Fatty Thanksgiving

November 29, 2013

                This year, my mom decided that a thanksgiving dinner ordered from Publix, prepared and ready to eat was the solution.  These (possibly much healthier dishes) were not as appetizing which was most likely due to fat.  When my mom and I cook at home, we use old family recipes which have been in our family for decades and what is the one ingredient that every dish has? Butter and a lot of it.  The food obviously did not taste as good, but guess what? I didn’t eat as much of it! When the food contained less fat and less sugar, it was less appetizing and I did not want to keep eating it throughout the day.  I ate till I had enough and then I was done.  When I was finished my mom looked at my plate and said, “Why aren’t you finishing your plate?” Well simple, I was full. 

                Maybe Michael Moss is on to something when he says we can be addicted to sugar, salt, and fat.  Maybe that’s why once a year Americans gorge themselves on foods that are cram packed with sugar, salt, and fat:  because they remember how tasty the previous year was and they fell in love with that taste year after year after year.  Just because Thanksgiving is a tradition, doesn’t mean we have to repeat the event every year.  I think we carry on the tradition because we are addicted to the tasty thanksgiving turkey, green bean casserole, fresh dinner rolls, and mashed potatoes…not because we are truly thankful for what we are given.  If we were truly thankful as a culture, Black Friday wouldn’t exist less than 8 hours after we gave thanks and broke bread. 

November 25, 2013

                I am excited that we got to go see the Holocaust presentation, even though I was not expecting singing it was a happy surprise.  The articles that we read before the presentation were very interesting.  I have read so much about the Holocaust in the past, but it never occurred to me that the survivor’s eating habits may have been altered.  Which I realize if I had given some thought, makes complete sense because they were basically starved for months on end.  I found it interesting that survivors get anxious when waiting in line, it’s something to think about when all I really feel while waiting in line is annoyance.  I really wanted to ask Ela Weissberger if she had any of these feelings after release and what foods today she still craves or has to have at all times. 

Laughing Seed

November 20, 2013

                After eating at the Laughing Seed on Monday, I realized that it is possible for people to eat and get protein from their foods without eating meat…I did already know this but eating at the restaurant solidified the idea more to me.  However, I am not sure it was any healthier than non-vegetarian food as I ordered a pasta dish with cream sauce.  But there were some very healthy options on the menu which seemed more foreign to most of us and therefore was not attempted. 

Pollan illustrates the ethical dilemma of eating meat regularly in his books and there are people who take this seriously.  Is this an ethical issue we as a culture should address? Or should we keep carrying on not thinking too much about the animals as beings but merely as a food source?

Hunting and Gathering

November 17, 2013

                In Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma, part 3, he discusses the concept of going out and hunting and gathering your own food.  Pollan goes on a hunting and gathering trip and forages for mushrooms and plants that he can eat in a meal.  I do think that in some cases this can be a realistic endeavor, for example in suburban areas where the human population is less concentrated and there are less of the concrete backyards then it would be possible to forage for your own food.  When my family lived in Virginia, my dad had a vegetable garden in which he grew potatoes, cucumbers, peppers, herbs, eggplants, and tomatoes.  This garden produced too much food for our family of four and my dad was able to supply our neighbors with fresh vegetables.  In addition to that, he went hunting regularly for a variety of animals but normally just deer and ducks he also went fishing.  So, I think it is possible in some areas of the country to forage and produce your own food, but in cities this may never even be a possibility.  However, gardens produce lots of fresh food, therefore if every building had their own rooftop garden, which may be a realistic possibility in order to provide each apartment building with fresh vegetables throughout the year.  Meat may prove to be more difficult. 

                I am looking forward to class tomorrow night because I have never eaten at a vegetarian or vegan restaurant before.  I am curious to see what kind of dishes they have at Laughing Seed and if anything will be familiar to me. 

Cooking Together

Cooking together as a class was really fun and also a learning experience.  I got to learn how to properly cut a pomegranate as well as make a new kind of bark and homemade potato chips.  Also, I felt like we were able to socialize more during while cooking together than when we went out to eat at Laughing Seed.  We talked throughout the preparation process as well as the eating portion of the night. 

