There are too many ears!
Okay, enough with the CORN-y jokes. But a week without corn? Now that's the joke. Especially if you eat at TDR.
I did not eat a kernel of corn. I passed on the corn bread and the corn-based tortilla. My pasta was wheat and I ate a lot more salad, fruit, and vegetables all week. But as I still have a meal plan, it was extremely difficult to gauge my progress. As for the salad dressing... was there corn oils inside? I ate a chocolate muffin--- the zillion uses for corn page tells me that chocolate products use corn. I didn't drink soda all week-- I've been trying to eliminate it completely from my diet for a while now anyways, but I knew that drinking it would be a big No-No this week.
There is corn starch in baking powder as I learned from "corn-derived food ingredients I avoid." On Sunday was an event I organized and led called "Shaping Cookies, Shaping People," which was basically a cookie bake-off. Needless to say, I ate numerous cookies as a judge for this competition. I am sure that their baking powder was not of the potato-starch variety.
These, and many others I ate throughout the week, are more obvious in the fact that they contain ingredients made from corn. But the lists were so overwhelming, I did not even know where to begin, especially since I do not prepare a majority of my own food. What oils does TDR use when it lathers its food in grease? What are mannitol, methyl gluceth, methyl glucose, methyl glucoside, methylcellulose, microcrystaline cellulose, modified cellulose gum, sorbic acid, sorbitan, sorbitan monooleate, sorbitan tri-oleate, sorbitol, hominy, and so many more ingredients?? And are they in my food? I noticed that gluten is on there too. The bagel I ate probably had corn in it too.
All-in-all, I know that there was no way I made it through this entire week without eating corn. If I cooked my own food I could have been more successful. For this week, I tried to limit as many products that I could directly identify as products of corn ingredients, while also trying to limit my environmental impact still having the images of last week's videos and readings in my mind.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Going corn-free is a pretty big challenge in modern America, just beginning is daunting, reading through all the lists of foods that contain corn. Ugh.
The thing is if you are conscious about what you eat, firstly, nourishing your body with what it needs and then secondly, thinking of your eco-impact the task is not that hard. Looking through my cabinets I found that most of my grain based foods were just that wheat grain based not corn, including my bread. The rest of my fridge was full of vegetables and natural, non-hydrogenated/unmodified foods which were free from corn derived preservatives and flavorings.
The hardest part was meat and dairy. I eat yogurt almost daily and its organic, plain, non-fat, local -ness was not indicative of what the producing animal consumed. But I still ate it. I was not in the position to just cut corn out of my life, in order to do that I would need time to phase it out. You can't just raid your kitchen and ban yourself from eating perfectly good food, it isn't economical, practical or accomplishing anything.
It is a life style change that must be taken seriously. Examine your body's needs and how you can meet them successfully with the smallest impact on the earth. It takes a lot of effort to be mindful of yourself when you are so highly dependent on other people and a distant system.
The thing is if you are conscious about what you eat, firstly, nourishing your body with what it needs and then secondly, thinking of your eco-impact the task is not that hard. Looking through my cabinets I found that most of my grain based foods were just that wheat grain based not corn, including my bread. The rest of my fridge was full of vegetables and natural, non-hydrogenated/unmodified foods which were free from corn derived preservatives and flavorings.
The hardest part was meat and dairy. I eat yogurt almost daily and its organic, plain, non-fat, local -ness was not indicative of what the producing animal consumed. But I still ate it. I was not in the position to just cut corn out of my life, in order to do that I would need time to phase it out. You can't just raid your kitchen and ban yourself from eating perfectly good food, it isn't economical, practical or accomplishing anything.
It is a life style change that must be taken seriously. Examine your body's needs and how you can meet them successfully with the smallest impact on the earth. It takes a lot of effort to be mindful of yourself when you are so highly dependent on other people and a distant system.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
One Triumph, One Step
Today Lisa Jackson Administrator of the EPA announced a BLOCK on perphaps more than 200 mountaintop removel (MTR) permits being requested by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps contracts companies to extract coal in the most harmful way possible, this includes its own arm...TVA. The fight is not over but, we are winning.
