I am riding on a coach bus back to the city of Buenos Aires after spending a week in Mendoza…two cities, 12 hours away within the same country, but completely different from one another. The bus is cold, and it seems to rain inside. They bring everyone coffee and offer breads…I say no thanks. The days before, the sun colored my cheeks and the dirt bit my fingers. The cold dried my skin but the sun cleaned it. I spent weeks in Buenos Aires (my city), before going to Mendoza. I saw friends and had nightlife. I am carefree and rude in the capital, is that meaningful to me? In Mendoza, I saw my family, part from my father. They immigrated from Bolivia looking for work in Argentina. Every afternoon spent with them I remember where I am from. They live by the mountains in a neighborhood police don’t enter. They have kids…A LOT of kids… all under the age of 4 that run around the house when the parents have to work. I see struggle but also a warm happiness in that family…my family. They invite me to food and mate because we are the same blood. They accept me knowing the culture I have grown in… one different and extreme from theirs. I am looking at the window reflecting on the past days. I still feel the love, soul, spirit and happiness while leaving this beautiful mountain city. I look up and see the mountains, Los Andes. In the sky there is a rip of light, of violet and red. It rips down the highest mountain. I want to go through it and see where it takes me but it will probably just drop me back in Buenos Aires to be rude and carefree.
This moment was meaningful to me. The meaning of life will change periodically. With growth it changes as well as with experiences. At this moment in my life the meaning of life is to discover, hear, see, feel, think, speak, love… the meaning is fighting, crying and experiencing. In Mendoza for example, I felt love in family and culture, with that, life felt meaningful to me. How is that? That feeling in the bus encourages me to keep discovering things about myself that I’ve hidden before…because of preoccupations with superficial bullshit. Things in myself that come from my background, the history of my land and fighting from the people. This gives meaning to my life, it gives me a purpose to keep walking, breathing, learning and reading. It pushes me to do something significant with my temporary existence. Meaningful to me means something that affects me on a personal level. The meaning of life is to make connections with people, share experiences, stories and culture.
At this point in my life, something meaningful to me is where my parents came from because I am just beginning to learn it. Friends, family and those I am meeting now on my path are influencing and teaching me things everyday; or every time I allow it. The people I meet on this path are most meaningful. The meaning of life right now is ultimately learning and figuring things out on my own. In a week, month or year my meaning of life will change. Right now it is the experience I build, the mistakes I make and loving these mistakes. Right now I feel a lot is meaningful in my life. At this moment, I can come up with several “meanings to life.” Learning my voice, and learning myself is a meaning to life, or a reason to keep going. In other words, this beautifully typical stage in my life is a meaning to life. It is why I am here… to discover and also to find how I can contribute to where I came from.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Interviews: meaning of life....
Interviews on "What is the meaning of life?"
Q: what is the meaning of life for you?
.....To see as much of the world as possible
to leave an impact in whatever profession you choose
ultimately to influence and inspire
-Chris from Washington square park
Q: what is the meaning of life for you?
....My meaning of life are my three daughters
-Cousin
Q: what is the meaning of life for you?
...talking, saying words, meaning the words i say.
Feeling grass under my feet, swallowing water, eating sand and knowing its crystal/golden
Traveling around, eating the wind even if its not there
eating rice and beans until i explode, tilthing the earth until you sweat and until the sun burns
kissing a baby and touching your heart
-Miguel Rios
Q: what is the meaning of life for you?
.....To see as much of the world as possible
to leave an impact in whatever profession you choose
ultimately to influence and inspire
-Chris from Washington square park
Q: what is the meaning of life for you?
....My meaning of life are my three daughters
-Cousin
Q: what is the meaning of life for you?
...talking, saying words, meaning the words i say.
Feeling grass under my feet, swallowing water, eating sand and knowing its crystal/golden
Traveling around, eating the wind even if its not there
eating rice and beans until i explode, tilthing the earth until you sweat and until the sun burns
kissing a baby and touching your heart
-Miguel Rios
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Final Exam Question 2...
