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This is How You Garden Sustainably and Close to Nature

Everyone is talking about climate protection. Farmers and forest owners are complaining about major losses as a result of changing climatic conditions, which are reflected in violent storms and unusually long dry periods in this country. The agricultural partner companies of meine ernte are also feeling the consequences and, like Bauer Bachhausen from Solingen in 2018 and 2019, have to accept heavy losses in the cultivation of cereals, vegetables or strawberries. Anyone who grows their food in their own garden or on the balcony without using pesticides is acting sustainably in many respects and is therefore making an important contribution to climate protection.

Seasonal and regional – your own garden as the basis for climate protection

Growing your own fruit and vegetables is not only healthy, but also quickly brings about a new appreciation for food. You get a feeling for when which crops are “in season” or when they have to be grown or imported under energy-intensive conditions. Tomatoes in December, for example, tend to seem “Spanish” to a vegetable gardener and are not exactly one of the climate-friendly meals on the plate in winter due to long transport routes and high water consumption. On the other hand, by growing your own crops in the kitchen garden and being more conscious of consumer behavior, energy and long transport routes can be saved.

With your vegetable garden or balcony you create the perfect conditions for gardening close to nature and doing your part to protect the environment.

But there are a few tips on how you can garden even more sustainably in your vegetable paradise!

Work the soil close to nature

The most valuable resource in your vegetable garden is the soil. In the best case, the soil always contains the right amount and concentration of nutrients. Since we remove nutrients through our vegetable harvest, additional care and protection of the soil is essential. Useful soil organisms are promoted through near-natural care. In addition, nutrient-rich soil strengthens your vegetable plants and makes them less susceptible to disease.

Our top 5 tips for a nutrient-rich soil in the vegetable garden:

1. Use organic fertilizer: A soil used for gardening and agriculture should be fertilized. We recommend the use of organic fertilizer. These are products of animal and/or vegetable origin that decompose slowly and add value to the garden soil.

2. Conserve water by hoeing: During the gardening season, you should regularly hoe your soil around the vegetable plants. This keeps the soil permanently loose and well aerated. A loose garden soil can absorb rainwater and irrigation water better. Chopping also removes weeds. You can simply let them dry out on the bed when the sun is shining.

3. Composting is about studying: Make your own nutrient-rich soil with your garden waste. With a compost heap in the garden, you can use the remaining nutrients from plant residues and return them to the earth as finished compost. Tip: There are also small composters for the balcony!

4. Mulch soil: Protect your garden soil from erosion. Soil erosion is the removal of the topsoil, the fertile soil for your vegetable cultivation. Protection is provided by a layer of mulch made of green waste and plant residues. Mulch is particularly important in winter so that your cleared vegetable beds are not exposed to wind and weather.

5. Buy peat-free soil: If you buy soil for your vegetable patch, raised bed, or balcony plants, then make sure that it is as peat-free as possible.

This is how you save water in the vegetable garden

To get a feeling for the water needs of your plants, you should consider the length of the roots and the water content of the vegetables.

In general, outdoor plants form longer roots and require less additional irrigation water than raised bed or balcony plants. Plants that need a lot of water are, for example, tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, lettuce and aubergines.

Hacking – the solution to save a lot of water
A loose and regularly chopped soil saves additional watering, since the existing water reservoirs can be more easily reached by the roots of your plants.
Likewise, a layer of mulch on your vegetable patch keeps moisture in the soil and protects against superficial drying out. Incidentally, there are gardeners who do without watering the entire year because they always hoe as soon as it has rained, so that the soil stores enough water.

That’s how you water properly

If you still need to water extra, stick to the following points:

Use collected rainwater and water the roots of the plant vigorously once instead of just watering a little several times a week. This will encourage root growth in your vegetable plants and train them to search for water on their own.
You should water in the early morning hours or late afternoon/evening if possible, since the plants can absorb the water best at these times.
Some vegetables, such as cucumber, require regular watering and will produce few or bitter fruits without it. Here you can think about an automatic watering system like drip irrigation.

