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Commercially grown carrots and Walnuts follow the same pros and cons of other commercially grown food; nuts specifically. 

Since lettuce is a vegetable, it is obviously first grown at a farm. Farmers produce crops to sell to big companies for packaging and distributing. There are a lot of steps to take for farmers to get their yield to the supermarket. From tending the soil to sowing the seeds and finally harvesting their crops, there are many steps to take to yield a successful harvest. As they stock up on vegetables, big companies either hire or make deals with them to produce their harvest at supermarkets for the general public. The vegetables go through a cleansing process to preserve its condition. Then, they are packaged up by machines or workers to sell.

Similar to Lettuce, walnuts must first be grown (from trees) to harvest later on in August. By using complex tree shaking machines, they are able to harvest walnuts by the thousands in a matter of a few hours. Most walnuts go through a quick and easy processing phase. The husk is removed since it is not edible and the nuts are dehydrated to optimum 8% moisture level. This is also to protect and preserve the quality of the nuts. Finally, they are packaged and sent to whatever food retailer.

It's really hard to actually pinpoint my exact role in the grand scheme of the food system, but I do know for certain that I am a contributor in the process of creating food. Of course by this, I don't mean that I actually grow my own food. Like everyone else, my contribution stems from my purchases. It's a cycle in which my purchases creates demand. When there is a demand (a market) for something, in this case food, companies will flock to increase their production output of food (I'm speaking generally here). They then buy from farmers and release more food into the world. Thus, making me and everyone else a small, yet significant part of the grand food system. 

Speaking of demand, it is a concept that is both good and bad. Let's start with the bad. As the demand for something increases, production increases. But the question is: at what cost? There is a large demand for Apple products right now. But if this means that workers are treated unfairly and are being worked to death to produce more Apple products, then does the value of money outweigh that of humans? In the case of food, it could be inhumane treatment of animals, disregard of fair work ethics, and etc. Money talks and the food system really brings that to light. As corporations get bigger, the workers (farmers) are sufferring in their wake. Farmers have become nothing more than prisoners of big companies. I strongly believe in the idea that biog companies should be stripped of their rights to carry out certain actions, whether it be legal or physical.

Now for the good: you get eat your Whoppers, play your iPads, and etc. But of course, not without the expense of others' rights. 

12.00 dollars

Ingredient

1/2 cup of magrine

1/2 cup of Sugar

4 eggs

 1 cup of skim milk.

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees

2. Mix the bowls with the ingredients.

3. Bake the 350 degree oven for an hour before serving.

Serving size 2 people.

Some of the food is process and some is whole. The pineapples and eggs are not process and they are whole foods. But the extra ingredients like sugar margarine is process. Its pretty healthy as it only has 166 calories. I say it’s like 55% process and 45% not process. It is very high in natural sugar and process sugar. It also has eggs for protein and bread for bread use. This food dish lacks vitamin A, B and D. Also it does not have a lot of cholesterol. Some of the food that is processed all of the food will go straight to your systems that will be processed and then go to your stomach. Margarine comes from vegetable oil and skim milk. That is healthier then butter.

Margarine comes from vegetable oil and skim milk. So they came from a farmers.  So does the eggs that were made. My specific margarine and eggs comes from Kentucky. I am not aware wear my eggs came from but its company was Foodhold USA which is in Maryland. The rolls came from Florida and my Pineapples also came from Florida. That is a total of 1324 miles traveled just to get in my home. The Margarine, bread, pineapples, and sugar were all processed. Only the eggs were not processed. But the chicken who laid it was.

This meal cost around 12 dollars. This meal is suppose to serve 8 people. This is a lot more expensive then a 4 dollar menu burgers from McDonalds. This is an outrage that a dish served for 8 cost so much more. The stuff that cost the most is pineapples which were 2.00 dollars. Obviously the Martians, Doles and other foods won the deal by stealing my money. 

My bread cubes cubes some soybeans and Monocalcuim in it. I have no idea how they managed to add those items in bread  but the did.  I’m pretty sure if I made the bread those items would not be included in my bread. My eggs have no significant source of Dietary fiber or sugar. But I have no idea how to make eggs the right way. Plus I have no chickens.

I learned different effects that food can have on someone. I knew that eating unhealthy can cause an unhealthy life in the future. I knew that liver problems and other serious diseases are caused by eating habits. What I learned the most was from the videos, even though we didn’t finish the movie I learned a lot about the food culture. I learned that the food producers are a bunch of a-holes. Sorry for the rude language but it’s beyond me that a food company can just about contaminate almost all of the natural foods to make them more fattening just for money. It’s terrible to kill the cows, chickens and pigs the way they do. Not only make them fat but you basically make them kill them in the most gruesome way. And once someone talks about it, they get sued by the food companies. The workers can’t stop because they need the money to survive. So no one wins. This is a messed up society we have. Another reason why this world is messed up is because people in low income can not afford healthy foods because 1 low income and 2 there are no grocery store. This a terrible world we live in.

Vegetable oil spray
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 large egg whites
5 cups (5 ounces) Kellogg's Corn Flakes cereal, finely crushed
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of all visible fat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 2/3 cups water
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup apricot jam
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons canola oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, top with wire rack, and spray rack with oil spray. Spread flour into shallow dish. Whisk egg whites until foamy in second shallow dish. Spread Corn Flakes crumbs into third shallow dish. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Working in batches, dredge chicken in flour, dip in egg whites, then coat with Corn Flakes, pressing gently to adhere; lay on prepared wire rack.

2. Spray chicken with oil spray. Bake until chicken registers 160 degrees and coating is brown and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, whisk water, soy sauce, apricot jam, hoisin, cornstarch, and vinegar together in bowl. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in soy sauce mixture, bring to simmer, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.

