Reducing My Carbon Footprint Through Pawprints

The pandemic changed a lot of things for a lot of us. It really made us in my home look at what was essential to us and what really wasn’t. I always felt that we would manage it well because we “stock up” on things as a rule in routine shopping. I don’t like to go shopping to the main market frequently, so I’d stock up, and ship to the house since we live more rural. I’d go in for an order pick up about once every 5-6 weeks. I have a fridge in the garage and one in the house. So it’s always worked for us. Then the shortages started, and eventually everyone wanted to shop the way I always shopped by ordering online and grocery pick up, and I couldn’t even get a space reservation. Then you couldn’t change your ordering time slot. My status of importance dropped to zero. I had really gotten irritated over it because I loved this shopping methods for people were interfering with my life. This method kept me from dropping needless mountains of cash in Walmart on mindless shopping trips and out of the way of wayward screaming children for two years.

During the pandemic it kept me alive. I had asthma diabetes and my daughter was high risk. We were terrified of getting Covid and being found dead at home with no one to care for our dogs. It was a state of mind. I thought I was going to just flip my script. So instead of anxiety and listening to the news crying every day wondering when people were going to stop dying, I started looking at how I was living at home. I just knew that I had to change. If I was going to live then I wanted to live differently.

I started by cooking better healthier foods for us at home. Less fat, and sugary foods and drinks. We started having more vegetables encorporated into our meals and salads. I started making my own salad dressing and using fresh herbs spices and ingredients instead of buying things in containers. I was never a good cook before. I never gave myself the chance. Foods started getting better. We started enjoying the meals and not wanting the things that were fatty and not good. We quit buying pizza and ordering out. This actually decreased our garbage consumption/ output. We have had much less in carry out containers to throw out. It has come to a point that we don’t purchase anything that we used to buy. We buy almond milk and real butter products, almond flour and vegetables. Very little meat is actually purchased for my daughter and I. We buy good foods that we cook and eat. I don’t even purchase paper plates or containers for lunches. All that is washable. I have almost lost 60 pounds. I am really happy with the results and plan to continue down this path. We have been happier and healthier.

I started the same for the dogs and I cook all of their meals. Since cooking for the dogs there has been a huge difference. Our eldest two dogs had been put on a stomach sensitive blend due to gastric upset. They both got fatty deposits in their eyes and the male had a fatty liver with high blood cholesterol at his last appointment less than two years ago. He was a prime candidate for a stroke. I asked his doctor why his eyes got so bad and why his liver so fatty. He said he’s old. Once I started cooking home meals, added pumpkin purée green beans and carrots along with the pork I feed them and liver several times per week, both dogs eyes have cleared of fat deposits. At first I thought it was a fluke. But I went to the page for that commercial dog food and fatty eye deposits is well documented as are fatty liver and strokes, and death. I want you to know the amount that they were eating was less than a cup a day. The older female gained a lot of weight in addition to her eyes getting lipomas. It’s really kind of sad. That can occur that fast, but the fact that stopping it and eating natural food for 6-8 weeks reversed it. It’s amazing!!! Their eyes have since improved, the shine is back in their eyes and his liver has decreased. I started him on milk thistle so the fluid is down on his chest and sides. He is playing again and is 15 years going on 10. The food, and vegetables has given them all very healthy outlooks, and renewed my hope that food is a miracle cure for much more than we realize. We spend so much time in search of cures to eliminate things that are killing us when they are right in front of us and available for us now. We have to use them. I plan to continue with my pet food and would love to make my own fresh brand of vegetables and food for pets. Many are cautious with pumpkin mix but it is very good for dogs in addition to the other squash and dogs love it! This is a great way to treat dogs and connect with them. The great thing about my recipes is that I cook them in an insta pot and you and your pooch can eat the same meal. You just can’t salt it up until you’re done cooking. So it makes a great elderly person recipe for a pet or single pet owner pet /shared meals. Pork is good for them as long as the fat is cooked off and thrown out. My dogs enjoy this immensely! These meals leave no waste are low cost and are great for someone to bring something right out of the garden with them and toss it in the pot. That makes them especially delicious! People connectecting with their pets is so important in times like this when there has been so much isolation. You might think pets don’t have tastes or want good food but they appreciate different meals daily just like people do. They don’t like eating the same old stuff. The natural foods also is better on their guts, and easier to digest than something with preservatives. It may give them gas at first because you’re changing food but once they start eating better food they will have a better gut and better composed out in the yard. The natural food breaks down better in your yard without those preservatives so it is a complete cycle of goodness. You must watch you don’t give them foods they can’t eat. I have a list and mange it regularly as well as watch for allergies when I cook for the pooches. They can’t just eat any old thing. So as long as you keep in mind the list of do not ever you can enjoy some fine dining with your family pets and minimize tossing things. Find a way to bond through food with your family and your pets. It’s a great connection and a great way to cut your carbon footprint 👣.