1. Taking a tour of the food Supply:
While I was reading the different statistics, I was appalled and shocked at what our food goes through. It surprises me because when I am picking different foods such as beef, I think I may be making a healthy choice when in reality I am not. The livestock or trapped and over-fed which leads to health problems within the animals and health problems in consumers. I was also shocked at how much pesticide is actually used; 181 million pounds of pesticides. To be honest I am kind of nervous to eat meat from the unsanitary slaughterhouses. The fact that bacteria can be transmitted from the animal remains makes me nervous and kills my appetite.
2. Eating Green Calculator:
The first time I took the eating green quiz, I was quite surprised at the results because I am not a person who eats a lot of meat and dairy. I eat mostly fruits and grains, yet I still found the amount or fertilizer and manure it takes to create my lifestyle. My eating choices do not take a lot of pesticides, only about .1 pound. Also, it does not take a whole lot of acres of grass to feed the livestock I eat, only about .4 of an acre. I took the quiz to try and see what I could cut out, but honestly I do not think it would be healthy for me to cut any more meat or dairy, otherwise I would be losing out on necessary nutrients my body needs. I do not even meet the recommended daily allowances at the moment, therefore I do not think I should cut back.
3. Scoring my Diet:
My diet got me a score of 10 which falls in the Uh-oh category. I was just happy that I did not give a negative score because in the beginning I had a really bad negative score until I hit the fruits and veggie sections. I think what really hurt me the most are the dairy products I eat. I do not think I eat that much but I think it would help if I ate more organic products and fat-free or low-fat dairy products. The category I did the best in was the fruit category; I had a postive score of 19. Out of every food group I probably eat the most fruit. I think the area I could improve on the most is the health area and eating a more balanced diet and making sure I get the necessary nutrients.
I really liked this activity. It was fun and interactive and provided a lot of really valuable information. I was also shocked by the amount of manure and fertilizer that was used for my results. I dont feel that I eat much meat and dairy either, but apparently it was enough to cause an impact on the environment. Which I think is one point worth making, everything we do or dont do impacts the environment. I don't think I ever realized how much of an effect I have on the planet.
ReplyDeleteWow, good job taking all of them. I think that there was a lot of good consumer information to be learned this week. I totally agree with your eating green calculator thoughts. It's nice that they want people to cut down but at the same time they need to take into consideration not everyone over eats on these things and it is an essential part of a healthy diet. I'm constantly anemic and so I do actually need to get most of my iron from meat so the website kind of irritated me when it eluded I needed to cut it all out. Not really practical.
ReplyDeleteI took a tour of the food supply as well, and found a lot of disturbing facts and information from the page. I had never really heard of the detailed action that goes on in factory farms, only just a brief idea of what it was. I feel the same way as you did about it. I always used to think I was being healthy by choosing to eat chicken, and drinking milk... but when the animals are being raised in the ways they are, I have a whole new perception of what I'm consuming!! I am going to try and search for free-range eggs and organic milk, and maybe try to cut out some meat in my diet. I glad to hear that you feel the same way I do about these things!
ReplyDeleteThe quizzes are determining the amount of meat that we eat so I agree with you that I probably can't cut back much meat or else I would be short on the nutrients too. I agree that the dairy products do impact us a lot. Unconsciously, I eat it not thinking it is the same as meats when in fact it is just as much impact. This really was an eye opener for us all.
ReplyDeleteI was in the Uh-oh category as well. It's tough to completely cut out certain items and continue eating healthy. The small changes will make the difference and being conscientious of where we're getting our food and what exactly we're putting in our bodies.
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