4. When chicken is cooked, return sauce to simmer over medium-low heat. Add cooked chicken and toss to coat. Serve.

Recipe Analysis

•Approximately what percent of the meal is processed vs. whole food?

all-purpose flour - processed

vegetable oil spray - processed

egg whites - whole

cornflakes - processed

chicken - whole

water - whole

soy sauce - processed

apricot jam - processed

cornstarch - processed

balsamic vinegar - processed

canola oil - processed

garlic - whole

ginger - whole

red pepper flakes - processed

broccoli - whole

Processed - 9/15 ingredients 

Whole - 6/15 ingredients 

About 60% of this meal is processed.

Health/nutrition:

Approximate calories per serving: 490

" carbohydrates per serving: 62g

" fat per serving: 8g

" saturated fat per serving: 1.5g

" protein per serving: 44g

This meal is high in protein in comparison to it's commercially produced counterpart. This protein in the body will be broken down into amino acids and used in necessary chemical reactions within the body. 

The majority of the fat in this meal is good fat, which will be processed by the body and turned into acids. These acids will travel through the blood stream and be collected by cells that need to replenish their energy. 

This meal, compared to the meal available for $11.99 at your local chances food store, has fewer carbs than this homemade alternative. These carbs will be used for energy but if they're not used immediately they will be converted into glucose. That, in turn, will be stored in fat cells. 

If one were to eat this everyday, I would imagine they would have some vitamin deficiencies because every vitamin and mineral needed in day to day life is not present in this meal. 

Environmental:

I believe many of the ingredients were manufactured in the US, but there is still a considerable amount of traveling to food had to do to get from it's manufacturer to my local supermarket. Collectively, I'd estimate the total miles all the food had traveled would be about 5000 miles. With the cost of fuel today, the total money used to get it here is probably quite considerable. Not to mention the toll the fuel emissions most have had on the environment. Some of the cheapest ways to ship any cargo are also the most detrimental to the earth. 

Political/economic:

Purchasing all the ingredients for this meal coasted about $35, but to get the price per serving, it has to be divided by by 12. Which means that the cost per plate of food was approximately $3. This is significantly cheaper than going to a chinese restaurant where General Tso's chicken would cost about $12. 

There were profits made at every step of the preparation of this meal. Money was made by the people selling ingredients, shipping ingredients, making the products, shipping the products, and then down to the consumer, who buys the final product. The people made the most money out of this process were the people who own portions of the monopolizing corporations. In my meal this would be companies like Perdue, General Mills, and Nabisco. 

Social:

The chicken in my meal came from the Perdue Corporation. This means that it started at their farms, went to their processing plant, was shipped to my local super market, Super Fresh, and then I bought it. Since it's illegal to have chickens within city limits, I would never be able to personally raise a chicken to cook. 

Broccoli was another major part of my meal. Most broccoli production happens in China. Assuming that is where mine originated, that means that my broccoli was produced on a farm in china, it is then harvested, and shipped to the US. Where is was once and again shipped to my local market. To grow, broccoli needs a cool weather climate, which would make it possible to grow during certain seasons in Philadelphia. It takes about 100 days to grow and 200 seeds costs about $4. This packet would produce more than one head of broccoli and considering the price of broccoli at the market, I would save a lot of money in the long run. 

This unit has taught me a lot about food and how we, both as individuals and as a species, interact with it. I've learned that obesity and type 2 diabetes have only become epidemics in the past few decades. This is because of the widespread availability of processed food as opposed to whole food products. This is the probably the biggest issue with food in western society. Food that has been highly processed and contains many refines carbohydrates are the ones that are heavily advertised and are the cheapest and most available. 

Personally, before this unit I believed I ate mostly healthy and even after learning from this unit, I've retained this stance. One thing I could definitely improve upon is the attention I pay to the actual ingredients in my food. It was mentioned that foods with more than 5 ingredient are to be avoided and I've definitely disregarded this rule on a daily basis. In the future, I hope to be more aware of it and improve my health. Making these changes would hopefully resolve some little issues I tend to have like lethargy and the urge to constantly shovel doritos into my mouth. If I take care to learn about what I'm eating before I actually do it, it will most likely impact my health in a positive way. 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cook sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, gently  swirling the pan (do not stir), until the mixture turns golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Immediately, pour the caramel carefully into a 9-inch round metal cake pan. If it stiffens before it completely covers the bottom of the pan, warm the pan in the oven, then swirl to cover the bottom.
3. Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with a mixer at medium-high speed until soft. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides. Add condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla; mix until combined. Carefully pour into the prepared pan. (You may hear some cracking; the pan will be very full.)
4. Place the cake pan in a larger pan and pour enough hot water around it to come 1 inch up the sides. Bake until golden and set at the edges but still wobbly at the center, about 1 hour. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean. Transfer the cake pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. To serve, run a knife around the edge of the pan and invert the flan onto a plate.
   

*1 cup water

*2 1/2 cups bread flour

*1 tablespoon white sugar

*1 teaspoon salt

*1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

*1 egg yolk

*1 tablespoon water

1. Place 1 cup water, bread flour, sugar, salt and yeast into bread machine pan. This is recommened for the best possible baguette at the end. 
2. When the cycle has completed, place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
3. Punch down dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 16x12 inch rectangle. Cut dough in half, creating two 8x12 inch rectangles. Roll up each half of dough tightly, beginning at 12 inch side, pounding out any air bubbles as you go. Roll gently back and forth to taper end. Place 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Make deep diagonal slashes across loaves every 2 inches, or make one lengthwise slash on each loaf. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water; brush over tops of loaves.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.
   
   
   

   This is a traditional meal for the French and Francophiles alike. This is meant to be a treat, as well as a supplement to a diet, or a meal, and they are a staple in French society. Though my family is not French, we do eat baguettes frequently, and it is a big part of our diet, and we eat baguettes nearly everyday.

   Most of the ingredients within the baguette are whole foods, and because of this, the baguette is relatively healthy. Baguettes are a great source of grain and carbohydrates, and are a hearty addition to any meal. Roughly, each whole baguette, which is about 3-feet long, is roughly 200 calories.

