Sci-Soc Food Project

Recipe & Analysis

Baked Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Yield: 6 servings

Cook time: about 1.5 hours

Prep time: 30 minutes

9 medium organic russet potatoes (about 3 pounds)

1/2 stick of salted butter

1 cup of milk

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

5 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Sea salt & freshly ground black Pepper, as much desired

Crushed red pepper flakes, as much desired

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1) Take the potatoes and rinse them under cold water; peel them until completely bare. Place the potatoes in a large pot with cold water over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Strain the potatoes, then put them back into the pot.

2) Take the potato masher to your root vegetable, that way, when you add in your first couple of ingredients, they become absorbed by the potatoes, creating a tastier dish. Add your milk and butter, but portion the milk as you stir it in. Do the same for the olive oil.

3) Add your salt, pepper, garlic slices, and red pepper flakes.

4) Add in all of the cheese, or leave some on the side to sprinkle on top before baking. Stir the potatoes until creamy.

5) Pour the mashed potatoes into a baking dish, place on top shelf of oven, uncovered. Leave in for 30-45 minutes, or until golden brown.

6) Serve hot.

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Processed vs.Whole Food

3 out of 8 items are processed, about 38% (37.5% to be exact)

Salted butter

Milk

Parmesan cheese

Health/nutrition

Since only 3 items have nutritional info available on their container, I can only write about them.

Salted butter

Calories: 100

Fat: 11g

Cholesterol: 30mg

Sodium: 90mg

Vitamin A: 8%

Butter can be good and it can be bad. Even though it contains 8% vitamin A, which is needed for the health of the thyroid, and also contains a number of anti-oxidants that protect against things that weaken the arteries, it can also be really harmful to other parts of your body. If the butter is conventional anyway (contains GMOs), and you’re continually consuming it, it’s most likely giving youorgan damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, is accelerating your aging, digestion problems, and many more. Butter is fattening; it turns into actual fat in your body.

Milk

Calories: 150

Fat: 8g

Cholesterol: 35mg

Sodium: 130mg

Protein: 8g

Vitamin A: 6%

Vitamin C: 4%

Calcium: 30%

Vitamin D: 25%

Milk is amazing for getting potassium (which can avoid Charley Horse’s), and stronger bones. A downside to consuming milk, is that if you are a person who consumes a lot of sodium, and then you consume a lot of milk you have a higher chance of acquiring high blood pressure.

EVOO

Calories: 120

Fat: 14g

Cholesterol: 0g

Sodium: 0g

Omega-6: 9.7%

Omega-3: 0.76%

Vitamin E: 72% of the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance)

Vitamin K: 75% of the RDA

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is one of the best oils and fats for you and your body. Not only is it good for your skin and hair, but it’s also good as an anti-inflammatory and provider of nutrients. If the oil is pressed naturally, the EVOO would be high in phenolic antioxidants, the main reason why olive oil is so beneficial (phenolic antioxidants offer resistance to illnesses ranging from cancer to arthritis). EVOO is easily digestible and tasty start to any dressing.

Environmental

My potatoes and cheese are organic and came from a farmers market near my house; the farmers are located here in PA. Everything else was purchased at Shoprite. Shoprite uses food from Wakefern Food Corporation located in Keasbey, New Jersey. So the food I purchased from Shoprite traveled the furthest.

Political/economic

Butter: $2.19

Milk: $4.99

Cheese: $10.99

EVOO: $12.00

Salt: $2.29

Pepper: $3.49

Red Pepper Flakes: $3.00

Garlic: $2.69

Potatoes: $6.00

= $46.14 (about $50)

The price I spent on making this meal is equivalent to about 5 regular meals not from the dollar menu at McDonalds. Shoprite and its corporations (Wakefern Food Corp., specifically), and the farmers made money off of my meal.

Social

People have the option of gaining weight because of the ingredients within the meal.The parmesan cheese at Shoprite, already grated, was $3.99, but the whole cheese from the Farmer’s Market, same amount of ounces as the Shoprite brand, cost $7 more. Similar to my potatoes, the organic potatoes from the Farmer’s Market, cost $2.00 more than potatoes at Shoprite. The potatoes were grown in PA, on an organic farm, and the cheese came from grass fed cows, so it’s all healthy.

http://www.responsibletechnology.org/10-Reasons-to-Avoid-GMOs

http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthy-kitchen-11/dairy-truths?page=2

http://authoritynutrition.com/extra-virgin-olive-oil/

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-phenolic-antioxidants.htm