Through cooking together, you can talk and create community while preparing foods that everyone will enjoy.  I think that this is one of the ways we can combat the industrial food industry, by preparing foods on our own, not eating at fast food restaurants as often, and by creating community that likes to prepare food and socialize together. 

This class has taught me that yes, the industrialized food market has taken hold over American food cuisine, but there are still ways that you can eat healthy and still enjoy your food.  By preparing meals at home with friends and buying local produce and groceries from farmers or farmers markets. 

Pre Cooking Together

I am not sure what to expect tonight during the cooking together class all I really know is that we are eating burgers and home made chips.  It should be interesting to see who picks what activity and how it corresponds to what we have been reading in class.  For instance, when Pollan talked about how men tend to congregate outside of the house by the barbecue or fire pit and women stay inside preparing the rest of the meal.  It should be a great learning experience. 

El Salvador TSD

Fish, Fish, Fish, and Beef. 

These were the stars of the show at the El Salvador TSD last Wednesday night.  The food was spectacular.  We got to eat pupusa, bacon wrapped shrimp, yucca, pork, guacamole, rice, hot chocolate, and seasoned chicken.  The meal was great and the hot chocolate was delicious with hints of chili and cinnamon.  The atmosphere was great with the small privately owned restaurant and the head chef came out to our table after the meal and asked how it was...obviously we said it was great and we would need several to-go boxes.  The pupusa was something I had never eaten before and was very interesting, a combo between tortilla and flatbread while stuffed with cheese.  I would definitely go back to this restaurant. 

Kathmandu Cafe

I recently went to a Himalayan cuisine restaurant in Asheville, NC and was surprisingly pleased with the food.  This connects with our reflection about modern food overtaking ethnic food traditions.  
 
The aesthetic atmosphere of the restaurant was visually enticing and brought me into the foregrounds of landscapes within the Himalayan countries.  The utensils much like at Meskerem in Charlotte were common utensils to that area of the world, metal forged plates and cups.  The owners of the restaurant are from the Himalayan area, particularly Nepal, and carry on the traditional cooking of which they were privileged to grow up with. They want to share their food customs and preparations with as many people as they can and this is how I think traditional cuisines can out mask the modernization of food.  I also made note that the main entrees were about the same price as the chain American restaurants like Olive Garden and Outback.  

People who are aware of their surroundings as well as the world around them will be more adept to try new traditional cuisines.  However like we mentioned in class, many people aren't aware or educated and that demographic may never change.  There may always be a population of people who remain completely in the dark about their food selections, not knowing the difference between 10 calories of broccoli vs. 10 calories of french fries. 

http://cafekathmanduasheville.com/

Pre-Sugar

Fat, Sugar, and Salt is our newest read and I have to say that so far this book is scaring me.  Even though I know that I rarely eat any of the foods that are being discussed in the first part of the book titled Sugar, it still makes me nervous and I regret foods that I haven't even eaten yet.  Hopefully as I continue reading this chapter for class, my fear decreases somewhat. 

On a different note, I do think that people can educate themselves on what they are consuming.  As we have found out throughout this course, most people rely on convenience which is what confuses me.  Convenience to me means that a recipe is already written and I just follow it while cooking.  To others it means drive through fast food.  Recipes generally passed down or researched are quite easy to follow and healthier than fast food restaurants.  With the healthier eating comes less need to exercise which is less time taken out of the day.  To me, that is the formula for convenience, saving time but still eating what you like. 

Back to Sugar, manufacturers aren't lying when they write food labels because food labels must be approved by the FDA.  Therefore it's quite easy to pick up a box turn it around and read about how much sugar is in the product you are about to buy along with the daily amount of sugar in the product.  But most people don't read labels and eat whatever they want in the end. 

Reflection on Fermentation

After reading Pollan's Fermentation chapter in Cooked, and the discussion in class, I realize that I skimmed over what some people found interesting.  For example, on page 330, the argument for children born cesarean vs. children born vaginally is quite interesting.  I had never really heard of this argument before but it does make sense with the amount of flora that is housed within the female's vagina.  Although, within my family, my sister and I both were born cesarean but neither of us have any allergies.  Perhaps on a larger scale the trend he mentions in the book would become more prevalent. 

