To Smoke or Not to Smoke...

Recently, there has been much talk about a widespread smoking ban in public areas. While there may be a large amount of benefits to this decision, there are still some who oppose the movement. MSNBC’s article entitled, “Report: Ban smoking in public places,” comprehensively addresses several reason as to why the movement is needed, for all our benefit. The article uses much research and fact to back up why smoking in public areas is not only a health risk to those who smoke, but nonsmokers, especially children, as well. The article opposing this, entitled “SMOKE, SMOKE, SMOKE THAT CIGARETTE...” describes why banning smoking from public areas would be detrimental to us all. While the first article uses researched facts and figures to back what is being said, the second article seems to be more about opinion on the topic than substantial evidence that the ban would have a negative effect.

Personally, I believe the first article does a better job to convince the reader. This is because it uses well researched information to actually prove why the ban is a good thing. It comprehensively goes through the risks of smoking in public areas and the effects of what may happen if it continues. The second article merely seems to preach why the author thinks this is unfair, using personal stories without facts to back anything being said.

After reading these articles, my opinion has not changes on the topic. I still feel that smoking, for the most part, should be banned in public areas, although I do understand how this can be considered unfair. I believe it would be easiest to have small sectioned off areas for smokers, or just ask smokers to please exit the building and smoke outside if they need to do so. It is not fair to make the majority suffer so that a minority can be happy.

Response to Alanna Reeves' Blog

Alanna’s recent blog post, entitled “Slow Food: a great idea, in theory…” describes how she uses the much needed break in her busy schedule to make dinner and catch up with a friend. She discusses how she chose an easily modifiable recipe to allow whatever was around the house to be used for ingredients. Alanna states that whole experience was a nice way to catch up, made better by the fact that preparation, eating, and clean-up was a relatively quick and easy process. The blog continues by addressing how it is easy to understand how processed foods can multiply in one’s household when schedules get busy. After all, many of these products were made to be eaten fast or on the go, which can be convenient when there is not a lot of time to be spent on cooking. Alanna describes the recent backlash on this frenzied way of dining called the Slow Food movement, and that while she agrees with sitting down and enjoying her food, she is not quite sure how well it actually works in practice.

I would have to agree with what Alanna is saying here. It is always a great experience to sit down with friends and family and actually enjoy our meals. The accompanied fun stories to catch you up on how everyone’s life is going make things even better. But let’s face it, the lifestyle most people keep these days is the go, go, go kind. There is not a lot of time to sit down and enjoy food, despite how much we may want to. So while this may be a great idea in theory, it may be difficult to apply it to real life.

*image courtesy of google images

Preparing a Meal

Recently, a group of my friends and I got together and decided to have a homemade meal night. The first step was deciding what we all wanted to make. We figured spaghetti would be easy enough, and everyone would each make a different part of the meal, in order to split costs. I got the part of making our sauce, and after remembering how good my mom makes it back home, decided to give her a call to get the proper ingredients. Making this meal was a lot of fun because all of my friends were working towards a common goal: eating really good food. We all got to work in the kitchen together, using the time to relax and not worry about school. Each step was important because we wanted to make sure all the food worked together. You did not want too much sauce, or too many noodles, we had to figure out who was making what, where we were eating, and other little details. It really took some thinking ahead on our parts.

After reading the section in In Defense of Food, I agree with what Pollan has to say. For the most part, we as Americans do not east food to relax and enjoy the food and the company along with it, but merely eat quickly as possible without concerning ourselves with whether or not it actually tastes good, but with the fact that it is low fat and had needed nutrients in it. The blog Blisstree describes how actually taking the time to eat and enjoy our food can overall help us to become healthier.

I think that the meal my friends and I created does not affect my opinion. For the most part we were doing exactly as Pollan describes we should be. We were not concerned about whether or not what we were making was every definition of healthy, but more concerned about whether or not we were having fun together while we made it.

*image taken from google images

Respomse to Chris Tonellato's Blog

In his post, Chris describes how food is important because it helps to sustain us and provides nutrients to help our bodies perform everyday tasks. He continues on to describe how he likes to eat fresh fruit, especially apples, but it is a bit hard to do this when living in a dorm. This is due to the fact that fresh apples can be a bit expensive, and that they do not keep for very long. So instead, Chris has resorted to drinking apple juice more often. Even though Chris now gets a supplement for the apples he enjoys, he still tries to eat fresh ones whenever possible because they hold more nutrients and less sugar then the juice form. Chris even provides a link to a website providing information on how the overall nutrient levels of different foods decrease the more processed they become.