Beneficial – the natural alternative to pesticides

No one wants pesticide residues in their vegetables or soil. So-called “beneficial insects” can prevent the use of pesticides and plant protection products in your vegetable garden. The ideal protection for your plants is to encourage beneficial insects in your garden and to garden in an insect-friendly manner. In this way, pests and diseases on the vegetable plants do not increase. Beneficial insects ensure a balanced soil life and have the larvae and eggs of pests as a food source.

Attract wild bees and insects with a variety of flower mixes. You can upgrade empty beds in autumn with green manure. This serves as a source of food and supports the nutrient requirements of the soil. Edible flowers and herbs are a good opportunity to do something good for the insects and yourself.

Make sure there are enough places in your garden for insects and microorganisms to retreat to with leaves, piles of dead wood and stones, as well as nesting boxes for songbirds. Especially in winter, the animals are happy to accept this shelter. You should also leave dried stems of e.g. chives over the winter and only cut them off in summer.

No plastic in the vegetable garden

Small plastic particles are just as undesirable in your vegetable patch as they are in the oceans. Nevertheless, nets and fleece are often essential to protect the plants. Here it is worth buying a long-lasting crop protection net that does not fall apart and can be used for many years. Fix it with stones or bury it well in the ground – this way you avoid plastic net holders.

There are also alternatives made from compostable materials such as organic cotton or grain-based.

Plant pots, especially for growing young plants in spring, are also available made from coconut fibers or you can make your own growing pots from newspaper or toilet paper rolls.

When it comes to gardening tools, it is also better to spend a little more money and then have something of it for a long time: You really need these gardening tools. Large garden tools that are used less often can be shared with your neighbors.

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Lifestyle

Feeding Cats: This is How You Feed Your Cat Sustainably and Healthily

The choice of cat food is huge. But how can you feed your cat well and sustainably? We give you tips on what you should consider.

Feeding the cat: nutritious nutrition for four-legged friends

Cats need a lot of nutrients that they can only get from food. The composition of a balanced cat menu consists of:

high-quality animal proteins,
fats,
phytonutrients,
vitamins,
minerals and
Water.
Carbohydrates are difficult for cats to digest. This is also one of the problems with conventional cat food: grain is often added to it, which can cause problems for cats. Of course, this isn’t the case for all cats, as many cats’ stomachs have become accustomed to even small amounts of grain over time

Ingredients for the cat food: what goes in it?

There are many foods that cats absolutely cannot tolerate: dairy products, onions, garlic, strong spices, grapes, raisins, caffeine, alcohol and chocolate. Under no circumstances should these products end up in the feeding bowl.

The composition of purchased cat food is particularly problematic. In principle, it doesn’t matter to your cat whether it’s “meat waste”, but it depends on the proportions. Too many hooves, claws or feathers can harm your cat just as much as too much grain, fat or meat components. Category 3 animal by-products may be further processed into animal feed, but are not suitable for human consumption. The quality of conventional cat food is therefore often inferior and enriched with additives, sugar and flavor enhancers. The cat can become really dependent on it. For this reason, your cat is better cared for with organic food. Here the quality is assured and the ingredients are sometimes even specified in exact quantities.

In addition to incompatible ingredients, there can also be residues of antibiotics and mercury (especially in fish) in cat food – even more reasons to use organic quality or even to prepare your own cat food.

Avoid cat food waste

If you buy cat food regularly, there is also a lot of packaging waste.

With dry food, you can buy as large a quantity as possible in one sack. If this is too much for your cat alone, you can simply share it with one or another cat owner in your circle of acquaintances.

For large cans of wet food, you can try reusing a matching lid from another product and using it to seal the can when you put it in the fridge. There are also bowls with lids, so that you can divide the large can into them immediately after opening and pre-portion everything.

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Food

Protein Diet: This is How You Can Implement It More Sustainably

The protein diet is intended to help you lose weight and at the same time prevent muscle breakdown. In this article you will learn what is behind the diet and how you can implement it sustainably.

The protein diet is particularly popular with athletes. It should help you lose weight and at the same time prevent the body from breaking down muscle mass in addition to fat. The body needs protein to maintain and build muscle. By the way, protein and protein are the same thing.

