The negative side effects of pornography have long been known by psychologist as well as most of the general public. One of the most prominent side effects that men experience is desensitization to the content that they consume. The longer they watch porn, often times the more intense the content has to become in order to achieve the same satisfaction, escalating until real human connection no longer satisfies you, and you’re only left with extremely graphic and intense content just to try and feel something. 

This has been talked about at length, but recently, it occured to me that we’re experiencing this everywhere in all facets of life. Humans are becoming desensitized to their emotions more and more everyday. 

Recently while driving around with my 15 year old sister, she asked me if she could put on her podcast, I said yes, actually excited by the idea of her listening to something besides y2k pop.                 

That excitement didn’t last long as we began listening to a woman recount in great graphic detail the history of a certain famous serial killer while she applied her makeup. I, to say the least, was horrified and disturbed. My sister, on the other hand, was enthralled. 

Now this is nothing new. Obviously this woman has built a following on people consuming this content, no matter how twisted you may think it is, and of course, we’ve been listening to murder mystery podcasts and watching “who done it” shows for decades. But the question is why? I think once upon a time, the idea of the this kind of content consumption would be horrifying to the average person. Only very disturbed people were interested in this kind of information. 

We’ve been discussing since the early 90s the effects of violent video games on a child’s psyche and rather or not violence in TV and video games can desensitize you to real life violence (evidence would suggest yes, it likely does) And now, it seems like we’re only seeing more violence portrayed in media that we were 30 years ago. 

Now this really isn’t about becoming desensitized to violence. It’s much broader than that. I would argue that as a society we’re become desensitized to everything. 

I think the biggest example of this is social media, and the way we consume content. Scrolling on social media releases dopamine by activating the brain’s reward pleasure system. Unfortunately, this is a rather unnatural way to release dopamine, and over time we become addicted to these quick fixes, giving us instant dopamine hits. Just like a regular drug addict, after time we need more and more to achieve the same effect, but this isn’t just “more” in terms of quantity. It’s more flashy, more instant gratification, louder and more dramatic content needed to grab our attention and release the same dopamine hit. 

“Doing things that are hard is one of the best ways to pursue a life worth living, because the pleasure we get afterwards is more enduring,”

–Constant craving: how digital media turned us all into dopamine addicts

The immediate access to instant pleasure is a problem worth talking about, however, I think there’s another deeper layer here contributing to our desensitization that makes this a two-fold issue. 

The number of people on antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and other psychiatric drugs has skyrocketed over the last several decades, and I largely believe that this is a huge contributor to our desensitization. While these drugs are often used for their ability to alleviate depression, these drugs can alleviate all emotions, leaving us a shell of our former self, maybe not sad anymore, but maybe not much of anything else. Unable to feel intense joy, sorrow, or anything in between. 

“This flattening of feelings, also called “reduced affect,” is a potential side effect of antidepressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Around half of people taking antidepressants report some degree of blunted emotions, according to research.[1] “

-All About Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs): Types, Side Effects, and More

As a society we have two things working against us at once. Theses drugs, numbing our emotions, and this huge influx of instant dopamine at our fingertips. It’s a perfect combination for an overly addicted, numbed, zombie-like society. 

The questions is what can we do about it? It seems many of these things are unavoidable, and in a way they are. It’s hard to get by in the modern world without a smartphone. 

I think the answer is to start small. Fine offline hobbies, try leaving your phone at home when you’re going somewhere you won’t need it. I often like to leave mine at home when I’m going out with my parents or other close family members. Try a social media detox. I recently did this and found it to be enlightening. You can read more about my experience with that here. Try engaging with your peers in the real world without a screen in your hand, talk to a stranger at a coffee shop. Imagine what life would be like, what you would do if you didn’t have a phone, and then try that. 

I’m not perfect. I can’t tell you how many times I stopped what I was doing to check my phone in the middle of writing this article. As a matter of fact, I’m sitting outside a coffee shop right now writing, rather than engaging with the world around me (sometimes you have to work) but last weekend I went to a party with my family and left my phone at home. Last week I lost my phone and decided to let it be lost when I went to bed. I found it again the next morning, and nothing bad happened. 

Being aware of these issues is, in my opinion, one of the crucial first steps to making changes to the world we live in. 

• Emotional Desensitization to Violence Contributes to Adolescents’ Violent Behavior
• Constant craving: how digital media turned us all into dopamine addicts
• Emotional Desensitization to Violence Contributes to Adolescents’ Violent Behavior

If you’ve noticed an increase in the number of women on social media undergoing cosmetic procedures over the last few years, you’re not alone, and you’re not crazy. 