I agree with what Chris is written. Overall, apples are a nutritious and delicious food, but it makes more sense to keep them in juice form when living in a dorm due to expenses, space, and the fact that apple juice lasts longer than fresh apples. Unfortunately, for our convenience this also means having to take in more sugar and less nutrients.

Chris makes a compelling argument by describing exactly why he made the switch and backs up why the fresh apple would be better for him overall by using examples from Pollan’s book and from his web link. Both help to reinforce what Chris is saying and help to make the reader agree more easily. Overall, I would say that this blog is well written and convincing.

*image taken from google images

"Real" Food vs. "Fake" Food

All through growing up, I have been an avid cheese eater. My sister and I used to love eating slices of cheddar and swiss, by themselves or with crackers, as an afterschool snack and we still put tons of parmesan on our spaghetti. Unfortunately, as soon as I went to college, the habit of eating cheese as an after class snack quickly dwindled. This being due to low funds and a dorm fridge that keeps little cold. Now, most of the cheese I eat comes in powder form thanks to the ever popular Kraft Easy Mac, cheese popcorn, and Ritz crackers that are always present in our room. Sadly this can hardly be called a substitute for the real thing.

Not only does this cheese substitute not taste near as great, but they cannot even compare when it comes to nutritional value, and thank goodness none of these products have yet to claim that they do (as far as I am aware anyways). This fact is nicely demonstrated in an article by Scott Kustes, in which he compares the nutritional services of several “fake” foods with their “real” counterparts and why a person is better off going the natural way. I must say though, one of the great things about processed cheese is that you always know it is processed cheese. Characterized by the extremely bright yellow/orange color and the fact that it never actually tastes like the real deal, it is a bit hard to miss amongst the shelves of other foods at the grocery store. The only thing the two share in common is that all cheese, no matter what form, smells like cheese.

Fortunately, I know that as soon as I head back home for break I will gladly be able to partake in the true form of cheese once again.

*image taken from SamCooks.com

Response to Shelby Springer's Blog

Shelby Springer’s blog post, entitled “Preparing a Meal,” summarizes her process of coming up with an idea of a meal to share with her family, purchasing the necessary ingredients, and then making the meal. Shelby describes how she wanted to make something fun that her whole family would enjoy eating, and while it may have been a lot of work, she was proud about the outcome. Shelby says she felt accomplished by the fact she took the time out to plan what would work well together and what she needed ahead of time, making each step seem important. Shelby continues in the post to say that, after reading In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, she agrees with Pollan’s idea that Americans change and process food in order to get what we want out of it, instead of just eating natural foods that already have what we need in them. Shelby finishes with the thought that she did not think that the meal she made effected her view on the overall topic Pollan touches on, be she did notice she shared some similarities with points Pollan made.

Each of Shelby’s ideas are well thought out and supported with examples from Pollan’s book. She also found an article that reinforces the idea that Americans would have less weight problems if they didn’t see eating as a conflict and obsesses over it.

I agree with Shelby’s thoughts on taking pleasure in eating healthier. The ideas she makes are all backed with evidence from one are or another and hold a valid point. I think things would have come across a little bit stronger if she had put more detail about the article she found into the post. Overall Shelby displays a nice argument that is supported with evidence.

*photo taken from google images

How to Use Chopsticks in 3 Easy Steps

The topic of my demonstrative speech was how to use a pair of chopsticks. The overall relevance of this speech was that knowing how to use chopsticks can be fun, can impress your friends, and can be a great way to learn patience. The speech was broken down into three easy to follow steps that were shown once just to see it, and then again with the class trying it out as well. Each step was thoroughly explained and shown to the audience.

The positive aspects of the presentation were that I was loud enough for everyone to hear me and I think that I displayed enthusiasm for the topic. There were chopsticks available for everyone to follow along with what I was doing, so I think the speech held the audience’s attention for the most part. There was adequate eye contact and body language displayed for what was needed in the speech. The negative aspects were that I did tend to move around a lot with my hands and sometimes swayed back and forth on the balls of my feet, which was a bit distraction. I also spoke quite fast, which may have made things difficult to understand at times.

If given the choice, I would probably not have done the same topic again. This is because it made a short speech, and I realized right before I went to give my speech there were instructions right on the chopsticks package. Some changes that I would make would be to speak a lot slower, it sounds like I’m being rushed, and somehow be able to enlarge the image of what I was doing with the chopsticks as it was a bit hard to see it from the back of the room. I could possibly have large photos of each of the steps to aid in this.

