If you want to strike fear into the heart of a Japanese farmer, just utter these two words: wild boar.

The aggressive, hard-headed animals are some of the most destructive in the world, not only devouring crops, but destroying fields and root systems with their sharp teeth and trowel-like hooves from Kobe to Chiba City.

It wasn't always like this. Boars are a native species in Japan, but��you could go years without��seeing one there for most of the 20th century,��thanks to diseases like cholera��in the 1920s. Then,��in the early 2000s, the animals began descending on��cities and farmland in an almost plague-like fashion.��

Animals near Fukushima��are now radioactive—and journeying into nearby prefectures. Eradication is at red-alert levels.

Many believe this resurgence��was the result of human laziness: farmers and hunters allowed domesticated pigs to escape, then breed with their feral counterparts and��produce legions of hybrid boar-pig��offspring in the wild. Others blame a lack of food in the mountains, or expanding cities and roadways that have disrupted the natural boar habitat, leaving them no choice but to head into human territory. It doesn’t help that the boars have essentially no natural predators.

Whatever the cause, there are two��thing people can agree on: they’re ruthless, and they're everywhere.��

And sometimes, they're radioactive. In the contaminated area in and around the site of Fukishima’s 2011 nuclear meltdown, the boars' voracious appetite and prolific breeding has led to an��(thousands? Tens of thousands?) becoming contaminated with ��radiation.��Many of them are journeying��into nearby prefectures. People have even stopped eating a kind of boar stew that used to be a specialty dish in some of these places, for fear of radiation contamination. The impetus for eradication is at red-alert levels.

“I’ve used a lot of tools to fight against boars, but a lot of them have failed,” says Hideki Fukuhara, a loquat farmer in the city of Minamiboso. Fukuhara's orchards are far away from the radioactive hogs, but the damage to his crops is no less alarming as we examine the hoof marks on some of his plants that were recently victimized by boars. One of the youngest farmers in this lush, mountainous area of the Chiba prefecture, Fukuhara notes that many of his older comrades have simply given up on attempting to save their fields with a sigh of resignation: Those animals are too aggressive to be stopped.

Since no set national policy for wild boar control exists, protecting produce from wild boars has become something of a trial-by-error practice—and cottage industry—across the country.

Upstart��companies are creating spicy products like “pepper pellets” to scatter around plants that the boars will accidentally ingest, or strands of pepper-laced netting to be used as fences. (Boars like chewing fences but do not like hot sauce.) Some prefectures are cutting down grasses and trees to eliminate the boars’ hiding places. Fukuhara remains optimistic about the electric fences he’s erected around a fledgling grouping of loquat trees. Boars tend to lead with their noses as a primary sensory device, and it’s that tiny swatch of tender flesh that’s most likely to run into the fence. Zap. ��

Perhaps more important than simply protecting crops from boars is eradicating the boars themselves. Farmers know that in order to save plants and profits, something more drastic must be done—especially in the radioactive locations.

Japanese farmers and hunters use three primary methods to capture wild boars: box traps, wire traps and (the most controversial) hunting. Box traps function like giant, barred cages, luring in boars with a fly-infested, rice-covered habitat, then locking them in once a tripwire is kicked. Wire traps wrap around the feet of wild boars as they walk through the forest, then capture them by flipping the animal upside-down,��Looney��Tunes-style, so they can’t break away.

Hunting is the most effective means of control, though guns are not totally supported or widespread. “Something that complicates wild boar management in Japan is the exceptionally restrictive ownership, use, and access to firearms. This includes not only the general populace, but also with researchers, wildlife biologists, and natural resource managers,” says Mark Smith, a forestry and wildlife professor at Auburn University. In 2013, Dr. Smith joined an international team of wild pig experts to help tackle the increasing problem of boars invading urban areas within Western Japan’s Kobe Prefecture.

��“Although [recreational] hunting does occur in Japan, it is very limited,” says Smith,��“and hunter numbers are declining by the year, so there are fewer and fewer hunters out there harvesting wild boar.”