Final Exam Question 2:
Write an essay that opposes, supports or qualifies this quote…
“Food in our culture is one aspect of a larger nightmare”
Food in our culture is one aspect of a larger nightmare. Well to give this quote definition, what does “our culture” and “larger nightmare” mean? The way I would define our culture is, based on the mix of capitalism and urban-pop. The larger nightmare falls under two completely different yet interactive aspects to the human being which are body & mind, or physical & mental. I am concentrated on the larger nightmare being in the topic of food. The larger nightmare means a physically harming consequence to the young growing body (keep in mind, my generation is adolescence), due to lack of nutrience in processed food. The larger nightmare is obesity in children and physical risks in human bodies. The mental consequence to the larger nightmare is a disconnection between the people and the food they are eating. The loss of emotion, value and appreciation in food, which can be blamed on the “mechanic way” food, is processed. So yes I support this quote, I don’t oppose it or qualify it because speaking on a larger and global context, food in our culture IS one harming aspect of the larger nightmare.
As discussed in my previous paper, the present of food is based on the IFS (Industrial Food System) where most of the foods we are eating today is processed or “raised” under factories. Food processed like what we eat, loses its basic nutrience and protein that earth grown plants and animals naturally have. Industrial food factories raises crops, kills animals, and “constructs” our foods at an extremely fast pace for the fast paced life that we all have in this society & culture. Also to feed the millions of us, which throws a demanding need for the excess of food. In my culture, teens my age, kids younger and of course the adults as well are eating extremely processed and unhealthy food, food containing preservatives as well as artificial flavoring. It is correct to say that these harmful foods come from machines and are artificially man-made rather than coming from the earth, from dirt and nature as it should. These companies putting unhealthy foods (like snacks and junk food) on the market naturally think of the profits they are making and what they are earning rather than the effect this has on the consumers. However, if I can speak for my generation, I would say that these consumers also are not taking the initiative to stop what they are eating and realize the consequences. Obesity is becoming large in adolescents, resulting from unhealthy eating habits from an earlier age. This causes serious health risks like respiratory and heart problems, which can lead to fatality later on in the future. However, who is to blame for this… the companies or that person’s own eating choices? The answer is both. The larger nightmare has been progressing since food became global and unnaturally processed.
When I talk of food in my argument, I talk of many things such as the way of eating food as well as where the food comes from and how it is processed. Most of the foods we eat, and I mean the basics such as milk from cows, animal meat, eggs etc. come from “Factory Farms.” These farms aren’t your typical red barn and green pasture but they are excessive in size, polluted and wasted, misusing in Pharmaceuticals and extremely disregardful to animal welfare (Harrison, Jeff.) Government owned, these farms are international, meaning they exist in various countries. In these farms cattle feedlots generally have thousands of animals cramped in one place. These animals are cattle, pigs, chickens, sheep, goats etc. The egg-laying area of the farm can house over one million chickens in one area. There is minimal room for these animals that can be large in size as well as no sunlight or fresh air. Animals like chickens are de-beaked and tails of cow and pigs are amputated. This is to adapt these animals to factory farm conditions and space. The misuse of Pharmaceuticals in animals means that hormones are fed as well as antibiotics to the animals in order to quicken the growth. The waste created by this large number of animals is handled in a way that can pollute air and water. Bacteria from waste contaminates waterways which disrupts aquatic ecosystems and kills sea creatures. What does this way of farming mean to us? How does it affect us? In terms of health, the same bacteria from this waste can contaminate the food we eat and seriously harm us. There have been reports of mad-cow disease and e-coli in meat from fast food restaurants such as McDonalds which has already resulted in fatality. The plants and fruits coming from industrialized factories are unnaturally grown with the use of chemicals such as pesticides, a chemical coming from a nerve gas. This in itself sounds like a nightmare and this is where our major foods come from.
The work in these factory farms shows a huge disconnection between the workers and what they are handling. The souls they kill and work they do which has no emotion. Nowadays in our society, we see people running down the street to catch the bus with their lunch in their hand. Or others working on their computer while eating their lunch so that they can quickly continue their work. During school we have 45 minutes to eat, so we go to the nearest, quickest and easiest place to eat which is usually a fast-food chain restaurant. In our society we are running a fast time schedule like the fast paced industrial farms or industrial factories. We, speaking on a large general context, have grown accustom to eating fast, eating without enjoying the food or eating without knowing where the food came from. We have lost the ability to make relationship with our food. In countries like Italy, there are old traditions like the siesta, where everything like stores close down for certain hours. During this time kids go home from school and workers stop working in order to sit down with family (or friends) and eat a meal. They like many people and civilizations around the globe, have built their relationship with food and take their time in eating and enjoying every bite. In smaller towns, those that farm and do the extra effort in raising and cultivating the food they eat at home have also made an emotional connection to what they are eating. Years ago, the cultural aspect to eating was a communal event where everybody can come together and enjoy the meal but in this culture, we seem to have lost that. That is the second half of this large nightmare.