*to see the speech, click this link!
**photo taken from google images

Response to Max Kotelnicki'sBlog

In Max Kotelnicki’s blog post, entitled "Speak No More of Food, Only Nutrients," he summarizes some of the ideas behind Michael Pollan’s book In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. Max explains that he agrees with Pollan’s ideas about the fact that we as consumers tend to focus directly on the nutrition facts label upon picking up an item at the grocery store, and that these days most foods on the market are packed with added vitamins and minerals. This causes consumers to think that they are getting the best possible food for their money, when in fact what is being purchased may not be any better than a similar product on the shelf next to it. Max continues on to say that the new marketing on food can lead to consumers believing misleading embellishments. Stickers reading "now [known to] protect against cancer and erectile dysfunction," on a pomegranate may not be as accurate as they seem. This point is proven through some interviews of consumers that show their preference of foods just because of the products image.

Max’s claims are all described clearly and convincingly through his writing. With each point he makes, he clearly backs up with plenty of evidence and quotations from Pollan’s book, not to mention the later interviews that help to defend his point of view.

I agree with the arguments that Max presents. All of his proposed ideas can be proven by walking into any grocery store and looking around, or just taking the time to ask a couple people what their take on a product with "good nutrient" marketing is compared to a similar product without the convincing ploy. I can even say that I personally have been misled into believing a product is better for me because of the “with antioxidants” label displayed. Overall, Max presents a convincing argument that is backed with facts.

Is LeBron right to endorse McDonald's?

The recent LeBron James Big Mac commercial for McDonald’s has kept the celebrity endorsement tradition alive. The ad, first aired during this year’s Super Bowl, is a remake of “The Showdown,” a commercial in which NBA legends Larry Bird and Michael Jordan try to outdo each other in the classic game of H-O-R-S-E in order to win a Big Mac. This time around, the commercial features James versus Dwight Howard, again, accomplishing amazing shots in the competition to win the Big Mac, only to find Larry Bird had already eaten their prize.

LeBron James is a good choice for endorsement of this commercial. Many children all across the country will be watching this, seeing James in this type of setting could lead children to believe that they should follow their dreams, and maybe one day be as successful as James himself. It helps to promote the idea that children can do anything. The article attached helps to support this idea by explaining, “He shares the same values as McDonald's. He's hard working. He's community minded and charity driven. LeBron is also that rare athlete that transcends his sport.” This is a great statement because it represents everything children should strive to be. James is a great role-model for those trying to achieve these goals.

At the same time, it may not be entirely appropriate for a professional athlete to be promoting fast food. After all, considering the rigors he goes through to perform his job, I truly doubt he eats much of the stuff himself.

Despite this, the campaign has been very successful for all parties involved. Not only have both sides made money from the partnership, but James has been given the opportunity to help out with Ronald McDonald house charities which helps improve the lives of so many children and their families around the world.

*to see commercial click on link McDonald's Lebron James Commercial

**McDonald's image taken from google images

Response to In Defense of Food

Basically, what Pollan is trying to say to us is that we should go back to the traditional way of eating. None of this business about vitamins, nutrient-enriched and omega-3's. Back to a time when dinner was about good food and good company--not how much protein and vitamin A is in the meatloaf. As a nation, we need to stop processing, altering, and genetically engineering our food in the quest to make us "healthier" but instead take food for its face value.

Pollan makes a point with the idea that we should stop trying to adjust the things that should already be healthy for us. After all, do cows really need to eat flax seed so that they have the same nutrient quantity as fish? Every other nation gets along fine without feeling the need to do any of this, yet health-conscious America is so focused on inventing new ways to become healthier. Instead of focusing on one specific nutrient or vitamin, for example in an orange, that could possibly play a part in preventing heart disease (and then of course adding that one specific nutrient or vitamin to everything we eat), thought should be put into the concept that it is more than just that one thing that could make the orange so beneficial to our health.

Another side to this argument is that the changes intended to help our food become better for us, may in fact be doing the opposite. The need for hydrogenated vegetable oils that were supposed to revolutionize healthier cooking, we are now finding out may actually be harming us in the long run. In fact, they may be a contributor to the problems with our health. This could mean that some of the other developments being made are just as damaging, scientists are just not yet aware of the long term effects.

*Picture taken from Google images