In The Omnivores Dilemma, Michael Pollan argues that as individuals we don’t have a good enough idea of how we choose to eat and what foods we are eating. Most of the food we consume is advertised by the media, providing us with little information on where it comes from and how healthy it actually is. We are reliant on other people to run the way we eat, even if we are not aware of it. I agree with many of Michael Pollans ideas, you can go to a bookstore and find thousands of dieting books, search online the newest trend in how to lose weight or watch TV and see commercial after commercial on diet supplements and pills to take in order to lost the most weight in the fastest period of time. Most diets don't work for everyone but people continue to follow them, many fall into this trap just because they like the results they see being advertised, they are convinced they will one day looks just like what they see.
I would consider my family to fall into the trap that everyone else finds themselves in, but not to the extreme of most. We don't have diet pills laying around the house or follow the south beach or zone diet, just to name a few. A lot of the advice my family takes is from our doctors. there are numerous time where i will see my mom reading an article in the newspaper about a new product in the market and will run out to try it cause she thinks its the "healthier" thing to do. Getting older I have found the best way to eat for me. When i was younger i would only want the food that looked cool or what every kid wanted in their lunch box but their parents would not buy. In elementary school it was common for kids to switch lunches because it was so important to have the lunch that appiled to them, if it was not what their mom or dad packed it was something else that another kid had.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Internet research:
What is the percentage of vegans and vegetarians in the United States?
Looking at the increased number of vegetarian products now available, there's no question that the interest in vegetarian foods has expanded in the last few years. Burger King now offers a vegetable burger. Most supermarkets carry soymilk and veggie alternatives to meats.
The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) estimates that 30-40% of the country's consumers are a good market for meatless items. Four to ten percent of Americans call themselves vegetarians. But are are actually vegetarian? VRG over the years has asked in national polls: out the following foods, if any, you NEVER EAT: Meat, Poultry, Fish/Seafood, Dairy Products, Eggs, Honey.
In a 2003 Vegetarian Resource Group Harris Interactive Survey, 2.8% of those surveyed said they never eat meat, poultry and fish/seafood. A majority of the vegetarians said they never eat meat, poultry, fish/seafood, dairy products, eggs, and honey.
Ten percent of 25-34 years olds indicated that they never eat meat. In a different 2000 VRG poll, 10% of 18-29 olds gave a similar answer.
Based on the U.S. 2000 census and 2.8% vegetarians, VRG calculates there are about 5.7 million adult vegetarians in the United States, but this is only an estimate.
Looking at the increased number of vegetarian products now available, there's no question that the interest in vegetarian foods has expanded in the last few years. Burger King now offers a vegetable burger. Most supermarkets carry soymilk and veggie alternatives to meats.
The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) estimates that 30-40% of the country's consumers are a good market for meatless items. Four to ten percent of Americans call themselves vegetarians. But are are actually vegetarian? VRG over the years has asked in national polls: out the following foods, if any, you NEVER EAT: Meat, Poultry, Fish/Seafood, Dairy Products, Eggs, Honey.
In a 2003 Vegetarian Resource Group Harris Interactive Survey, 2.8% of those surveyed said they never eat meat, poultry and fish/seafood. A majority of the vegetarians said they never eat meat, poultry, fish/seafood, dairy products, eggs, and honey.
Ten percent of 25-34 years olds indicated that they never eat meat. In a different 2000 VRG poll, 10% of 18-29 olds gave a similar answer.
Based on the U.S. 2000 census and 2.8% vegetarians, VRG calculates there are about 5.7 million adult vegetarians in the United States, but this is only an estimate.
Food culture at home vs. Corporate eating:
Growing up in New York with the privilege of have having world traveling parents, i was exposed to numerous types of food from cultures all over the world. When i was younger i was not a very picky eater, i would eat pretty much anything that was in front of me and was not fearful of trying something i might not like. whenever we would travel, we would eat the food "normal" for that country. I remember my mom and I traveling along with my dad and his film students to places like Mexico city, Edinburgh, and London where he would actually grade them down if he caught them eating at a McDonald's or other restaurants that could have been found back home.
Meanwhile back when we where in the states my parents both did a lot of cooking. My dad has always been a little more experimental with his cooking, he is great at following a recipe he sees in a newspaper or cookbook but also amazing at preparing a meal from what we have laying around the house. I remember eating a lot of homemade pasta dishes and the occasional steak. My mom on the other hand follows the same recipes from her family, lots of comfort food; mac and cheese and big soups and stews. When i was younger i do not remember ordering out a lot, but i do remember eating out quite a bit at small family run spots that most of the time where recommend to us by family friends.