   Baguettes require a great deal of harvested products, such as yeast and flour. These things are not findings in nature, and would require additional processes in order to make it accesible to the consumer. After tracking down the manfucaturing company who made my flour and yeast, I discovered that they were both made in Minnestona, over 1,000 miles away. This plant of flour manfuracting is one of the largest in the country, because of this, the enviromental impacts are great.

   Whole baguettes can usually retail for about $2.50 each. The greatest profiteers on baguettes are the large manufacturers who create the ingredients. Also, a great reason why the cost of baguettes are relatively cheap is because all of its ingredients are staple foods; necessiaties in every person's pantry.

   
   Personal Reflection-
   
   

   Throughout this food unit, the lessons I have learned were vast and varied.

   Firstly, I have learned the various corruptions of the system of the food industry. It was shocking to see how these things have been allowed to happen.

   In addition, we’ve gone over foods that are healthy for us and the foods that aren’t, as well as what our food is truly made of. This, to me, was one of the most shocking revelations; the dependecy of various staples, such as corn or soy, which come across in nearly all the foods we eat. It shows, once again that the food problem within the USA will require great work to rectify.

   One of the greatest lessons I've learned throughout the course of Food Inc. was the fact that modern day food production isn't so much natural as it is an artifical science expermiment. Various chemicals and formulas come together to create the foods that we feed ourselves and our children, and the indregient lists for our foods are littered with unpronouncable words and phrases which don't often warrented a second thought in our minds.

   Ultimately, the sheer size of this problem makes it difficult for myself, and I think, in large, the country, to try to fix it. At every turn, the people who we believe have our best interests at heart have allowed their greed and love of profit and power to overcome their duty to keep us safe as harm. The corrupt system of food in America is nothing short of our country's most difficult problem, and the only solution will require much work and perspective into the thing that our society should truly value as importmant: American lives.

Yields 30 triangles

Preparation/cook time: 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup olive oil

- 1/2 pound spinach

- 1 bunch scallions

-1/8 cup chopped parsley

- pinch of salt and ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup feta cheese

- 1/4 cup Ricotta cheese

- 1 egg, beaten

-1/2 cup butter

- 1/2 pound filo dough

Directions:

Heat half of oil and half of the spinach in a saute pan and saute until the spinach becomes soft. Do this for about 2 minutes. When done, take the spinach, drain it, and squeeze out excess liquid, then chop it (does not need to be fine). Repeat this again with the remaining oil and spinach, then add scallions and saute till soft (which should take 2-4 minutes). Add parsley, salt, and pepper, cook this for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and put everything you've made so far into a bowl and refrigerate till room temperature. 

Preheat the oven to 350. Put some butter or olive oil on a baking sheet. Beat eggs and stir feta together in a small bowl, then add to the cooled spinach mixture, and mix it all together. 

Unroll the filo dough, but make sure the dough doesn’t dry. At this point you can decide whether to make a pie or triangles, cut the dough in the shape you want. Dabble some melted butter over the filo dough, make sure it’s as even as possible though. If you’re making triangles, cut the filo dough into squares, and put a table spoon of the spinach in the middle of each square, then fold the dough to make a triangle. 

Place all the triangles on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the dough on top is golden. 

Analysis:

All of the food that I got was from Whole Foods or a specialty store. My parents an I, for the most part, only shop at Whole Foods or specialty stores, because we feel like food from there is just over all better for you and more trustworthy. Making my own guess, a serving size is five of those triangles. In each serving there’s about 230 calories and 14.3 total grams of fat. Because of the spinach, there’s 15% Vitamin A. I’d consider this to be a pretty healthy food, since there’s a lot of spinach and scallions. But to others, I can see how this could be fattening, since there’s so much cheese and butter. 

The filo dough is definitely made in the US, since the lady that works at the Greek store makes all the baked goods. I’m pretty sure the ingredients in the filo dough are probably also from the Greek market, which would mean it’s either from Italy or Greece. Everything else came from Cali or New Jersey. 

The supplies for this meal costed about $25. The most expensive ingredient was the filo dough, since it takes a lot of time to make and prepare. It’s  basically bread that’s extremely thinly sliced and then frozen, so it doesn’t break. 

Reflection:

Throughout this food unit, our class has learned about the food that we eat, health statistics, and how the human body processes certain foods. Before this unit started, I had some knowledge on the food that I ate and an overall general understanding of what we talked about. For my personal role in the food system, I'm a pretty big believer in organic and fresh foods. For the most part, I eat very healthy, except when I eat candy. My parents and I both shop at either Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, mainly because we know that the food they have don't have excessive amounts of preservatives and every fresh food is restocked every day. Although, I realize that organic food isn't always better, it always makes me feel better knowing it's fresh. To go along with organic, the animals they use for meat are not given steroids or chemicals and are not tortured before being killed.

I see fast food as being out biggest problem in the food system. I say this for multiple reasons. Fast food isn't just McDonalds or Burger King, it can also be frozen foods you find at the grocery store, such as Smart One's or LeanCuisine. Fast food is not only made with a lot of chemicals, but people are very uneducated about the amount of calories they take it. Also, not to mention that because fast foods are usually the cheapest, people tend to forget the importance of cooking their own food and then later on have no idea how to cook, and since so many people are lazy, they will continue to buy fast foods.

I personally like the food that I eat now and wouldn't change it. Sometimes I miss eating red meat, but since I've been eating only white meat for so long, it doesn't seem like that big of a thing. I get a fair share of vegetables, fruits, and protein. Although I believe I should eat less candy, it's probably not the best for my teeth. I'm definitely willing to make that change, and I think that I could be on an even healthier regiment if I did so. But life is short, why not eat candy?

 Ingredients:

Whole grain spaghetti

Olive oil

Tomato sauce

Chicken breast

Steps:

1. Ready and boil water with olive oil in pot
2. Cut chicken breast and put in pan
3. Apply seasonings to chicken and turn on low- medium heat
4. Ready sauce
5. Mix ingredients
6. ENJOY!

