Large companies and corporations will go to any length to maximize their profits:
Around 630 pm is when people start getting hungry for dinner, it can take a few silly arguments over where to order in from
or what to make for dinner, but the end result is what everyone looks forward to. Whether or not you sit at a formal dinning room table with your whole family or slouch over the couch watching the local news or sports. what's on every ones mind is where there dinner is! Everyone wants to enjoy what they eat, the smell, the appearance and the overall taste is what attracts people to their food, but do they really know where what they are eating comes from? what did they use to make is taste so good? but most importantly how healthy is actually is for your body? Taking trips to grocery stores is a weekly trip most people make, before hand; they raid there pantry's and empty refrigerators and begin making there lists. The average American household shops based on the price not the quality, everyone is looking for the best deal and the majority of the time its the concentrated foods that are sold for cheap because they are made in enormous quantities produced my major corporations. Every since i was young i have been an animal lover, my dream job was to become a vet. When i was eight i stopped eating mean for a little less than a year, but was told i needed some sort of protein so i slowly began to eat chicken and fish. I choose not to eat most meat cause i thought the animals where too cute to eat, but now i choose not to eat most meat because of the way they are raised and treated on the farms (if u can call it that). We have been brainwashed and blinded by the ways of corporate food industries, they put millions of dollars into teams who's only job is to promote the image of their brand to make it seem as if the product they are selling is the best quality of its kind. While reading Micheal Pollan's book called The Omnivores Dilemma, he brought up a very interesting point that the average American has too many choices of food. To support that thought on a trip we took in class to a local supermarket we were asked to count the amount of a certain product, the numbers were really surprising, walking down the cereal isle i counted 76 different brands and types, the same thing happened when i counted the different types of pickles (37). Walking into a supermarket it is very hard to come across any fresh produce at an affordable price, people see the expensive price tags and walk the other way. They end up shopping for packaged foods that come in bulk or is sold for a considerably cheaper price. Organic food seem to be harder to find, i think most people find the labels on the products comforting cause they think they know where its coming from when the reality is that its mostly lies.
Americans fall too easily into this trap, they believe what they are being told is the truth. They see the commercials for things like orange juice and see the happy mother stick her hand into a shelf and on the other side it is a sunny farm with middle aged white men picking the oranges and handing her a carton of the "freshly squeezed juice." in reality the oranges are grown in a over sized greenhouse where mechanical devices are run on tracks run by poorly treated emigrants striving to make ends meet on less than minimum wage, trying to support their families. The machines run back and forth spraying the plants with pesticides. This is done in order to speed up the process to meet up with the over whelming demand. They spend so much money on trying to give there company and product a good name. They will go as far as not to be honest and lie to maximize there profit and make as much money possible.
When people are younger they have much less control on what they put into their bodies, they eat what there parents throw on their dinner plate and don't have much of a say. When i was little everything seemed to be tasty and i was not afraid to try anything. Like most Americans i ate to survive but not necessarily the healthiest possible way for my body. I remember seeing this clip on Peta.com about the abuse animals went through to produce a rich heartless person with a warm fur coat for the winter, the clip continued and showed how the animals raised for food were treated exactly the same if not worse. I could not help but look away and felt sick to my stomach, if that was the chicken i was eating, i did not want to eat that anymore. Most of the meat we eat started off as baby cows, pigs, chickens and turkeys who quickly discovered the fate of the lives they would forcefully be living. Thousands of chickens and turkeys are crammed into tiny cages, while the cows and pigs live in similarly horrible conditions, they are fed antibiotics to speed up there developmental process and "help" them to stay strong despite the conditions they are put through. When it is time to kill them they are put into machines where they roll out dead or knocked out. They are slaughtered by being slashed in the throat or cut in half while they are still alive. These animals never see the sunlight or get to run around and smell the fresh air. A movie we watched in class called Our Daily Bread is a perfect example of how the food we eat is treated, keep in mind that movie was made in Europe so conditions in the United States is way worse.
Not only are the animals we eat treated horribly, but the fruit and vegetables are grown un-naturally. Going off first hand experience when i was about 10 i was visiting my grandmother in Florida, we decided to go to a strawberry patch to hand pick the strawberries. At first i was amazed to see the mile long rows of ripe and tasty looking strawberries, which to my eyes looked like they were being grown the natural way. Little did i know they were anything but, 10 minutes into picking the berries i was cover in itchy red hives from my hands past my elbows. Thinking about it now, if just touching the fruit gave me such a bag reaction what would have happened if they were in my body. Not only are they bad for your body they can cause serious illnesses for little kids. Referring back to the movie Our Daily Bread the workers are exploited, the director does a very effective job at portraying their emotions though sounds, they looked extremely bored and over worked, there was a scene where the weather conditions were horrible but they were still working just as hard. It almost felt like a prison type scenario because the worker were being over looked by "the boss man" and his binoculars to make sure the workers were not slacking. There was always that sense that the workers were on a very low level compared to the man who was in charge, the director used a obvious technique by always filming from above, another example was when the workers had to get on their knees to receive their paychecks. Many of the friendly run farms are being put out of business because of the larger corporate companies. Another movie we watched in class was called Vrroooomm!!!! Farming for Kids, although they were trying to come across as a friendly farm to little kids it was easy to tell that the produce was being mass produced giant tractors, with huge wheels picked up thousand of cabbages and potatoes by the minute.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Response to Pollan- The Omnivores Dilemma
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.
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.
