Life After Elon

After a week of being home I have started to realize that our final project did have a lasting impact on my lifestyle. I have yet to eat fast food, turning it down on multiple occasions and I have spread my knowledge of healthy living styles to my family. My parents however were already a step ahead of me. They go food shopping at Adam’s Fairacre Farms, a local food store which supports local businesses around the area. They not only carry local products but have a large selection of organic foods. Places such as this our becoming more popular and need to be in order to have less impact on our environment.

After seeing everyone’s final presentations I have made some changes in my house other than food. We no longer have bottle waters in our home, use paper towels or use paper plates. Simple changes like using the Brita filter and using a more permanent water bottle, using a towel rather than paper ones and using reusable plates than paper ones make a big difference.

This project has had an everlasting impact on my lifestyle. We are the generation that needs to address our problems directly so we have a healthier, safer future. It is our responsibility to educate ourselves and spread this knowledge throughout our community. As the summer progresses I will continue to spread what I have learned over the semester to make my community a more sustainable environment.

Wrapping it up!

So, as this semester comes to a close, we reflect on what we've gotten out of this blog activity. It really isn't so hard to eat healthy after all.

We'd be surprised how much of the food we eat isn't in season! And that sometimes there is nothing in season (in those cases, how do we know what to eat?) at all. We learned that the summer is the best time for berries and such, and that the costs of transporting all of our fruits, meats, and vegetables, is much more than the costs of the fruits and vegetables themselves - then where does the money go? Someone, somewhere, is getting the short end of the stick, and because we have high demands as a result of our throwaway and convenient lifestyles (especially in the United States), the food market is more than willing to transport foods as long as there is profit being made somewhere down the road.

Awareness. That is something that is most key concerning the environment, and anything, really. With a greater awareness of what we are putting into our bodies, and making sure that it is not infused with pesticides or irradiated, we can also determine what is better for the greater good of the environment as a whole. Eating organic doesn't have to be expensive, either. That may be the most tangible thing we've taken away from this assignment - it is possible for a college student on a budget to eat organic and eat healthy!

So, to conclude, eating healthy and organic is not as hard as it's all cracked up to be! Elon students can do it! Take a page out of this blog, go to the supermarket, and try and buy foods that are good for the environment.

-Global Food Group

Organic Living!

So last week Genevieve and I went shopping for organic food. We started out at a farmer's market off of Church Street; the farmer there told us that he did not have any fruit or vegetables that were in season, all he had were canned goods and flowers. I bought apple butter which was organic from the farmer, and it is divine. We then decided to go to a grocery store that would carry lots of organic food. We choose Lowes Foods since we did not know where a Whole Foods is. There are a surprisingly high number of organic food choices offered at Lowes Foods; the company that offers organic choices is called Full Choices. I actually did not buy anything from the Full Circle brand but I did buy other natural or organic food items. I bought True North 100% Apple Cinnamon Nut Clusters which are ABSOLUTELY delicious! I also bought the Lowes Foods brand string cheese, which although not advertised as being so, are organic. I bought Amy's organic frozen macaroni and cheese which were good but needed more salt in my opinion. Lastly, I bought challa bread to eat my apple butter with.

The food is all really good, but I knew it would be. My mother and I love to cook and we are planning on cooking lots of organic meals this summer.

Whole Foods

I traveled home this weekend so that I could visit my family for mother's day and decided to share what I have been doing in class. My family was very interested in trying new recipes and wanted me prepare something over the weekend. I am not a great cook, but last night I used left over grilled chicken to make a salad. I found a recipe online and went to Whole Foods in Hillsborough to buy a few ingredients for the salad. Whole Foods is grocery store that mainly caries organic products. Most of their products are also locally grown. I bought peaches, a red onion, pecans, and a head of lettuce for under 10 dollars. I prepared the salad and then made home-made peach-pecan vinaigrette dressing that was easy to make. The grilled chicken salad turned out very well and my family was surprised that I was taking the time to be healthy. This was a very healthy meal and was very simple to prepare.

GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD WITH PEACH-PECAN VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients

1/4 cup toasted pecans, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped candied ginger (optional)
3 peaches, pitted and sliced
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 red onion, sliced
1 head lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
10 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts and/or thighs, grilled and chopped

Method

Purée pecans, vinegar, ginger, one-third of the peaches, 2 to 4 tablespoons water, salt and pepper in a food processor until smooth. If desired, press through a fine sieve for a silkier dressing. Transfer to a large bowl. Add remaining peaches, onion, lettuce and chicken and toss to combine; garnish with more pecans.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 11.5oz/328g-wt.): 200 calories (60 from fat), 7g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 40mg cholesterol, 130mg sodium, 18g total carbohydrate (5g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 18g protein