While social media can make it appear as though “everyone” is doing something, when really only a small number of people are doing something, this is not necessarily the case for these cosmetic procedures. Around 15.8 million “injectable procedures” were performed last year. Neuromodulators were up 9% from last year (2023). Neuromodulators include botox and dysport. Botox refers to the brand name of the neuromodulator. These chemicals act as disrupters between nerves and muscles, relaxing the muscles and reducing the appearance of wrinkles. Neuromodulators are different from fillers, which are injectables that increase plumpness is certain areas, often the lips and cheeks. Both Hyaluronic and non Hyaluronic fillers saw an 8% increase from 2023. 

Now perhaps the craziest thing about this large increase in cosmetic procedures is that the demographic who saw the largest increase in botox were women aged 20-40. Traditionally, women over the age of 40 make up the largest demographic for these cosmetic procedures, and this is still true, however women aged 20-39 saw an 8% increase in these cosmetic procedures. Typically these procedures for young women are called “baby botox” which is preventive botox. It’s been said that starting botox at such a young age can cause the muscles to atrophy, and can cause botox resistance. Young women also saw the largest increase in hyaluronic fillers, with a 9% increase, while older women are beginning to turn to non-hyaluronic fillers. 

Fillers began rising in popularity, really coming onto the scene in 2016 after the launch of the Kylie Jenner lip kit where The Kardashian family began to promote unrealistic beauty standards that could really only be achieved through cosmetic procedures. 

Lip fillers are just that- a filler injected into your lips to make them look larger, and more plump. Women partake in these procedures every couple of months to maintain plumpness in their lips, under the assumption that the lip fillers dissolve and go away after a certain amount of time. 

However, hyaluronic fillers are like a sponge in water that can expand over time making the unit of filler in your face actually expand. It’s been 20 years since the FDA first approved filler injections and we know more now than we did then. The fact that they can expand and stay in your face for years as opposed to the originally thought 6-12 months, is relatively new information for a lot of people. 

Medical experts claim there are no health risks or long term issues associated with fillers, in fact most doctors claim that the fillers will just completely dissolve after enough time however the reality is that we don’t know the long term health effects of fillers because they haven’t been around long enough for us to study the long term health effects. 

While fillers and botox will likely continue to rise in popularity as long as aging is seen a flaw it seems some people are beginning to wake up to the reality of the health consequences that come along with these procedures.

Recently several videos went viral after the contestants on the recent season of Love Island were revealed to all be in their 20s. These women, who look more like bratz dolls than real people, clearly had so much work done that they not only appear plastic and doll like, they appeared to be well into their 40s, not their mid 20s.

Over the last few months Brett Cooper has released a series of videos talking about fillers and botox. What they’re doing to women’s (and mens) faces, the health consequences and how the trends are changing. Over the last 10 years this increase has been steady and rapid. The questions is why? 

One of the interesting theories as to why this could be points to another recent trend on the up and up: Ozempic and other weight loss drugs. Some researchers suggest that the recent increase in fillers and botox is caused by the rapid uptick in weight loss drug usage, as rapid weight loss can cause the appearance of hollowness and saggy skin or “ozempic face” as they call it. 

While other women will point to the “patriarchy” and blame men for setting this unbelievably unattainable beauty standards, I think the reality is more complex than that. Men did not set the beauty standards for women, in fact, men often find the trends and expectations that women set for themselves to be ridiculous, if they even bother to pay attention. If you ask the average man what he thinks is attractive, many of them will say they just want healthy, normal looking women. I think the increase in cosmetic procedures is yet another way for the pharmaceutical industry to push itself on us in an effort to make everyone more reliant on doctors and the system, and less in tune with their own health.

Regardless of the reason, it’s all crazy to witness from an outside perspective because anyone who hasn’t been completely brainwashed can see that these young women who get these cosmetic procedures done do not look good. In fact, they look terrifying, and despite what many doctors say, these fillers do not go away. Unfortunately many women are waking up to the harsh reality too late.

We have celebrities in their 50s who were once prized for their looks in their 20s and 30s and now as they push 50 and 60 they return to the red carpet looking like a disfigured porcelain doll of their former selves. They no longer even look like human beings.