Analysis:

            Having spaghetti has become a really common meal in the United States and you can mix it with tons of things. A common mix at my house is the use of spaghetti and chicken. While some people look at spaghetti as an unhealthy meal, it depends on the kind and how much you eat. You see, there is whole grain spaghetti and plain white spaghetti. The white spaghetti is a processed form where the outer layers of the grain are removed so that you are left with white grains. The outer layers contain a lot of nutritional benefits, they contain fiber, which will help to prevent an insulin spike and keep you fuller longer. It also has a lot of vitamins.

            Carbohydrates are a really important macronutrient for the body because it is the bodies preferred energy source. There should be a large percentage of your daily calories that should come from carbs. The problem is, people tend to eat too much of the processed stuff. In whole grain spaghetti not only do you gain the benefits of having the fiber and vitamins, but you also have less ingredients. There are several ingredients in processed spaghetti but very little in whole grain.

            Protein is another really important calorie source and the recommended intake in grams of protein, is one gram per body pound. For instance if you weigh 150 pounds, the rule of thumb should be that you consume 150 grams of protein in that day. Protein is another energy source but it’s main objective is repairing destroyed muscle tissue.

            Fats are the last really important macronutrient left. Fats are sometimes thought to make you fat when you eat them but this is false. Perhaps from eating trans fats you’ll run into some problems, or eating nuts all day. The problem with fats is that they have 9 calories per gram so foods with fat have a lot of calories and when they are over consumed, people gain weight. Fats are actually really essential to the bodies functional. You should consume about 50 grams of healthy fats a day depending on your needs.

            This meal above has it all; it has the complex carbohydrates with vitamins and fiber from the spaghetti. It has the lean meats that give essential amino acids and provide proteins. Then you have the olive oil that has healthy fats and is rich in antioxidants which helps to rid the body of harmful free radicals (cause cancers).

Over the course of this course we’ve gone over foods that are healthy for us and the foods that aren’t so healthy for us. We’ve talked about reasons why people with lower income tend to be more obese then people with higher income and also when the accessibility to better food is scarce there are more obese people. There is currently more access to sugar, which was not as prominent in the past. Now that there is more access to sugar our bodies aren’t meant to process as much sugar as we’re consuming which is why diabetes is so prominent today.

Ways to better your eating is just watching how many calories you are eating every day. Make sure you’re not drinking your calories. One of the biggest reasons diabetes is so common today, is because of soft drinks. Soft drinks have three times the amount of sugar that you’re supposed to consume in a day. With fruits they have fiber and so the sugar does not spike your insulin.

I think the lesson to learn here is to make sure you’re not eating foods that are really processed. Shoot for foods with less than five ingredients and eat more whole grains. Eat things that come from the ground and shoot for more organically made foods. They do not hold many more nutritional properties but at least you’ll know your food was not processed. 

• El elefante se pone en la fila en el supermercado.
• La mujer ve al elefante y estuvo sorprendido.
• La mujer se dijo al elefante que se parece su hijo.

Ingredients:

White Rice

Red Lentil

Water

Tomatoes

Onions

Salt

Vegetable Oil

Indian Masala (spices)

Hand full of Parsley

Tumeric powder

Masala

Prior Steps:

Chop 2 red onions and 3 tomatoes

Put the 1 and a half cup of red lentil in a container

Wash red lentil until the water comes out clear

Steps:

Put 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pressure cooker

Heat it on the stove for about 30 seconds

Put the diced onions into the oil

Put in 1/2 teaspoon of tumeric powder and 3/4 teaspoon of masala

Stir the goods.

Put in the chopped tomatoes & give it a good stir

Wait for the onions and tomatoes to be soft and mushy

Then add the 1 and a half a cup of Red lentil

Give it another stir

Add 6 cups of water.

Stir again and while you stir, add 3 teaspoons of salt.

Analysis:

Living in India for the majority of my life, I have grown accustomed to the things they eat, the way they cook and their life styles. I can remember up to 3rd grade and I remember eating rice and dal in our hostel room. Our home mother would make 15 liters worth of dal for the 40 students that live in the hostel. Dal is lentil soup in hindi. It is very popular in India. It is nutritious as well. I remember my house mother use to always tell me drinking dal would make you taller. I have always lived by these phrases of advice. 

Dal, or should I say, lentil soup, can be made out of different types of lentil. There are lentil beans, red lentil, yellow lentil, all sorts of variety. Everything in the soup is whole food, there is no processed food. A traditional dal would include, onions, tomatoes, lentil beans, salt, tumeric powder, vegetable oil and masala of your choice. You can choose to avoid masala but I wouldn’t recommended it because it would lose the generic taste. Lentil contains protein (which makes you grow, more so body development), vitamin B and dietary fibers. The best thing about lentil soup is that it doesn’t have as many calories as you would think it has when you eat it. 

For my dish, I decided to put in parsley to mix with my soup (it’s sort of my dad’s idea really.. but we have been doing that for awhile and we really like it). Parsley is basically a herb that many people use as topping or as decorations for their dish. It contains a lot of amazing vitamins such as vitamin A, C and K. These vitamins are good for 

I have realized that in United States, junk food and processed food are ubiquitous, I can find them almost every corner of the nation. Consuming processed food is much more convenient than making something out of scratch. If one was to run out of things in the refrigerator, one can just simply walk around the block and end up at McDonald restaurant or Dunkin Donuts. I think one of the main factors of obesity and the poor food system is due to lack of government care. If the government cared enough to think about the citizens before businesses, they can easily turn down these businesses, not even that, just lessening the amount of fast food restaurants in general can reduce the obesity level. More and more people would be cooking in their houses rather than being lazy and grabbing a fast food product.  Another thing is reducing the prices of organic food, with the government’s power, I’m pretty sure they can make that happen. Everyone cares for themselves or their children and they would want the best for their family but with the amount of money they carry in their pockets will limit what they can get and cannot. 