Easy Organic Meals

When googling "Organic Recipes" this website was the first one I came across. "The Organic Dish" These meals start out with the freshest natural and organic ingredients. All ingredients are bought from local Colorado farmers and rancher. Buying locally ensures maximum quality and freshness, supports the local economy, and minimizes transportation which results in less greenhouse gases. The meals containing poultry comes from Rosie Organic Chicken from Petaluma in California. Beef and pork is all natural (not organic). Natural raised beef and pork are animals are raised without antibiotics, growth promotents, preservatives and hormones and not fed animal byproducts. Fish is wild caught fish, all fish is low in mercury and P.C.B. and sustainably harvested. All meals can be modified for vegetarians needs and other special needs. Here are the steps in ordering your meals. 1. Select your main dishes 2. Select your side dishes 3. Select your your delivery options 4. Review your order 5. Checkout. They offer convenient local home and office delivery of our frozen organic meal kits every week. They deliver to locations in Denver and Boulder County. Although buying organic meals can become expensive but all deliveries over $200 or more are FREE!

http://www.theorganicdish.com/

- Andi Cochran

Global Warming

Global warming is the heating of the earth and the melting of the ice sheets due to the amount of Carbon Dioxide in the earths atmosphere however, the issue we are choosing to focus on is climate change. Climate change is global warming in edition to all the things it effects including the ecosystems, animals, migration patterns ect. Climate change is a serious issue that if not confronted now, will have a terrible effect on us in the future. Despite the mounds of information, research and scientific evidence, ignorance is still prevalent in our society. Although, the debate over the existence of global warming is supposedly over, others continue to question its significance. Part of this is related to how one person can have a relative positive effect on the environment. One small change can have a huge effect on the planet. Take for example, The Boy Who Harness the Wind. His dream for supporting his village with wind power, allowed him to responsibly help his community. A final and extremely important issue to consider is the economy. China is a prime example of large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions, due to the hundreds of coal plants built per year. At the rate China is going, they will have to take a larger and aggressive step towards saving our earth.

- Michael, Genevieve, Andi, Melissa

Cooking Friendly

After watching An Inconvenient Truth in class it got me thinking of ways I can reduce my own effect on the environment and since this is a blog about food I decided to research environmentally friendly cooking practices. After doing a quick Google search I found solar panel cookers. You can go out to a store or go online and purchase a solar cooker for relatively cheap. If you are willing to spend around $50 then this is a great option to reduce your effect. Another option which is even more environmentally friendly would be to build your own out of objects that can be found around your house. Here is a link with over a dozen different solar cooker designs that can easily be built:

http://solarcooking.org/plans/

When I go home I will attempt to build one of these cookers and see how it works out. This is a simple thing that can put less strain on our environment. If we all look into small things such as this we will be able to significantly reduce of effect on our Earth.

An afternoon excursion!

Today, we decided to take a little field trip out to the lovely town of Burlington to see what we could discover about organic foods and local foods! Melissa and I first went to the farmer's market near the McDonald's right outside of our beloved Elon (the farmer's market outside Parish House is on Thursdays from 3-6:30 as we learned, if anyone is interested!!).

After taking a look around at the sparse options, we questioned the farmer in charge, and he told us that there are actually no foods in season in North Carolina right now, but that strawberries, cantaloupe, and broccoli are all starting up! Unfortunately, he was not able to give us much more information than that or tell us about any organic food markets or co-ops nearby in Burlington, and after some calls, we decided to check out the "organic" and "all-natural" food options at Lowe's foods. Although we will elaborate more on our discoveries there during our final presentation, we did discover the brand that seemed to be everywhere, and actually was organic - the Organic Full Circle logo was what we continuously looked for in every aisle. My groceries consisted of:

• 2 Amy's quick frozen dinners, on sale for 2/$5 (if this sounds familiar, think of the Amy's frozen products sold in the Fountain Market in downstairs Colonnades - that's right! Elon is trying to sell us natural frozen foods! Finally, some progress with food on campus! )
• a 24-pack of mozzarella cheese sticks (which were Lowe's food brand, but had the exact same ingredients as the Horizon organic cheese sticks, of which there were only 6 and they were twice the price)
• organic chips
• organic salsa

Although these will probably not feed me for two whole days, I will get two whole organic, all-natural meals out of this! My total came to about $16, pretty good for organic grocery shopping, I'd say, using a Lowe's card and the handy paper they hand out at the front of the store!

But wait! There's more! The RecycleMania group will be happy to hear that I remembered to ask for PAPER bags at the checkout! (Although we did realize that we forgot our sustainability cloth re-usable grocery bags, we still tried to do as much as we could to help Mother Earth :) )

-Genevieve D'Cruz

Organic Shopping and Cooking

I love cooking; I took four years of culinary arts classes in high school. my mother loves to have me use up ingredients in the fridge when I come home. This weekend, we had some organic broccoli in the fridge, so I decided to do a completely organic entrée dish. I googled "organic broccoli recipes" and I found one entitled "Fresh Herb Organic Broccoli Tossed with Pasta, Toasted Pine Nuts & Parmesan Cheese". The recipe calls for olive oil, organic garlic, organic broccoli, white wine, organic chicken stock (or vegetable if you are going vegetarian), pine nuts, organic lemon, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and various fresh herbs (I used basil and oregano and Italian parsley). The skill level of the dish was very easy and my family loved it (except for my fourteen year old brother who will not touch anything green). I brought the recipe to school and am planning on cooking it during exams for my friends that I live with.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons olive oil
6 garlic cloves
1 1/2 lb Broccoli, cut into florets and small stem pieces
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup of pine nuts
1 cup fresh herbs
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Method:

Cut broccoli from the stems and into small florets. Trim and shave off dry ends stems (if necessary) and slice thin.

Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic, broccoli, white wine, and chicken stock to pan and pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 30-45 minutes over medium high heat until fork-tender and broccoli is falling apart.

While broccoli is simmering, toast pine nuts in a dry pan over medium low heat
until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Once broccoli is done, combine it in the food processor with pine nuts, herbs, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese. Blend until slightly chunky.

Toss broccoli mix with cooked pasta, add olive oil (if necessary) to loosen it up a bit. Taste for seasoning.

Serve and enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Wraps

After being sick of fast food I decided to change it up a little bit. A few of my friends decided to bring out the grill last night to make dinner. Deciding to make a healthy dinner I had the idea to look up a easy recipe and try it. I went to the grocery store and bought a few ingredients but I decided to go with a bag of chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken to feed more people. I ended up spending around 20 dollars for 6 people. Which comes out to 4 dollars a person.

Ingredients

• 1 chicken, cut in half
• Salt and pepper
• Grilling sauce, recipe follows
• Wheat Wraps
• Honey Mustard
• Lettuce

Directions

Season cut up chicken with salt and pepper. When coals are white, spread them out for even heat distribution. Place chicken pieces on the grill with larger, fattier pieces (such as the thigh) near the center and smaller pieces to the outside. Brush grilling sauce on chicken through the cooking process and turn chicken as needed. Move chicken toward the outside as the leaner pieces (such as the breast) get done. Brush with grilling sauce just prior to removing from grill. Serve warm.

The meal was very easy and healthy. Not only did I have the sense of satisfaction of eating a healthy meal, it also felt good to know that I made the dinner. The meal was low in fat and in calories, and had a high source of protein. I was very pleased with myself to not settle for the convenient fast food restaurants around campus for once.

Friday, April 30, 2010 - Mcdonald's Happy Meals

Today I went to Mcdonald's because I love there sweet tea. I pull into the drive through, three SUV's sat in front of me. All three SUV's either had a soccer mom sticker, or the cute family stickers with mom, dad, the ballerina, the football star and max the dog. Cute, but I thought to myself, these moms/dads must be getting happy meals for their children. I understand in today's world we are constantly on the go and mom/dad have less time to stay at home and cook a home cook meal, nor do they have the money to fork out for an in home cook. What is the solution you ask? Happy Meals or so you thought. Yes at younger ages children's metabolisms are so much better than those of their parents but to support such an active playful child, children need a balanced diet and they are definitely not getting it from chicken nuggets/cheeseburger, french fries and a soda. Up until a few years ago, Mcdonald's happy meals should have NEVER been the solution, but now if there isn't time to make dinner these happy meals may not be such a bad choice if the correct sides are chosen. Thankfully Mcdonald's has come to terms with the unhealthy side and offers alternatives to french fries and soda. A kids happy meal comes with either a hamburger, cheeseburger, or chicken nuggets a choice of a soft drink, low fat milk or apple juice and a choice of french fries or apple dippers. Attached below is a link for the nutrition facts for the many different options for a child's happy meal.

http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/Happy_Meals_Nutrition_List.pdf

Thanks to Mcdonal's additional options for their happy meals, children are now able to eat healthy. Ordering a child's happy with chicken nuggets, apple dippers and an apple juice is just 380 calories, 12 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, and 57 carbohydrates.

- Andi Cochran

Cellulite into Car Fuel? Small Chance

Throughout the country, many people are creating ideas that are changing the way we act and think towards the environment. Every person knows that there has been trouble in the environment and that there are many different problems; therefore, many different solutions have been created that some believe to have the potential to help solve the problems we are facing as a nation. As we saw in class, people are even beginning to live in caves because they know that they will have no impact on the destruction of the environment and can live happily in this small residence. Another idea that I found was also on yert.com; a woman, who worked under the Bush administration, believes that we can eliminate the country's problems of obesity and dependence on foreign oil by converting human cellulite into fuel for cars. Like many people who were questioned, I was unaware that a process such as this was even possible.

Plastic surgeons and fast food restaraunts are profound supporters of this idea, but I think its borderline ridiculous. It is absurd that they are encouraging children to become fat so that the children can use their fat to eventually power their cars in the future. The woman that is the spokesperson for this concept says that Chevy has already created cars that would be able to function normally if they were cellulite dependent. However, I still believe that this idea is one of the most ridiculous ideas that I have ever seen or heard about. Most of the country is complaining that many people are overweight, yet this idea is just encouraging more children to become obese, explaining that these children will be seen as "being patriotic". She says that this idea will cause the environment to benefit from it because there are less CO2 emissions, the idea will diminish our dependence on foreign oil, and it would help eliminate the obesity problem in adults in the United States because liposuction will now be acceptable. All of these are pressing issues in society, but I believe there are much more practical solutions to these problems than converting cellulite into car fuel.

