While surfing the web I came across something that looked very familiar. Today on yahoo.com one of the headline stories was that of the PINK SLIME someone else discussed earlier in the year. To my shock and surprise it was not being used for a fast food company. No, fast food companies have banned using the pink slime. So who could be using it you ask? Our local schools for there school lunches. This was one of the most hypocritical and disgusting things i have ever read. So the "elephant dung" that caused such an uproar when fast food companies used it, is now going into our school lunches in America. Kid's now get the pleasure of eating that delicious pink goo everyday rather than maybe a couple times a month at McDonald's. 7 million pounds of this stuff is going to our schools. 7 million pounds of food our children of America will have to eat that children in the United Kingdom don't have to worry about because the pink slime is deemed unsuitable for human consumption in the UK. Just something to think about. I am not a parent yet and I am disgusted by this, I cant imagine how parents will react when the read this article or hear of this news.

The Beer Diet

My video is about a Beer Diet.  The premise is that you drink three 12 ounce beers a day and all the water you want, but no other food.  It was modeled after fastings of ancient monks.  The nutritionist said that this is definitely not a healthy diet and the people who tried it says that it wasn't worth it.  However, it did work with the participants losing about 5 pounds each.  I just thought that this was an interesting idea even though I would never try it.  This relates to the class theme because part of what we eat is fad diets.  I think some people did their ARP's about fad diets but this has to be one of the most unique.  It sounds appealing at first, but doesn't sound so good after further thought.  This diet seems borderline anorexic, because you are not really getting any nutrients from the beer.  Im guessing that the people lost weight for this reason and not some amazing weight loss power of beer.

Chipotle

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/10/business/media/chipotle-ad-promotes-sustainable-farming.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=farming%20and%20animals&st=cse


This quarter we have focused in on Food, Farming, and Animals. We have covered things from the dangers of industrial farming, to the effects of fast food. In this New York Times Article, written by Elizabeth Olson we see how Chipotle has recently stepped into the light to show its stance on these issues. 
All quarter we have discussed animal rights, factory farming, and quality of food, in the short Chipotle commercial we see the contrast of sustainable farming and industrial farming and its effect on our society and food.It is a very bold statement for Chipotle to release its first video that conveys such a heavy weighted issue. The animated cartoon doesn't show the gruesome pictures, it simply shows the way things were, they way they have become, and they way they need to be reformed.
I find it very interesting that Chipotle has become known as a fast food competitor but it still fights to remain an all natural and sustainable farming company. There are areas for change, and if a large company such as Chipotle can succeed on such methods, why not the rest of the nations leading companies?

Junkies

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS-tTaCQAio

Throughout this video, ABC News recognizes just how addicting junk food can be. A cat scan of the brain taken at Duke University represented how affective these sweets are compared to cigarettes. It showed how the Striatum (the art of the brain that tells the body whether they want to go after something/ avoid it) is activated by both cigarettes and junk food equally.

Doctors refer to this addiction as being considered a substance abuse problem. Junk food triggers the part of the brain where learning habits develop, causing problematic issues. Pleasure sensors in the brain become less responsive overtime, signaling addiction.

A professor from Cornell, stated how the addiction towards junk food is as similar to those who do cocaine. The more obese the participant is, the more similar their reaction to junk food gets to that of cocaine addict. The trigger foods contain high amounts of fat and calories which are clearly unhealthy for the body.

Doctors have discovered several treatments for this addiction. Some of these include teaching yourself to eat healthier, thus healing to cure obesity, the main problem. Scientists find that the treatments for healing junk food addiction are similar to treating drug addicts.

1. Do you believe that junk food is addicting on the level of cocaine/other drugs?
2. Do you think you are addicted to junk food, if so what kind?
3. Should they open rehab facilities for junkies?
4. How does society influence people’s decisions on consuming junk food?

Food pyramid, fact or fake?

http://thevreelandclinic.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/national-nutrition-month-tackling-the-myth-of-the-food-guide-pyramid/

Yes class, we realize this is not a fancy YouTube video, and you don’t really want to read it, but please at least read this blog post. It’ll sum the article up. Thanks.

This is an article written in the Vreeland’s Clinic Blog. It talks about the government’s approved food pyramid and how it has changed and what is wrong with it. This is a surprising article because in modern society, most people view the food pyramid as the perfect daily meal plan. This article, however, debunks the government food pyramid.

            The government recently changed their food pyramid in order to keep up with society. They made the pyramid look more modern, going from left to right with slivers representing each category instead of steps of the pyramid representing each food category. While the government may have changed the look of the food pyramid, making it more modern, they didn’t do much to the foods on the pyramid.