The documentary, How Beer Saved the World, was mentioned in class and I watched it a few days later.  The documentary was very cool and interesting that how beer was made from fresh barley hundreds of years ago was actually beneficial to your health.  Fermentation was actually quite important for humans hundreds of thousands of years ago and that is very cool that we are still doing the same processes today, albeit for different reasons.  The documentary showed how diseased ridden water could be fermented into beer which could be consumed safely and had several health benefits. 

A question in class was brought up, "is fermentation important to you."  I was surprised at how many people said no.  It could just be my northern European descent coming out, but I love cheese, cabbage, and ethanol isn't bad either.  So that would be a resounding yes, I love fermentation and its byproducts. 

Pre Earth

In Pollan's final section of Cooked, Earth, he discusses the world of which we cannot see with our eyes alone.  And he is right, we cannot keep ultra-sanitizing everything or else we may destroy the environment in which we originally and currently thrive in.  The human body is quite amazing as I found out last semester in Immunology.  After studying a wide array of the body's defense system, I was amazed at how humans even get sick in the first place.  I also learned that having natural microbial flora in the body enhances the immune system in terms of recognition of harmful species, therefore when Pollan states on page 300 that the "twentieth-century war on bacteria - with its profligate use of antibiotics...has undermined out heath by wrecking the ecology of our gut," I have to fully agree.  Bacteria is important and is involved in numerous processes in the human body (it's also delicious in foods such as cheese) therefore we shouldn't be fighting a war against microbes. 

I really enjoyed this reading and the history of alcohol paired with the biochemistry of bacteria and fermentation was very scientifically refreshing and made reading much more interesting.  I am curious to see what the class discussion will bring. 

Air Discussion

The discussion on Part 3 of Pollan's Cooked, Air, was an interesting read and an even more interesting discussion.  I do not think that we will be as intimate with our food quite like Pollan was, but I do see where he is coming from.  Cooking for loved ones is an intimate process, because you are (hopefully) nourishing them with good food that will sustain the health of their bodies and sometimes it is a daunting task.  But much like science, cooking is all about experimenting with what tastes good and what works vs. what fails.  Cooking more in our society would bring people together in community and worship with each other.  For example, my friend Katherine and I get together randomly when we have a free night and we cook together.  We get to talk about our lives and discuss random things, this past week's discussion was on books and crafts.  So I think that is what reconnecting with your food is all about:  not just reconnecting with the food itself, but coming together over a meal and reconnecting with the people who are closest to you or even making new friends over a meal. 

Cooking Air

I actually enjoyed this section of Pollan's book Cooked, which is kind of surprising.  I especially agree with his quote on page 208, "I'd much prefer to eat a slice of fresh bread than a piece of cake."  I could probably only eat bread for the rest of my life and be completely content.  Bread is my favorite food. 

Also, I found it interesting that bakers call pockets of air in bread alveoli, as anatomists call the pockets that hold air in the lungs alveoli as well. 

I will have more to comment on after class tonight. 

Post TSD night

This restaurant took me off guard (1) because I have been in the area so many times and never knew it existed and (2) because I really enjoyed the food.  At first, I was oddly worried once the restaurant owner locked the door behind us, but then soon realized that there were only two workers on staff that night.  This worry quickly turned into humor and fascination as I noticed the number of people who came to the restaurant window thoroughly confused at the locked front door before closing.  I started relaxing a bit because why would that many people be wanting to come in if the food was that bad?

I found the food very tasty, albeit somewhat unusual, and I appreciated the patient workers as they took the time to explain the contents of our food. 

The avocado salad was delicious and something that I am actually familiar with because I have made the same dish on occasion (however, I'll admit, without the "bread").  I didn't realize this kind of dish was Ethiopian and was pleasantly surprised...even if my wallet took a hit.  The main meal came and I didn't really wait for the owner to explain what we were eating, but again I was pleasantly surprised.  The various piles of food mush were very tasty and some were even recognizable.  After I ate, I found out what I had eaten and realized that some I had identified on my own.  The coffee had a uniquely earthy flavor that was very flavorful and at the same time very strong. 

All in all, I found this trip a fun and enjoyable experience and I would definitely go to that restaurant again. 