Healthy Dinner

I thought today I would post a recipe that promotes eating healthy. This meal seems a bit complex but as long as you have a microwave in your room you could make this for dinner one night.

BBQ Chicken Burritos

INGREDIENTS

· 1 2-pound roasted chicken, skin discarded, meat removed from bones and shredded (4 cups)

· 1/2 cup prepared barbecue sauce

· 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed

· 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed, or canned corn, drained

· 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

· 4 leaves romaine lettuce

· 4 10-inch whole-wheat tortillas

· 2 limes, cut in wedges

PREPARATION

1. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, barbecue sauce, beans, corn and sour cream; stir to combine. Cook until hot, 4 to 5 minutes.

2. Assemble the wraps by placing a lettuce leaf in the center of each tortilla and topping with one-fourth of the chicken mixture; roll as you would a burrito. Slice in half diagonally and serve warm, with lime wedges.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 353 calories; 9 g fat (3 g sat, 3 g mono); 82 mg cholesterol; 40 g carbohydrates; 33 g protein; 5 g fiber; 579 mg sodium; 39 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Fiber (24% daily value), Iron (20% dv).

2 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 21/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 4 very lean meat

Aramark

I decided to scout out the CampusDish website, which is the website run by Aramark and Elon Dining Services, to check out what they claim about Elon's food, and what seems to actually be true. I had a banana this morning, but because they are grown in tropical regions, I did not consider that to be a food that might have been chemically engineered, although it probably was chemically engineered in some way.

Something I found interesting was that the website mentioned trans fats, especially in the fryer oil. the U.S. FDA required food processors to label their foods with trans fat content. Up to 40% of the 31 billion pounds of oil that Americans consume PER YEAR is hydrogenated, meaning it is very high in trans fat. The website said that, "ARAMARK worked with suppliers, dietitians and chefs to identify a product that provides the same great taste consumers enjoy in a non-hydrogenated corn and sunflower oil containing zero grams of trans fats." Clearly, Elon Dining Services are claiming to have zero trans fats in all of the foods that we consume here on campus. The website was actually very helpful, and surprisingly offered many different links, such as links to healthy websites, helpful cooking tips and recipes, and links to health and wellness resources. It seems that Elon really is trying to work with Aramark in order to create healthier, more balanced students. The link to the website is below. I really think that if we promoted this website more (I doubt Elon students ever even read it) that we might end up with healthier students.

Elon Dining Services (Fresh and Healthy):

http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSSE/Elon/FreshHealthy/

-Genevieve D'Cruz

Boar's Head

Tonight for dinner I had a sandwich from Boar's Head Deli. It was ciabatta bread with roasted chicken, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, and Cajun mayonnaise. After visiting multiple sites and making many phone calls, I came to the same conclusion as the other person who had Boar's Head. You cannot find out where their meat comes from. It is legitimately impossible. All of their products are gluten free though! They also have no fillers, artificial flavors, colors, or trans fat. The meat does not seem to be unreasonably unhealthy; it is quite high in sodium though. The mozzarella cheese is quite high in saturated fat.

The website offers many different recipes; they even have a special section for 100 calorie recipes using their products. They also have recipes that have been reviewed by the American Diabetes Association.

Overall Boar's Head products are delicious; they are not unhealthy either. The website is very interesting and informative (unless you are trying to find out where the products are grown!)

Dominos

Last night I was hungry for a late night meal and decided to go with domino's pizza. I ordered a large cheese pizza with thin crust. While pizza is not the healthiest meal. I thought that by ordering thin crust would make the pizza a little more healthier. Also by me not sharing any of the pizza and eating almost the whole pizza really racked up on the calories. Not only did the pizza make me feel horrible but I am now thinking about what I am putting into my body making me feel even worse.

A cheese pizza is made up of dough with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese topping it off. The cheese is fresh and the marinara sauce is shipped along with the pre-made dough from the manufactures. There is a manufacturing company in North Carolina so the gas for a truck to come to Elon, NC, is only few hundred dollars in gas. But the nutritional facts is what really surprised me. There are 8 portions in a pizza and each portion has about 200 calories, 9 grams of fat, 400 grams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of sugar. Knowing that my intake is 8 times the amount of theses numbers is a little scary. Pizza is not a great food choice because of the high amount of calories and carbs. If you are trying to stay fit stay away from pizza.

Baked, Boiled, Creamed, Fried, Mashed and More!

