Doing this research paper, I realized eating insects are not that bad and it's considered more healthy for you than meats. 80 percent of the world makes insects their main dishes; eating whole crickets, grasshoppers, worms, etc. It may seem a little disturbing to some people, but really if we get past the mind set of "It's gross" or "That's nasty" we may realize it really isn't all that bad. Insects have a lot of protein, fiber, and vitamins in them. Eating these bugs can't harm us, it could only help us health wise. In about twenty years from now, meat would become a limited resource because the world population would increase and there wouldn't be enough meat to supply everyone, so insects may be an option. We eat bugs everyday with out knowing anyway, why not try eating a whole bug just to see what it tastes like. Many people would find it disturbing, including myself, but that's all in the mind. If 80% of the world population could make it a main course, then it must not be that bad.

Health Scare

     Last Friday, from today, my doctor was talking to me about my spine. One the problems was the disc displacement of part of my spine. He essentially said that my wieght had put enough pressure to damage my spine permenantly. He also said that because of this pressure I have arthritis. Years of fluctuating wieght and bad diet decisions have put me in a situation that is i changeable. My doctor informed me that the pain I have will not fade. It can only be maintained.

     It is a little disheartening to realize that at barely 18 I had managed to wiegh more than the average 30 year old man and have already permenantly hurt my spine. But, this serves as a reality check. Being young you think that you are pretty much invincible. This is not true.

    The good we eat now is crucial to our health years from now. The habits we make in our late teens are habits that follow us into adulthood, unless we break them. I want to start now. My diet needs to be more balanced and I need to worry about how my food is made. This is the funny part, food is the reason for my chronic back pain and food is the answer to conserving the rest of my life.

Mexican Coke vs American Coke. Which You Prefer?

Nearly 30 years ago, Coca-Cola switched over from sugar to high-fructose corn syrup to sweeten America's beloved carbonated soft drink. With corn subsidized by the government, its sugary syrup became a more affordable option for the beverage company. While this switch went largely unnoticed for quite some time (though it's common knowledge these days), it didn't take place on an international level. Actually, the sweetener used in Coca-Cola varies from country to country based on what ingredient is most affordable for the bottling plant's location. And in many countries, Mexico included, Coke is still made with real sugar. Many people who have tried Mexican Cola said it had a "more real, authentic flavor," though the Coca-Cola company denies that there's a discernible difference between any of their cokes. Personally I prefer Mexican Cola because it has a cleaner, less artificial flavor and sweeter and the whole experience of drinking it out of a glass bottle is better than in a plastic bottle. 

A very hard lifestyle change!

The last few months I have been going through a slow progression of changing my eating habits.  I was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis a few months ago, which is an autoimmune disease in the bladder. (This disease is also commonly known as Painful Bladder Syndrome.) With my condition, my bladder wall inflames, causing severe pelvic pain along with painful and frequent urination. There is no known cure for my disease, or even a reason why I would get it. However, my doctor has highly advised me to change my diet, which has been a very hard challenge. I am advised not to eat any acidic foods, caffeine, or artificial preservatives. I don't think a lot of people understand how hard it is! Literally everything has artificial additives. I am still in the process of eliminating things, because when I tried to quit cold turkey it didn't work at all. Dietary restrictions are hard, but many are not aware of the power they hold. I have cut down on mostly all fast food, eating it only occasionally, and I have cut down on my coffee consumption, and with these small changes my pain has lessened and I am no longer so controlled by my disease. What would you guys do in my shoes? Any suggestions? I need to learn how to live a cleaner, healthier life without feeling left out of good food!

Stunning

(I would like for everyone to watch this video) I chose Humane Slaughter for my research paper because I want everyone to see how animals really get treated. I feel as if they deserve a more peaceful death rather than them being terrified. This video shows that this is completely inhumane and the wrong way to slaughter an animal. Slaughtering animals is supposed to be fast and painless rather than them being tortured. One example that is cruel is that the workers fry the sheeps brain so they could be unconscious when it doesn't make a difference. Even though stunning animals isn't bad to some people because it is apart of nature. I feel that even if you're stunning an animal you shouldn't torture the animal and make it suffer.