For me personally, I have banned soft drinks, fast food, any meat in general and juice from my diet after this unit. I have successfully been a vegetarian for a whole week now and I’m planning to continue to do so. After watching those clips in class, I could not bare to see the cruelty that these animals face. I think I’m good with vegetables. My mom has been vegetarian for 7 years now and she is supportive about me excluding meat out of my diet. I am not sure if I will last but I’m determined and hopefully it lasts more than a month. I love beans so that’s my source of protein, instead of meat. 

Names of people in your group:

Cyndi Lynn Sheridan

Jennifer Wright

Tenzin Ngawang

Sean Force

Script:

Un pato y una víbora entren un supermercado. Ellos están dispuestos a salir. Sin embargo, la víbora se da cuenta del pato es igual a su esposo viejo y ella dije...

Jennifer: Te parece como mi esposo que me dejó cuando estaba embarazada.

*Pausa*

Jennifer: Yo nunca recibí el dinero para cuidar a mis niños. ¿Porque yo?

Sean: Lo siento, señora. Espero que pueda ayudarle.

*Entra en su bolsillo.*

Sean: Aquí tiene trescientos dolores.

Jennifer: No no, está bien! Gracias.

Sean: No, yo insisto.

Jennifer: ¿En serio? Muchas gracias"

Cyndi: "¡HOLA DIEGO! ¿Qué tal, mi amigo?"

Sean: ¿Diego? ¿Qué?

* Encogió*

Commercially grown carrots and Walnuts follow the same pros and cons of other commercially grown food; nuts specifically. 

Since lettuce is a vegetable, it is obviously first grown at a farm. Farmers produce crops to sell to big companies for packaging and distributing. There are a lot of steps to take for farmers to get their yield to the supermarket. From tending the soil to sowing the seeds and finally harvesting their crops, there are many steps to take to yield a successful harvest. As they stock up on vegetables, big companies either hire or make deals with them to produce their harvest at supermarkets for the general public. The vegetables go through a cleansing process to preserve its condition. Then, they are packaged up by machines or workers to sell.

Similar to Lettuce, walnuts must first be grown (from trees) to harvest later on in August. By using complex tree shaking machines, they are able to harvest walnuts by the thousands in a matter of a few hours. Most walnuts go through a quick and easy processing phase. The husk is removed since it is not edible and the nuts are dehydrated to optimum 8% moisture level. This is also to protect and preserve the quality of the nuts. Finally, they are packaged and sent to whatever food retailer.

I think my role in the larger food system involves educating myself and the people around me to make healthier food choices.  I've learned to question the foods that are labeled to appear healthy.  Just because it says "100%" doesn't mean that there is all natural juice.  Some labels have vitman c or another vitamin in smaller print.   One thing I foiund particularly interesting is the fact that in America, the people of the lower economic statuses are more often obeses.  The opposite is true of people in other countries as well. Also, whole wheat bread may have bread that contains whole weat grains mixed in with the grains of regular bread. I also learned that corn of some type exists in almost everything we eat, solids and liquids.      I beleive the biggest problems with our food system is the way that crops like corn and soy have monopolized the food industry.  Instead of trying to find the root of problems and fixing them, they come up with more high tech was of temporarily dealing with the problems at hand.  There isn't much that we can do as individuals , but we would have to come together in the support of smaller companies and farmers that are invested in healthier foods and better treatment of animals.  I think that I could choose to eat less meat per day, and choose to eat less processed food , which in the long run would benefit my own health.

Potato Salad Recipe By Allison and Keisha

Step 1:

Clean 6 potatoes 

Step 2:

Peal the 6 potatoes 

Step 3: 

Boil the 6 potatoes 

Step 4:

After boiling the potatoes, cut the potatoes anyway you like 

Step 5:

Get a big size bowl, perfect size for your servings.

Step 6:

Jar of light mayo (of your choice) 

Step7:

Boil 5 eggs

Step 8:

Peal shell off of eggs

Step 9: 

Cut eggs (or put into grinder) 

Step 10:

Pour the cut potatoes and cut boiled eggs in to bowl

Step 11:

Scoop hole jar of mayo, or half jar of mayo into the bowl then stir

Step 12:

After have two onions cut and pour into bowl

Step 13: 

Stir ingredients together

Step 14: 

Your choice of seasoning but if not add salt and pepper 

Step 15:

Put in refrigerators for and 1 hour then ready to serve

Analysis

Our potato salad is very simple; 6 potatoes, 12 boiled eggs, a jar of mayonnaise, an onion, some salt and pepper. The potatoes were most likely grown in Idaho or Washington which are two of the biggest potatoes growing states. They are then put on a truck and driven to Pennsylvania and put on the supermarket shelves. Potatoes are a wonderful food because they are almost fat free, cholesterol free, and sodium free. They are also an excellent source of nutrients, high in potassium, fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and protein. In addition, they are low calorie. As for the eggs, they were most likely grown on a farm somewhere in Pennsylvania then shipped to the supermarket. Most likely, the farm was a chicken farm which specialized in the mass production of eggs. Different growth hormones were probably given to the chickens to make the eggs produce quicker. Eggs are a good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B12 and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Protein and Selenium. However, they are high in saturated Fat, and very high in cholesterol. The mayonnaise originates from Spain but now it’s created all over the world with a simple mix of oil, egg yolk, and vinegar or lemon juice depending on your taste. For this recipe we used Hellmann's light mayo which has half the calories, only 35, and uses cage-free eggs. Onions are mainly grown in Idaho and Washington but some are grown in Pennsylvania. Little growth hormones are used in growing onions because they grown very easily. They are low in calorie and fat yet high in fiber. The salt comes from a salt mine or is made from sea water and the pepper is made from a tropical plant grown native to India. Salt and pepper is low in calorie but obviously high in sodium. The total calorie count of a serving of potato salad is about 350 calories per cup. They only part of the meal that is processed is the mayonnaise because we chose to use Hellman’s mayo instead of homemade. The meal was very cheap, the most expensive part was the mayonnaise which was about $6. This could be because the mayo traveled the farthest or it takes the most to produce. Unfortunately, we could not find a listing for where Hellman’s mayo is produced so we do not know how far it traveled to get to the supermarket. As for the other ingredients, they could all be home grown expect for the salt and pepper. This would be safer because there would be no growth hormones or pesticides but the process would take so long that it would just be easier to buy the products from the store. Most of the products were probably grown in Pennsylvania or a nearby state anyway, so it doesn’t take much to ship them to the supermarket.



