Response to "Pears"

In Shelby’s blog post about real and fake food she makes many arguments for why real foods, or in her specific case, fresh pears, are better for people than the proceed versions of the food or canned pears. She talks about how when she wants to eat pears she usually just eats pears from a can and that they aren’t as good as fresh pears, but they are easier to eat because they are already peeled and sliced and everything. The article that she uses talks about how pears are beneficial for the body. In pears there are many beneficial ingredients including vitamins, fiber, and anti-oxidants. They have been shown to lower blood pressure and have nutrients that help in preventing the loss of vision. She then goes on to say that she eats canned ones because in college the access to fresh fruits very hard and buying a few cans to save is much easier because they won’t go bad like fresh pears would.

I agree with a lot of what Shelby talks about. I love fresh fruit myself and I know that I don’t get enough of it. I know that they are much better for me than the processed fruits especially because all of the extra ingredients, including sugar, that are in the processed foods. Pears are not my favorite fruits but I do like them once in a while. I think that I should probably eat more fresh fruits because they are good for me. However I do think that in some cases the processed versions of the food can be good for people especially in moderation. Many of them have extra vitamins and minerals that many people don’t get enough of. This can help our health a lot.

Response to Rasberry Jam

Reading Alana’s blog about raspberry jam made me want some toast. The jam she made with her grandmother sounded so much better than any store bought jam. She described the differences in what is put into making jam at home versus store bought and how homemade jam is better tasting and better for out. She goes on to talk about how some day she hopes to have her own garden and continue the tradition of making homemade jam.

The largest difference between the “real” jam and “fake” jam was the ingredients and the way it’s made. The real jam is mad with three simple and “real” ingredients: raspberries, pectin, and sugar. The store bought brands also have High fructose corn syrup, corn syrup and citric acid. The article that is used shows us how high fructose corn syrup is linked to obesity even though it has the same amount of sugar as calories. This is because it is metabolized differently in the body.

I agree with a lot of the things that Alana says. I believe that tradition and “real food” is good for us. Many times, especially in the case of fruit and vegetables, the real food tastes so much better than the proceeded or fake food. Not only is it better for us physically it also brings us together when we have dinner together or make jam together with our friends and family. Alana’s blog is well written and promotes “real food” well. It has helped me move my opinion and makes me think more about what I eat.

On Sunday April 18^th I made a meal for one of my friends and me. I made steak, mashed potatoes and broccoli. I had to plan what to get, how much time I would need to get everything and how to make it. I made a list of what I needed to get which included steaks, seasoning, potatoes, butter, milk, broccoli, olive oil, and salt. I went to the grocery store to get these things. Then I got back and started to cook. The first thing I did was peel the potatoes so I could start to cook them. Then I boiled to potatoes. While they were going I stared water for the broccoli and prepared the broccoli by washing it and cutting it into smaller pieces. Then I started to prepare the steaks. I took them out of their packaging and rubbed some steak seasoning on them. Then I broiled them for about 8 minutes on each side until they were medium. I then took them out and at about the same time the broccoli and potatoes were done. I then mashed the potatoes and added a little milk, butter and salt for flavor. Then I served the food and we ate. It was really good and we both liked it. Afterwards I felt really full and satisfied.

The cooking and preparation made the meal taste a lot better because I know that I went through the work to create the meal. I agree with Michael Pollan when he talks about how food should be something we enjoy and not rushing through everything. I think that my meal was slow and tasted great. In Marc David’s article, he talks about how people today eat to get full when really we should be eating to enjoy it.

*Photo from

http://sysco-jax.com/gallery/Steak-Plate-Presentations/steak_red_potatoes_1

Real vs Fake Food

Food is very important to all of us because it is our sustenance. We try to eat the right things and sometimes we go on special diets to get in shape. In Michael Pollan’s book, In Defense of Food, he talks about eating real food. In other words we should eat foods that aren’t processed or changed in any ways. Some common examples are fresh fruit, grains, nuts and other things that aren’t changed at all.

In my life personally I used to eat fresh apples a lot. Recently I haven’t eaten many and I drink more apple juice than fresh apples. I still like apples it is just that they are expensive, and hard to come by than apple juice. Apple juice tastes good because it is enriched with sugar, and I know that that is not good for me but it still tastes good and I like it more than apples. Apple juice still provides some nutrients and vitamins but not as much as fresh apples I don’t think. I started to have more apple juice than fresh apples when I came to college. It is easier to drink apple juice than to eat an apple, and in some cases it is cheaper. Apple juice also keeps longer so it makes more sense to have in a dorm.

Dr. Leslie Van Romer wrote an article called “Are you Filling up on Real or Fake Food” about this same subject. The article makes many of the same points that Pollan does in his book. She says “Once a food is altered from its original state, nutrients are lost.

I am probably not going to stop drinking apple juice but I think that I will start to try and eat fresh fruit more often. I like it very much and it is better for me than processed foods.

In Defense of Food

Michael Pollan writes about many problems that society has with food in his book, In Defense of Food. He tells us to "Eat food." He means that too much of the "food" today is not actually food. It is actually processed things that just have the nutrients that we want or need inside of them. He blames a lot of it on the global food market. In his mind, over the years the food market has changed greatly. Long ago people would eat the same thing that their parents and grandparents and great-grandparents would. Now however, the food that we ate as kids was much different than the food that our parents ate as kids. He recommends that we go back to eating the way people used to, eating only real foods. Eat things like fruits and vegetables from the ground, not changed by the food industry. By doing this we would help our own healths as well as the health of our food market. He also talks about the fact that eating is a social thing and it brings people together.

I don’t agree with the fact that our diets now are horrible. I believe that much of the food we eat now is good for us and helps the world as a whole. But I do agree with him on the point that eating is something we do socially. Ever since we started eating humans have eaten together, and it has brought us closer.

Daniel Engber, a writer for Slate, wrote an article, “Survival of the Yummiest” about whether or not we should believe Pollan. He also disagrees that we need to go back to thinking the “great-great-grandma-knew-best” idea about eating. Unlike Pollan, he thinks that in the end, science will figure it out and does what is best for us as people.

*Picture courtesy of http://www.michaelpollan.com/indefense.php