In the Chiba Prefecture, 5,900 hunting licenses (including firearms, wire traps, and box traps) have been issued to date, while in the more northern Myagi Prefecture, 1,876 licensed hunters brought in a whopping 4,964 boars in 2015. Government officials in Myagi, which borders Fukushima, have��seen increasing public support for hunting boars since 2011, but that stance is less popular in the rest of Japan.��

“After hunters bring in the boars, we help them test to see if they are radioactive,” says Mr. Satoshi Kimura, a government official from the adjacent Myagi Prefecture. “If the levels are too high, you can’t eat them.”��

Culinary woes aside, post-capture nuclear pig��disposal is much more complicated. Burying boars in mass graves—a common practice in most places—is too risky to the soil and groundwater when they’re radioactive. In response, in March 2016, government officials constructed the first-ever incineration facility specifically for wild boars in Fukushima, just outside the town of Soma. Most of the hogs headed for the fire have at least marginal levels of radiation.

One morning, I visited the relatively small incinerator, where a handful of men in haz-mat suits and protective eyewear showed me how the system works. We toured��the ice-cold meat locker that holds stacks of wild boar carcasses, then headed to the burn room itself, which fires up at a hog-annihilating 1,771 degrees Fahrenheit. When the boar’s remains come out the other side of the incinerator, any leftover bone chunks are whacked into smaller bits with a wooden mallet, then placed in protective containers. The entire operation, using a series of air filters and closed-loop systems, is said to be safe��for workers and the surrounding community—though I still had my doubts as the radioactive boar ash blew towards my face.

Despite increased concern about boars (radioactive and not), problems persist across the country��in large part because��many urban-dwellers think wild boars are downright cute.��Dr. Smith points to a current debacle��in the city of Kobe. Boars are now traveling into towns from the nearby mountains, getting stuck in concrete aqueducts, then reproducing in the waterways. One of the reasons the boars there are thriving? Townspeople are feeding them.

“What a lot of the people think is that the pigs are coming into the city because there’s no food in the forest, but that’s not true,” says Dr. Smith, who likens it to bears being fed on campgrounds across the U.S. “They’re coming down because it’s another easy food source. They are the most adaptable animals that you’ll ever find: we call them the ‘opportunistic omnivore.’ A pile of trash is a lot easier than rooting for nuts. They’re saying, ‘By gosh, I’m going to take the easy route.’”

Boars are a prime example of the increasingly complicated relationship between wildlife and human populations across Japan, with no good solution in sight. “We need to teach people how to be responsible when it comes to these animals,” Dr. Smith says, taking a long pause, “and what can happen if they’re not.”

The author is reporting from Japan through a program sponsored by the International Center for Journalists and funded by the U.S.-Japan Foundation.

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In an ideal world, we’d all have the resources to lovingly hand-craft our food and beverages from scratch, using only all-natural, locally��sourced, organic ingredients.��

But this is reality, not Kinfolk. Most of us are constantly under the gun, and fitting in a high-quality snack before a workout or on the way to a biking excursion is, all too often, an afterthought. Since our waking hours are precious, we must face the eternal question: which foods are worth it (quick, cheap, and extra-nutritious) to make, and which are better off store-bought?

That’s where we come in.

Below, we’ve outlined recipes and preparation tips for five items that are simple and cost-effective to whip up at home, plus five others for which savvy eaters can actually save time and money—without sacrificing quality—by opting for the store-bought version. ��

It’s Worth Making Your Own

Nut Butter

Why you love it: For vegans and carnivores alike, nut butter is one of the simplest snacks to whip up and carry for hiking, biking, or as a plan-ahead afternoon snack.��

Make it better: Walnuts are chronically overlooked—even by nut��lovers—and that’s a true shame. Inside their shells, walnuts pack a rich source of vitamin E, omega-3s (the most of any nut butter!), and folate. They’ve also been shown to improve heart health and cognitive functioning.