Reflection

On of the biggest problems I see with the way American's eat is that we are too stuck on the need for convenience. It's convenient to go to Mcdonald's because you drive up order and be eating within 5 minutes, in comparison to having to cook food at home which can take hours. Even when cooking at home American's tend to be lazy. Instead of cooking from scratch things like minute rice and canned everything is used. American's no longer have to harvest their food like the Aborigines did, they can go right to the grocery store and have it done for them. The grocery store is only out to make money that's why in most stores there is little healthy food because it's hard keep up with. Healthy food can only be kept on a shelf for so long before it spoils because it lacks preservatives. That's way when going to a grocery store you should only shop the surrounds and not go into the aisles It's easy to rotate the stock of a healthy food if it's on the outside. One of the big things I learned this unit is that organic and free-range products are not necessary how they sound. For something to be organic it must be grown without pesticides but this leaves room for toxins that come naturally from the product. Also, cage free means that the product is not in a cage but can still be cramped together in a small area. I’ve learned this from the movie we are watching and from the articles we read in the organic food assignment.

I chose to do my slide this way because it reflects how I am and what I enjoy to do. I love to go skiing,  listen to music, and collect sneakers. The pictures make it POP to the eye. The color of the pictures draw attention, but to over power that; I put the Text right below the pictures so you don't loose your self in the images. There is a good repetition with pattern’s in the area of text and it keeps it looking good and balanced out. The shape of the pictures naturally draw attention. It may be crowded, but the excitement of the pictures make up for that. Thank You for looking at my PDF.

¼ box of elbow noodles

½ bag Sharp White Cheddar Cheese (shredded)

½ Sharp Yellow Cheddar Cheese (shredded)

¼ stick Velveeta Cheese

1 cup Evaporated Milk

2 Eggs

1 tablespoon Butter

Pinch of salt

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2.     Boil water with a pinch of salt

3.     Once the water is completely boiled, add noodles and let cook until the noodles are soft.

4.     Microwave the butter until it is completely melted.

5.     In a bowl microwave ½ of evaporated milk and Velveeta cheese together until completely melted.

6.     Stir together the cooked noodles, microwaved Velveeta cheese, microwaved butter, and eggs.

7.     Once the ingredients are well mixed add the yellow and white cheeses. Stir.

8.     Spread the ingredients into a pan.

9.     Put in the oven, and let cook for 15 – 20 minutes. (until edges are a light brown)

About the ingredients

Cracker barrel white/ yellow sharp cheddar cheese

-       No sugar

-       High calcium

-       High saturated fats

-       Kraft product (made in Kraft factories)

Land O’ Lakes Salted Butter

-       100 calories per serving (1 tbsp)

-       All fat

-       Comes from Arden Mills, Minnesota

Velveeta Cheese

-       High in calcium

-       High in sodium

-       High in saturated fats

-       Kraft Product (made in Kraft factories)

Evaporated Milk

-       High in calcium

-       High in sugar

-       87 calories per serving (100 grams)

-       High in carbohydrates

-       Nestle Product (factories in Allentown and in Harrisburg)

Eggs

-       High in protein

-       No saturated fat

-       No cholesterol

-       High in riboflavin

-       High in selenium

-       High in sodium

Elbow Pasta

-       High in carbohydrates

-       No saturated fats

-       No cholesterol

-       No sodium

-       High in thiamin

-       Barilla product (factory in Bannockburn, Illinois)

Overall, this meal isn’t the healthiest thing you could eat. A lot of the ingredients involved have high amounts of sodium, high cholesterol, high amounts of sugar, and high amounts of carbohydrates.  Maybe with different ingredients, this meal could potentially be turned into a meal that won’t kill you over time. I got the recipe for my macaroni and cheese dish from my mom. She doesn’t make this dish often, and now I see why.

In terms of cost, this meal can be considered to be an expensive meal. Before producing the meal, I had to go out and buy all the ingredients used. I ended up spending about 30$ for all the ingredients in total. Since I didn’t every bit of each ingredient, I would say there is enough left to make the small dish about 2 more times which would be equivalent to 1 large pan. That isn’t the best deal. I can think of about 5 other meals that I can buy that would be cheaper than just this dish.

Another downside to this dish is where the ingredients come from. This meal is 100% processed, which isn’t the best thing. The only things that are considered to be “local” or whole foods would be the eggs. Everything else comes from factories, some far and some not too far. However, when you think about things being produced in a factory you have to think of the means of production. With factories come workers, injuries, waste, and pollution. So now not only do I have to think about how this meal is affecting the health of my family, but also how this meal is effecting our environment.

The biggest problem that we have in our food system is cost and profit. These people who produce these foods aren't worried about the health of their consumers. They're more concerned with how much of a profit they will make which is why the food system is so screwed up. It's easy to say that we'll stop buying products from these "Big Food" companies, but that is unrealistic. What we need is to find some type of alternative. Food that is bad for you shouldn't be so cheap, and food that is good for you shouldn't be so expensive. Basically, healthy food is a luxury and that shouldn't be the case. I think we need to really think about and research how our food system got like this and then work on a way to reverse it.

During this unit I learned how most of the labels on food products don't mean anything, like "access" to the outdoors. This could mean that the doors to their barn or holding cell, whatever, is open for a few minute maybe an hour a day. In most cases the animals are to fat because of all the antibiotics that is given to them. Also how organic doesn't really mean that it is a 100% organic. 

