Course Reflection
Through this course I was able to improve my writing as well as build a foundation of college level essays from which I can work to improve my writing skillz. The topic of food was both surprising and interesting, I learned more than I ever knew about production of food and its health impacts. After researching and writing on this topic I find that I have shifted my food values in accordance. Examples are consuming less red meat and eating more local and organic food. These small changes will improve my health and life. I also learned how to do effective research and incorporate sources into my writing, making my essays stronger as a result. The writing load was not overwhelming but large enough to make a noticeable difference in my writing quality at the end of the quarter. Overall I enjoyed this class thoroughly through out the quarter and felt it was very useful in my long-term academic goals. 

EE2 RoughDraft

You Are What You Eat; A Healthy Eaters Manifesto

Never before in history have humans had such an abundance and variety of food to choose from. It is becoming harder and harder to maintain a healthy diet. Grocery market shelves are lined with thousands of products, the majority of which did not exist fifty years ago.  I like to consider myself an informed eater, especially at the tail end of 8 weeks filled with research on food. Yet with so many choices available there is always a temptation. Every individual has food values that are a product of their past and subconsciously guide them when making food choices. Many Americans possess values that inform them to eat out or buy the cheapest food. Habits are constantly under revision and values you had before may not always inform your choices. After writing and reading about food and culture I can sense that my food values have shifted away from the norm. My food choices are based mainly on prescribing to a healthy diet. To accomplish this I have identified certain food values to follow; eat local, avoid processed food, eat fruits over meat and consume smaller portions. It is almost impossible to strictly follow this regime with what’s available at DU. But merely identifying these values is a crucial step towards a healthy diet.

In his essay “Unhappy Meals” Pollan leaves the reader with an interesting perception of modern food. He relates that food is not food any more. What we buy at the supermarket has been created in a lab by combining different chemicals and ingredients under heat and pressure. Names like High Fructose Corn Syrup and Benzoate have propagated across nutrition labels. The advent of processed food has fundamentally changed the way humans eat across most of the world. Gone are the days where local fields supplied the town’s grain. Today food is cheap, delicious and always closes by; this abundance has manifested health concerns for many Americans.

One of the most apparent effects of processed food is the growing obesity rates among Americans. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey indicate that 35.7% of adults are obese (Ogden, Carroll, and et al).   Processed food has increased the choices available to consumers as well as increasing the convenience of obtaining food.  Today food is more available and affordable than ever before, this increase combined with a lack of nutritional education has led to the highest obesity rates the United States has even seen. As a culture we have gravitated away from the idea of a meal and more towards “eating on the edge" a term coin by the author Jamie Horwitz to describe “occasions when food is an additive to a situation, such as a cigarette would be, rather than being definitive” (Horwitz 42). Instead of wholesome meals we consume processed snacks multiple times a day. It is so easy for many American’s because they readily available to us. In terms of food culture our obsession with easy and convenient meals has proved to be unhealthy in the long run. Yet despite the evidence against processed food we stick to our firmly entrenched values and keep eating it. Processed foods can cause more harm than just obesity, in a study published by the journal Clinical Epigenics scientists found a possible link between synthetic additives such as high fructose corn syrup and increasing rates of autism (Dufault, Lukiw, et al ). As a culture we now pursue easy and convenient meals at the expense of our health.

Eating local is one of the healthiest choices you can make. Meat or produce grown locally has no preservatives and does not go through intense processing. Humans have evolved to eat fruit off the tree and meat off of the closet animals. Consuming these “wholesome” foods as oppose to processed creations has a large impact on your health. A study published by the American Journal of Public Health describes an “an increase of 5-6 years in average lifespan among Americans who ate only food they grew themselves” (Moreland). Not only did these subjects live longer, they lived better as well. All test subjects had stable cholesterol and not one showed any signs of coronary weakness or disease. The choice to eat locally grown food is not just one of the healthiest decisions you can make, it is also one of the most environmentally conscious decisions

Today you would be hard pressed to find any local items in your supermarket. This change has led to our desensitization towards the environment as our food source becomes less and less apparent. If you ask the average American child where their food comes from most of them would answer, the grocery store, not even considering the fact that it had to be grown and processed somewhere else. We are more inclined to preserve our land when we gather food from it every season. American culture is pulling farther away from the source of our food and as a product we are losing our connection to the earth. In place of this connection we once shared with the land now stands the modern industry

The processed food industry has one of the largest carbon footprints in the world. Raw ingredients must be transported to processing facilities and then to stores across the nation. This is accomplished primarily through the use of fossil fuels. A Carnegie Mellon study was conducted in 2008 to study the climate impacts of American food sources, they estimated, “the average household’s climate impacts related to food to be around 8.1 t CO2e/yr”(tons of CO2 emissions per year(Weber, Matthews ). Much of this footprint was attributed to the production plants where raw ingredients like corn become Frosted Flakes and other familiar products. The food conglomerate is one of the least likely industries to reign in its carbon footprint because food is considered a necessity. The only way to mitigate its impact is to reduce consumption of processed food by choosing to buy local. This footprint impacts American’s health more than one would expect. Studies have linked an increase in atmospheric toxins to rising rates of asthma and even birth defects (Weber, Matthews).