The sinister depths of the beauty industry go down quite far. Injecting chemicals into the skin of youthful 20-something women is one thing, but what about the hidden ingredients in your facials and beauty products that not everyone knows about? 

Recently on social media I came across a video of Sandra bullock talking about the ingredients in the micro needling facial given to her by her dermatologist, along with clips from other celebrities. 

The skin cells in baby foreskins are said to be an active ingredient in micro needling. Apparently there are other facial serums that use this as an active ingredient. 

While it may seem obvious to someone in the holistic health sphere, these toxic (and in some cases, disturbing) ingredients that you’re injecting into your face are not just unsafe- their long term effects are unknown. They haven’t even been around long enough for us to study the lasting long term effects. Don’t be so quick to believe the narrative that the doctors, and companies who produce these products, paint. It wouldn’t be the first time the medical establishment has lied to us. 

Why are we putting toxic additives in products we put on our skin, why are we so obsessed with mainiting this almost unattainable level of beauty and youthfulness.

I think what’s really going on here is that as a society, we tend to view health and vitality as defining characteristics for what we find attractive, because these things symbolize fertility, and we are naturally designed to chase fertility so we can reproduce (like or not, this is biology). 

That doesn’t mean two things can’t be true at once. That doesn’t mean women suddenly hit menopause and become unattractive . Health is an attractive quality that will last you decades. If you prioritize your health from the inside out you will look and feel great for many years to come. 

So maybe you’re wondering what the solution to maintaining your youth is if it’s not injecting yourself with toxins. The answer is simple, although maybe not what everyone would hope for. It’s not a particular regime of holistic beauty practices. The age old saying “beauty comes from within” has never been truer. 

Prioritize your health. Prioritize a clean Whole Foods diet, drink enough water, don’t smoke, avoid chemicals on your skin and the rest will take care of itself.

Aging gracefully naturally is not complicated. It is however, alarming the rate at which women are rejecting natural aging and turning to medical procedures to stop or reverse it. It feels a bit like selling your soul to the devil in exchange for eternal youth. We all age eventually, so why not embrace it.  

Sources:

• What to know about “Ozempic face”
• Do You Need Preventative Botox? Experts Break It All Down
• The Most Surprising New Botox and Filler Trends
• What’s the Difference Between Botox, Dysport, and Other Injectable Neuromodulators?

I pride myself on being virtually vice free. There’s that old expression, “everyone has a vice”. I contemplate this sometimes and wonder what my vice might be. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t even drink coffee, I don’t watch porn, I don’t eat junk food, I work out often, I like to read and I enjoy the sauna, and I don’t even really watch TV. In fact, I don’t even own a TV. I don’t use TikTok, I don’t use snapchat. I used to spend a lot of time scrolling on Tumblr but I managed to kick that habit as well. I don’t look down upon those who don’t do those things, I’m just striving for a life of optimization, and eliminating these things help me feel my best, and allows me to channel my energy into more important things And I’m happy, happier than almost people I know my age. 

But there is that *one* little thing. 

I spend upwards of an hour and a half a day on instagram. 

And I feel really bad about myself when I do. 

I can justify this in a few ways. I’ve moved away from a lot of friends, instagram is a place to keep up with them! 

But am I really keeping up with them? 

My reels are great, they’re full of homesteading and recipe videos!

Yeah but how often a day do the mind numbing videos creep in and take you down a rabbit hole you shouldn’t be in. 

Multiple times. 

And at the end of the day, how much time did you spend on instagram that could’ve been spent doing something more productive. A chapter of a book, working on an article, going to the gym or playing with the dog. 

So I’ve decided delete instagram off my phone for 30 days. 

I don’t expect this to be easy for me, and I don’t know what my plans are after these 30 days are up. I love to post photos like a digital journal to look back on, and I probably will keep doing that. My friends send me videos but I think I can live without them, and I think once I kick the doom scrolling habit, I won’t miss much.

I recently challenged myself to buy no new clothes or house wares for a month and that was difficult at first but then it become sort of freeing, and since then I’ve been much more intentional about what I purchase. 

So if I do go back to instagram after 30 days, I’m hoping that this can serve as somewhat of a mental reset and provide some intention for me when I return. 

DAY 1

Upon day one I was quite sure that I needed this challenge because I realized over several hours in the car (I drive a lot for work) I wanted to check instagram at EVERY red light! A reflex, a switch in my brain, the car has stopped, time to check instagram, and every time I had to remind myself that it was no longer on my phone. 