If you��need to buy it: Squeeze packs of ��are an easy-to-use, mobile-friendly choice.

Toasted Spiced Walnut Butter

Yield: One��cup

Ingredients

• 1 cup walnuts, cleaned and hulled
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon walnut oil (or more, to taste) ����
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preparation

1. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper, and spread walnuts on the parchment in a single layer.��
2. Toast the walnuts at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until fragrant, about five��to ten��minutes, stirring occasionally. ��
3. Allow walnuts to cool, then place in food processor with salt and cayenne. Begin to pulse while simultaneously streaming in walnut oil until the mixture achieves��a paste-like texture.
4. Refrigerate walnut butter in an airtight container for up to two��weeks.

Kimchi

Why you love it: If you’re looking for a healthy punch, you may be seeking out raw or fermented foods. Kimchi just so happens to be both. It’s also one of the tastiest things ever to be put in a jar and a��perfect spicy stand-alone bite.��One homemade batch of the fermented vegetables can last for months, making it extremely cost��effective. The recipe below is ideal for late summer and early fall, replacing traditional cabbage with zucchini.

Make it better:��Fiber-rich radishes add��yet another dose of vitamins and minerals, from vitamin C to zinc, to the mix. �� ����

If you need to buy it: Store-bought, mass-produced kimchi often contains sneaky preservatives and is wildly overpriced. Try inquiring at a local Korean restaurant or Asian grocer about potential options made in-house.

Zucchini Kimchi

Yield: Three��cups.��This recipe originally appeared in .

Ingredients

• 1 pound zucchini, sliced into half-inch-thick rounds (about 3 cups)
• 1/2��pound radishes, sliced into matchsticks (about 1/2��cup)
• 2 tablespoons salt��
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic��
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
• 3 teaspoons sambal��oelek chili paste��
• 1/2 teaspoon gochujang flakes (or red pepper flakes)
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

Preparation

1. Place the zucchini and radish matchsticks in a colander over a sink or large bowl and toss with the salt, mixing until well combined. Let the vegetables rest for three��to four��hours, allowing excess water to drain off. Rinse the vegetables thoroughly and gently, removing any excess salt. Pat dry.
2. While the zucchini and radishes are draining, combine the garlic, ginger, anchovy paste, chili paste, chile flakes, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the vinegar and mix until completely incorporated.��
3. Wring out any excess water from the vegetables by placing them in a clean kitchen towel and folding it into a roll. Hold��both ends of the towel and twist to squeeze out the excess water. Add the vegetables to the marinade.��
4. Store in an airtight glass jar (such as a Mason jar), and let stand at room temperature for three��days. Shake the jar daily to make sure the zucchini slices are completely submerged. Refrigerate for at least one��day before serving, and store��refrigerated��for up to two��months.

Breakfast Sandwich

Why you love it: Breakfast is,��say it with me,��the most important meal of the day, and the convenience of a healthy breakfast sandwich is unmatched as a portable, powerful way to start your day with a balance of carbs, protein, and other nutrients.

Make it better: Sprouted-grain bread contains more protein than white or whole wheat��and is easier to digest thanks to the already-enacted sprouting��process. If you can’t find it in the regular bread aisle, look for it in the freezer section.

If you need to buy it: Purchased breakfast sandwiches tend to rely heavily on fatty meats as a salty, greasy crutch. If possible, opt for a leaner type of meat (turkey bacon, chicken sausage), always choose the egg white option, or remove one slice of bread to make the sandwich open-faced.