Write an essay that opposes, supports or qualifies this quote…
“Food in our culture is one aspect of a larger nightmare”
Food in our culture is one aspect of a larger nightmare. Well to give this quote definition, what does “our culture” and “larger nightmare” mean? The way I would define our culture is, based on the mix of capitalism and urban-pop. The larger nightmare falls under two completely different yet interactive aspects to the human being which are body & mind, or physical & mental. I am concentrated on the larger nightmare being in the topic of food. The larger nightmare means a physically harming consequence to the young growing body (keep in mind, my generation is adolescence), due to lack of nutrience in processed food. The larger nightmare is obesity in children and physical risks in human bodies. The mental consequence to the larger nightmare is a disconnection between the people and the food they are eating. The loss of emotion, value and appreciation in food, which can be blamed on the “mechanic way” food, is processed. So yes I support this quote, I don’t oppose it or qualify it because speaking on a larger and global context, food in our culture IS one harming aspect of the larger nightmare.
As discussed in my previous paper, the present of food is based on the IFS (Industrial Food System) where most of the foods we are eating today is processed or “raised” under factories. Food processed like what we eat, loses its basic nutrience and protein that earth grown plants and animals naturally have. Industrial food factories raises crops, kills animals, and “constructs” our foods at an extremely fast pace for the fast paced life that we all have in this society & culture. Also to feed the millions of us, which throws a demanding need for the excess of food. In my culture, teens my age, kids younger and of course the adults as well are eating extremely processed and unhealthy food, food containing preservatives as well as artificial flavoring. It is correct to say that these harmful foods come from machines and are artificially man-made rather than coming from the earth, from dirt and nature as it should. These companies putting unhealthy foods (like snacks and junk food) on the market naturally think of the profits they are making and what they are earning rather than the effect this has on the consumers. However, if I can speak for my generation, I would say that these consumers also are not taking the initiative to stop what they are eating and realize the consequences. Obesity is becoming large in adolescents, resulting from unhealthy eating habits from an earlier age. This causes serious health risks like respiratory and heart problems, which can lead to fatality later on in the future. However, who is to blame for this… the companies or that person’s own eating choices? The answer is both. The larger nightmare has been progressing since food became global and unnaturally processed.
When I talk of food in my argument, I talk of many things such as the way of eating food as well as where the food comes from and how it is processed. Most of the foods we eat, and I mean the basics such as milk from cows, animal meat, eggs etc. come from “Factory Farms.” These farms aren’t your typical red barn and green pasture but they are excessive in size, polluted and wasted, misusing in Pharmaceuticals and extremely disregardful to animal welfare (Harrison, Jeff.) Government owned, these farms are international, meaning they exist in various countries. In these farms cattle feedlots generally have thousands of animals cramped in one place. These animals are cattle, pigs, chickens, sheep, goats etc. The egg-laying area of the farm can house over one million chickens in one area. There is minimal room for these animals that can be large in size as well as no sunlight or fresh air. Animals like chickens are de-beaked and tails of cow and pigs are amputated. This is to adapt these animals to factory farm conditions and space. The misuse of Pharmaceuticals in animals means that hormones are fed as well as antibiotics to the animals in order to quicken the growth. The waste created by this large number of animals is handled in a way that can pollute air and water. Bacteria from waste contaminates waterways which disrupts aquatic ecosystems and kills sea creatures. What does this way of farming mean to us? How does it affect us? In terms of health, the same bacteria from this waste can contaminate the food we eat and seriously harm us. There have been reports of mad-cow disease and e-coli in meat from fast food restaurants such as McDonalds which has already resulted in fatality. The plants and fruits coming from industrialized factories are unnaturally grown with the use of chemicals such as pesticides, a chemical coming from a nerve gas. This in itself sounds like a nightmare and this is where our major foods come from.