McD's KFC's BKing's

I haven't eaten a "chicken" nugget in quite some time, the last time I can remember was when I was 16 during a swim meet pit-stop.  This is an article about the contents of said chicken. 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/10/11/232106472/what-s-in-that-chicken-nugget-you-really-don-t-want-to-know

Pre-TSD Night

GARLIC, I looked up the restaurant we are going to and they use garlic in almost every dish which I am looking forward to very much.  I have had North African cuisine before, so it will be interesting to compare the differences.  Below is the link to the restaurant. 

http://meskeremincharlotte.com/entrees.html

Grass

After class on Monday, night I did think somewhat about ethics and ethical dilemmas we might have by "choosing" who gets food...but we already do this by putting a price on food.  Generally speaking, healthier foods tend to be more expensive, therefore those with steady jobs typically have better diets than those who struggle from month to month with expenses.  Also where we were born puts a predetermined diet in our lives, by eating what is available to us in the area we live in.  So for Americans, this could be anything from organic to fast food whereas in Mexico the diet is very limited to what they can import.  Some people can afford good food and some cannot, that is the way it is and yes we can donate food to those less fortunate, but we (United States) cannot feed everyone forever. 

I found several things interesting in the reading, but this quote on page 139 struck me as interesting, "I learned, for example, that some organic milk comes from factory farms, where thousands of Holsteins that ever encounter a blade of grass spend their days confined to a fenced 'dry lot,' eating grain and tethered to milking machines three times a day."

I tried to research what the United States classifies as organic, but none of the web pages were running because of the cut in government funding, so Wikipedia had to suffice.  The National Organic Program administers the Organic Seal to products that meet specified requirements.  The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 "requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances which identifies synthetic substances that may be used, and the nonsynthetic substances that cannot be used, in organic production and handling operations."

So, there is a specific list that manufacturers have to follow if they want their product to be deemed organic,  therefore farmers can use factories and pesticides in their products as long as the product is up to code.  Pollan's point is now undermined...yes, companies can use a picture of a green pasture on their milk carton, that doesn't mean that the cows themselves ate green grass everyday.  However, a product is not allowed to boast grass fed bovines unless they are actually grass fed.  So, the consumer sees what he or she wants to see when they go into the grocery store and buys products as for quality, we should all start reading the labels.  Maufacturers cannot put something on the label unless it is true, in regards to USDA and FDA regulations. 

Corn, sort of

A few quotes from Pollan's first part of The Omnivore's Dilemma really made me think and then completely disagree but one stood out to me, 

"In the third age of food processing, which begins with the end of World War II, merely preserving the fruits of nature was deemed too modest: The goal now was to improve on nature." (91)

To think that humans improve nature is preposterous, actually there are many examples in nature when species improve themselves to adapt to the environment including the animals that co-inhabit the land.  One specific example that I can think of now, and in which we as gwu students are currently dodging, is the poo berries from the gingko trees.  Contrast to the cute name gwu students have given them, poo berries are not berries at all...they are seeds which are encased in a fruit.  To us, the fact that these seeds smell terrible is a real inconvenience, but no one seems to question why they smell.  

Gingko trees evolved in an area of the world that was highly inhabited with komodo dragons, some lizards, and iguanas.  These animals have very poor senses of smell, so the gingko trees adapted to produce a foul smelling acid in order to attract these species that would eat the fruits and carry to seeds away to germinate in new soils. However, in North Carolina you don't really see komodo dragons walking on the sidewalk...but some animal will eat them and carry the seeds away. 

That is just one specific example of how smart nature is and in my opinion animals just move around seeds and do the work of plants so that the plants survive and thrive.  Which in turn allows us to live because of the oxygen byproducts.  

There were several scientific issues I had with the reading, but Pollan does a good job and getting the reader's attention which is his job as an author. 

Industrial Corn

While reading Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, I came across one phrase that really stood out to me, "the only reason contemporary animal cities aren't as plague-ridden or pestilential as their medieval human counterparts is a single historical anomaly:  the modern antibiotic."

First of all, the modern antibiotic is probably the worst thing to happen to the human food source.  I say this because now modern antibiotics are being overused and the long term result will create weaker immunity for both the animals and humans.  Separating sick animals and disposing of them would be a more productive means to the human immune system than pumping animals with lists of expensive antibiotics.  Granted some antibiotics are necessary, all of them are most likely not especially growth hormones. 