Sounds a little bit like a junkie if you ask me. 

So now instead I will occasionally check my todo list, or better yet, not touch my phone. 

On day 2 I woke up and journaled, which I usually do anyways, after about 30 minutes of instagram scrolling while sill in bed. I try not expose myself to the light early in the morning by keeping a red light filter on, but if something interesting enough captures my eye, I’ll turn it off, and then I’m even more likely to get sucked into the doom scrolling. 

One day I’d love to start my mornings barefoot in the grass but I live in Detroit and there’s broken glass in my back yard and it just doesn’t quite have the ideal Set up for barefoot mornings and sunlight.

So I started my day without instagram and by 9am I have made breakfast, talked to our route driver and sent the route to her, checked the emails, journaled, made some big batches of ginger lemonade, prepared 3 loaves of bread for the next stage of proofing, cleaned the kitchen, and written this article introduction. 

Honestly, I’m not jonesing for a dopamine hit, nor was I yesterday unless I was at a red light, but I have plenty to do and numerous other outlets to keep myself entertained if the work ever runs out.

Social media and our young people 

Social media has provided some amazing things to our society and overall for the adult population I can’t say rather or not is more of a net negative or net positive, but I know that for young children the addiction to the screen is doing some intense damage to their developing brains. The facts are in, this is not good for our young people. 

I wasn’t an iPad kid. Born in 2001 to a mother of 18, I often felt on the cusp of millennial and gen z but I am squarely in the get z age range. I grew up with cartoons and I had a flip phone at the age of 9. I was 12 when I got social media, and every day I thank god that I didn’t have it earlier. I wish I would have waited longer but all things considered I turned out all right. However, this is so rarely the case today. Abigail Shrier covers this in her most recent book “Bad Therapy: Why Kids today aren’t growing up” Shrier talks about a very interesting phenomena facing young people today. We are the generation with the most access to “mental health resources” and yet, we are by far the most mentally ill generation. Why is that? Many reasons, but a huge factor, based on the most recent research, social media. 

Take this article from Yale Medicine or this one from Mayo Clinic , this from the child mind institute

Really any article from a quick google search will tell you about the negative impact social media has on young people. Unlike certain things this is not information you have to search for. Who’s to say the effect on adults is all that much better? 

Half way update

It’s May 12th, about half way through my instagram free journey. I’m pleased to say my urge to doom scroll has dissipated. I no longer get the urge to reach for my phone and scroll when I hit every red light. 

My screen time is down significantly. From 7-9 hours a day to typically somewhere between 4-5. Nine hours a day is too high, as is five hours in my opinion and it’s not taking into consideration my computer time, but there’s no doom scrolling happening on there and it’s all for work. Ideally my screen time would be between 1-2 hours a day, but I use google maps for several hours a day on route for work or running errands. I also listen to podcasts on Spotify and YouTube and sometimes leave the screen playing on accident, both of these contribute to several hours of screen time a day. 

Anyone know a good way to track screen time that doesn’t account for google maps and other time not actually spent on the phone? 

I no longer spend my mornings doom scrolling and am spending more time journaling and reading, which I already do quite a bit of but am excited about incorporating more of. 

I will confess that on 2 occasions I have looked at instagram messages on a web browser or my iPad. I was expecting (hoping) for a message that never came. Thus making the whole thing, not worth it.  

Over all, I’m feeling really good about being pretty much entirely social media free, and am not 100% sure what plans are for the end of this month after this challenge. I love posting photos on instagram and I’ve found that I’m documenting things through photos less than I would previously. This is a side effect that has both pros and cons in my opinion. I love photography and I love documenting moments but I’m on my phone less and in the moment more which I think has benefits, obviously. 

I may start scrapbooking or keeping a photo album so I have some place to document and look back on, or maybe just download instagram periodically to post and then delete it again. There are some instagram accounts that I miss keeping up with. This feels very silly, I’m not missing much I realized I also use instagram to research, restaurants in the area, thrift shops, markets, it seems like instagram has its finger on the pulse of what’s relevant in a way that google doesn’t. And of course, there are the hundreds of recipes I have saved that I swore I was going to make one day. 

I can honestly say that I’m not missing much from my friends or other people I used to follow. I realize I’ve been out of the loop- apparently there’s beef with kendrick Lemar and Drake, I was so out of the loop I heard about this on a Joe rogan podcast. And that’s another thing I miss sometimes, I used to see who was hanging out with Joe Rogan and know who the next podcast guest was, and now I just have to wait until they come out. 