The work in these factory farms shows a huge disconnection between the workers and what they are handling. The souls they kill and work they do which has no emotion. Nowadays in our society, we see people running down the street to catch the bus with their lunch in their hand. Or others working on their computer while eating their lunch so that they can quickly continue their work. During school we have 45 minutes to eat, so we go to the nearest, quickest and easiest place to eat which is usually a fast-food chain restaurant. In our society we are running a fast time schedule like the fast paced industrial farms or industrial factories. We, speaking on a large general context, have grown accustom to eating fast, eating without enjoying the food or eating without knowing where the food came from. We have lost the ability to make relationship with our food. In countries like Italy, there are old traditions like the siesta, where everything like stores close down for certain hours. During this time kids go home from school and workers stop working in order to sit down with family (or friends) and eat a meal. They like many people and civilizations around the globe, have built their relationship with food and take their time in eating and enjoying every bite. In smaller towns, those that farm and do the extra effort in raising and cultivating the food they eat at home have also made an emotional connection to what they are eating. Years ago, the cultural aspect to eating was a communal event where everybody can come together and enjoy the meal but in this culture, we seem to have lost that. That is the second half of this large nightmare.
Final Exam Question 1....
Final Exam Question 1:
• Describe the past & present of food. Predict the future, with reference to class materials and historical trends.
Focusing on the two Americas, North & South, groups of people or civilizations have lived years before the industrial revolution. They cultivated and grew their food. These inhabitants hunted animals, gathered plants and relied on nature for their survival & nutrience. Tribal groups such as the Diaguita or Guarani, that resided in various countries in South America like Argentina, Brasil and Paraguay, were agriculturists who used primarily a digging stick as their main tool for cultivating food. They cultivated foods like pepper and corn (Jonathan C. Brown.) Small groups like the Diaguita and Guarani throughout North and South America shared a basic similarity in the gathering and hunting of food; with no use of any fossil fuels, guns or man-made machinery. Foods like vegetable and fruit were grown naturally in season. Meaning the food cycle wasn’t rushed or pushed out of its normal growth time period. Food before the Industrial Revolution was locally grown. If a field of vegetables was growing on a farm, those that would eat these foods growing were the ones close by the farm. Food before industrial farming was something independent and a responsibility of each person, household or community. This is called subsistence farming. This still exists within small communities of South & North America. For example, in the Huorani tribe of Ecuador, the Huorani grow their plants, gather their bananas and catch the monkeys they eat. This means that it will be the Huorani community that eats this food; it won’t be imported for others to eat.
The present of food is basically the complete opposite of the past of food. In the two Americas, there exists people, families, communities, etc. that eat and grow food the way it was eaten and grown years ago. But looking at those people and then looking at the general population of major cities and small towns within the countries, there are more that eat in a modern day matter. The modern or urban way of eating food, getting food and “raising” food is much easier and faster than it used to be. Machines, fossil fuels, chemicals have taken over the role of digging sticks making the work of harvesting and farming faster. This resulting in more food to feed the abundance of people that need to be fed. Machines and chemicals (like pesticides) are not just used for plants, BUT they are also for the cattle, pigs and other animals. The machines in industrial food factories like seen in the movie “Our Daily Bread” are transporting these animals for the workers to kill. The chemicals are put in animals, like the hormones put in cows, which makes them, reproduce faster and thicken their meat. Natural cycle in plants and fruit has been crushed. For example, any fruit or vegetable is available yearlong. This natural cycle is pushed in order for bigger industrial companies to keep making their profits. These industrial factories work fast and the food is what feeds the country, contrasting how local food used to be before industrialization.
My prediction of the future of food… well I don’t think that we will see in our future, the elimination of big corporations, mainstream food companies or the industrial factories. These are corporations that make global profits and capitalists who won’t be willing to back down. In spite of the tremendous pressure of the cheapest food and manufacturing at a fast pace in order to gain more money, in our culture at least there will be more of an awareness of the importance of local grown food. Also awareness to forming connections between one and the food they are eating. In other words, developing trends in the opposite direction of the direction we are at now. HOWEVER, before we reach that state and if we reach that, I have my prediction of peak oil or a decrease in resources like what happened in Cuba during the early 90’s. With the chemicals, use of fossil fuels, and with the wastefulness in our food system, it will happen and as a result we will have to begin to turn our actions around, and not because we want to. The general stubbornness of this culture’s present society is overwhelming to think of there being a possibility of drastic change coming from one’s own choice rather than from a consequence like peak oil.