            The grain section is now located on the right of the pyramid instead of on the bottom step of the pyramid. While the connotation associated with this is supposed to be that grains are not as important anymore, that is not what the government is actually showing. Most people read from left to right, this being true, the grains section is the first section some one sees on this new pyramid. Being on the left, the government is suggesting that grains should still be the first step and most important in one’s daily diet. The doctor who posted this article says, however, that grains are not actually that great for you. Refined grains, which the government pyramid says half of grains eaten can be, actually release huge amounts of insulin into the body, which can lead to weight gain.

            The fruit and vegetable section, as this doctor says, is ok. Fruits and vegetables are good for you and there is no reason to not eat more for you. The author says that the only thing that is not so good in these sections is the canned and dried fruits section. This is because they are loaded with sugar.

            This article then goes into how the section of oils. If you look at this new pyramid, you cant even see the oils section. This of course suggests that oils should generally be passed over and not eaten. The author debunks this however, saying how a lot of oils can be very healthy and promote heart health and do other healthy things to the body.

The author talks about the category named milk. He says that America should definitely not drink more milk, however, if they do it should be non-pasteurized milk because this is much healthier for you. The pasteurization apparently destroys all the health benefits form milk other than the calcium.

            Finally the doctor writes about meats. He says that while lean meats are good, as the pyramid says. Some cuts of meat wit more fat are not bad for you. He says, “The benefits of the fats in the cut far outweigh any negative”. The only reason steak becomes bad for you is that it is generally paired with steak fries or other unhealthy carbs.

11)    Would the new look of the food pyramid actually deceive you into thinking that is different and healthier than the old one?

22)    Did you learn that the food pyramid was the healthiest diet in school health class or else where? Why do you think they teach this still, knowing that is not truly the healthiest?

33)    If you ever attempted to follow the food pyramid, would you still follow it after reading this article?

44)    Why do think that the government made the food pyramid more modern looking, however did not change the content to make more healthy?

Supersize Me

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1Lkyb6SU5U

This is a trailer for “Supersize Me”, a 2004 documentary featuring Morgan Spurlock about fast food.  Spurlock only eats McDonald’s for a month, and records the affects it has on his body, and his mind.  The results are shocking and even led to McDonald’s eliminating the “supersize” option from their menu.  The famous documentary has raised many questions; one being about the healthiness of the food served at McDonald’s and other fast food places. 

It’s surprising to see how many times Morgan was asked to supersize his meal while eating at McDonald’s. Most workers are actually trained to ask this after a customer orders because all McDonald’s cares about is making a large profit. They know their food is unhealthy and their portion sizes are too large as it is, yet they still continue to ask people to supersize their meal. In the trailer Morgan is seen eating one of McDonald’s supersized double cheeseburger meals, while sitting in his car. The portion size is so large he has trouble finishing it all and actually gets sick before he does. Not only are the portion sizes to large, but almost all of the choices on McDonald’s menu contain mostly carbs, fats and sugar. In the full length movie it actually shows that there are only two things on the menu that do not contain sugar. Knowing all of this, it is not as surprising to hear all of the negative effects that came from only eating this food.  

In this one-minute trailer, eating supersized fast food is associated with obesity and diseases. After one month of his experiment, Spurlock went to the see doctor and was told that this kind of eating would do damage to his heart and blood. The description sheet showed that some of the numbers are too high. “You are going to die”, the doctor warned him at last and asked him to stop eating like that immediately.

In this short trailer the dangers of McDonalds and other fast food restaurants are depicted. Spurlock was seen getting sick after eating unhealthy portions of McDonalds. However, he continues to stay on his month long splurge. Spurlock describes he wants “more, more, and more…I can’t stop.” He knows the health related risk, he has seen the charts and has heard the doctors, but he can’t stop. Many people after viewing this film, or even just the short trailer is enough, will continue to buy and consume these foods knowing the truths.

1) Why do you think that the fast food industry continues to sell some of the unhealthiest food,     even though they know the terrible affects it can have?

2) How do you think eating at McDonald’s for a month straight would affect your mind and body?

3) Do you think "supersize" fast food does "super huge" damages to your health, as the trailer indicates? Why?

4) Why do you think people still consume some of the unhealthiest foods knowing the truths and the facts? Do you think there are ways to stop this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIbXU5iR2P4

This is a Youtube clip featuring farmer Joel Salatin. He has been featured in several documentaries such as Food Inc., becoming known for his revolutionary and innovative ways of farming. He raises and slaughters animals without using chemicals. His practices contrast drastically with factory farms and slaughterhouses, bringing a personal and local touch to meat production. He sets a precedent for reform to the unethical and unhealthy industries that dominate our country.