In some ways I worry about losing touch- what are the young people doing and talking about (I’m 23, and even I can’t keep up) what if I become the 23 year old equivalent of a weird home schooled kid (I already don’t have many friends) but at the same time, what’s being in tune with social media compared to being in tune with what’s around me. 

I don’t come home and sit on the couch and scroll anymore. I’ll read or journal, look at my Todoist, or better yet, just get straight to work because there is always another project to do. 

Ultimately why I wanted to give up social media

I have this philosophy in life that leading by example is one of the highest form of authenticity and good. I don’t have kids yet but I examined this first in my younger siblings (aged 15, 8, and 11 at time of publishing) 

Kids are a mirror into our own behavior and I began to see things in my younger siblings that I didn’t like in myself. 

Of course, that’s not to say that it was all bad. They mirrored some good things too. But I began to look at habits and behaviors in my life like this: Is this a good or bad habit, and do I want my future kids to exhibit this behavior or habit? 

If the answer is no, then the next questions is: Why am I still doing this? Could I justify this behavior or habit that I’m exhibiting to my future kids, even though I don’t want them to do it? 

And lastly: What can I do to eliminate this habit and lead by example? 

The greatest example I have of this is drinking. Why am I drinking? Because it’s fun, it makes social outings more enjoyable, and all of my friends are doing it. 

Do I want my kids doing this? No, absolutely not. There are no positive side effects to drinking, and the health impacts are severe. 

Can I justify this to my kids even though it’s something I don’t want them doing? No. Not really. Just because I’m an adult doesn’t make it healthy, worth it, or right to drink, given how I feel about it personally. 

What can I do to change this? I quit drinking. I wasn’t an alcoholic. I didn’t have problems with drinking. But I had nothing to lose and everything to gain by quitting, so I did. 

One by one I went through things like this in my personal life and eliminated (or continue to try) to eliminate habits that I don’t want my kids to have. 

Which leads us here. Do I want my kids to use social media? No! The jury is in, it’s wrecking our kids. They can absolutely live without it and be better for it. Therefore, it’s time for me to start to lead by example. Of course these kids don’t exist yet but my younger siblings look up to me and mirror my behavior. I think eliminating or severely limiting social media is a great way to lead by example. 

Last week 

We’re reaching our last week of no instagram on my phone, although I don’t intend to go back when it’s over. 

At my peak I was able to get my screen time down to an average of 2 hours a day which is pretty incredible in todays day and age, especially considering google maps usage. 

 I would like to continue to limit my screen time as much as possible. I’ve found that when I have my iPad charged, I am susceptible to looking at instagram, I don’t tend to dive very deep into the rabbit hole, but I will check my messages, and check up on those aforementioned accounts I miss and then close the app. 

There’s no longer all this stuff I’m checking up on, and therefore nothing to see. I get bored rather quickly, and while I still find the occasional funny or interesting reel, I don’t receive the same dopamine hit, or crave the next dopamine hit quite the way I did when I was stuck in my addictive cycle. Unfortunately for me, setting an app timer or even getting an external app to limit my screen time doesn’t help me restrict certain apps. I’ll simply bypass the protocols I have set up, and do it anyways. For me, the solution was the go cold turkey until I felt like the addictive cycle had been broken. 

Here are some better habits I’ve replaced with my desire to doom scroll. 

Reading a couple pages of a book when I feel my attention span shrinking from the task at hand. 

Writing a journal entry, I find that one page takes about 3-5 minutes and is a sufficient reset for me mentally. 

Checking my Todoist, and monitoring my progress on important tasks. 

Looking at Pinterest and finding inspiration for current projects or future goals. I’ve been creating Pinterest boards for certain future aspirations and I’ve been enjoying it, but I’m not addicted to it, it doesn’t feed the addictive side of my brain like social media does, and I usually spend 10-15 minutes building a board and then move on to something else. 

One month follow up 

It’s been a month since the end of my 30 days of instagram free challenge and I am here to report that I have not redownloaded the app on my phone. I do continue to check it sometimes and I have come to find that there are some people whose content I enjoy and seek out, but I’ll check on them occasionally and then move on. I no longer feel the need to doom scroll. I still post and keep up with documenting memories for my own sake, but I would still like to start scrapbooking at some point. 

Life is genuinely better since I eliminated my social media addiction, and I now feel qualified and capable to help prevent my future kids from developing the same problem that everyone else in the younger generation has. 