Last night I left with my roommate and headed to her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina and it wouldnt be a trip home if we didn't stop by Grandma's and Grandpa's house for a home cooked meal. I was thrilled when I was told mashed potatoes was one of the many sides to my meal. Although not technically in season at the moment, potatoes can be found in any super market if it is on your grocery list. But I got to thinking, part of our project is to for two days only eat what is in season from the local farmers market. Yes, this is going to be a challenge but I took it upon my self to look into the many ways of serving potatoes seeing as they are one of my favorite foods. I stumbled upon this website, http://www.100potatorecipes.com/ giving recipes for not only mashed or fried, but boiled, creamed and baked. With so many options in cooking, it should be easy to eat items that are only in season.

I was very interested to see what all healthy grown potatoes contained. You look in grocery stores and potatoes can be bought in so many forms; bagged, canned or even frozen. How can the items be healthy for our bodies? Its obviously not natural, and must loose a ton of its nutritional value. I took a look at the nutrition facts and this is what I found.

Calories 278 Calories from Fat 3

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 0.4g 1%

Saturated Fat 0.1g 1%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 30mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 63.2g 21%

Dietary Fiber 6.6g 26%

Sugars 3.5g

Protein 7.5g

When rated, potatoes received an A. Although high in Carbohydrates, potatoes are a great source of fiber and protein and if balanced in a diet correctly can be very beneficial for you. Now Im not saying make this apart of every meal that you sit down and have. Buying locally supports your local farmers and helps produce a better product for both you and your family. But with the changing of seasons embrace this delicious vegetable!

-Andi Cochran

http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/23/2/163

This article examines the effects that consuming fast food has on males and females above the age of twenty and helps us understand how this may affect different aspects of their body. One in four(about 26.5%) adults reported to eating fast food regularly, and those who consumed more fast food were higher in energy and energy density. This fast food provided more than one-third of the energy they used during the day; the people who reported eating fast food also had higher body mass index and were more noticeably overweight than those adults who did not consume fast food. A diet of fast food results in a diet of high energy and low in essential micronutrient density.

The article goes in depth to explain that people have come to rely on fast food because their work days have become longer and they have less time to prepare a home-cooked meal, as well as it is cheap for a parent to feed a larger family. The people that were surveyed were divided into different categories to see how fast-food eaters could be broken down. The higher household incomes that lived in suburban areas were associated the most with eating fast food, while African Americans reported eating fast food more than any other race. Those living in the Midwest were more likely to eat fast food(30%, highest) than all other regions, especially the Northeast (20%, lowest). One of the most notable statistics was the decrease of consumption of fast food as the subjects' ages increased. Adults in their 20's were 4.5 times more likely to consume fast food than 50+ adults and were 3times more likely than adults in their thirties.

Males who consumed fast food had 500more calories for energy than those who did not; they also averaged twice as many carbonated soft-drinks. These people's diets also lacked calcium and magnesium, nutrients that are essential to bone health. The more fast food people consume, the lower their micronutrient density will be. The body mass index of those who did not consume fast food was much healthier than those who consumed fast food. Fast food intake by adults continues to grow; more fast food restaurants continue to appear throughout the country and the world, making them very difficult to avoid. Small doses of fast food will not have vast effects on the body; however, if consumption of fast food is not monitored, than the horrible effets will be evident.

-Michael Malgieri

Boar's Head

Today after class I decided to have a sandwich from the Boar’s Head Deli which is located in downstairs Colonnades. I ate a rotisserie chicken sandwich with lettuce, peppers and oil & vinegar on a sub roll. With the sandwich I also ate a bag of Lay’s Barbecue chips and had a Cherry Coke. Trying to figure out where the meat from Boar’s Head was harder than I thought it was going to be. After researching and making a few phone calls I ended up with nothing. They refused to give out their information due to “security” reasons. The lady on the phone did tell me that all meat comes from USDA approved farms and that all of their meat’s are domestically raised except for some pork which is raised in Canada. I found that the Lay’s bag of chips that I ate was from their factory in Charlotte, North Carolina and that the soda I drank came from Atlanta, Georgia. It takes a total of 540 miles just to get the soda and chips to the school. This does not even include the products for the sandwich. At the minimum it still costs over $250 to ship a 2 products that only cost $2 total. This seems outrageous and unnecessary.

As the project continues to go on I have learned that I need to start eating healthier. From now on I am going to drink water instead of other drinks whenever available and I will avoid fast food as much as possible. Although this is a little change it will help put less strain on the environment in the long run.

Seasonal Strawberries and More!

In the spirit of Earth Week, I decided to change up the blog entry some and do a little bit of scouting around to see what I could find about in-season foods. Interestingly enough, happened stumble onto an adorable little website that tells us what foods are in season in North Carolina year-round! Broccoli, leafy greens, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and strawberries are what we should be looking into right around April! And if you’re really craving some corn, there might be some fresh corn around town. But those apples we love so much and eat almost every day? Those are only fresh from mid-August to mid-February, so maybe stick with something like strawberries, watermelon, and blueberries this summer (not that anyone is trying to stay away from these amazing fruits, anyway, right?).