• Describe the past & present of food. Predict the future, with reference to class materials and historical trends.
Focusing on the two Americas, North & South, groups of people or civilizations have lived years before the industrial revolution. They cultivated and grew their food. These inhabitants hunted animals, gathered plants and relied on nature for their survival & nutrience. Tribal groups such as the Diaguita or Guarani, that resided in various countries in South America like Argentina, Brasil and Paraguay, were agriculturists who used primarily a digging stick as their main tool for cultivating food. They cultivated foods like pepper and corn (Jonathan C. Brown.) Small groups like the Diaguita and Guarani throughout North and South America shared a basic similarity in the gathering and hunting of food; with no use of any fossil fuels, guns or man-made machinery. Foods like vegetable and fruit were grown naturally in season. Meaning the food cycle wasn’t rushed or pushed out of its normal growth time period. Food before the Industrial Revolution was locally grown. If a field of vegetables was growing on a farm, those that would eat these foods growing were the ones close by the farm. Food before industrial farming was something independent and a responsibility of each person, household or community. This is called subsistence farming. This still exists within small communities of South & North America. For example, in the Huorani tribe of Ecuador, the Huorani grow their plants, gather their bananas and catch the monkeys they eat. This means that it will be the Huorani community that eats this food; it won’t be imported for others to eat.
The present of food is basically the complete opposite of the past of food. In the two Americas, there exists people, families, communities, etc. that eat and grow food the way it was eaten and grown years ago. But looking at those people and then looking at the general population of major cities and small towns within the countries, there are more that eat in a modern day matter. The modern or urban way of eating food, getting food and “raising” food is much easier and faster than it used to be. Machines, fossil fuels, chemicals have taken over the role of digging sticks making the work of harvesting and farming faster. This resulting in more food to feed the abundance of people that need to be fed. Machines and chemicals (like pesticides) are not just used for plants, BUT they are also for the cattle, pigs and other animals. The machines in industrial food factories like seen in the movie “Our Daily Bread” are transporting these animals for the workers to kill. The chemicals are put in animals, like the hormones put in cows, which makes them, reproduce faster and thicken their meat. Natural cycle in plants and fruit has been crushed. For example, any fruit or vegetable is available yearlong. This natural cycle is pushed in order for bigger industrial companies to keep making their profits. These industrial factories work fast and the food is what feeds the country, contrasting how local food used to be before industrialization.
My prediction of the future of food… well I don’t think that we will see in our future, the elimination of big corporations, mainstream food companies or the industrial factories. These are corporations that make global profits and capitalists who won’t be willing to back down. In spite of the tremendous pressure of the cheapest food and manufacturing at a fast pace in order to gain more money, in our culture at least there will be more of an awareness of the importance of local grown food. Also awareness to forming connections between one and the food they are eating. In other words, developing trends in the opposite direction of the direction we are at now. HOWEVER, before we reach that state and if we reach that, I have my prediction of peak oil or a decrease in resources like what happened in Cuba during the early 90’s. With the chemicals, use of fossil fuels, and with the wastefulness in our food system, it will happen and as a result we will have to begin to turn our actions around, and not because we want to. The general stubbornness of this culture’s present society is overwhelming to think of there being a possibility of drastic change coming from one’s own choice rather than from a consequence like peak oil.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
whats good to eat essay
Food plays an important role in all our lives. Apart from the physical impact food gives off (weight gain or loss) it is powerful in manipulating emotions especially when we eat the “wrong” kinds of food. As a result of those conscious feelings, dieting became a popular way to eating healthy and feeling better. But what is eating healthy? Which diet is the best one? After examining the things I eat daily, I realized I follow the Mediterranean diet; a diet consisting of moderate amounts of poultry, dairy and higher amounts of fruits, vegetables, breads etc. In this diet, olive oil plays an important role and little red meat is eaten. This to me seems like a balanced way of eating because most food groups are consumed in “moderate amounts” and the protein the body receives comes mainly from the nuts rather than the red meat. The Mediterranean diet is not the best way of dieting but it is a good way of eating.