Want to loose weight fast then stop drinking soda?

Ever wonder how you can loose weight quickly well here is the solution just stop drinking soda. Soda is high in calories and has no nutritional value whatsoever. They contribute to obesity as well as diabetes, tooth decay and weakened bones. Carbonation is theorized to actually bind to fat cells. This causes a slowing down of fat loss, thus making it much more difficult to lose weight. Furthermore, when you ingest a carbonated drink you are essentially ingesting air. It may taste tingly, but by ingesting air you bloat the gastrointestinal tract. This causes a slow down of digestion, which is another important factor in weight loss. Estimates show that two cans or glasses of soda per day adds approximately 24 to 35 pounds of fat per year, depending on body size, age, habits, etc.. Some people (weighing in at 140 pounds) have reported that by giving up two cans of soda per day, without exercise, they lost 20 pounds in six months. Add in exercise, reduce other sugar intake, eat more fruits and vegetables, add high water consumption. But if cutting out soda altogether is too difficult, you could replace one soda per day with water. Cutting down from two per day to one can yields about a 16 pound yearly loss. In conclusion water is the No. 1 choice when trying to lose weight. 

A "clean" diet really does make a difference

     Over the last couple of months, I've been on a very strict gluten free, soy free, dairy free, and red meat free diet, and it's changed my life! So of course, when we were assigned a research paper, I picked a topic that would allow me to look into this farther.

     To further specify, the topic I chose is how diet effects fibromyalgia, which is autoimmune and connective tissue disorder. Through my research I have found that I am not alone, and that many people who changed their diet to accommodate their chronic pain disorders benefitted as well; furthermore, I found multiple case studies that concluded with the same result- every patient that changed their diet experienced sympotom relief. However, dietary changes are still not seen as a possible treatment for this disease and in most cases, modern medicine will always trump diet when treatment is being prescribed. Weird.

     What do you guys think? Do you feel as though diet really has that much power or do you think that modern medicine Os the only reliable answer?

Nutrients destroyed by freezing

  Freezing is one way of preserving food and when we freeze our fruits and vegetables some of the nutrients inside of them are lost.  The main factors in the nutrient loss in the food are the quality of the food and the time between picking it and freezing it. Which means food can keep some of its nutrients if its good quality and you didn't just let is sit out a while before you freeze it. For example when you  freeze oranges 25% of the vitamin C is lost as well as 10% of the vitamin B is lost. Even though some nutrients are lost not all vanish instantly but there is limits to how long you can store them in your freezer before the rest of the nutrients disappear. Fruits can last a good eight to ten months and vegetables can last around the same amount of time. Even though they can last that long its not a good idea because the quality of the food deteriorates. So freezing is a good way of storing food but don't wait too long because the nutrients don't last forever

Preservatives are worse than you expected

My topic for my research paper is how artificial preservatives are causing people to have autoimmune diseases. I have done a lot of research, and blogger Dr. Parsons certainly affirms this.
Dr. Parsons shares her struggles of having several autoimmune diseases in her blog post titled “Why I Eat a (Mostly) Gluten- Free Diet”. Parsons claims that she believes that once she got one autoimmune disease her constant intake of gluten caused the development of many other autoimmune diseases she was later diagnosed with.  Parsons states that more and more research is showing a link between inflammation, autoimmune diseases and gluten sensitivity. Gluten causes inflammation, and the key part of an autoimmune disease is inflammation.

 

Berry has a Point

"The Pleasures of Eating" by Wendell Berry encourages people to eat responsibly. The current agricultural acts are unhealthy and we as consumers do not know what is fresh or what is free of dangerous chemicals. We just walk in the store and buy the food because we do not think that the food is killing us slowly but surely.Why would we even want something that is killing us? As consumers we don't even know where the farms that are supplying us foods are located. Berry describes food as an abstract idea. Every person evaluates food differently. Some look at it as just something we are going to eat and others may look deep into to find out where our food is coming from. We as consumers do need to know about the quality of our food because what we are eating could be killing us slowly and we do not even know it. I completely agree with Berry because we as people are passive consumers. I never thought much about where my food came from or how it was produced until now.  The food industry has fooled us into thinking that the food they sell to us is safe, healthy, and quick so it can be eaten on the go. Berry has pointed out some great reasons on why we should "eat responsibly".