Antibiotics get rid of a certain strain of one particular bacterium...however bacteria adapt incredibly fast, meaning their DNA can change in a matter of seconds.  DNA changing means now the antibiotic that worked does not work anymore and perhaps no antibiotics will, the bacterium might become antibiotic resistant through mutation as a result of antibiotics.

Don't get me wrong, antibiotics are a good development, but I would argue that in the United States today, the USDA and EPA set such high standards of health and safety that all of the excess antibiotics are unnecessary and potentially harmful to the health of humans.

However, having taken antibiotics myself I can't imagine that all of those antibiotics would be good for a livestock's digestion system (from having problems of my own with some medications).  Therefore this leads me to think that Pollan found an exception to the rule rather than what actually happens at farms/feedlots across the country.  If he had gone to 40-50 farms and shown how they operated I might be more convinced.  But as a scientist this observation of one feedlot isn't convincing me of anything.  

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating."

~Luciano Pavarotti

Foothills Farmer's Market

Farmer's markets have always been my favorite.  The vendors are all nice and willing to talk with you about how their food is grown or how their animals are raised.  But once I got to the farmer's market, I realized very quickly that I did not bring enough money nor did I have a game plan on what to buy.  I left the market with a pound of green beans, fresh herbs, green onions, and two books.  The vendors were out of eggs or else I would have left with those too. 

While I was talking to the man who was selling me green beans I was very excited to hear that he would be back next weekend with yellow tomatoes.  I have no idea what those taste like, so I asked.  He said they taste the same but have less acid, I told him I would be back next week to try them.  I've also never eaten eggplant so I'll have to try some of those as well. 

I had a conversation with one of the meat vendors and we talked about cooking for a little while.  He thought it was great that college students can still cook nowadays (well some of us).  I told him I would have purchased some if I had more money and he was very kind telling me he would be in Charlotte at their farmer's market next weekend. 

Cooked

While I was reading and preparing for this week's class I realized that the barbecue world is far more extensive than I realized, I mean Pollan filled 120 pages by talking about different types of barbecue and even barbecue in different cultures.  It is pretty incredible that cooking with fire evolved into writing entire books about just one dish. 

However, growing up with barbecue and being around barbecue all of the time, the reading wasn't as fascinating to me as others but at the same time I didn't realize so much went in to making and preparing barbecue.  I also didn't realize the masculine associations with cooking barbecue. 

Even though I grew up with barbecue, reading about so much barbecue made me really hungry. While I was eating it I thought why don't I eat this more often...but then I remembered.  My stomach was not as appreciative of the offering as my taste buds were and although Pollan mentions that cooking food yields better digestion, it also makes food taste better and gives meat some texture. 

The barbecue cooking process at Bridge's was fascinating to me mainly because the process was so simple.  I also love how nice the people were that they would just let us walk on through their restaurant and observe. 