Like I said earlier in this article, the verdict is in. Social media is not good for us, and it’s wreaking havoc on a young generation of kids who have never known life without it. Taking a step back and evaluating the relationship that you have with social media as an individual can be instrumental to see this crisis more clearly, and helping others. As adults, it’s up to us to lead by example and set limitations and expectations for young people. We can do this by consuming content more consciously, as well as limiting our overall consumption of content, and encouraging our friends to do the same. 

Sourdough bread has become all the rage in recent years amongst the homesteading community, and beyond and while I myself just jumped on the trend about 5 years ago, the practice of making bread with a sourdough starter has been around for thousands of years. 

If you’re not familiar, sourdough bread is bread that is proofed with a fermented starter culture that consists of bread and water. The natural bacterias and yeasts in the starter allow the bread to rise without the use of commercial yeast. 

Many people procure sourdough starters from a friend, or even order them online. Some people have starters that have been passed down for generations and are many years old. Sourdough starters are living thing, so they do require some care to survive but it’s not as hard as it may seem. 

If you don’t want to order a sourdough starter online, or you don’t know someone who has a starter to share, you can make your own, although this can be a little tricky. 

If you are interested in making your own sourdough starter, start by mixing together equal parts of flour and water by weight, 100 grams is good to start with, then mix until a paste forms. Cover your starter loosely with a towel or a lid (not screwed on) and leave it out at room temperature. If it’s cold out, you may want to leave your starter in the oven (without turning it on) to help encourage faster rising.

The next day feed your sourdough starter again, equal parts water and flour by weight, this time 50 grams instead of a 100. Leave it covered for another day.

On day three you’ll feed your starter the same amount, 50 grams of water, and 50 grams of flour but this time you’ll discard half of your starter prior to feeding, so you don’t end up with too much starter.

Repeat this process of discarding and feeding everyday for a week at least, or until your starter begins to form bubbles and doubles in size in between feedings. In certain climates this can take more than two weeks.

I did not have much luck trying to make my own sourdough starter recently but it was the dead of winter in Michigan and I think it may have been too cold for my starter to survive, and grow. So, on the quest to find an active sourdough starter I set out on Facebook market place to find someone local in the area who had an active sourdough starter they were willing to share. 

I found one, and we’ve been going strong ever since. I’ve had several sourdough starters in the past, some stronger than others but I’ve always unfortunately killed them for some reason or another. 

This is probably the longest I’ve kept one alive, and she is thriving! I’ve even been fortunate enough to share some of my starter with some of my friends and family- the inspiration for this article. 

So you’ve acquired a sourdough starter, how do you keep your sourdough alive? 

Your sourdough needs to be fed regularly to stay alive and active. Your frequency of feedings depends on how often you bake, and where you keep your starter. If you bake every day or every other day, you will probably want to keep your start out at room temperature. If you only bake once a week or even less, you can keep your sourdough starter in the fridge. This will allow you to go more time between feedings. You can keep your starter in the fridge for several weeks without feeding and it will still survive. Your starter will be its most active bubbly self at room temperature, so when you are planning to bake, plan ahead by pulling your starter out of the fridge and feeding it 12 hours before you bake (times may vary depending on the season and how hot is. You may only need 6 hours in the summer, and maybe more in the winter) 

Typically when you feed your sourdough you’ll want to discard any excess starer prior to feeding. You can compost this extra starter or you can save it in a separate jar and use it to make sourdough “discard” recipes. Sourdough discard is inactive sourdough starer so it doesn’t provide the same kind of rise as a regular sourdough starter, because it’s inactive it also doesn’t break down the gluten the same way your regular starter will, but you can still make some great stuff with it. However, if you don’t want to waste, or you worry about not being able to use up a whole jar of discard you can eliminate this step with a little strategic planning in your feeding. 

You can save just enough sourdough starter in-between baking to be able to refeed your starter so that it grows enough to bake just what you need. I tend to save between 1/4-1/2 cup of sourdough starter after baking each week, and then it goes back in the fridge. When I pull it out to feed it the next week I feed it equal parts water and flour and the quantity of starter that this produces for me is just enough to bake what I need while still saving enough leftover to be fed the next week. This way I use just what I need and I don’t have an excess sourdough starter that has to be thrown out each week, and my jar isn’t overflowing with starter either. 

It may take time to figure out the perfect baking formula for you, but it’s worth the experimentation. 

