Q2 Benchmark (Chris Tran + Nikki Adeli)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of brown rice

• 1 cup of mixed vegetables

• 1 cup of ham or any kind of meat

• Salt

• 2 Garlic

• 2 Red onions

• Pinch of Vegetable Oil

Recipe:

1. Gather all of the ingredients needed, prepare a small frying pan and add a pinch of vegetable oil.

2. Chop the garlic and onions into small pieces.

3. Prepare the ham or any kind of meat wanted with rice.

4. When the pan is hot add the chopped onion and garlic. Fry until it is the color of gold.

5. Then add the rice into the frying pan and stir fry the rice, onion, and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add ⅙ teaspoon of salt and continue to stir fry for another couple of minutes.

6. Add 1 cup of meat into the frying pan and stir fry for about 2 to 3 minutes.

7. Then add 1 cup of mixed vegetables and stir fry for about 2 to 3 minutes

8. Then decorate your plate with the rice and enjoy!

Analysis:

My version of a healthy fried rice is mostly whole food. About 90% of my fried rice’s ingredients are whole foods and only 10% processed. For my fried rice the total calorie is about 250 calories. The sugar content is pretty low at 10 g in total, the sodium is 25 mg., total carbohydrates is 27 mg., and protein is 4g. Well based on my research my meal doesn’t take long to digest because it is only 270 calories all you need to do after you eat is to exercise and you can work it off. Based on personal experience, I have lost 20 pounds due to this recipe. Well for the sugar, proteins, and carbs, they are something that our body needs to do simple things everyday and they can also help our bones and our body become stronger or slimmer. Well some of the health issues that can rise from this would be nothing because rice is something that my culture has ate for almost 2,000 years and nothing happened to our health. It would just improve our health a lot more than it would hurt.

Well most of my foods are from the U.S, but the brown rice is from China. The food that travelled the furthest would be the brown rice. This rice would have to be organically grown because this brown rice is filled with nutrients that no processed food have. Well since none of my foods are processed. I would have to say that processed foods can cause pollutions due to the factories creating it creates pollution and the processed foods can also create cancer or can cause diabetes.

In total, the cost of the meal was $20.79. All of our food choices were from fresh ingredients and where much more wholesome than a fast food restaurant. That being said, it was more expensive to prep and buy all of this food in comparison to fast food. Most of our food ingredients are regulated by the FDA and USDA to ensure that our Chicken doesn’t have salmonella and that our vegetables aren’t covered in herbicides. The majority of the people who made money off of the food we purchased will benefit the farmers who grew the crops and chickens. The biggest corporation that will make the most money off of our ingredients is the infamous Monsanto. They have dominated the market have a monopoly in their favor.

There are no social ramifications of my meal choice, but there are some controversy involving the import of rice from China to the U.S. The trace for rice would be that it was grown in a field in China or any warm climate environment and was picked and packed and sent to the U.S. Now for the rest of the ingredients they are all from the U.S. Also the side dish most of the ingredients are common things that we eat. These items are purchased at a local chinese supermarket. They are healthy, organic, and convenient. The organic rice are grown in fields and takes months to grow compare to factory rice. They grow it chemically and then picked and processed. Then for the herbs its the same process. They grow it organically and for companies they grow it chemically and picked it and processed it. Now for the vegetable oil they just make it by factory, its possible but you would have to dry the plants or veggies and then get the oil out of them.

Personal Analysis:

Chris: Looking back into this unit, I think my role in the larger food system is that I contribute to the fast food business and contribute to the growth in obesity in this country. I think I should turn to a more healthy diet after this unit and continue to work out everyday to contribute to the growth of a healthier America. I think the biggest problem with our food system is that we add too much carbs and sugar into our food. It is hurting people and causing diabetes and heart diseases. Another problem would be that fast food has artificial meat which hurts Americans and everybody else because we are not taking in the healthy, real, natural meat that is needed in the human body. Some of the changes that I can make with my food choices is to choose more healthy food and to cook more instead of eating out. The impact of these changes would be losing weight and living a healthy life. Yes, I am willing to make these changes because this is something that I need to be healthy.  I feel like after watching the TED talk that Jamie Oliver did I wanted to quit fat food and move on to the more healthy alternative. 

Nikki:

Food Slide Rules: