Reflection

Throughout the past ten weeks I have learned more about food and the ways in which we eat it than I ever thought I would. I suppose I had never given much thought as to why we, especially as Americans, eat the way we do. I have learned a lot about food production in addition to trends found within my own diet. This course has given me a whole new perspective on the food industry.
It is important to learn such facts because what we eat has more impact than just what is on the table. Today our food choices have an impact almost worldwide through harvesting, production and distribution. I have enjoyed expanding my knowledge on such topics and delving into what we eat and why we eat it.

Define Food

As humans, we are easily influenced by others. This is not necessarily a negative quality however when it comes to dietary issues, Americans seem to be among the easiest to persuade to follow the newest health trend. Throughout the course of history we have altered the ways in which we eat based on the amount of crops produced, government regulations, health magazines, television shows and much more, but the real question is: what is actually healthy?

Michael Pollan discusses this very issue in his article Unhappy Meal. In today’s age, there is a chasm that has formed between food and “edible foodlike substances (Pollan).” The majority of the food in the supermarkets is processed to stages so far away from the natural form it cannot be considered real food. Pollan suggests that even the foods that claim to be healthy and have additional benefits to support heart health or rich in certain nutrients are “apt to be heavily processed, and the claims are often dubious at best (Pollan).” As a whole, Pollan really focuses on keeping the foods we eat in their natural state and being willing to pay more for a higher quality, and in turn, consuming less.

On the other hand, Melanie DuPuis highlights the need for a dietary ‘guide.’ She suggests that “we have lost our faith in both religion and science as guides to eating, [so] we rely on these popular writers to steer us through a welter of confusing and contradictory information (DuPuis 11).” Additionally, both articles touch on dietary customs in other countries which as a whole have a great health quality.

I think when it comes down to it Americans like the idea of being healthy yet refuse to put these thoughts into action. I admit, I am guilty of this as well. Choosing the cereal that says it’s going to improve my health makes me feel good, but that does not mean that I indulge in a fresh mango instead of an Oreo. There are certainly flaws to the way Americans think about nutrition and food as a whole, because like Pollan said, most of what we consume here is not really food. Though his ideas are inspiring and I believe for the most part true, for many that type of lifestyle is not practical. In order to alter the way Americans eat, we must first change the way in which Americans live. With our demanding cultrure it is almost imposible for the low-wage family to afford real food.

Facts of Interesting Food

After reading over the class’ short essays, I found these two facts to be the most interesting:

1.       Even with the variety of cereals that have high sugar levels, it is still one of the healthier options for breakfast

2.       Soda actually increases a person’s appetite which is thought to be a contributing factor to the obesity issue in the United States

Food with Impact

Most people know, as a general fact, that red meat is not really beneficial to one’s overall health. It has been linked to many chronic diseases particularly cardiovascular disease and in some cases even cancer. Nonetheless, as a nation we continue to increase our red meat consumption while increasing the mortality rate at the same time.

After reading through Dr. Dean Ornish’s article Holy Cow! What’s good for you is good for our Planet, there were some interesting observations that I had never really considered. For example, I had not contemplated the carbon footprint produced by our consumption of red meat. It seems like a rather simple task to pull up to a drive-thru and order a hamburger with fries and maybe even a classic shake. However, a single “quarter-pounder with cheese takes twenty-six ounces of petroleum and leaves a thirteen pound carbon footprint” which is equivalent to burning seven pounds of coal (Ornish). That seems outrageous, yet we partake in this ritual every day.

The earth was simply not made to provide resources for the amount of livestock we currently have. Another environmental factor to our large consumption of red meat is the amount of greenhouse gases produced from the animal agriculture industry. By covering approximately thirty percent of the earth’s surface, livestock have a huge influence on the quality of the atmosphere. Especially as Americans, we focus more on our satisfaction than the impact that our consumerism has on the natural world. Deforestation of the rainforests is a well-known issue, however it is not only happening to further industrialization, but also to clear land for livestock to graze (Ornish). Some may think of this as an even exchange- nature for nature- but it is not the way that ecosystem was created to function.