(To begin, this is a food pyramid of the Mediterranean diet…)
This diet originated from the Greek Island of Crete, where statistically shown the people that live there and follow this diet live longer. When we think of olive oil, or any type of oil we think high in calories, fattening and unhealthy. However, as shown above olive oil is consumed daily and the consumption is more frequent than the intake of fish, poultry, eggs, “sweets” and red meat. The people of the Mediterranean first began using olive oil for cosmetic reasons such as the use to skin. Internally, olive oil (a monounsaturated fat) is proven to help lower LDL cholesterol, raise HDL cholesterol and prevent chronic disease like cancer. Olive Oil as well, is great for the stomach working as a laxative and fighting off ulcers and gastritis. It prevents constipation without bothering the intestinal tract. The affects of olive oil on the digestive system is all due to its chemical structure. This oil is great for infants since it contains an oleic acid which also is found in breast milk that helps the growth of infants. The same oleic acid is necessary for bones which could also be a great source of nutrience for the elderly that have bone calcification problems. Overall, olive oil is rich in vitamins A, C, D, E and K and as well rich in iron.
Eating grains (especially whole grains) is good for the body as well. Like oil, grains help reduce the risk of some chronic diseases. It is rich in fiber which reduces the risk of coronary heart disease & helps to relieve constipation. The fiber in whole grain also helps control blood cholesterol levels. Whole grains contain B vitamins, Folate (folic acid), magnesium and iron. B vitamins help the body release energy from protein and fat, which is important to the body’s metabolism. A type of B vitamin, called folic acid helps the body produce red blood cells, which can reduce the risks of Spina bifida and neural tube defects during fetal development. The magnesium found in grains is used to build bones and the iron in whole grains is key to carrying oxygen in the body. This can be extremely useful for young girls with anemia.
As shown above from my facts, the Mediterranean diet is healthy but like any diet it also depends how people consume the food and whether in low or high moderations. Grains & olive oil, the two major food groups are “safe” to eat and the vegetables, fruits & nuts as well. Nuts are high in protein, carbohydrates and fiber and contain many minerals and vitamins. They are high in fat, which is why in this diet they are not a huge part of the daily intake (shown in chart). However the fats found in nuts are mostly ‘mono’ and polyunsaturated which are considered “good fats.”
The question of whether the Mediterranean diet is affordable or not, is difficult to answer for various reasons. On one hand buying meat products, poultry, fish, eggs, sweets can be very expensive. The consumption of a lot of meat is costly compared to buying grains, vegetables, fruits, etc. (which are food groups highly consumed in this diet). Because in this diet, meat is hardly ever eaten, you would think that it is affordable to maintain this routine of eating. However, it’s important to consider that in reality there is no real affordable way to dieting or in consumption in general…especially in this society.
To make this Mediterranean diet “ethical” for myself, I would make sure that the food I eat would not come from unfair labor exploitation. The high amount of whole grains, should not come from a place where workers are earning .50$ or even lower a day. This includes, the “quinoa” I eat that is grown in the Andes in South America. Or the “buckwheat” used in pancakes that also comes from farmers being paid very little for a days work in north central Asia. Aside from the whole grains, we in this society enjoy the choice of buying fruits from the local grocery store in our neighborhoods. While eating for example, a banana, what many of us don’t know is that they are imported from places such as Honduras, Guatemala and Costa Rica. The banana farmers in these countries are heavily exploited and have been as far back as the 1920’s. Years ago, the “United Fruit” of United States paid Honduras a “penny tax” on 38 million bunches of bananas. In the Mediterranean diet, fruits & vegetables are a huge part of the daily intake and personally I wouldn’t want to support the labor exploitation seen in these countries by eating these foods. However, if you know where the food you eat is coming from by buying it in the farmer’s market or buying from the ‘producers’ themselves, the diet itself will be made up of food from the hands of those not being exploited. Therefore, one can follow it’s “ethical values.”
In conclusion, this diet is a good way to eat. It’s healthy, consists of somewhat moderate amounts of food in each food group and is affordable. The Mediterranean diet is not the best way of eating and personally I don’t think there is any great way of eating. It all depends on how one feels when they eat, for example, if they feel comfortable and if each individual personally feels in contact with the ethical value of everything they consume. We are all different, we all eat different, our bodies are all different and there are great ways of eating physically and mentally. No diet rules all diets.