In Defense of Food

        After class last night, I kept thinking more about culture and specifically American culture and realized that yes it is different, but most families tend to stick with their traditional upbringing...at least the families in which the moms make a sit down dinner at least 3 times a week.  My mom loves to cook, so when I was growing up she would teach me and I would often times just watch with my head barely reaching above the counter tops,  following my mom around to "clean up" anything as she went, and at times helping cook dinner.  I realized that she let me annoy her all those years for a reason...so that when I could finally see over the counter top that I could cook for myself.  So, from a young age I cooked for myself and often times my sister, even though she is very capable at cooking for herself, whenever my mom was at work and couldn't make it home in time to arrange a meal.  My mom did this because that was how she was raised...if you want something, then do it yourself, be proactive not lazy.  My mom is also a no nonsense cook, if you don't like what she made then you don't eat.  Which was passed down from her mom and I will probably be the same way. 
        I do think there is culture amongst individual families, but especially those families in which the mom prepares food for a sit down dinner.  The reason I say sit down dinner is because generally mothers that make a meal for sit down dinners make a specific dinner which is intended to be eaten by the family.  The family does not pick and choose what they want to eat and hand it to the cook 20 minutes before dinner and expect magic, the cook plans and creates a balanced meal for the family to enjoy.  Today especially, I think this concept is being lost more and more even in my own family.  Families get busy and start going out to eat at restaurants where you eat a speedy meal and look at your electronic devices at least twice during the meal.  This is not seen in other cultures. 
        Pollan talks about the French paradox a lot and when I compare and contrast French dining to American dining, they are incredibly different and largely due to the way the countries operate.  Walking down a street in France, you will see restaurant after restaurant after restaurant and you will come to the conclusion that these restaurants are all different.  Even when traveling across the city there will be different restaurants, all operated by different owners and all offering different variations of French food.  This is something we don't see in the United States.  Much like grocery stores, you can find a "chain" restaurant on every corner, even out here in Boiling Springs.  Chain restaurants are typically very unhealthy. Why? Because chains are owned by one person or a group of people who want to make money.  They conserve money by creating a menu that can be mass produced at several different locations every night of the week.  Which does in fact make the food cheaper.  There is a weird paradox about this in the United States...yes buy food cheap and save money, however when it comes to other health services such as laser eye surgery do you really want the cheapest surgery to save money? Of course not.  So why do Americans do this for other aspects of health like eating?
        This reminds me of what Pollan said about pay more and eat less.  I watch the food channel a lot and there is a common theme among top chefs in the United States:  they were trained by first their family members and second by culinary schools, at least for the majority.  Therefore these chefs have a particular culinary background such as Italian, Indian, or French cuisines.  Then these skills get fine tuned in culinary schools and they eventually open up their own restaurant.  These chef run, no chain restaurants are indeed more expensive.  However, you are eating food prepared by a chef who has been trained beneath a specific culture and who combines flavors and spices to create a balanced meal for the paying customer.  So this is what I think Pollan meant by pay more and eat less, at a restaurant when you pay more it is typically because the chef uses ingredients that are a little more expensive to create his/her dishes...is that really a problem? No, but most Americans don't want to pay for the extra attention given to the dish.  When in fact these no chain restaurants will undoubtedly have a menu along the same cultural cuisines and have a kitchen headed by a well equipped chef.  And this is what you see in France,  individual restaurants headed each by their own chefs and each having a well balanced four course (at the least) meal for customers to enjoy.  The French don't want to push people through the doors of their restaurants, they want the customer to enjoy the food along with their party. 
        We could all learn a thing or two from other cultures, especially about food because in the United States I would say the only thing in common we have, in terms of food, is which diet we're going on next. 

Supermarket Food Challenge

        The supermarket challenge was to find three food items that were real foods, but the food could not be anything on the perimeter of the store.  I also added a challenge to myself to find three foods that I could actually eat as a whole meal or part of a meal, not just an ingredient or a snack. 













        The first item I found was Cuban flavored rice and beans.  This product does break a few of Pollan's rules, for example this product has ferric orthophosphate which is just an agent industry uses to extend the shelf life of products...but it is just an additional source of iron and can even be used as an iron supplement.  But too much iron in the diet can be harmful.  You can also see that there are a few more than 5 ingredients, probably about 15, but most are items you can find in your kitchen such as salt, whole black beans, garlic, and parsley. 
        I looked up why Hispanic cultures eat rice and beans together and interestingly enough, they still eat rice and beans today because their ancestors made rice and beans centuries before them and passed on the recipe.  On the food side, rice is a complex carbohydrate....meaning that it takes longer for your body to break down the rice and convert to glucose, which is a good thing.  The beans are a great source of antioxidants.  So, their ancestors knew a thing or two when it came to delicious and healthy eating. 

       


        The next food product I found was rolled oats.  Before I go into why I think this product is healthy, the container can tell us a lot right off the bat, but that's not necessarily a good thing.  First, this product boasts that oatmeal helps reduce cholesterol...I had no idea what this claim truly meant, so I looked it up.  Yes, eating oatmeal actually does reduce cholesterol levels, specifically LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.  As well as oatmeal being an insoluble fiber, meaning that oatmeal is not readily absorbed by the body and will be, ahem, pushed through your system.  So yes, all of the health claims on this particular package are accurate...but most health claims are not.        
        Moving on the the ingredient list, you can't really see it in this photo but rolled oats contain a shocking amount of 100% rolled oats...sweet.  There aren't any shelf life increasing ingredients, added sweeteners, or ingredients you can't pronounce. To make oatmeal you just add water, so this is a healthy breakfast item and apparently my grandmother was on to something when she would add oats to chocolate chip cookies.