Nonetheless, sometimes there are beneficial effects to the foods we consume without realizing it. There are many aspects to the coconut that, even recently, have shown interesting advances in medical science. Last month the results from an experiment conducted at the University of Kerala in Kerala, India were published. The researchers were testing the effects of tender coconut water on rats with high fructose diets (Bhagya et al. 2012). Coconut water is different than coconut milk as it is the clear liquid produced from unripe coconuts (Benefits of Coconut Water). In the test, the rats were fed a high fructose diet for three days and then treated with the tender coconut water for three weeks. The results showed that the rats treated with the coconut water had reduced levels of triglycerides and lower blood pressures than the rats which were not treated. In the end this suggests that coconut water treatment might be able to prevent or possibly even “reverse high blood pressure induced by [a] high fructose diet (Bhagya et al. 2012).”

In addition to its ability to hydrate more than most other beverages and the high level of electrolytes, coconut water has also been known to be a substitute for blood plasma in extreme situations. The sterility of the water and the ideal pH levels allow this to be possible (Listverse).

It’s so easy for us to simply consume our food without considering the impact they have on the natural world. We have industrialized everything to the point that we can no longer see what it was originally designed for. Nevertheless, science continues to try to decipher these secrets and apply them to everyday life now, in this day and age.

Benefits of Coconut Water
Coconut Water Experiment: Kerala, India

Listverse

Meal Account

FRIDAY:
10:07- blueberry bagel with cream cheese, honeydew melon, cinnamon bread, chocolate milk
12:25- banana
  2:53- chocolate covered strawberry
  4:13- pear
  4:43- chicken flatbread with mango, steamed carrots, blueberry bagel

SATURDAY
  8:36- two pancakes with peanut butter and syrup, orange juice
  2:30- half an apple-cinnamon muffin
  3:15- Sonic cranberry raspberry limeade
  5:15- chicken bowl from Chipotle

SUNDAY
  7:12- apple cinnamon muffin
11:30- caesar salad, croissant, cup of tortilla soup
  4:50- cherry tea
  7:31- grilled chicken in a ciabotta, watermelon

The World's Cup of Tea

When I was still in high school, every morning began the same. I got up and ready for school, then on the way out the door I usually grabbed a granola bar but never left without my cup of tea. I suppose it became a part of who I was. Everyone knew that if they saw me before eight o’clock, I would have my cup of tea in my hand. Things have changed now that I’m in college because I’m often rushing off to my first class of the morning finishing homework or eating a bagel as I walk. I rarely have time to make tea in the morning, so it has shifted to the afternoon especially while I work on homework. I find it fascinating how such a simple beverage can have such a strong impact on cultures socially and economically.

The social aspect of tea has been around for centuries. Obviously the Chinese have strong ties to it since the plants are indigenous to the region; however tea began to play a strong role in the Arab culture as well. To this day it is hard to walk into a shop and not have the owner offer to make his customers tea. Before any business is conducted, men usually converse about other aspects of life over a cup of tea, and consider the business part secondary. Corky White discusses the role tea played in the refinement of women in England in the mid-seventeenth century.  Though men were more drawn to coffee in 1640 England, tea became the center of the dames during their weekly meetings (White).

Today tea is the second most popular drink in the world, yet the topic of tea production is a bit ambiguous (Graber). The reason for this is due to the fact that tea itself can be defined in a variety of ways. Some consider tea to be produced strictly from the tea plant, while others include any type of plant matter that is able to infuse water and yield an aromatic beverage (“Tea”). For our purposes we will focus on the plant itself which is indigenous to China, northern India and Tibet (“Where Tea is Grown”).

For tea cultivation to be successful, three components must be considered: the environment in which the plant will be found, the acidity of the soil and finally the amount of labor available. The ideal environment will expose the plants to roughly forty-five to fifty inches of rainfall annually in addition to any cool seasons being within the tea plants’ tolerance levels. The soil must be acidic in order to produce strong plants, usually around a pH level of 5.6 or less. Finally, workers must be available. Though mechanical harvesting has been tested, the subjectivity of a worker is required to obtain the best product; therefore, the workers become a necessary constituent of production (Harler).

Currently India leads the world in tea production. This is a country where the tea plant is also a native species. Though mass production did not start in India until about the nineteenth century, they have led the world for about 150 years (“Where Tea is Grown”). India specifically, is known for its tea quality. Some of the most revered tea, known as Darjeeling, is a fruity tea grown in a mountainous region around the town of Darjeeling, India (“Darjeeling Tea”).