I think that whatever I buy at a supermarket affects the larger food system. So what I buy can cause the item's price to be raised if many people but it. It would made in mass qualities due to demand. I do eat healthier than I did before but after this unit I question whether the food I eat is actually healthily. Like I ate an apple yesterday that said it was organic but that only means that only a small portion of the process to make that apple was organic. Just about all the apples that are sold have a wax coating on it. It is said to not be harmful but some people argue that. This makes the apple look appealing and deceivingly good. If people knew what the labels really meant, they may stop buying the products. 

If people were more aware of what they were eating and what the companies are hiding, there's a chance that better food can be produced. But not everyone seems to care. The chance that the prices may go up worries people. Especially in this bad economy. 

Recipes

White Rice

Ingredients:

- 3 cups of long grain Rice

- 5 cups of Water

- Salt

Directions: White Rice

1) Wash the rice to out any impurities that could be left in it

2) Bring the 5 cups of water to a boil with a pinch of salt in a large saucepan with a lid that fits.

3) Add rice and stir

4) Put lid on and turn down to low. There should be a little steam coming out. If too mush is coming out, the heat was not lowered down enough. 

5) Cook for about 20-30 minutes but DO NOT UNCOVER. The steam aids in he cooking.

6) Remove from heat then fluff the rice with a fork. 

7) Serve.

Green Plantains

Ingredients: 

- Green Plantains

- water 

Direction: Green Plantains

1) Bring a large pot filled with enough water so that there is two inches left from the the surface of the water to the rim. 

2) Wash the plantains and cut in half. Maybe quarters if it is too large.

3) Grab a knife and cut along one of the ridges so that there is a slit in the peel.

4) Carefully place the plantains into the water. 

5) Boil for about 15 minutes then using tongs, carefully remove the peels. 

5) Cook for another 10 minutes. 

6) Remove from heat. 

7) Serve.

Analysis:

There aren't many ingredients so it is fairly simple to find "organic" or "natural" items that are healthier. The only salt is in the rice but that could be optional if the person doesn't want flavor. Just about everything is a whole food. The rice is the only processed food. The meal is rather cheap. The rice cost about $10 and the green plantains were about 6 for a $1.50. When compared to how much fast food would need to be brought when compared to the amount that you have with these ingredients, this meal is cheaper. I don't know where any of the ingredients came from but I know that the rice is not made in the U.S. Farmers made money off of the selling of the plantains because they are "natural", so there is minimal factory involvement. I wouldn't be able to grow rice myself but I have grown plantains myself and they don't taste much different then the ones I brought. 

Food Graphic

For this project I will be talking about myself and the cooking world around me. I will also be sharing a family recipe of a healthy meal.

Me & Our Food Society

I have the tendency to either eat more on the healthy side or more on the unhealthy side sometimes. It really depends. I have a good diet but I am very picky with everything that I eat. When I go to certain stores depending on there I might not or I might feed into the healthy or unhealthy ways. 

The larger food system I guess I am sometimes helping it and other times hurting it. Every now and then( not often) I tend to eat what’s faster rather then what would be easier for me to get. The larger food system is more unhealthy but I feel as if a lot of people are worrying more about what they consume everyday. Also the whole thing with income matters towards what people can afford. 

The biggest problem within our food system is what is available and what is not. Most people do not have a place around them that is surrounded by markets or healthy places to eat. Therefore A lot of people eat really unhealthy foods because it’s available and its cheaper for them and their family. Then on the other side some people chose not to eat unhealthy. Exhibit A are those people who grow their own plants and food. Like people on farms. 

Personally cutting out the junk food completely would be a good change for me. Also worrying about where my food comes from would also help a lot. These changes might make a lot of people perhaps follow my steps. Also it would be helpful towards the Earth. Everything doesn’t have to effect the society that you live in, if it just helped the Earth or personal improvements. I am more then willing to help out, and also more willing to make a change to the things I eat also. 

Spaghetti 

What You Will Need: 

1/4 Cup of Olive Oil, Extra Virgin

8 Cloves of Garlic, Peeled 

28 oz or 35 oz of San Marzano peeled plum tomatoes, Crush them by hand in a bowl, then set aside. 

1 tbs salt 

1 tbs pepper

3 shakes Red Crushed Pepper 

6 Fresh Basil Leaves 

2 strings fresh Parsley 

_____________________

Directions :

Heat Oil in a pot on medium heat for 4 minutes. Take the already peeled garlic and with the flat side of a knife whack the garlic so that it becomes flat. Cook garlic until it is a light brown color.  The add in the tomatoes. Bring everything to a boil and season lightly with salt, pepper, and red pepper. Then lower the heat so that the sauce is at a lively simmer. Using a wooden spoon or whisk stir the sauce, which will break down some of the tomatoes, about 25 minutes until the sauce is thick. Stir in basil and parsley for about 4 1/2 minutes. Taste the sauce and season with salt, pepper, and red crushed pepper as needed.  

The World & The Meal 

•Approximately: About 90% of this meal is whole food.

•Health/nutrition:  Believe it or not but there is only 526 calories in the whole batch of sauce, which means when adding noodles and such there won't be that many health problems. Also the healthy whole food will process through your body well because it is fresh. Also it is really good for your insides, especially since it is fresh! I feel as if someone ate this meal every day, They won't really have much protein in their diet but everything else, except what type of pasta they use should keep them pretty good feeling. 

•Environmental:  Tomatoes- Italy   The tomatoes traveled the farthest, everything else was produced in America. Nope commercially grown. 

•Political/economic: Not that much both of the cans were 8 dollars the olive oil was 7 dollars for a bottle and the garlic was like a dollar so everything was pretty cheap. Fast food is cheaper, but fast food is a quick filling meal, but the sauce will have you eating for more then a day. Cento

•Social:  Nothing really, someone can't really complain except for the fact that the tomatoes garlic ad such weren't organic. 

Tomatoes- Grown in Italy, picked fresh, canned 

Garlic- California from out of a plant which also makes potatoes. In the Garlic capitol. 

