Science and Society - Best - E — Science Leadership Academy @ Center City

Final Food Project

Posted by Stephen Eager-White in Science and Society - Best - E on Friday, January 23, 2015 at 1:57 pm

Ingredients:

2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of butter

3/4 brown sugar

2 eggs

2 and 1/3 cups of banana

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Analysis:

Banana bread is a healthy treat. It's simple to make and a healthier alternative to banana pudding. It can be eaten for breakfast or dessert.

There wasn't a lot of sugar involved and the banana is what gave it a better taste. The only part of the food that was processed was the butter and the salt. The rest was natural. The banana bread had around 186 calories per serving, 6 g of fat, 25mg of cholesterol, 172mg of sodium, and 2g of protein. The carbs and fat will cause weight gain but also a lot lipids to fight of viruses. Carbs provide our bodies with energy for the day.

The process of starch digestion starts in our mouths, where amylase in your saliva snips the large starch molecules into sugars called glucose. As the bread moves from your mouth to your stomach and finally to your small intestine, additional amylase secreted by your pancreas digests any remaining starch molecules until only glucose remains. The protein in bread undergoes digestion in your stomach and small intestine, where stomach acid and protein-digesting enzymes cleave the protein molecules into single amino acids. The small amount of fat in bread gets digested in your small intestine, where lipase splits each fat molecule into three fatty acids and a glycerol.

The food that traveled the farthest was probably the bananas. A lot of bananas come from Latin America and it's possible that they traveled the farthest. I'm sure there were preservatives on the bananas to keep them from getting mushy. The preservatives help the banana stay ripe longer. This meal probably costs around $10. The most expensive ingredient was the bananas. Everything else was relatively cheap. I don't think there would be any negative ramifications. All of the ingredients can be purchased at any local convenience store. A lot of the products involved dairy products. Unless I had a farm with a cow or a goat. I wouldn't be able to come across these dairy products on my own.

Personal Reflection:

This unit has been focused on diet and health. With a larger focus on the Western diet, most of this unit’s purpose was to inform us about how unhealthy America’s diet is, what would make it better, the complications of an unhealthy diet, and how to prevent future health problems. Most Americans, myself included, eat an excessive amount of fatty foods. This leads to such a high level of obesity in the United States. I’m not obese but I could be healthier. When my mom used to make all of my meals I definitely ate healthier and now that I’m becoming more independent, I’ve been making bad decisions. This unit helped me realize how unhealthy my food choices are, it also increased my knowledge on what a healthy diet consists of.

One of the most helpful warmups were the ones that informed us on the definition of organic. I think that when people heard “organic” they just thought of healthy food but didn’t really know what it meant. What we learned that there are different definitions of organic. Relating to food, organic means produced or involving production without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or other artificial agents. We also learned that organic foods aren’t always healthy.

Some food changes that I could make to my diet are eating more fruit, drinking more water, adding vegetables, cutting down on sugar and unhealthy fats. This would help my heart and the rest of my body function better. I don’t think I would be able to go “cold turkey” on my old diet. I will have to ween myself off of the unhealthy meals. I’m willing to try to change to a healthy diet but if I’m constantly surrounded by bad foods and it’s all that’s given to me for school lunch, it will be hard to resist. But, it’s a change that I have to make since Spring and baseball are right around the corner.

Food Rules Slide:

Sieanna

Posted by Sieanna Williams in Science and Society - Best - E on Friday, January 23, 2015 at 1:15 pm

Pesto Chicken Florentine

Sieanna Williams & Brian Birkmire

Ingredients

- Olive Oil (2 Tbsp)

- Garlic (2 cloves)

- Chicken breast (boneless/skinless/4 count)

- Fresh Spinach Leaves (2 cups)

- 1/2 White/Yellow onion (chopped)

- 1/2 cup of white wine

- Pepper/Sprinkle of Salt

- 1/4 cup cream

- Basil

- Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Boil pot of water, preferably large pot. Boil pasta.