"Food connects people"

Usually in the midst of most events, the main question that occurs to one's mind would be, "Will there be food?" We are all guilty of it. It's never a bad thing, it's just always been an understanding. When people are taken out on dates, it usually involves food. When friends are going out to spend time with each other, it usually involves food. When families or sports teams go out to celebrate, it usually involves food. Friends bond over their mutual love of eating. There are so many places to choose from. Fast food restaurants, dine-ins, food courts, taco stands, and ice cream trucks; you name it. 
My research paper has allowed me to understand that in a way, food does connect people. There is such a social aspect to food. Food is the most enjoyable thing out there and we all like to enjoy it together. It's rare to hear about someone who does not enjoy eating despite our different tastes and values on what to eat. It's not completely our fault that we are so attracted to food. All the advertisements and endorsements have influenced people one way or another. Although it comes with a cost, it is almost always worth our time and money. 

Off topic but true

So we all thought we were struck with senior itis junior year, and we wanted to graduate already. That was just a minor cold, by now we all realize we are struck with full blown sit on your bunz' and glide through high school. By now we also should have figured out that isn't going to work; high school has become elementary school in the eyes of business. If u want a good paying job your best bet is at least a Bachelors. The world is growing, jobs are shrinking, and competition is increasing, soon high school graduates will have more trouble keeping jobs when they surpass a certain age. I think if I needed to get rid of senior itis tell student we have six years of high school and by the last quarter of their fourth year tell them they're done. Though this wouldn't last long before the secret broke out, it's a thought that would postpone the lazy draw backs before the flood gates open. Well I'm just glad it's almost the end of our high school lives, I will miss it, but I am glad to open my eyes into the real world. I'm ready to fend for myself, and be the go getter; I will grab life by the reins and see where it takes me.

Not Another Article Post

After reading all of these articles I have really begin to consider what I consume. Sometimes I'll think twice before ordering a cheeseburger with fries at In-N-Out, but either way I give in to the delicious smell and begin eating the horrible processed meal. Is it just me? Like yeah I think about giving up processed foods but when I'm in a rush or I want a cheap meal I immediately forget about everything I've read. Well that's a lie; I don't forget but I'd rather enjoy my food in the moment and suffer the consequences later. But also when I'm at home and there is nothing to cook what am I supposed to do? I could simply just ask my mom to bring something home but still nine times out of ten it probably won't be healthy. Is it my fault that she gets tired after work and doesn't feel like cooking? I mean, maybe I could stop being lazy and go to the grocery store myself, but that doesn't mean I have time to cook the items as well, considering I'm still in high school and I have tons of homework to do. I think as I get older I'll make better decisions because I'll be more in charge of what I eat. But for now, I guess instead of going to McDonald's I can go to Subway. Well is Subway even that healthy? Oh well, it's a start!

Oooo look! Another Ted Talk.

     Now I don't expect you to watch this 20 min video like I did but this one is actually interesting. Although this video dates back to 2007, it's still somewhat relevant to today's school lunches. Ann Cooper brings up the point that children aren't only going to school to learn math, science or English; school is where they learn how to eat and what they like to eat. Most cafeteria lunches include chicken nuggets and corn dogs and pizza, but rarely do you find a salad bar or fruit cups with these meals. I understand that most school districts aren't able to afford organic food but we should really begin to think about what we consume during school hours. Most of what they're feeding us includes pesticides, hormones and antibiotics. Cooper says that "70 percent of all antibiotics consumed in America is consumed in animal husbandry." It surprised me when Cooper said the USDA allows these chemicals. Why cant they just feed us natural. appetizing, and health food, like is it really that difficult to put a fruit salad on my plate? So yeah, you know what they say, you are what you eat.
    Also from this video I learned that there aren't any chicken in the Tyson CHICKEN Nuggets. I'm not sure if that's still true to this day but it makes me pretty upset because those things are good.
    Did you know that this country contains more prisoners than farmers?! I think we need to get back to our roots because food is really important. We need to have less of this processed mess and get back to our healthy natural ways or else we end up shortening our life spans because of the way we eat.
    Cooper also said we need to start seeing food as part of our health and not just for the pleasure and satisfaction. I don't know about you but this Ted Talk really got me thinking. I really need to change my bad eat habit.
Here's a link to the video just in case you're interested : Ted Talk

What are we really eating?

