Guest post by Rae Steinbach

In today’s world, our waste consumption seems to be out of control. In the Western world, we consume more and own more material possessions than any society throughout history. All this stuff that we buy also gets thrown away at record rates. Perhaps this is why researchers have warned that we’re on the verge of creating a “plastic planet”.

In the midst of all this bad news, we as a society are learning to adapt and make positive changes that will benefit us – and the planet -- in the long term. One of these adaptations is “upcycling”. Upcycling refers to the process whereby something old, broken, or no longer of use is reused and turned into something new. Usually a few changes need to be made to the product to make it something else. These can occur large scale at a recycling plant or small scale at home with just some simple crafting tools and DIY knowledge.

In my last year of college, one of my housemates and best friends was a guy who knew how to make the best potato breads I’ve ever tasted. That was my introduction to bread making, and I’ve loved it ever since. Making bread at home is a pretty basic DIY skill that anyone can master with a little practice, and basic bread requires few ingredients – flour, water, sugar, salt, and yeast. Check the store brands you buy – most have added ingredients, and if you see a lot more ingredients in that list than the ones I’ve named above, then you know the bread is over-processed, full of preservatives, and possibly contains chemical substances – like phosphates -- that have been linked in clinical studies with intestinal inflammation, kidney disease, osteoporosis, and heart problems when they are eaten on a regular basis. Store-bought breads are also not cheap, and a single artisan loaf or “healthy” brand can cost $5 or more.

So learning to make bread at home can not only save you money, it can also help you avoid some of the health problems that come with regularly eating processed foods.