2. While preparing the pasta, cook the chicken. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on the raw chicken. Heat some olive oil in pan and brown both sides of the chicken breast. Remove chicken when browned.

3. Add chopped onions and sauté for about 2-3 minutes. While the onions are cooking, slice the chicken in strips. Put aside any pieces already cooked by the browning and the others that aren't cooked to be finished.

4. When the onions begin to brown, add the garlic and sauté for another minute, roughly. Add white wine and and boil until it is half reduced.

5. Add the spinach and undercooked chicken to the pan. Using tongs, turn them over to coat them with the juices in the pan. Continue to cook, turning and stirring often, until the spinach is wilted and the chicken cooked through, about 2 minutes.

6. Turn off the heat and add some black pepper, the pile of cooked chicken pieces and the pesto (basil, olive oil, parmesan cheese sauce). Stir to combine. Drain the pasta put it in a large bowl. Add the cream to the sauté pan and stir well to combine. Add the contents of the pan to the bowl with the pasta and mix well.

ANALYSIS

The beautiful thing about our meal is that it contains 0% of processed food. There are no additives or preservatives and some of our food is even homemade. Brian and I were originally going to buy fettuccine sauce but it had modified enzymes so we opted to make it ourselves with natural ingredients, as well as the pesto. The spinach leaves were not organic but they were organically grown. The only ingredient on the back was spinach.

We carefully read each of the ingredients on the back of the labels of the foods we used, all of them contained less than 10 g of sugar and fat. There is very little to no grease and the only oil used was olive oil (very little) on the chicken which was sauteed thoroughly. Although our dish is very healthy and will not caused any harm to one’s body from eating it once or twice in a row, the pasta is what dominates the dish. Pasta contains lots of starch and too much starch is very harmful to the body, so we strongly suggest to never eat a pasta meal every single day. On the other hand, it has low Glycemic Index which means it does not increase glucose levels rapidly this makes it easier for the body to maintain energy for longer periods of time. Pasta also has folic acid which is crucial for reproduction.

Our meal contains a variety of crucial dietary nutrients. It is a cleansing meal that will not only taste good but make you feel good.

Personal Reflection

Ever since I joined the Girls Ultimate Frisbee team last school year, I’d begun to seriously think about eating more healthily. Not only had I never played frisbee before, but I had very little experience with exercise. I’d just joined the team when both boys and girls had gone to the states championship. For both tournament days, my coach, Ms. Echols, kept me in every single game for several points straight. I had never been so run down in my life and I couldn’t figure out how the rest of the girls had so much energy. When I finally had the chance to break, I looked upon the food parents and coaches brought with them. All that had been there were granola bars, bananas, sandwiches, etc. I didn’t think much of it but went on eating. Almost immediately I noticed a change in myself throughout the tournament. The food wasn’t only delicious, but I felt better on the inside. It was then that I’d seriously begun to consider eating more whole foods.

The issue with my new resolution was that once I left frisbee and once I left my boyfriend’s home there was nothing to go home to but processed, artificially flavored and sugary foods. I live in a home where we only have as much food as we do because we are fortunate enough to receive food stamps. But even so, our food stamp money has been continuously cut despite our lowering income. Because of this, my mom has stopped buying as much fruits, she’s opted for pop tarts instead of oatmeal and often I’m starting to see more and more snacks than usual. I know my mom understands that I want to eat healthily (as well as I’m sure she understands that we should be eating this way), but we have a mutual understanding that we simply cannot afford such foods. What do I think is the biggest problem with our food system? There’s too much consumption. Too many people are buying so much food and I believe that’s what has upped the price on natural foods and set the price low for sugary foods. This way, farmers get what they work for by growing so much food so fast and companies make profit. Either way, it’s human consumption that’s caused these issues. There’s too much food circulating when there really does not need to be. Despite this issue, I will continue to try to eat as healthy as possible. Not just because it tastes a lot better, but because it makes me feel a lot better.