With the protein diet, you reduce the nutrients that are crucial for the production of body mass. These are mainly carbohydrates. They provide energy and prevent the body from breaking down fat. You can think of fat as your body’s emergency reserve. It only burns it when it can no longer provide sufficient energy from carbohydrates. So if you severely reduce the intake of carbohydrates, your body will burn fat.

A low-carbohydrate diet is also known as a low-carb diet. The protein diet thinks one step further: by consuming a lot of protein, you prevent your body from losing muscle mass.

Ask yourself beforehand: Why do I want to go on a diet?

Question the motivation behind your diet. Do you really want to do something for your health or are you driven by ideals of beauty that put you under pressure? Don’t get stressed. Your value as a human being is measured by your character, not the size of your waist.

Maybe you don’t need a diet at all to feel more comfortable in and with your body – you can get inspiration and tips for a healthy lifestyle here: Lose weight effectively: How it works healthy and sustainably.

After you become clear about your motives, you can also approach the diet with a deeper awareness. In the next sections you will find out what such a protein diet can look like and how it can be made as ecologically sustainable as possible.

Dangers and benefits of the protein diet

According to the consumer center, a protein diet in which you almost completely avoid carbohydrates (ketogenic diet) can have health disadvantages:

Dizziness, weakness and headaches may occur.
It also increases the risk of gout attacks and urinary stones.
So be sure to stick to the maximum of two grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. If in doubt, seek medical advice and clarify beforehand whether the protein diet is right for you from a health perspective!

It’s best to try to eat high-quality and good carbohydrates instead of giving them up completely. The German Society for Nutrition e.V. recommends a daily amount of carbohydrates of about 50 percent of the energy intake. The energy helps you in sports as well as in school or at work. A balanced diet is key here. Also: No diet can have a lasting effect if you don’t change your diet permanently and do sports regularly or get enough exercise.

However, a protein diet also has benefits for your health:

The egg white will help de-fat your liver.
It is also said that a detoxification process generally takes place during a diet. Nowadays, many foods in the supermarket are laced with harmful preservatives. Your body may be able to recover a bit from this on a diet.

Protein diet: Knowing how to be vegan

Protein is found in high concentrations in animal products such as meat, milk, cheese and eggs. However, you can still do without animal foods even in a protein diet. This can not only be tasty and healthy, but is also good for the environment. Factory farming is a major driver and, among other things, the cause of climate change and, particularly due to its intensive form, is partly responsible for insect mortality. The intensive consumption of animal products is part of the chain that threatens our future.

In addition, for you as an individual, a less animal-heavy diet means an investment in your health. In addition to protein, animal products also contain a lot of fat. In contrast to the “good”, i.e. unsaturated fatty acids, which are found in walnuts, for example, meat has a high proportion of “bad”, i.e. saturated fatty acids.

So you can use nuts and legumes for a high-protein diet.
Lentils, peas and beans are also very good sources of protein.

In many supermarkets there are now products that have an extra high protein and low carbohydrate content. Pasta, for example, usually contains a lot of carbohydrates. If you want to reduce this, it is better to use protein pasta. You can also buy protein bread.
By the way: When it comes to the question of the right time of day to eat, opinions differ. According to Sabine Holzäpfel, a consultant in the food and nutrition department of the Baden-Württemberg consumer advice center, a hearty breakfast in combination with a less sumptuous evening meal is recommended. This is because the digestive system works harder in the morning than in the evening. There is also the option of intermittent fasting. For example, a meal can be completely omitted and the interval between meals promotes weight loss simply because of its length.

More important than time, however, is the calorie deficit itself. Your basal metabolic rate is what your body would use in calories every day without exercise. You can control your calorie deficit through exercise and nutrition.

Protein Diet: A Meal Plan

You can create varied menus with a focus on protein, fiber and good carbohydrates from the foods already mentioned and many others. A day of the protein diet could look like this:

Breakfast: (protein) rolled oats, chopped nuts and seeds with oat milk and a slice of protein bread/whole wheat bread with peanut butter and tomatoes and possibly a homemade protein shake
Lunch: Protein pasta/wholemeal pasta with lentil bolognese and lots of vegetables
Dinner: Lettuce with tomatoes, tofu and walnuts or a bean salad

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