Check it out! http://www.agr.state.nc.us/markets/availabilitychart.pdf

Now, anybody up for a little bit of cooking? Here’s a fun (only 6-step!!) recipe I found to make fresh strawberry jam with our in-season spring strawberries. And it’s so easy that we could even make it on our very own campus (no joke)!

All you need is:

-2 cups of fresh strawberries

-3-4 teaspoons of sugar

-1-2 teaspoons of lime juice

Instructions:

1. Finely chop up the strawberries

2. Mix the strawberries with the sugar in a pot and cook the mixture over a low heat. Start with only a small amount of sugar and add more to taste, depending on how sweet you want the jam.

3. Stir the mixture often while mashing the strawberries with the back of the ladle. If you prefer your jam smooth instead of chunky, after the strawberries have started to soften and break down, pour the mixture into a blender. Blend to the desired consistency and then pour it back into the pan and continue cooking over low heat.

4. MAKE SURE IT DOESN’T BURN! Keep the heat on low and leave it on the stove, stirring every few minutes.

5. After the jam is as thick as you want it (remember, this is not jelly, so the mixture will never become jelly-like), take it off the heat and let it cool. Then add some lime juice to taste.

6. Put your homemade jam in a clean bottle, and store it in the fridge. Enjoy however you like!

Maybe with a loaf of homemade bread from the Farmer’s Market? Every Tuesday out at Parish House near Elon Community Church! Which is exactly where our group will be venturing in a week to check out some yummy, locally grown foods.

Thanks to http://one-change.com/blog/2007/06/fresh-strawberry-jam-recipe-pectin-free/ for the jam recipe!

-Genevieve D'Cruz

Monday April 19

Today I am still not feeling well so for dinner I had a Michelina's frozen four-cheese manicotti.

INGREDIENTS: CHEESE MANICOTTI (RICOTTA CHEESE [WHEY, WHOLE MILK, CREAM, VINEGAR], ENRICHED DURUM FLOUR [DURUM WHEAT, NIACIN, FERROUS, SULFATE, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID], WATER, BUTTER BLEND [LIQUID SOYBEAN OIL, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, WATER, BUTTER, SALT, BUTTERMILK, VEGETABLE MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, SOY LECITHIN, POTASSIUM SORBATE AND CITRIC ACID ADDED AS PRESERVATIVES, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, COLORED WITH BETA CAROTENE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE ADDED], SALT, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, HALF AND HALF [MILK, CREAM, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM CITRATE, CARRAGEENAN], MALTODEXTRIN, EGGS, SOYBEAN OIL, CHEDDAR CHEESE [PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES, POTATO STARCH AND POWDERED CELLULOSE ADDED TO PREVENT CAKING], CHEESE FLAVORING [CHEDDAR CHEESE {PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES}, WHEY, SALT AND DISODIUM PHOSPHATE], PARMESAN CHEESE [PASTEURIZED PART SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES], ROMANO CHEESE [PASTEURIZED SHEEP'S MILK, RENNET, BACTERIAL CULTURE, SALT], DRIED PARSLEY, GARLIC, ONION FLAKES, SPICES), WATER, TOMATO PASTE, TOMATOES (TOMATOES, TOMATO JUICE, CALCIUM CHLORIDE, CITRIC ACID), ONIONS, LESS THAN 2% OF MARGARINE (LIQUID AND HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, WATER, SALT, VEGETABLE MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, BHA & BHT ADDED TO PROTECT FLAVOR, VITAMIN A PALMITATE AND VITAMIN D3 ADDED), SUGAR, SALT, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, PARMESAN CHEESE (PASTEURIZED CULTURED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), SPICES, GRANULATED GARLIC.

The four-cheese manicotti is manufactured in Duluth, Minnesota. to get to the Lowe's Foods in Elon, NC the manicotti travels 1,218 miles. With gas costing an average of $1.80 per gallon and the average truck getting 6 miles a gallon, it costs Michelina's $365.40 to ship the frozen meals.

One of the ingredients, Carrageenan, has been studied for a long time and might cause gastro-intestinal cancer. But it has also been shown to be preventative towards HPV, so you can just take your chances with it and hope it helps but doesnt harm.

I would not recommend this meal to anyone. Not only is it a tiny portion and not so yummy, but it has very questionable ingredients.

Starbucks

Coming home from my sister's volleyball tournament my family and I decided to stop by Starbucks Coffee for a quick snack and a coffee. Starbucks has been known for just having coffee on their menu's with a few snacks. But now they have expanded to have their own food menu to meet the needs of hungry coffee drinker's. I have never had any experience with any of Starbucks food items before. I was very surprised of the selection and decided to go with the Bacon, Gouda Cheese and Egg Frittata on a Artisan Roll. I enjoyed the breakfast sandwich and was pleased with the quality of the components on the sandwich.