Healthy eating is not just about what you eat, but how eat as well. America has had an increasing obesity rate for as long as I have been alive. That is not surprising considering we love to eat snacks throughout the day, we eat 3 large meals each day and the idea that “bigger is better” is pretty much an American value. These habits can be contrasted with the French, through the lens of the “French paradox”. The fact that the French suffer dramatically lower rates of coronary disease and obesity, despite the fact theirs diets are high in saturated fat. Author Dr. Will Clower and his family lived in France for two years during which he noticed all of his family lost weight. In his book “The Fat Fallacy” Clover proposes that fat isn’t the cause of epidemic level obesity rates, instead it is the difference in food culture. In France meal portions are dramatically smaller, meals last longer and there is a lower incidence of snacks between meals. These factors combine to make the French much healthier than their American counterparts. Japanese native to Okinawa practice “Hara Hachi Bu” the cultural habit of eating until you are 80% full. Not surprisingly Okinawa’s live longer, healthier lives as a result (Clover 2003). This value, to eat smaller portions, is perhaps the easiest to manage as a college student and is something I have taken to heart this quarter.

Eating right is hard. Who can say no to an Oreo, brownie or my personal favorite, Flaming Hot Munchies? Your food intake dictates your health more than anything else; in a sense you are what you eat. How does one healthily navigate the grocery aisles filled with such bountiful yumminess? I have found that the answer lies in each individual’s food values. I have identified certain values that, while hard to remain strict to, can have a lasting positive effect on my overall health. First and foremost, avoid processed foods whenever possible. These manufacture goodies contain a hoard of ingredients that over time can lead to an earlier death. Second, eat local. Eating locally grown food ensures that your dinner is not full of preservatives and that your meal has been grown or raised in an environmentally positive way. Third, eat smaller portions. By practicing “Hara Hachi Bu” one can easily start improve their health. With over 1/3 of the United States population overweight now is the time for us to move forward as a country and improve our national health. People will not respond well to being told what to eat nor will the like an end to corn subsides, in effect raising the cost of processed food by over 100%. The key to fixing our obesity epidemic is through education. Only through education will young American’s begin to change their life style. To start this process it’s as easy as instilling them with five simple words, you are what you eat.   

Sources

Dufault, Renee, Walter Lukiw, et al. "A macroepigenetic approach to identify factors responsible for the autism epidemic in the United States." Clinical Epigenics. n. page. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. <http://www.clinicalepigeneticsjournal.com/content/4/1/6/abstract>.

Ogden, Ph.D., Cynthia L, Margaret D. Carroll, M.S.P.H, et al. "Prevalence of Obesity in the United States, 2009–2010." NCHS Data Brief No. 82 January 2012. (2012): n. page. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db82.pdf

Horwitz, Jamie . "Eating at the Edge." Gastronomic. 9. (2009): 42-47. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. <http://blackboard.du.edu/bbcswebdav/courses/2017.201230/Eating at the Edge - Horwitz.pdf>.

Morland, Kimberly, Steve Wing, and Ana Diez Roux. "The Contextual Effect of the Local Food Environment on Residents' Diets: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study."American Journal of Public Health 92.11 (2002): 1761-7. Print.

Weber, Christopher L., and H. Scott Matthews. "Food-Miles and the Relative Climate Impacts of Food Choices in the United States." Environmental Science and Technology . 42.3508–3513 n. page. Web. 30 Apr. 2012. <http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es702969f>.

Dr . Clower, Will. The Fat Fallacy. Three Rivers Press, 2003. Print.

Blog Post 9

Pollan’s writing always seems to amaze me as he weaves together anecdotes and hardline journalism. He uncovers nuances and patterns in the American diet that have led to a national obesity epidemic. Dupuis discussed food commentary from a historical perspective beginning with religious food advice, discussing food science and nutritionis and ending with modern writers such as Pollan. He traces how differing advice throughout America’s history has led to demographic health effects.

An aspect of food cultures that both authors touched on is the common perception of food as a sum of its ingredients, instead of a whole. This breakdown including carbs, fats, vitamins, omega-3s and other nutrients has shifted our view of food to focus on ingredients that often have contradictory health effects. This perception also allows marketers to highlight one ingredient and slap a “healthy” label on products that have no health benefits

Both essays ended on the same note, posing and answering the question. What should we eat? The consensus between Pollan and Dupuis was that, regardless of the type of food we prefer, Americans should eat less. One of the major reasons for obesity is the simple fact that as a country we eat too much. Other suggestions were to eat more fruits and vegetables along with minimizing processed food intake.  