I have always known that insects were always in our foods but I had little knowledge of it until we watched that video in class. I decided to do my research paper on it because I found it very interesting to know what kind of insects are we actually eating when we eat are burger, or salad, or chips. Come to find out, there are so many insects in our foods, every time I eat something i think about what kind of bugs I'm putting into my mouth as well. I found out we eat spiders, flies, larvae, worms maggots, and mites. Those were just a few of the insects we eat, there are a lot more, unfortunately. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) say these bugs are harmless and could be found to be nutritious to our bodies. They allow a certain amount of bugs into are foods to be considered legally safe. For example, the FDA allows an average of 225 insect parts into our macaroni, an average of 30 insect fragments into our peanut butter, and an average of 75 insect fragments into our wheat flour. It's gross but it's true. We consume these insects everyday, about two pounds of insects a year. That may not sound too bad, but the thought of eating two pounds of insects a year without my knowing it is a little gross to me. This is a reason why I chose this topic to work on. Knowing all these facts about what is in our foods is very interesting to me, and I'm eager to learn more.

Let's say "Goodbye" to Antibiotics

My research topic is on the antibiotic usage on animal agriculture today. It started its use by farmers in the early 70s and has been increasingly becoming a problem in our food system today. I have done research on books, articles, and expert testimonies on how this use of antibiotics is hurting our food, instead of making it better. It’s sort of a coincidence how antibiotics are being used for animals, which are cows. These drugs are being used to grow cattle quicker and fatter. Antibiotics, for humans, are used to treat illnesses, diseases, and infections of our bodies. These drugs were designed for humans. I’ve researched to find statistics on antibiotic usage and they were devastating. 80% of antibiotics are used for humans, thus leaving 20% for the sick and the ill. This ratio is not okay. Cows are being infected with Mad Cow disease and all types of infectious diseases by being given antibiotics. This may be a signal to start changing our food. Likewise, with what is being put into our food as well. We must ban this usage of antibiotics, design a more effective one for animals, or entirely change what we eat. Any thoughts, comments, or questions? Comment below.

Ban Corn!

Meat; It's very delicious when cooked right, but it can be even better when it has all of its proper ingredients. When reading the article, "When a Crop Becomes King" by Michael Pollan, I discovered that corn was used for almost every food product. Because the crop is widely grown, it is distributed at a very low cost; therefore, farmers buy a lot of it to feed their animals. Is anything wrong with this? Yes, in fact, red flags should be popping up everywhere. For one, corn for most animals, isn't supposed to be a primary source of food intake. Instead of making corn cheap, why can't farmers make less of it? Cows, whom normally eat grass, are expected to eat the over-produced crop and still produce the meat citizens want. Instead of wasting land farming an unnecessary crop, cows could be eating that land filled with grass. As I continued reading I found out that because of the lack of nutrients these animals get, they have to be fed antibiotics so that they won't become sick. Yuck! Knowing that the animals I consume on a weekly basis don't have the proper diets makes me not want to eat them any longer. Why are consumers paying so much, or so little, for these products when the amount of money being put into these animals probably don't even fit the criteria. Corn, king of the crops, should be banished. Why? Because not only is it effecting animals, it's effecting what we eat as well. It also is the most needy crop, needing more fertilizer as well as pesticides than any other. This is just how I feel after reading the article. How do you feel about it?

MLA Help

The best tool I know for MLA help is right here.

Mouse over to the Humanities Section, and roll down to "Documenting Sources."  Every single link from there is valuable and worth reviewing.