Since the beginning of time we as humans have been looking for things to give us less work to do. Also it is always easier and more available 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb boneless chicken thigh and/or breast (cut into small cubes/pieces)
2 lemon grass (cut into 4-inch lengths, use only the white part, pounded)
6-8 pieces kaffir lime leaves
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt to taste

Spice Paste:

1 1/2 inch galangal
1/2 lb fresh red chili (seeded and sliced)
5 shallots (sliced)
1 inch ginger
1/2 inch fresh turmeric
1/4 teaspoon belacan (fermented shrimp paste)

Instructions:

• Blend all spice paste ingredients to a very fine paste.
• Heat up some cooking oil in a work and stir-fry paste until aromatic or a thin layer of oil rises to the top.
• Add chicken and continue stirring until it’s almost cooked.
• Add the coconut milk and continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes, over low heat.
• Add salt to taste and serve hot.

It's interesting to see where our food comes from when you actually research it and get to know about it a little more. In my country, I always eat different meals and try different things, but one of my favorite dish would probably be the Chicken Curry. Many countries has their own way of cooking curry and what to eat it with, but in Vietnam, we eat it with white rice or bread. My chicken curry has a lot of different spices as you can see above, but it all blends well together. I promise.

Us vietnamese people love to eat our greens, seafood, fruits, and lots of meat! I was raised in a environment where we kill animals and eat them. I guess you can call us meat lovers! One of my favorite chicken to eat is Tyson's chicken because it's so tasteful in my mouth. When I did some research on Tyson's chicken and where it came from, I found out that the chicken are processed and Tyson has its own slaughter house. Although this is probably a bad thing, it won't stop me from eating Tyson. I mean, it's better than McDonald's chicken. The chicken curry does have some nutritious ingredients as well. This dish consist of lime leaves and lemon grass. The name of these different vegetables/plants might not sound good, but it makes this dish even better. It gives a complexity of flavor that distinguishes them from other curries.

According to the Live Strong resource, it turns out that coconut milk can help us level our blood cholesterol and it puts us in a better position of protecting our hearts. "Coconut milk contains lauric acid, a medium chain fatty acid, unlike the saturated fat in meat and more like the saturated fat found in human breast milk." According to Nutrition Data, lime juice provides a really good source of vitamin C and it offers a good amount of potassium. I feel as though that Asian people uses a lot of spice that keeps us healthy in our meals. For example, galangal (ginger) is one of the main spices in the chicken curry and they way it smells, it makes me nose tingle a little bit. Actually, galangal are used sometimes for medications in Asia. True Fact. For example, turmeric was discovered to help treat cancer since it increases liver functions. Since this chicken curry is supposed to be spicy, there's 3 different types of ginger we use and the more I go down the line, the spicier it gets! As we go down the ingredients list, things just get hotter and hotter, but overall, my meal didn't consist a lot of "unhealthiness." Tyson's chicken might be processed, but my spices makes up the healthiness and nutrition that my body needs.  

Personal Reflection

I think that America is considered the "Fat" country. This country has been trying to live right and healthy but I feel like America contradicts what they think they are and what they say to others. Compared to the world, America seems to have the most fattening in food. McDonalds would be a perfect example for fattening. The reason why is because they use meat that has certain fattening in the meat and it cause the Americans to gain weight. In the movie Super Size Me, the man clearly shows that he was gaining a lot of weight by eating McDonalds every single day. I think that fast food is probably one of the biggest problems in our food system because for one, it's not healthy for our body and it's not the right food. Because of fast food, people are getting obese, diabetes, high cholesterol, and many more. But if people were to eat healthier, they would be in better shape and there wouldn't be so much people dying because of diseases.

Ingredients:

• Cous Cous
• Chick peas
• 2 2/3 cups of water
• 2 2/3 tea spoons of salt
• your choice of spice

Materials:

• Actual Cous Cous
• Pot
• Big Spoon
• Microwave to speed the heating of the cous cous
• Another pot to stir the sauce for the cous cous
• Plates to eat the cous cous!

Steps:

• Open cous cous from container, put it in pot
• Add water, salt and mix the cous cous
• Although some people prefor to heat the cous cous using an oven, I've found simply using a microwave is sufficent.
• Use the other pot to start making the sauce for the cous cous
• Either use already made sauce and add more spices or ground up your own tomatoes.
• Combine both the sauce that has the meat in it and the couse cous
• Eat up!

Analysis:

Cous Cous is a food that is very popular in the Mediterranian. The Mediterranian includes Countries such as: Italy, Spain, Tunisia, Morrocco. These places eat cous cous a lot. Cous cous has become a trend around the world too. Especially in places like the Middle East, North America and South America. The United States has particularly adopted Cous Cous as a favorite. It travels over 2,000 miles to get here- the natural kind, that is. Some cous cous is getting picked here, caushing it to have more pesticides in them. 

There are many, many variations of making Cous Cous but the one I explained above is the my Mom's recipe she's been using for many, many years and it's customed to eat it like that where I'm from. Cous Cous can be a very healthy food- it doesn't rival brown rice when trying to eat healthy but is still a healthy alternative to pasta. You can cook Cous Cous with lots of vegetables and healthy lean meats. Depending on how much you buy, this could be a very cheap meal when looking at this bare bones. Most of the food here is not processed because usually you can pick the vegetables that you want to cook with or the kind of meet. Also, when looking at the container of cous cous the nutrients are very healthy. Though cholesterol is a bit high, there is low sugar, fat, but again, high on carbohydrates. 

The money goes towards farmers because they help dig up the cous cous because it is a grain. Cous Cous is usually picked without much pollution or immorality like you see the meat companies do here in the States. Since cous cous is in such a high demand, people are hired more to make them across the pond, so I feel as though politically, the people win. Also, the quality of food is better so people will enjoy cous cous more and the demand will keep growing. Cous cous could be become one of the most sought-after foods in the world.

This recipe has been in my family for many generations and lives on. My mom makes really great cous cous and I don't think the other types I've tried really rivals the kid she makes. The times i've gone to tunisa, I've tasted amazing cous cous and wish to travel to Italy or Spain to  try some more.