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
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
24 HOUR FOOD LOG:
Tuesday night:
Dinner -- scallops, roasted carrots and potato's.
ate around 730ish, previously i had been sick so my appetite was not so big. It was a home cooked meal that my mom prepared (my dad does most of the cooking but he was at a Mets baseball game). My mom rolled in the food on a table and served my then we both ate on out messy coffee table, stacked with newspaper and magazines that need to be thrown out. As usual i turned on the TV even though my mom would rather eat in peace and quite. we are with a fork and knife i drank my meal with ginger ale to try and settle my stomach ache and my mom had her usual glass of water (a lot healthier than soda) after dinner which took a whole 15 minutes, she cleaned everything up.
Wednesday:
Breakfast -- never eat it, to much to do in the morning, i left my house a little early so i was able to grab a vitamin water in one of the many new flavors.
Lunch -- half of a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, mayo and Cheddar cheese (the other half was taken by Binta) and a root beer which i only drank half of cause it was upsetting my stomach. We went out for lunch at Emma's and brought it back to school where we met for a committee meeting, we got back late so lunch felt rushed.
After school -- goldfish and apple juice and a bit of a rice crispy treat but i had to throw it out cause it was disgusting.
Dinner -- Dad cooked a Porter house steak that he bought on sale at whole foods which is still rediculosly expensive, but being as i only eat chicken, turkey and fish (the last time i had red meat was 11 years ago) I had a roasted chicken breast and a glass of water, again i am still a little under the weather so my appetite is not so big. I ate in my parents room in front of the TV while working on exhibitions. they ate in the same place in the living room on the coffee table my mom read her book and my dad listned to the sports channel.
Dinner -- scallops, roasted carrots and potato's.
ate around 730ish, previously i had been sick so my appetite was not so big. It was a home cooked meal that my mom prepared (my dad does most of the cooking but he was at a Mets baseball game). My mom rolled in the food on a table and served my then we both ate on out messy coffee table, stacked with newspaper and magazines that need to be thrown out. As usual i turned on the TV even though my mom would rather eat in peace and quite. we are with a fork and knife i drank my meal with ginger ale to try and settle my stomach ache and my mom had her usual glass of water (a lot healthier than soda) after dinner which took a whole 15 minutes, she cleaned everything up.
Wednesday:
Breakfast -- never eat it, to much to do in the morning, i left my house a little early so i was able to grab a vitamin water in one of the many new flavors.
Lunch -- half of a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, mayo and Cheddar cheese (the other half was taken by Binta) and a root beer which i only drank half of cause it was upsetting my stomach. We went out for lunch at Emma's and brought it back to school where we met for a committee meeting, we got back late so lunch felt rushed.
After school -- goldfish and apple juice and a bit of a rice crispy treat but i had to throw it out cause it was disgusting.
Dinner -- Dad cooked a Porter house steak that he bought on sale at whole foods which is still rediculosly expensive, but being as i only eat chicken, turkey and fish (the last time i had red meat was 11 years ago) I had a roasted chicken breast and a glass of water, again i am still a little under the weather so my appetite is not so big. I ate in my parents room in front of the TV while working on exhibitions. they ate in the same place in the living room on the coffee table my mom read her book and my dad listned to the sports channel.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The Business of Birth video Reflection:
Watching The Business of Birth was very eye opening, and insightful, i never really thought much about the birth process and how it has become so unnatural. There was never a doubt in my mind that i was not going to have kids until this unit, particularly this video, it has changed the way i look at life.For the most part i thought the normal way to give birth was how it was advertised on TV, little did i know that is the wrong way to go about the process “You’re supposed to be afraid, and not know exactly what to do and how to go about it, but everyone always gets through it” This is way many soon to be mothers feel.While watching the movie, I saw successful births where the mothers were expecting the pain, but rather than having an attitude of "i can't" they embraced and welcomed it. To them it was the natural way. The birthing process was easier for them because they believed that they could do it themselves without the assistance of a doctor or medication. I found that extremely liberating to see strong minded women preforming what there bodies are made to do, It was very empowering. After watching some of the births I realized t that giving birth yourself and not letting any doctor assist you or try to take away from the experience leaves you with a better sense of yourself, your body and your mind. They all seemed to be completely satisfied because there birth was natural way.
There were several parts in the documentary that I thought would be important to bring up, the first being how women in labors needs are completely disregarded by everyone including doctors. Doctors do what is simple for them. This is why more women are both choosing and being forced to give birth through c-sections. C-sections bring in more money for doctors and it’s “easier” than vaginal birth because it lowers the risk of medical malpractice. Little do the patients know that it is the doctors who cause most of the complications and distress on both mother and child. More into the video I learned that OBGYN’s have never had a good reputation in the history of birth, with drugs used like Scopolamine and the way that they used to chain women up while they were giving birth.
Overall Watching this video changed my views on child birth completely, i wish more people (especially women) saw this video, i think it is important to bring back the sense of empowerment to women, they should not be scared of the experience they should accept that it is what there bodies are made to do. Doctors have instilled fear in women without them knowing. This video has provided me with invaluable information about the correct way to give birth.
There were several parts in the documentary that I thought would be important to bring up, the first being how women in labors needs are completely disregarded by everyone including doctors. Doctors do what is simple for them. This is why more women are both choosing and being forced to give birth through c-sections. C-sections bring in more money for doctors and it’s “easier” than vaginal birth because it lowers the risk of medical malpractice. Little do the patients know that it is the doctors who cause most of the complications and distress on both mother and child. More into the video I learned that OBGYN’s have never had a good reputation in the history of birth, with drugs used like Scopolamine and the way that they used to chain women up while they were giving birth.
Overall Watching this video changed my views on child birth completely, i wish more people (especially women) saw this video, i think it is important to bring back the sense of empowerment to women, they should not be scared of the experience they should accept that it is what there bodies are made to do. Doctors have instilled fear in women without them knowing. This video has provided me with invaluable information about the correct way to give birth.
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