Q2 Benchmark

Posted by Dylan Long in Science and Society - Best - E on Thursday, January 22, 2015 at 12:24 pm

Dylan Long

Science & Society Q2 Benchmark

Ingredients

(1 serving)

2 Fresh Avocados

1 Lime

1 Package of Cilantro

1 Onion

Garlic

Salt

Tools

1 cutting board

1 sharp cutting knife (large)

1 spoon (large)

2 bowls (1 large 1 small)

1 tupperware

Directions

Take your avocados and split them open by cutting the outer shell open in a 360 fashion around the entire shell. Once you have completed the cut, twist the avocado open into two halves. Take your knife and whack the center of it onto the pit so your knife is wedged in the pit, turn your knife 90 degrees and remove your knife; the pit will come with it!
Use your spoon to scoop out the avocado from each of the halves and empty it into your large bowl.
Once all your avocado is in your bowl, throw out the shells and pits and mix your avocados to a pasty texture.
Take out your cutting board, large knife, cilantro, onion and lime.
Chop up your cilantro and onion into small diced pieces and dump them into your large bowl.
Cut your lime into eighths and squeeze anywhere from 1-8 pieces of lime into your guacamole at your preference.
Use your spoon to stir your bowl thoroughly so that all of the ingredients mix together with the avocado.
At your own discretion/preference, add a couple sprinkles of salt to your guacamole.
Use your spoon to scoop your guacamole out of the bowl and into your tupperware.
Enjoy your fresh all-natural guacamole with some chips or tacos!

Analysis

The ingredients that I used in my recipe are simple, all-natural, healthy and can be found in the local grocery market or supermarket. All 100% of this food is whole food and not a single ingredient is processed; only vegetables, herbs and fruits! With my dish, there is no need to worry about any added sugars, fats, preservatives or artificial additives. Unless you have an allergic reaction with one of the ingredients, this is a healthy meal that will yield only good things for your body! In addition to being a great standalone dish, my guacamole is a fantastic way to increase both the flavor and nutrition of many common dinner meals! Going to a party and need to bring something along? My guacamole takes a quick ten minutes to concoct and tastes delicious. It can also be added onto tacos, enchiladas and more.

The ingredients that go into this guacamole (there are few) all come from the local grocery, which likely comes from all over the place. What I do know is that these fresh ingredients are not mass produced with artificial additives and preservatives. My ingredients come from real plantations and farms, and are transported to the local markets while retaining their fresh and authentic essence.

This meal does not cost much at all! With the finer ingredients, this meal falls under the $10 range. In comparison with fast food, guacamole and chips is far more healthy, filling and budget-friendly than fast food. In addition, you can make it in your own home! No need to make any side-tracked pit stops on the way home, guacamole is easy to make it under ten minutes! The thing that I enjoy the most which is another comparison that can be made between guac and fast food is that buying fast food supports massively corrupt corporations, and buying the ingredients for guacamole supports small, local businesses!

There are very few (if any at all) social ramifications of my guacamole. The economy prospers from the buying and selling of the ingredients, the one(s) consuming the guacamole are obviously extremely satisfied, and the ingredients are all natural! The avocados and cilantro come from the farmers market around my home, specifically in the 9th Street Market. Natural ingredients are sold there in the masses by Spanish families. The ingredients presumably come from all over the world! Avocados grow on trees, cilantro grows on farms, et cetera! Once all of these ingredients are combined, you are in for an absolute treat.

I learned a lot about nutrition this quarter! I learned about the various body parts and how many different ingredients and nutrients affect our body. I learned that sugar and fat are the leading cause for obesity, and that a LOT of America is obese. Even more of America is destined to become obese in the near future too! I learned that exercise is only half of staying in shape, you must have a healthy balanced diet on a consistent basis. The biggest problem for nutrition in America is the fact that we make consistently poor decisions about our nutrition and we feed ourselves pure garbage. I am very eager to continue making positive changes towards a better and healthier diet and lifestyle as time goes on.

SCISOC-009

Term: 2014-15.S1

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