Symone's Food Benchmark :)

Ingredients:

2 packets of ground turkey

2 packs taco seasoning packet 

1 pack of Whole grain taco shells

1 pack of Shredded Cheese

1 head of lettuce or pack of shredded lettuce

Salsa:

3 tablespoons of onion (chopped)

2 small cloves of garlic (minced)

3 tomatoes (peeled,chopped,seeds removed)

2 hot chile peppers (finely chopped)

2 1/2 table spoons of cilantro (minced)

1 1/2 tablespoons of lime juice

Salt and pepper

Guacamole:

3 avocados

1 tablespoon of lime juice

1/2 cups of red onion (chopped)

1 tablespoon of cilantro (chopped)

1 jalapeño pepper (seeded,chopped)

1 glove of garlic (minced)

1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/8 teaspoon of black pepper

1 tomato (seeded,diced,)

Steps for Guacamole:

Cut avocados in half and remove seeds.

Scoop the avocado into a bowl and mash together with all the other ingredients.

Stir and cover.

Steps for Salsa:

Boil two cups of water.

Put chopped onion and garlic in a strainer.

Pour bowling water over onion and garlic.

Combine onions and garlic with other ingredients.

Chill for 2-4 hrs.

Steps for Meat:

Turn on pilot to highest degree and place a large sauce pan on it. Allow to heat up.

Once hot, place ground turkey into the pan. Brown on both sides.

Use a fork to break meat apart.

Let sit until golden brown.

Drain off liquid.

Add a little water,less than 1/2 cups.

Add both packs of taco seasoning and stir.

Let simmer.

Sources:

http://southernfood.about.com/od/salsarecipes/r/bl40212k.htm

http://southernfood.about.com/od/diprecipes/r/guacamole-recipe.htm

Analysis:

The only processed part of this meal is the ground turkey,tacos seasoning packets and the soft whole grain shells. So maybe 50% of this meal is processed. Everything in the guacamole and salsa was fresh/whole food.To give a round estimate, this dish is less than 300 calories. I think all the sugars in this dish are natural because i didn't add any sugar. Fruit and veggies are good for the body. Ground turkey is light but somewhat filling so you won't be left hungry. I do think this meal may contain too much salt to eat everyday.I know for a fact that ground turkey is produced here in the US. I think the tomatoes and avocados I used were commercially grown, I didn't get them out of the organic section.At the market the groceries rang up to less than $40. You could problem get a least 4 meals from a fast food restaurant for that price. ShopRite made money off of this meal because that were I brought all my ingredients from. The brand of ground turkey I brought was Butterball so they made some money off this meal. From researching I found that Shoprite gets some of their tomatoes from NJ, which isn't too far away. When you grow tomatoes yourself they tend to be more red and have more flavor. I did know that the tomatoes I brought were a lighter red and not a deeper red.

Reflection:

I think simply put I'm a consumer in our food system. I buy what I like and whats easy not necessarily what is best for my health, as many do. There is where the problem lays.It is easier to grab a hamburger from McDonald's than it is to go to the supermarket and then make a salad at home. It takes extended effort and time to buy or cook food that is better for ones health. Easier more convenient food is always cheaper than food that is healthy. As we learned in class there are some areas where supermarkets are more than a mile away. People today don't have as much time or money anymore.Thus the good stuff is inaccessible. When the obvious healthy food is unavailable people turn to the things that seem to be healthy. Stuff with labels that say “all natural” and “light/lite”. We may think these things are benefiting us when in actuality they aren’t as healthy as we may think.

As for me personally I try to be conscience about the food I eat but not overly conscience to the point where I become obsessed. More recently I have been eating less fast food and making more food at home. Changes in diet almost always bring results either for the better or for the worst. Eating less fast food will most likely result is less risk of things such as obesity or high blood pressure. One change I’m working on is drinking more water and less juice. This could definitely lower my risk of having diabetes. It may be a struggle but it’s worth the effort in the end.