When it’s time to feed your sourdough starter, you’ll need unbleached, unenriched flour, and tepid or slightly warm filtered water (I like to use warm water in the winter) 

I like to use a kitchen scale, and a kitchen scale is the most tried and true method by most bakers, but it you don’t have a kitchen scale you can use measuring cups. I have done both. 

Weigh or measure out your sourdough starter, if you are discarding some do that first and then weigh out and add it to a jar, bowl, cup, whatever container you like to store your starter in, (I use mason jars) 

Then weigh out equal parts water, and equal parts flour. Mix until combined. You should have a thick paste like texture, like thick pancake batter. If you are measuring rather than weighing, you can use equal parts but you may find your sourdough starter is runny. If this is this case just add more flour. Leave your jar loosely covered (don’t seal it) for 12 hours, or into roughly doubled in size, with large bubbles. Then your starter is ready to bake with! 

How do I know when my sourdough starter is ready to be fed? 

Your sourdough starter should be at its peak after feeding before you bake with it. Large air bubbles, doubled in size. It will be thick in texture with lots of air bubbles, and when you tilt your jar from one side to another it may appear stringy. This is a very active starter.

A starter that is past its peak after feeding will be deflated, and look thin like pancake batter. This doesn’t mean your starter is necessarily hungry, it just means it’s not at its peak for baking. 

When your sourdough starter is hungry you will develop a darkish layer of liquid on the top of your starter. This is called hooch, and it’s produced by the wild yeast in the starter. If this has happened don’t worry! Your sourdough starter is going to be fine. In the fridge your starter can last quite awhile after this point before a feeding, however if your starter is at room temperature, it needs to be fed soon to prevent mold from growing on top. Once mold grows on top it is nearly impossible to get it to stop, and your starter needs to be tossed out. 

If you have a layer of hooch on your starter you can either pour it off, or mix it into your starter before feeding. It can make your sourdough starter even more sour and add a more complex flavor to your bread. 

What kind of flour should I feed my starter? 

There are a ton of different flour brands out there and different options for feeding your starter. The most basic things I look for in a flour are unenriched and unbleached. Enriched and bleached flour is so devoid of natural bacteria and microbes that there really isn’t much of anything for your starter to feed off of. 

Organic flour is better if you can afford it, but not necessary. My favorite brands for regular flour (both organic and non organic) are King Arthur and Bob’s Mills.

Now, if you really want to get into the nitty gritty you may know that our white flour that we bake with is not what flour used to be. The modern wheat crop has been so modified throughout the last several decades that it no longer resembles ancient wheat. So if you’re truly looking for the healthiest bread one can eat, with the best beneficial bacteria and the easiest digestibility, you may want to consider ancient grain flours. 

Spelt and einkorn flour are two of the most popular flours for this purpose. Ancient grain flour is more expensive than regular flour and it does not bake quite the same way. The gluten content in these ancient flours is lower than your modern flour. This produces a less stretchy and elastic dough, as well as a less airy crumb and texture in the bread itself. It’s quite hearty and can be an acquired taste to some, but it actually has a very nutty flavor and a nice depth to it.

This is not for everyone, it’s not the most affordable option, and if you’re new to baking these flours take some time to get use to. They’re not your grandmas flours (they’re your great, great grandmas flours) but if health is of the highest priority, ancient grain flours are the way to go. 

What kind of tools do I need to get started with my bread baking? 

It’s very easy to get caught up in not thinking that you have the right equipment to do the job when in reality, you don’t need all the equipment instagram sourdough influences have. In fact, I’ve even brought my sourdough starter on vacation with me and baked bread in an airbnb without any of my regular equipment. So what do you really need to bake a loaf of bread? 

Measuring cups, mixing bowls, an oven safe pan and potentially an oven safe casserole dish (if your oven safe pan is not a dutch oven) 

The easiest thing to bake your sourdough bread in is a dutch oven. Dutch ovens are deep and trap the steam in the with lid on them which creates air bubbles, and a soft chewy inside during the initial baking process. However, if you don’t have a dutch oven, you can achieve this in other ways. My favorite way to do this at home is to bake my bread in a regular cast iron pan (or oven safe pan) and add a stainless steel mixing bowl on top to act as a lid, and trap in steam. This works great for me and is even easier than a dutch oven in some ways because it’s easier to drop my bread in my shallow cast iron pan, than in the dutch oven. If you’re going to use this method, make sure you’re using stainless steel bowls, or something that is oven safe. 