Salatin's farm produces grass-fed beef, pork, eggs, turkey, pasture raised chicken, and rabbits. The farm uses many unconventional methods to take care of its land and animals. They use a rotation system, moving the animals to new areas every few days to make sure they are not destroying the land. They fertilize their pastures with manure from their own animals. The farm produces what they call clean meat - they don't use hormones, they are organic, and they send their animals out to pasture. Salatin's farm does not ship any food products, they only sell directly to the consumer. Using these methods, Salatin is challenging factory conventional farming and encouraging "healing the land, healing the food, healing the economy".

Joel Salatin calls himself a “caretaker” of the animals. With all the images of Salatin carefully taking care of all the cows and chickens and all his animals; it leads us to believe that he really is just that. What is interesting about Joel is how much different this one man is from all of the slaughterhouses out there. Joel treats the animals with respect and care. Joel earns the respect of vegetarians and vegans because he treats the animals well, and his primary concern is the animal’s quality of life and not just making a profit off of their meat, unlike most slaughterhouses. Joel talks about “respecting the design of creation”. By saying this, Joel is giving insight into his moral beliefs, and he believes that slaughterhouses are morally wrong.

Salatin’s mentions, “I’m supposed to leave it (Earth) for the next generation, better than I found it.” This quote is very telling of why Salatin is farming the way he is, and why he chooses to work against the grain to raise his animals the all-natural way. Salatin believes that the modern meat production industry is working against that goal. Not only does this modern industry ignore and downplay the quality of life of the animals it butchers, but it pollutes our environment and misuses natural resources. Salatin hopes that by farming organically and treating the world as God’s creation, he will start a movement that will change how we as humans look at the world around us.

Questions:

What do you think Joel means when he says that we need to leave the world in better shape for the next generation? Is this possible?

Do you think Joel is right by saying we have to “respect the design of creation”?

Do you think that slaughterhouses are morally wrong? Or that we cannot bring beliefs into affect when it comes to animals and food?

Can you think of any drawbacks or problems with this type of farming, or does it seem like a pretty foolproof plan?

            

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T67DvoH2H3E

This five minute video discusses the truth behind "mechanically separated poultry" used in many chicken nuggets and some other meats like salami, bologna,  and hot dogs. The video is a response to a recent picture that has been circulating throughout the internet of this pink "elephant dump". It turns out that this pink goo goes through some very disturbing processes before it reaches consumers.

The woman in the video goes on to describe how food companies wanted to get more for their money, so they figured out a way to use all of the extra parts of the chicken they would normally throw out, like eyeballs, tendons, and meat attached to the bone. They created this machine to grind up all of these parts into the pink paste shown in the picture. This is not done just to fast food chicken nuggets, but some deli meats as well.

The meat goes through more than just mechanical grinding. The video only describes the processes of ammonia being added to kill bacteria and artificial colors and flavorings. These colors and flavorings remove the horrible taste of ammonia and  later get rid of the pink color.

Another article, found here: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/mcdonald-confirms-no-longer-using-pink-slime-chemicals-171209662.html , describes some more chemicals that are added. They are propylene glycol to keep the paste from becoming too solid, carmine for color, shellac for a glossy sheen, and silicon dioxide as an anti-caking agent.

This video should make anyone want to be more aware about what exactly they are putting into their body from these sorts of foods. Many harmful ingredients are being added to our food that most people do not even know about. Thankfully, the FDA now requires companies to mention mechanically separated meats on ingredient labels.

Here is some more "Food for Thought":
1) What are your thoughts on the process of mechanically separated meats? Will you ever eat chicken nuggets again?

2) In the YouTube comments, some people say they would prefer companies use as much of the animal as possible instead of being wasteful. Do you agree?

3) Should these chemicals legally be allowed in our foods?

4) Do you think it is fair for us to be ingesting these chemicals just so that companies can make a bigger profit?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKYyD14d_0

This clip is a trailer for the film Food Inc. directed by Robert Kenner, based partially on An Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. The documentary provides an in-depth look into many aspects of the food industry. Its goal is, essentially, to find out what we eat. The filmmakers trace the food from our dinner plates back to the farms where the food was grown/raised. The filmmakers try to figure out why we eat the things that we do, and if that food is most beneficial to our health.

When it comes to major food production, secrecy is key.  As stated in the video, the food industry has made it illegal for anything negative to be published about them.  Michael Pollon, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, mentions that the food industry is also attempting to make it illegal for any pictures taken inside industrial food operations to be published. All of this secrecy raises suspicion about the what is going into the food that we as Americans are consuming.  