The 380 calories in the sandwich seemed a little high for such a small portion of food. Their were 20 grams of fat, 175 mg of cholesterol, 1050 mg of sodium, and 31 grams of Carbohydrates. I wouldn't say that this sandwich is a healthy choice for a snack. The sandwich is at a reasonable price at $3.95 with a venti coffee. The ingredients were shipped from the distribution center in Seattle, Washington, to the distribution center in North Carolina. The distance between these two locations is about 2,400 miles. With the gas price at a average of $2.75 the price to ship these items by truck would cost about 1,000 dollars. The cost to ship these items are way to high in price, and there needs to be a way around this. The quality of the ingredients are fresh and nothing is processed. This sandwich was a quality snack that I would recommend.

Adam Gilmore

Friday, April 16, 2010 - Bagel Bites = Convenience

After showing the video we showed in class I was curious to see what preservatives were really in my food. Not having Friday classes makes Bagels Bites a very convenient food, so today I had bagel bites again. But are convenient foods always best? I wanted to look deeper into what is really in a bagel bite when you move past the bagel, sauce, cheese and pepperonis. There has to be a ton of preservatives to keep these bagel bites fresh and last longer inside the freezers at grocery stores. Bagel bites contain the ingredient Methylcellulose which is a hydrophilic white powder in pure form and dissolves in cold (but not in hot) water, forming a clear viscous solution or gel. This ingredient is often added to hair shampoos, tooth pastes and liquid soaps. Although in some forms very beneficial I am not so sure I really want to be putting this ingredient in my body. Food companies today are marketing to customers about how convenient their product is, should they really be doing this. The link I posted below shows bagels bites at its finest; convenient. All and all although a good convenient snack for people of all ages, not the best idea.

http://vimeo.com/1754738

- Andi Cochran

Eating Habits

After watching the video earlier this week about "No Impact Man" and his family who were able to make a difference in the environment for the entire year by changing how they live, I attempted to change my eating habits for the next week to see how much of a difference I could make as a single person. I found out that changing my eating habits to eating more "environment-friendly" as a struggling college student is not very easy. It was difficult to change becasue I am a casual fast-food eater, as it is convenient for the small amounts of free time i have to get food, and also because the food is cheap, helping me save money. In addition, even though the weather is changing and farmers are in a great period for producing delicious food, I have never been someone who eats large amounts of vegetables and fruits. Therefore, I was forced out of my element to go to a local market to get food that is growing in season. Even though I believed I made some smart purchases, the food was not nearly as satisfying as my usual meals. The entire day I felt as if I had less energy and was unable to act like myself. I know if I continue this process of eating "environment-freindly" that this depleted energy will most likely change over the longrun; however, this is something that I do not believe I can make permanent. After all, the best part of this process is that as more time passes, I am just getting closer to having another delicious Cook-out style burger to satisfy my late-night hunger.

Qdoba!

This afternoon after my classes my friend and I wanted to grab a bite to eat. We decided to go to one of our favorite fast food restaurants, Qdoba. For those that don’t know Qdoba’s is a national fast food chain. Its menu has burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, tacos and salads. I ordered a chicken burrito with double chicken, mild salsa, sour cream, cheese and lettuce. This meal has over 1000 calories, 40 grams of fat, 50 grams of protein and over 100 grams of carbohydrates. This meal is a better alternative then it some food options on our campus. It is not covered in grease or filled with cholesterol that will clog my arteries.

The ingredients that the Qdoba in Burlington comes from Grand Rapids, Michigan. The ingredients are provided Gordon Food Services. It is approximately 780 miles to have these products shipped from Michigan to Burlington, North Carolina. An average 18 wheeler gets about 6 miles per gallon. That’s 130 gallons of gas from the truck to complete the trip. The average of diesel gas in America in $3.03 per gallon which means this trip would cost almost $400 just to ship the goods. I am having trouble abandoning the convenience of fast food but as this experiment continues my habits of buying fast food is becoming more limited.

-Mike O'Connor

Quaker Minis!

Today, I decided to partake in one of my favorite snacks, which I also assume to be healthy, Quaker Minis. These are mini rice cakes that come in multiple flavors. The minis I chose to eat were cinnamon sugar Multigrain Minis. This specific flavor of minis claims to promote heart health, be low in fat, and have 0 grams of trans fat. Although there is nothing strong-tasting about this snack, and it doesn't fill one up too much, it does claim to contain soy ingredients and has 1 gram of protein in each serving. The preservative used in this snack are tocopherols, or TCPs, which are series of organic compounds with Vitamin E activity. These tocopherols have been shown to have a relationship with cancer and Alzheimer's, not necessarily negatively, but if taken in too high a content, it may hurt the consumer. Hmm...seems that these may not be as bad as most other shelf foods.

Monday April 12

So yesterday I was sick. And in between going to the Doctor and getting my medicine from Target, I had a craving for McDonald's. I got my favorite fast food dessert item: 2 baked apple pies for 1 dollar.

Baked Hot Apple Pie:
Apples (citric acid, ascorbic acid, salt), enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, shortening [palm oil, soy lecithin, artificial flavor, beta carotene (color)], food starch-modified, contains 2% or less of the following: sorbitol, sugar, palm oil, palm kernel oil, dextrose, brown sugar, apple powder (dehydrated apples, citric acid), sodium alginate, dicalcium phosphate, sodium citrate, salt, spices, yeast, L-cysteine, natural (plant source) and artificial flavors, annatto and turmeric (color), caramel color.