Open-Faced Sprouted Sandwich

Yield: One��sandwich

Ingredients

• 1 1/2��tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 slice spelt bread
• 1 tablespoon goat cheese
• 1/4 cup ground turkey sausage
• 1 cup baby spinach, washed and patted dry
• 1 medium egg
• Alfalfa sprouts, to top
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. In a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, allow sesame oil to warm until glistening.
2. While oil is heating, lightly toast bread and spread with goat cheese.
3. Add turkey sausage to pan and stir until cooked, about five to seven minutes;��add spinach and stir to combine for one to two��minutes over heat.
4. Remove from heat and continue to stir quickly until spinach has completely wilted.
5. In a small frying pan, add one��teaspoon sesame oil and warm until glistening.
6. Crack egg into pan and cook until desired levels of runniness (fried hard recommended).
7. Using a spatula, slide the spinach and sausage mixture on top of the toasted bread, followed with the egg on top.��
8. Top with alfalfa sprouts and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Kvass

Why you love it: At this point, most people are familiar with kombucha’s bubbly, tangy bite and its role as,��among other things,��a powerful digestive aid. Kvass, kombucha’s beverage cousin, is perhaps the next briny, nutrient-packed drink waiting to be discovered. Get ready to be on the cutting edge.

Make it��better: Kvass is a lacto-fermented beverage packed with even more good-for-you qualities than kombucha, from boosting immunity to cleansing the liver. The beet version is supremely high in iron and potassium, and this recipe includes vitamin C with the addition of orange and lemon.

If you need to buy it: Beet kvass is still pretty under-the-radar commercially, but ��is making a valiant effort to spearhead the movement.

Beet Kvass with Citrus

Yield: One��quart

Ingredients

• 3 medium beets, roughly chopped into 2-inch��cubes �� ��
• 1/2 organic orange, roughly chopped into 2-inch��cubes
• 1/2 organic lemon, roughly chopped into 1-inch��cubes
• 1 tablespoon plus��1 teaspoon natural sea salt
• 2 cups distilled water��

Preparation:

1. In a quart-sized Mason jar, combine the beets, orange, and lemon, packing them in firmly.
2. In a small bowl, dissolve sea salt into the distilled water to create the brine.
3. Pour brine into the jar over the beet mixture until completely covered, leaving roughly one��inch��of space at the top. Seal with a lid.
4. Allow to ferment for six or seven��days in a warm, dry place (like a kitchen counter), opening the lid every other day to release excess air bubbles.
5. On day seven, strain the kvass into a clean glass jar and refrigerate for up to a week. The leftover beets are delicious on their own or in a salad.

Chocolate Milk

Why you love it: At first glance, chocolate milk might seem like a childhood indulgence, but in recent years it has��carved out a different reputation as a popular recovery beverage. It was a favorite among athletes this summer��at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and has been proven effective in helping replenish muscle tissue after a long workout.

Make it better: This recipes cuts out refined sugars and preservatives while maintaining the antioxidant-rich benefits of cocoa. And it tastes way more indulgent in the end.

If you need to buy it: Try scouring the farmers’��market or local grocery stores for chocolate milk from regional dairy producers. On the go? Grab a low-calorie version��like Nesquik’s Fat-Free Chocolate Milk.

Chocolate-Honey Milk

Yield: About one��cup

Ingredients

Chocolate Syrup

• 1 cup distilled water
• 1 cup clover honey (or other local honey)
• 3/4 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder��
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon��

Preparation

1. In a heavy bottom saucepan, combine water and honey, stirring as you bring it to a boil.
2. Reduce mixture to medium-low heat. Add the cocoa powder, stirring until completely combined and all lumps are removed. Continuously stir until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about two to three��minutes.
3. Remove syrup from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in vanilla extract, sea salt, and cinnamon. Store refrigerated in a clean glass jar for up to a month. ��
4. To serve, add two to three��tablespoons to 12 ounces of your personal milk��of��choice (recommended: almond milk or 2 percent��cow’s milk). Stir until combined.

Energy Bites

Why you love it: Bite-sized snacks are ideal for extra energy during��a long training exercise that requires refueling midway through.

Make it better: The double dose of nuts provide a welcome boost of protein to these energy balls.��

If you��need to buy it: Many people find their bodies don’t respond well to mass-market��energy chews. Opting for other energy-rich sources,��like peanut butter, can be just as efficient. ��

Sheena’s Superfood Energy Balls

Yield: Two��dozen one-inch��balls.��Recipe via .