I was about 7 years old when i made the conscience decision to eliminate all red meats from my diet. I had the aspiration of becoming a vet because I had such a love for animals. I felt if I was going to be saving them I probably should not be eating them. Around the age of 11 I was set on eliminating meat entirely from my diet but was told my body needed some source of protein so i stuck to a lot of chicken and fish, and the occasional turkey on thanksgiving. It has been a good 9 years since I have had a bite of anything other than chicken, turkey or fish. I sometimes feel the way I eat affects the freedom my parents have to eat what they want, they recently had a porterhouse steak and talked about how good it was and how they missed eating like that.
We order in a lot more than we used to, in out neighborhood it is extremely expensive but there is food from just about every country imaginable. Some of our favorites are Indian, Pakistani, Mexican, Italian and french. It seems that even when we cook at home it still cost us a lot of money. Before wholefoods opened we used to shop at a typical grocery store when there was nothing but completely fake and processed food, the only good thing was that is was relatively cheaper than what we pay now. Whenever I go food shopping with my mom the bill is always over 100 and that is on a day when we do not even buy much. On weekend we try and support out local farmers market at much as possible, buying there fruits and vegetables, sometimes even milk.
Overall I try and eat as healthy as possible, I find that hard to do sometimes during lunch because of the options around the school. last year I used to go to Pax everyday and eat a salad but that has gotten way over priced. I defiantly eat healthier when I am home than when i am out with friends.
Meanwhile back when we where in the states my parents both did a lot of cooking. My dad has always been a little more experimental with his cooking, he is great at following a recipe he sees in a newspaper or cookbook but also amazing at preparing a meal from what we have laying around the house. I remember eating a lot of homemade pasta dishes and the occasional steak. My mom on the other hand follows the same recipes from her family, lots of comfort food; mac and cheese and big soups and stews. When i was younger i do not remember ordering out a lot, but i do remember eating out quite a bit at small family run spots that most of the time where recommend to us by family friends.
I was about 7 years old when i made the conscience decision to eliminate all red meats from my diet. I had the aspiration of becoming a vet because I had such a love for animals. I felt if I was going to be saving them I probably should not be eating them. Around the age of 11 I was set on eliminating meat entirely from my diet but was told my body needed some source of protein so i stuck to a lot of chicken and fish, and the occasional turkey on thanksgiving. It has been a good 9 years since I have had a bite of anything other than chicken, turkey or fish. I sometimes feel the way I eat affects the freedom my parents have to eat what they want, they recently had a porterhouse steak and talked about how good it was and how they missed eating like that.
We order in a lot more than we used to, in out neighborhood it is extremely expensive but there is food from just about every country imaginable. Some of our favorites are Indian, Pakistani, Mexican, Italian and french. It seems that even when we cook at home it still cost us a lot of money. Before wholefoods opened we used to shop at a typical grocery store when there was nothing but completely fake and processed food, the only good thing was that is was relatively cheaper than what we pay now. Whenever I go food shopping with my mom the bill is always over 100 and that is on a day when we do not even buy much. On weekend we try and support out local farmers market at much as possible, buying there fruits and vegetables, sometimes even milk.
Overall I try and eat as healthy as possible, I find that hard to do sometimes during lunch because of the options around the school. last year I used to go to Pax everyday and eat a salad but that has gotten way over priced. I defiantly eat healthier when I am home than when i am out with friends.
Fridge Assignment:
Refrigerator:
vegetarian feed cage free organic eggs
organic strawberries
hummus with roasted pine buts
stony field farm organic low fat mocha latte yogurt
Ketchup
Mayonnaise
grey poupon mustard
homemade cous-cous salad
homemade roasted carrots and potatoes
homemade chicken stew
mozzarella cheese
extra sharp Cheddar cheese
Tropicana orange juice
mountainside farms no hormones added no antibiotics 1% low fat milk
pomegranate juice
sparkling Italian mineral water
mikes hard lemonade
Freezer:
edamame beans
green peas
artichoke hearts
rice
berry medley
mango chunks
sweet white corn
white boule
pizza
haagen-dazs chocolate ice cream
mango fruit bars
vegetarian feed cage free organic eggs
organic strawberries
hummus with roasted pine buts
stony field farm organic low fat mocha latte yogurt
Ketchup
Mayonnaise
grey poupon mustard
homemade cous-cous salad
homemade roasted carrots and potatoes
homemade chicken stew
mozzarella cheese
extra sharp Cheddar cheese
Tropicana orange juice
mountainside farms no hormones added no antibiotics 1% low fat milk
pomegranate juice
sparkling Italian mineral water
mikes hard lemonade
Freezer:
edamame beans
green peas
artichoke hearts
rice
berry medley
mango chunks
sweet white corn
white boule
pizza
haagen-dazs chocolate ice cream
mango fruit bars
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