In the video, it was said that Salmonella was found in peanut butter—Peter Pan’s Peanut Butter—and the E. Coli bacteria was found in spinach and apple juice. To hear that these packaged foods are contaminated with these strains of bacteria is horrifying. We make sure that we clean our meats and vegetables before we cook them, but what should we do with the packaged products? These bacteria strains are lethal. In the movie, a child who ate a hamburger contaminated with the E. Coli bacteria died 12 days after ingestion. This would just make us question everything we consume.

The food industry as a whole is run and can be summed up by one thing: money. Money is the driving force behind everything that goes on whether it is from the consumer’s point of view or the producer’s vantage point. The trailer shows a farmer saying “smells like money to me”, trying to portray what is the sole thing on the farmer’s mind. The trailer also shows a visual representation of two chickens growing side by side. A smaller chicken from 1950 would take 91 days to grow, while a much larger chicken today can be grown in 49 days. The point of this statistic is that farmer can use steroids or other enhancers to turn a bigger profit by getting more out of one chicken and producing them at a quicker pace. The video also says, “everything we’ve done in modern agriculture is to grow it faster, fatter, bigger, cheaper”, maximizing profit in other words. Money also plays a large role from a consumer’s stance. A woman is quoted as saying, “sometimes you look at a vegetable and say, well you can get two hamburgers for the same price”. When it comes down to it, many people are worried first and foremost about the cheapest way to eat, as opposed to worrying what is the healthiest way. Especially in bad economic times, the cheapest food is a path many Americans will choose. Once again, money is the number one thing considered by everybody when it comes to the food industry.

Discussion questions:

1. Should the food industry be treated differently than other industries with regard to the law attempting to ban photos taken of factory farm conditions from being published?

2. While it is hard to get the full picture in a 2-minute clip when the full film runs for an hour and a half, do you think that food in this country is a serious problem? If so, do you think that there is a way to stop it?

3. How did you feel about the comparison to the tobacco industry? Is this a fair comparison? Do you see any notable differences?

4. Where do we draw the line as to what is the best value for our money and what is a good choice health wise when it comes to what we consume?

5. How should we be expected to eat something that we are not allowed to see being produced?

Inaugural Post: Weekday Veg.

http://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_weekday_vegetarian.html

For my first example blog post, I chose a TED Lecture by Graham Hill called "Why I'm a Weekday Vegetarian." To give a bit of background, TED is a non-profit organization that's dedicated to bringing together the best minds in the country to give short talks on important subjects such as education, the environment, war and foreign policy, technology, etc, etc. In this video, Graham Hill, creator of treehugger.com - a website to promote all things sustainable - gives a short, four minute talk on the topic of meat consumption and vegetarianism.

One of the effective strategies I noticed in Hill's talk is the use of rhetorical questions; that is, questions directed at the audience to bring them into the conversation and relate to their experience. Toward the beginning of the video, he confesses that, even given all he knows about the harmful impact of meat eating, he has had trouble taking the plunge and becoming a vegetarian. He asks the audience, "why was I stalling?". This question allows the audience to consider the reasons that they themselves may or may not be stalling when it comes to the question of vegetarianism. Later, he talks about vowing that each meal of meat would be his last, but continuing to eat it regardless and asks, "sound familiar?". Again, with this question, he tries to help the audience relate to his experience. Maybe they've felt like this before.

Another effective strategy is the symmetry of his talk. Two times at the beginning, he lists the drawbacks of meat consumption to our health, the animals, and greenhouse gas emissions. Then, once he poses his solution of weekday vegetarianism, he lists the benefits of this choice a couple of times as well ("health, pocketbook, environment, animals"). This technique of listing and recapitulating his reasons for going weekday veg, as he says, works very effectively to help the audience remember all of the benefits to be gained from reducing meat consumption.

I also enjoy the humor in his talk, for example, when he says "Imagine your last hamburger." Another quotable line that seemed significant was his final statement that, "if all of us ate half as much meat, it would be like half of us are vegetarians." His position makes a lot of sense to me because it does seem like vegetarianism and meat eating are presented to society as extreme, opposing choices, while in reality, we could all do a lot more good by simply picking a more mindful place in the middle.

Questions for further discussion:

1) Which parts of the talk did you connect with most? Did the talk relate at all to your personal experiences?

2) Which parts of the talk seemed most convincing to you? What kind of evidence does Hill use to support his points and does it seem valid to you?

3) What are your impressions of vegetarianism - does it seem like a radical position? Does this more middle of the road option seem appealing?

4) What kind of persona does Hill present? Is he likable? Trustworthy? Encouraging? How does he create this persona throughout the talk?