(To begin, this is a food pyramid of the Mediterranean diet…)
This diet originated from the Greek Island of Crete, where statistically shown the people that live there and follow this diet live longer. When we think of olive oil, or any type of oil we think high in calories, fattening and unhealthy. However, as shown above olive oil is consumed daily and the consumption is more frequent than the intake of fish, poultry, eggs, “sweets” and red meat. The people of the Mediterranean first began using olive oil for cosmetic reasons such as the use to skin. Internally, olive oil (a monounsaturated fat) is proven to help lower LDL cholesterol, raise HDL cholesterol and prevent chronic disease like cancer. Olive Oil as well, is great for the stomach working as a laxative and fighting off ulcers and gastritis. It prevents constipation without bothering the intestinal tract. The affects of olive oil on the digestive system is all due to its chemical structure. This oil is great for infants since it contains an oleic acid which also is found in breast milk that helps the growth of infants. The same oleic acid is necessary for bones which could also be a great source of nutrience for the elderly that have bone calcification problems. Overall, olive oil is rich in vitamins A, C, D, E and K and as well rich in iron.
Eating grains (especially whole grains) is good for the body as well. Like oil, grains help reduce the risk of some chronic diseases. It is rich in fiber which reduces the risk of coronary heart disease & helps to relieve constipation. The fiber in whole grain also helps control blood cholesterol levels. Whole grains contain B vitamins, Folate (folic acid), magnesium and iron. B vitamins help the body release energy from protein and fat, which is important to the body’s metabolism. A type of B vitamin, called folic acid helps the body produce red blood cells, which can reduce the risks of Spina bifida and neural tube defects during fetal development. The magnesium found in grains is used to build bones and the iron in whole grains is key to carrying oxygen in the body. This can be extremely useful for young girls with anemia.
As shown above from my facts, the Mediterranean diet is healthy but like any diet it also depends how people consume the food and whether in low or high moderations. Grains & olive oil, the two major food groups are “safe” to eat and the vegetables, fruits & nuts as well. Nuts are high in protein, carbohydrates and fiber and contain many minerals and vitamins. They are high in fat, which is why in this diet they are not a huge part of the daily intake (shown in chart). However the fats found in nuts are mostly ‘mono’ and polyunsaturated which are considered “good fats.”
The question of whether the Mediterranean diet is affordable or not, is difficult to answer for various reasons. On one hand buying meat products, poultry, fish, eggs, sweets can be very expensive. The consumption of a lot of meat is costly compared to buying grains, vegetables, fruits, etc. (which are food groups highly consumed in this diet). Because in this diet, meat is hardly ever eaten, you would think that it is affordable to maintain this routine of eating. However, it’s important to consider that in reality there is no real affordable way to dieting or in consumption in general…especially in this society.
To make this Mediterranean diet “ethical” for myself, I would make sure that the food I eat would not come from unfair labor exploitation. The high amount of whole grains, should not come from a place where workers are earning .50$ or even lower a day. This includes, the “quinoa” I eat that is grown in the Andes in South America. Or the “buckwheat” used in pancakes that also comes from farmers being paid very little for a days work in north central Asia. Aside from the whole grains, we in this society enjoy the choice of buying fruits from the local grocery store in our neighborhoods. While eating for example, a banana, what many of us don’t know is that they are imported from places such as Honduras, Guatemala and Costa Rica. The banana farmers in these countries are heavily exploited and have been as far back as the 1920’s. Years ago, the “United Fruit” of United States paid Honduras a “penny tax” on 38 million bunches of bananas. In the Mediterranean diet, fruits & vegetables are a huge part of the daily intake and personally I wouldn’t want to support the labor exploitation seen in these countries by eating these foods. However, if you know where the food you eat is coming from by buying it in the farmer’s market or buying from the ‘producers’ themselves, the diet itself will be made up of food from the hands of those not being exploited. Therefore, one can follow it’s “ethical values.”
In conclusion, this diet is a good way to eat. It’s healthy, consists of somewhat moderate amounts of food in each food group and is affordable. The Mediterranean diet is not the best way of eating and personally I don’t think there is any great way of eating. It all depends on how one feels when they eat, for example, if they feel comfortable and if each individual personally feels in contact with the ethical value of everything they consume. We are all different, we all eat different, our bodies are all different and there are great ways of eating physically and mentally. No diet rules all diets.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
response to "eating fossil fuels"
My sumnary is in responose to "Eating Fossil Fuels" by Dale Allen pfeiffer ...