        The last product I found was tuna.  This packaged tuna contained:  white tuna, water, vegetable broth, salt, and pyrophosphate.  This food item almost makes the cut for 5 ingredients by coming in close with 6.  I had no idea what pyrophosphate was, so once again I looked it up and found that once again this is a food shelf life extender.  In small doses, like eating this twice a week, it is not harmful but excess eating of packaged tuna will cause an increase in the level of phosphorus in your body which leads to health problems.  The rest of the ingredients are ingredients you can find in your kitchen, except for the actual fish.  So, packaged tuna is healthy in moderation.  That concludes my shopping trip!

Here's a pretty cool documentary on food that astronauts eat in the space station.  Check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vVle67Tfjc

A Reflection on Food Rules

        Being a science major, I find myself observing other students especially in the cafeteria where the conversation isn't very taxing and my eyes can wander.  Observing what people eat is very interesting and especially amongst the swim team.  One interesting aspect about swimmers is the amount of food we can consume daily.  One of my friends, about 180 and 6 feet tall can easily out-eat a 250+ pound football player in one sitting.  Eating is more of a chore for him. He always jokes that if he could just put the food directly in his stomach he would be immensely happier.  He makes a good point.  As an athlete, eating to fuel your body for the next work out and not over eating is a tricky endeavor.  Eat too little and you suffer at the next workout...but eat too much and you gain excess weight.  Eating as an athlete is an additional responsibility on top of scheduled practices and events. 
        After reading Food Rules and listening to the dietary lectures in class last night, people's eating habits in the cafeteria catch my attention more.  For example, everyone is told that yogurt is good for you...it's natural, healthy, low-fat, etc.  When in reality, the yogurt that is the best for you, nutritionally speaking, is the yogurt that no one likes to eat.  Greek yogurt is not sweet, but almost has a sour taste which most consumers do not prefer. Greek yogurt contains less than 14 grams of sugar, low carbohydrates, live bacterial cultures, and a whopping 20 or more grams of protein in one serving.  Here's an experiment for you that is pretty simple and doesn't cost any money:  go to the grocery store and in the yogurt section find another yogurt that has less sugar or more protein.  It's not possible.  Why? Because food manufacturers know that yogurt is becoming a healthy food fad.  Therefore they make their yogurt taste good by adding sugar or changing the product label to various eye catching colors. Anything to make their yogurt compete better on the consumer shelf. 
        Back to the main point, the yogurt in the cafeteria has more than 20 grams of sugar in one serving and only 5-6 grams of protein.  Sure it tastes good and with the common thought that yogurt is healthy, everyone in the cafeteria eats it and adds granola.  The granola has lots of added sugar in addition to the excess carbohydrates.  Whenever I see someone eating a bowl of cafeteria yogurt and granola this scenario runs through my head and sometimes I voice my thoughts but no one cares.  The yogurt tastes good and they think it is healthy so they will keep eating it regardless of who tells them otherwise. 
        I find this concept especially interesting because today with the over availability of food individuals have the ability to create their own fate, if you will, about what they consume.  In today's supermarket, you can find "food" products that everyone will like and eat.  Added sugar, added sodium, and excess chemicals to prolong shelf life all have effects on developing children.  Children grow up eating what tastes good and this creates eating habits that may lead to health problems.    
        The rules we read for class are just that, rules.  If it's any indication of how many parking tickets and speeding tickets the town of Boiling Springs gives out daily, then it's probably safe to assume that people don't like following rules.  Individuals will eat what they like to eat regardless of who tells them otherwise unless they give themselves a reason to change.  Food Rules was written because of the surplus food supply that we just have to consume...if someone makes it, someone is going to eat it.  The trick is to know your body and know what works for you. 
        Over the years I have experimented myself with what I eat and then watched the results.  I found that a high protein diet with lots of vegetables and some carbohydrates works the best for my body and metabolism.  However, the discipline to maintain this diet is not as readily available. 

        Accompanying my reflection on Food Rules are some rules of my own: 

1. Oil and spice and everything nice.
2. Baked goods are best from scratch, but never from a box.
3. If you can't pick up off the ground or kill what you are eating, it's probably not real food.
4. Cheese is an essential and delicious part of the food pyramid.
5. If my grandmother doesn't have a recipe for it or doesn't use it in a recipe, I probably shouldn't eat it.