How Composting Helps Me Eat Healthier in the Winter

Guest Post by Jonah Christner

The middle of winter never fails to make me feel like the glummest, plumpest of raccoons. The holiday season has passed and responsibilities resume, but it always seems to be either cold, dark or a combination of the two. Every action takes a little extra effort. I scurry home from work at 5 o’clock and it’s already dark, so I scavenge through my cabinet and eat until I’m happy. I don’t want to get up, I don’t want to exercise, and I don’t want to bother with my food scraps.

It’s time for a little mental manipulation.

As a 22 year old college student (and seasonal raccoon), I am prone to eating the most comforting food my little paws can grab. Ice cream, frozen pizza, cookies, mounds of mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and bags of various candies. However, this is not the best practice. No, what’s best is a plant-rich diet with plenty of veggies, a few sweet fruits, and lean proteins. 

I am able to check up on my habits though. Unlike the typical fruit and veggie skins that fill my compost, plastic sleeves, films, and trays are not compostable. I am not able to compost as much as I used to, simply because my diet has changed. For most people, composting is a way to sustainably get rid of organic scraps. For me, composting is a way to ensure I’m nourishing my body properly during these miserable winter months.

I make it a goal to frequent my kitchen scrap collector. “You typically fill this container up regularly. Make this your goal. Eat enough organics to fill this container,” I say. Suddenly, it becomes a little bit more difficult to justify eating the plastic sleeve surrounding cookies. I begin to eat better, slowly at first. This only feeds my willingness to go the extra mile. This winter, I will be a little more human than raccoon.  

Guest Blogger Jonah Christner, Solid Waste Intern/ Seasonal Raccoon