The title of the article seemed to exagerrate a little. When Pfeiffer says that we are literally eating fossil fuels what else does he mean by that besides the pesticides that are sprayed on our crops. I agree that without fossil fuels we would have never industrialized the way we did. Fossil fuels is used for fertilizers, pesticides, machinery (which requires fuel), electricity on the farms, maintenance of farm buildings etc. So we are eating fossil fuels, that i believe... however it is not all we are eating. .. or is it?
The Green Revolution occurred between the years of 1950 and 1960. I think its funny that only 20 years before 1950, the Great Depression took place in u.s.a....i guess we recuperated well. Also the 1950's and 60's, was not that long ago from where we are now. In fact, if the green revolution was the concrete transformation of agriculture globally and the beginning of the high use of fossil fuels, than the citizens of this country have really overused the oils up. my remark is stating the obvious but to really think about how the billions of pounds of fossil fuels used in these years is remarkable. Incredible and disgusting. Its funny because i read this article and i'm fucking shocked with what i read but when i get down to practical thinking, personally it would be extremely difficult to think of myself living a life without fossil fuels. I as well as classmates and everyone i see around me in this city are very reliant on the fossil fuels. Dale Allen brings up a great point in this article of the three "choices" we can make as a society to stop the growth of population that ultimately is using up the fossils in large quantities. First choice is to voluntarily act as a community by considering what is happening in our world and deciding not to have alot of children knowing that overpopulation is a serious problem. This would be the nicest choice...
the second is involuntarily sterilization. this is awful to us female... nobody would care for this act but it is an option if things continue to get worse
the third choice, which in my opinion is the worse, is just to face the suffering and death we will see in years, or the generation after us will see. This is the last choice if nothing improves...
this is going to sound corny , but its all up to us. we hold the decision in our hands
The title of the article seemed to exagerrate a little. When Pfeiffer says that we are literally eating fossil fuels what else does he mean by that besides the pesticides that are sprayed on our crops. I agree that without fossil fuels we would have never industrialized the way we did. Fossil fuels is used for fertilizers, pesticides, machinery (which requires fuel), electricity on the farms, maintenance of farm buildings etc. So we are eating fossil fuels, that i believe... however it is not all we are eating. .. or is it?
The Green Revolution occurred between the years of 1950 and 1960. I think its funny that only 20 years before 1950, the Great Depression took place in u.s.a....i guess we recuperated well. Also the 1950's and 60's, was not that long ago from where we are now. In fact, if the green revolution was the concrete transformation of agriculture globally and the beginning of the high use of fossil fuels, than the citizens of this country have really overused the oils up. my remark is stating the obvious but to really think about how the billions of pounds of fossil fuels used in these years is remarkable. Incredible and disgusting. Its funny because i read this article and i'm fucking shocked with what i read but when i get down to practical thinking, personally it would be extremely difficult to think of myself living a life without fossil fuels. I as well as classmates and everyone i see around me in this city are very reliant on the fossil fuels. Dale Allen brings up a great point in this article of the three "choices" we can make as a society to stop the growth of population that ultimately is using up the fossils in large quantities. First choice is to voluntarily act as a community by considering what is happening in our world and deciding not to have alot of children knowing that overpopulation is a serious problem. This would be the nicest choice...
the second is involuntarily sterilization. this is awful to us female... nobody would care for this act but it is an option if things continue to get worse
the third choice, which in my opinion is the worse, is just to face the suffering and death we will see in years, or the generation after us will see. This is the last choice if nothing improves...
this is going to sound corny , but its all up to us. we hold the decision in our hands
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
comment on Paulie's IFS paper
paulie,
i love reading your paper
it was one of the most enjoyable i've read mainly because of the dialogue in the beginning.
throughout the paper you seem to be having a conversation with the reader rather than just writing an essay and throwing out the obvious facts. i liked that a lot..
i also think you used alot of what we've looked at in class beautifully in this paper
good job!
i love reading your paper
it was one of the most enjoyable i've read mainly because of the dialogue in the beginning.
throughout the paper you seem to be having a conversation with the reader rather than just writing an essay and throwing out the obvious facts. i liked that a lot..
i also think you used alot of what we've looked at in class beautifully in this paper
good job!
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