After the plants are harvested and processed, other ingredients are often added to intensify or simply alter the flavor patterns. In a study conducted by a group of high school students in New York City based on the DNA analysis of 130 different tea varieties, they found that about four percent of the “pure” teas were actually mixed with additional plant matter that was unlisted. The teas that were tested came from thirty-three different companies from seventeen nations (Graber). There are some concerns about the unlisted additives found in teas today, however, the tea industry has widened significantly and is no longer restricted to just the tea plant.

I have always known that the tea industry stretches across centuries and around the globe, however I enjoyed taking the time to learn more. Because of the strong social significance in many cultures, I enjoy bringing back different types of tea from the places I travel to. In this way, I am still able to experience that place even while I am thousands of miles away. As I said before, tea is simple, yet this one beverage is able to tie together so many aspects of life.

Food Perfection

There is so much to be said about the American food industry today. We are more concerned about the “perfection” of our food and how it looks than the nutritional value of it or how it tastes. Throughout many of his writings, the author Michael Pollan focuses on this paradigm shift that has occurred within the past fifty years. Using the introduction to Tomatoland as an example, Pollan brings to the readers’ attention how warped our idea of basic fruit and vegetables has become. We expect to walk into a supermarket to be greeted with a cornucopia of exotic produce choices all year long, which is exactly what we get. However, studies done by the US Department of Agriculture show that the nutritional value of this produce has dropped significantly.

Pollan in another of his writings, An Animal’s Place, highlights the American view of animals. Obviously many Americans utilize animals for food as well, but many do not understand the process behind getting the cow or chicken from the “field” onto the plate. Pollan emphases how so many view animals as “things” and in turn detaching any emotional value and therefore justifying any cruelty. Nonetheless, he points out that there is hope. After the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852, light was finally shed on the slaughter industry and this trend has only increased with time. Especially now days, people are becoming more aware, legislation is being passed and article such as this one is informing the public.

Finally in comparison to Pollan’s two articles, Christopher Cook’s infographic is also based on this idea of “perfection.” Cook points out all the aspects that go into making our chickens look their best; allowing nutrition and authenticity to take a seat on the backburner.  He talks not only about how we put the chickens at risk and treat them unjustly, but also how 40,000 workers a year are impacted. To get “natural” food on the table, there are a lot of steps taken and many of those steps impact so many other aspects to the communities around us, often in a negative way.

I found these articles to be interesting because I saw them as a modern take on Uncle Tom’s Cabin which is so well known for its exposure of the slaughter industry. I think I also find it interesting because all through grade school I learned about the corruptness of this industry coming from Kansas City, which was known for its stockyards in the early twentieth century.

"Omnivore's Dilemma"

Michael Pollan makes an interesting argument in his article Our National Eating Disorder. Pollan introduces the idea of the “omnivore’s dilemma” suggesting that we simply have too many food choices. For species such as cows or horses, their diet is strict and set. As herbivores they do not have many options other than grass or leaves. Same thing goes for those who are strictly carnivores. There is no wavering from their diet. However, we as omnivores have many more options. Pollan identifies one of the “central questions of life,” especially for omnivores, as “what should we have for dinner?” For the human race, the options are endless. Therefore, we must sectionalize our food- determining what is healthy and what is not, foods that improve performance and those that will inhibit our maximum potential, etc. According to Pollan, we strive for order in the overwhelming amount of options.

With this dilemma that we face has heavily influenced the American culture. With all the choices we have come to create fads. One example that Pollan uses is “carbophobia.” Though carbs themselves are not inherently unhealthy for you, someone along the way determined that they would cause the doomful end of humans, therefore people stopped consuming them. Instead of simply cutting back the amount of carbs they were consuming, bread was completely removed from the dining table. In a way, this is how we as omnivores solve this dilemma. This is seen over and over again as new diet plans come out and the latest trends are spread throughout the media.

I found this article really interesting because I had never thought about this position behind why we eat what we do. Obviously I always knew that I had a choice, and have asked the famous question “what’s for dinner” more times than I can count. I also found it interesting how companies immediately tag-on to these fads to please the customer and yield maximum benefits.