the total amount of food. There are more than 42 million Americans that suffer from food scarcity, but the U. S. does not eat 40% of its food.

To prevent more harm to the environment and ensure world hunger subsides, there needs to be a prevention of food waste. There are several different ways to reduce your food waste while providing food and nourishment not only for other people, but also for the planet. One of the best ways to reduce food waste is by composting. Composting can be easy and efficient for your home. The process of composting is recycling organic matter, such as leaves and food scraps, into a valuable fertilizer that can enrich soil and plants. All you have to do is take the food you do not consume (banana peels, egg shells, leftovers) and add it to a container which can be placed in your backyard. If you live in a place where you don’t have access to a backyard there are several discreet composting options for apartments and homes. Not only does composting reduce food waste but it also conserves water, cuts methane emissions from landfills, and improves soil health. 

Sadly all across the nation composting is not properly utilized. In New Mexico several stores donate certain food waste, but the rest is thrown away. Less than 10% of grocery stores compost, this is either because of lack of accountability or they don’t have access to compost services. This is very troubling because 40% of food waste comes from restaurants and grocery stores in America. The image of a slightly bruised apple may come to mind. Why don’t you see a bruised apple or slightly brown bananas in grocery stores? Most likely it is because this item is already in the trash since it does not represent the image that the store is trying to live up to. Food is food, and it shouldn’t be wasted because it’s not absolutely pristine in the eyes of the customer or business.

Composting is not the only way to reduce food waste. Some of the most simple ways to reduce food waste is to create a meal plan, stock your pantry with shelf stable foods that can be utilized for years, store food appropriately, and eat before you shop to prevent overbuying. These are all easy to implement in your life but one of the best All of these can be efficient ways to reduce food waste and global emissions. For several decades America has been at the front of the world for harmful practices to the Environment and overall food waste. The detriment that we have created has been largely ignored or explained away as a way for progress to be made with agriculture. Progress does not always have to mean waste and it’s time people that cared about this issue took initiative to stop these practices.

If you’re interested in having a compost system in your home, one of the best things to do is DIY it. All you’ll need is a large container/trash can (hopefully you can repurpose one that you had lying around), a power drill, and a power drill bit to go with your power drill. What you’ll need to do is rinse out your container, drill holes in the container approximately three inches apart (this should be both length and width), and then clean out the container again to  ensure no plastic particles are inside. Then start collecting your composting and adding it to the bin so it slowly starts to decompose.

With an effort from businesses and individuals, food waste can be a thing of the past. Taking accountability and trying new methods like composting, or just donating to people who need it more are ways to help the Earth. Don’t forget, just because the banana is a little ugly doesn’t mean it’s not delicious.

-Posted by Kayla