The other way to bake bread is to add a tray of water on the oven shelf below your bread. This will also create steam for the bread. After 30 minutes of baking, remove the tray of water, just as you would your dutch oven lid, so the crust has a chance to become crispy. 

Dehydrating your sourdough starer

If you’ve been gifted a sourdough starter from someone, or acquired it through some other way and you’re worried about killing it, this is how to preserve a little bit of your stater in case of an emergency. 

Take your active starter and spread a thin layer over parchment paper or silicone baking mats, or a dehydrator tray. If you’re Using your oven, set it to the lowest temp you can and leave your starter in there until it’s completely dry. Alternatively, if you have a dehydrator, you can use that. I set mine to around 145 degrees. 

Make SURE your starter is completely dry before storing. You can break it up into little pieces or even blend into a powder in a blender or food processor. Your starter will keep indefinitely and should something happen to your active starter, you can rehydrate this and have another active starter. It takes between 3-5 days of regular feedings before your starter is back to normal. 

Making your sourdough bread

So your starter is active and bubbly, it’s doubled in size and you’re finally ready to bake your fist loaf of bread. 

Honestly, in my opinion, this is the easy part. There are hundreds of different recipes on the internet for how to make a loaf of sourdough. Bakers more skilled than myself have experimented to find the perfect amount of salt, flour and water for their particular kitchen setting. You could pick any one of them and probably have success if you follow the instructions, and have an active starter. 

This is the recipe I’ve been following over the last few months: Homemade Sourdough bread

If I’m using all ancient grain flour, sometimes I adjust it depending on how the dough is behaving but the reason there are so many different recipes is because everyone’s sourdough starter, and kitchen climate are going to be different. A very old sourdough starter in a very warm climate may not need nearly as much time to rise and develop as a newer starter in a colder climate. For this reason you may even have to adjust your recipes based on season. 

I’ve been baking sourdough bread for five years and really only got consistent (and consistently good) within the last year. It’s not necessarily hard, but it does take time to learn what methods work best for you. 

Making homemade bread that is free of all the preservatives, fillers, and nonsense in conventional grocery store bread, and not having to pay and arm and a leg for it, like you would at the farmers market, is a great way to begin taking steps towards a healthier lifestyle for your family. 

Project Veritas has released a series of videos from its Covid vaccine investigative series exposing Pfizer officials who said that Coronavirus antibodies lead to equal if not better protection against the virus than the vaccine.

Nick Karl, a Pfizer scientist says natural immunity, from someone who catches Covid-19 and then develops antibodies, is likely better than the vaccine.

When somebody is naturally immune — like they got COVID — they probably have more antibodies against the virus … When you actually get the virus, you’re going to start producing antibodies against multiple pieces of the virus … So, your antibodies are probably better at that point than the [COVID] vaccination,

Pfizer Scientists: ‘Your [COVID] Antibodies Are Better Than The [Pfizer] Vaccination.’ 

Another Pfizer official Chris Croce supported this statement by saying that someone with natural antibodies is likely protected for longer because there was a natural response in the body.

Related:

Natural Coronavirus Prevention

How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children

NBC’s senior medical correspondent John Torres came on NBC recently to the Pfizer vaccine after it was approved for children ages 5-11.

Many studies have come out to show that children are at minimal risk for Covid-19. More than two-thirds of parents are vaccine-hesitant.

Dr. Toress said 25% of cases are children. He said additionally that there have been 146,000 deaths, putting Covid in the top 10 causes of death for children.

In reality, less than 700 of America’s 73 million children have died from Covid according to the CDC. The CDC says the mortality rate among children is higher for the flu than covid.

Additionally, Dr. Torres said there were no long-term risks to children, or if there were, they were very minimal. The FDA has said it does not know the long-term risks to children from the vaccine trial period.

Related:

Natural Coronavirus Prevention

How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children

Thousands of truck drivers are set to converge upon Ottawa protesting vaccine mandates and other health mandates.

It’s not just about the vaccines. It’s about stopping the public health mandates altogether,” said Daniel Bazinet, owner of Valley Flatbed & Transportation in Nova Scotia.

NY Post

Kevin Trudeau said the 40 mile convoy of more than 2700 trucks, along with other protesters, represent a “small fringe minority” who are “holding unacceptable thoughts.”

The video below also addresses the Orwellian nature of the vaccine passport. The government is tracking vavvince status via our cell phones.

AFP via Getty Images