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup almonds
• 2/3 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup dried shredded coconut
• 5 tablespoons cacao��
• 1 teaspoon maca
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 2 cups dates
• 1 teaspoon water

Preparation

1. Combine almonds, cashews, and coconut in food processor and grind until fine.��
2. Add remainder of dry ingredients and pulse until well��blended.��
3. Add dates,��then water, and pulse until combined.
4. Roll into one-inch��balls and chill in fridge until firm, about four��hours.

Keep on Buying

Salad Bar Salad

Why you should buy: The salad bar can typically be a costly, calorie-packed obstacle course if you go about it the wrong way (shredded cheese, bacon bits, drowning in dressing). However, sports nutritionist Nancy Clark��believes that,��if tackled correctly, the salad bar can actually be a waste-reducing way to get in a heaping serving of vegetables, particularly as a lunchtime option.��“At the salad bar, you can get a whole variety of vegetables and protein, whereas you might not want to buy whole peppers, bags of carrots, and heads of lettuce to make it at home. It’s seemingly more expensive��but actually saves money.”

Make it better: Opt��for chicken, salmon, or boiled eggs instead of processed ham and turkey to get a serious helping of protein without all the sodium and preservatives. (And you’re already piling those colorful vegetables high on a bed of lettuce, right? OK, good.)��

Try this: If you’re getting tired of your local grocery salad bar, a growing rank of build-your-own salad chains,��like Chop’t and Sweetgreen,��have more creative options on hand for a quick veggie fix.

Energy Gel

Why you should buy: Energy gels are a perfect—and, for many, necessary—way to refuel during a long run, but they can be complicated and messy to make and package at home. Buying gels is significantly more convenient��and will help avoid a potentially sticky situation midstride.

Make it better: Several organic energy gels have recently entered the market, with many others now making use of natural flavoring agents, such as raw cocoa. Check your labels, and opt for one of those, if possible.

Try this: .

Ready-Made��Indian Food

Why you should buy: Prepackaged��Indian cuisine offers a diverse array of healthy, nutrient-rich dishes and regional specialties, many of which make ideal recovery meals. However, the wide range of spices and herbs used—while healthful—can make them particularly time-consuming to cook at home.��“For the sake of time��and the��cost associated with purchasing various spices, buying Indian food from a restaurant is likely the better option after a workout,” says Clark.

Make it better: When perusing the menu, stick with fiber-rich, vegetable-based dishes, such as gobhi matar tamatar (cauliflower and peas in an onion-tomato curry) and avoid��deep-fried items��like samosas��and cream-based curries.��

Try this: .

Yogurt

Why you should buy: “Yogurt is definitely one of the first foods that comes to mind that’s easier to buy than make, especially��in single-serving containers,” notes Clark. Unless you’re thrilled about working with live dairy cultures, yogurt should be in your checkout cart.��

Make it better: First things first—avoid any candy crunches or fruit-on-the-bottom options (sorry, Dannon). After that, read the label to ensure probiotics are present and that there’s no added sugar, a frequent occurrence in fat-free��iterations.

Try this:��Skyr is the Icelandic answer to yogurt that’s bound to be your new favorite dairy product. is available at most grocers and comes in flavors like blueberry and vanilla cardamom.

Baked Tofu

Why you should buy: For whatever reason, baked tofu still doesn’t get the credit it should as a low-in-fat, high-in-protein dish that is infinitely versatile and delicious. In recent years, the quality of store-bought, ready-to-eat baked tofu has skyrocketed, making it easy to grab before a daylong biking trip or after a hike.

Make it better: If possible, try to err on the side of organic-only baked tofu.

Try this: ��comes in a range of flavors, from chipotle to teriyaki.

The post The 5 Power Foods You Really Should Be Making appeared first on �����ԹϺ��� Online.