CONTAINS: WHEAT AND SOY LECITHIN.

So the person I talked to had no idea where the apples were from. I tried to look it up online but I cannot find it. I did find lots of rumors online that state that McDonald's does not even use apples in their apple pies; they use potatoes or pears and apple flavoring. That is a lie. The first ingredient in the Baked Hot Apple Pie is apples, so I think they are actually in there.

In 1992, the apple pie went from being fried to being baked in an effort for McDonald's to become a bit healthier. I read that this decision was met with distaste; the baked apple pie is nowhere near as good as the fried according to many die-hard McDonalder's.

The nutrition facts say that 1 pie has 260 calories and 20% of my daily intake of fat. So let's say that you buy 2 for 1 dollar (which everyone does, it's essentially how they are sold!). I, for one, eat both of them. An apple pie is no good eaten from a cardboard container 5 hours later. So I eat both of them in one sitting. That is now 520 calories and 40% of my daily intake of fat! I can't even imagine what the fried apple pie was like.

Cook Out

Early this morning around 1:30 am I drove to Cook Out and ordered a regular cheese burger with chili and slaw and a milkshake. As I starting eating the burger all I could think about was where did the meat come from. But even though I knew the quality of food was not great I still was too hungry to not eat it. There are many times early in the morning around 1 or 2 am when I crave something hot to eat. No dining halls or on campus restaurant's are open at this hour so the only other option is late night fast food. A famous fast food restaurant near campus is Cook Out. Cook Out has cheap food and stays open till 4am every night. The most expensive thing on Cook Outs menu is only $3.69. It's the perfect place for college kids to get food late at night. It may not be the healthiest food but it will definitely satisfy your hunger. You also have to think about the quality of the food when they are selling it for so cheap.

After doing some research the quality of meat is not as bad as I thought. The beef is fresh and the chicken is real. The fruit that is in the milkshakes are also fresh. As I was looking at the nutritional facts I wasn't surprised by the high numbers of calories and fat. With almost 1,000 calories and 55 grams of fat in one burger is not healthy. The cost to package and transport the food was not much at all because the headquarters are in Greensboro, NC. There is only a short 20 miles to Elon from Greensboro. Cook Out is a great restaurant that is very convenient for many kids. The quality of the meat is a step ahead of every other restaurant but it is still very unhealthy for you.

Friday, April 9, 2010 - Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwich

Sorry I am posting so late, I spent the day in Raleigh with my mom and after a lot of research was able to find every little ingredient that is put into a Jimmy Dean Sausage Biscuit. Today I went into Danieley Commons to finish up a homework assignment before leaving for Raleigh. I ran in grabbed a breakfast sandwich and a cup of water. When I sat down to eat it although not exactly the taste I wanted, it satisfied my hunger. After leaving class on Thursday with the discussion of the numerous ingredients in my food in which I could not even pronounce, I wanted to know what was in this sandwich. Here are the ingredients the website lists:

BISCUIT: BLEACHED ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (MAY CONTAIN MALTED BARLEY FLOUR AND ENZYMES, CONTAINS NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), WATER, VEGETABLE SHORTENING (PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED OILS, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, BETA CAROTENE [COLOR]), DRY BUTTERMILK, DEXTROSE, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF THE FOLLOWING: SODIUM BICARBONATE, SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE, SALT, VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, PRESERVATIVES (CALCIUM PROPIONATE, POTASSIUM SORBATE, SORBIC ACID), XANTHAN GUM. COOKED SAUSAGE PATTY: PORK, WATER, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF THE FOLLOWING: SODIUM LACTATE, SALT, SUGAR, SPICES, SODIUM PHOSPHATES, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, SODIUM DIACETATE, CARAMEL COLOR. CONTAINS MILK, SOY AND WHEAT

Now if you ask me, this really means nothing, but if you look deeper and define some of these it really should mean something to you. For example take bleached enriched wheat flour, now if you ask me, bleach in food, that doesn't sound good at all. When I googled this, the website www.vegetarian-restaurants.net came with the quote, "When flour is highly processed and bleached most of the fiber is taken out and most of its normal nutritional value is depleted. Plus a bunch of chemicals are used in processing the flour and chemicals are added in the form of artificial vitamins so these products can say on the label they contain certain vitamins. It is best to use organic wheat flours or other organic grains." I then looked up the nutrition facts: Calories: 360 Calories from Fat:220 Total Fat: 24 grams Saturated Fat: 8 grams Carbohydrates: 26 grams.

All in all, yes this product is very convenient and easy for on the go but is it practical? Nutritionally speaking is this really healthy? Many of you may be able to recall the multiple Jimmy Dean advertisements on T.V. referring to the sandwich as a morning pick me up or the perfect source of energy. Is this true, or just false advertisement. I believe that will be the last Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwich.

Goodnight!

Andi Cochran