 There is no doubt that our food production system is broken when almost a third of Americans are overweight. Today the system is rigged to sell as much food as possible to increase the profit margin for the 4 corporations that make up the majority of the processed food industry. Lobbyists for these interests ensured that the government does not recommend cutting back on food intake(as Pollan discussed), even though this is exactly what is needed. Instead these companies receive subsidies and can sell processed food at very low prices to Americans who will not slow the relentless pace of consumption.

What I learned from SE5s

Chai tea is bro
Americans eat to much sodium, and its unhealthy
college students skip breakfast

Health Impacts of Binge Drinking

                                                                                                                                    Ben Massey

As we joked in class there was an obvious absence of alcoholic drinks recorded from Friday and Saturday in our food records. While college freshmen are still underage, “The College Alcohol Study (CAS) found that for a sample of 140 colleges in the United States, 44% of the responding students were binge drinkers” (Courtney Polich 2010). I decided to research the health effects of binge drinking because it is such a relevant topic to our undergraduate class. Binge drinking is defined by the Center for Disease Control as “when men consume 5 or more drinks, and when women consume 4 or more drinks, in about 2 hours.” (CDC). Any student will tell you that most people who choose to drink in college usually consume this amount or much more. People choose to drink for a variety of reasons; in college social gatherings are the main reason for alcohol consumption. The choice to binge drink has many long term health effects and could have dangerous immediate effects as well. 

First and foremost it is important to remember that alcohol is viewed by the body as a poison when consumed in large quantities. Similar to other intoxicants your body will tolerate it up to a point and then your stomach will reject the substance. Too much alcohol in a short time could lead to alcohol poisoning, which left untreated could cause permanent brain damage or death. Another common cause of alcohol related death is asphyxiation on vomit while passed out.     When binge drinking occurs it is usually in a social setting and encouraged by the group. These circumstances manifest immediate risks for participants. Not all people process alcohol at the same rate, when binge drinking in a group, it can be easy for some participants to drink too much too fast.

The risks of binge drinking are furthered when moving between locations. The dangers of drinking and driving are apparent and have been pounded into every adolescent American. However many college students do not consider the fact that after consuming alcohol pedestrians are more likely to be killed by a motorist. According to a Institute for Highway Safety study “In 2009, 37 percent of fatally injured pedestrians 16 and older had blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) at or above 0.08 percent (Q&A: Pedestrians).

Binge drinking has noticeable long-term effects as well as an increased immediate risk,

“Heavy social drinkers, defined to include those who engaged in binge-drinking episodes, demonstrated delayed auditory and verbal memory deficits that were related to task difficulty. These deficits were not found for the light social drinkers.”(Courtney Polich 2009).

Constant exposure to alcohol can alter brain function, especially in adolescents whose brains have not fully matured. Binge drinking as also been proven to increase the likelihood of birth-defects if consumed while pregnant.

All of the science points to the conclusion that binge drinking is detrimental to an individual’s health over the short and long term. Many of these risks can be managed if the consumer is smart while consuming alcohol and aware of his or her tolerance. A person can also expect to see relatively minor health effects if binge drinking is exchanged for light social drinking. However the root binge drinking lies in the population of America’s universities. It is not realistic to expect college students to partake in “light social drinking” over binge drinking. Instead we should focus on continued education about the risks and effects of binge drinking, most importantly the signs and symptoms of alcohol poisoning.  

CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alcohol and Public Health. 2010. Web. <http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/underage-drinking.htm>.

Insurance Institute for Highway Saftey . Q&A: Pedestrians. 2010. Web. <http://www.iihs.org/research/qanda/pedestrians.html>.

Courtney, Kelly E., and John Polich. "Binge Drinking Effects on EEG in Young Adult Humans." International journal of environmental research and public health 7.5 (2010): 2325-36. Print.

Courtney, Kelly E., and John Polich. "Binge Drinking in Young Adults: Data, Definitions, and Determinants." Psychological Bulletin 135.1 (2009): 142-56. Print.

Common Trends in Food Logs

In my group's food logs a couple common trends were seen. First I noticed that people were much more likely to go out  to for food on Friday and Saturday night and when they did it was usually somewhere close to campus or on the way to a destination. I also noticed that water was the most common drink to accompany a meal, except for breakfast which was consumed primarily with milk or juice.

Food Record 5/9 to 5/11

                                                                                                                             Ben Massey

Wednesday

Bowl of instant oatmeal

Chicken burrito at Nagel

Backed Potato/Pasta/Salad

Thursday

Bowl of Instant Oatmeal

Pasta w/ tomato sauce

Bowl of instant mac and cheese

1 jimmy johns sandwich

Friday

                Eggs and bacon w/ hash-browns

                Illegal Petes burrito

                Salad at Nelson, w/ baby corn and tomatoes

*water with every meal except breakfast Wednesday and Thursday