Those who are misinformed will argue that not allowing MTR will shut down an industry in the Appalachian region. This is false. To the contrary MTR is bringing in non-local construction workers and taking AWAY jobs from the local miners.
Stopping MTR will be a benefit to all species, people and ecosystems.
Those who are misinformed will argue that not allowing MTR will shut down an industry in the Appalachian region. This is false. To the contrary MTR is bringing in non-local construction workers and taking AWAY jobs from the local miners.
Stopping MTR will be a benefit to all species, people and ecosystems.
Food Choices
I have recently become a vegetarian (at the start of this year), and this dietary choice is always the first thing I use to make food choices - is it vegetarian? I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian, or someone who eats eggs and dairy. I have been thinking a lot about these choices as well, for a few reasons. First, there have been a lot of articles recently debating the nutritional value of dairy. Is it necessary? There are statistics that say that a majority of East Asians lack the enzyme that properly breaks down dairy, that it is not meant to be in their diet. I believe that dairy should be eaten, but in limited quantities. My reasoning stems from not really a dietary place, but a religious one. The reason that Hindu's "worship cows" is because they play an intrinsic role in the development of the human life by supplying milk to people after the breast-feeding stage is over. Milk is especially important for young children, and the Ghai-ma (Mother Cow) is revered for her role as a secondary mother to children. When my father was young, for instance, my grandmother couldn't nurse him for very long, so my grandpa bought a cow for the house so that my dad could have enough milk. Dairy is important. Plus, it tastes good!
That being said, I still make some food choices that I don't agree with, because it is so ingrained in my lifestyle to eat those foods. The worst, for me, is the late night drunken 555 deals from Domino's. Late night food in general is where I cave in to desires for highly processed, god-knows-whats-in-this foods like frozen pizza, taquitos, and chips. I try pretty hard to be good during the day, but at night (usually after a few drinks), it is so easy to eat these foods that are environmentally unethical. I live about 2 blocks from the Domino's in Tenleytown, and the 7-11 is literally in my backyard, so convenience is also a problem. I have been doing better recently. For instance, I haven't gotten anything from 7-11 recently except for a bag of chips, and haven't ordered 555 deal pizzas from Domino's all semester. Part of this may be because I am a vegetarian, but a lot of it has to do with my consciousness from being in Simon's food politics class last semester.
In the past few days, the least environmentally friendly food choice I've made is eating General Tso's Tofu from Mr. Chen's Organic Chinese Restaurant. Is it really organic? Who knows? The reason I think this is the worst food choice I've made is because of the deforestation that is being done in the Amazon to support an ever-growing demand for soy in the U.S. for things like tofu. The deforestation is horrible, particularly in the most biologically diverse place in the entire western hemisphere. The fact that soy isn't grown locally also means that more corn is being planted in the U.S. to support our processed food needs and to support our biofuels innovation, which is even more carbon-intensive than gasoline can be. This little order of tofu made me think greatly about the effects of my food choices, and how actions I take can help to make a difference. People don't often think that they can take a stance against things, but its empowering to be able to say that I'm a vegetarian because I am against the inhumane slaughter of animals in farm factories, or that supporting meat eating takes up 4-6 more times land than vegetables. I want to learn a lot more about food so that I can make more choices that can effect change in others and the food system.
That being said, I still make some food choices that I don't agree with, because it is so ingrained in my lifestyle to eat those foods. The worst, for me, is the late night drunken 555 deals from Domino's. Late night food in general is where I cave in to desires for highly processed, god-knows-whats-in-this foods like frozen pizza, taquitos, and chips. I try pretty hard to be good during the day, but at night (usually after a few drinks), it is so easy to eat these foods that are environmentally unethical. I live about 2 blocks from the Domino's in Tenleytown, and the 7-11 is literally in my backyard, so convenience is also a problem. I have been doing better recently. For instance, I haven't gotten anything from 7-11 recently except for a bag of chips, and haven't ordered 555 deal pizzas from Domino's all semester. Part of this may be because I am a vegetarian, but a lot of it has to do with my consciousness from being in Simon's food politics class last semester.
In the past few days, the least environmentally friendly food choice I've made is eating General Tso's Tofu from Mr. Chen's Organic Chinese Restaurant. Is it really organic? Who knows? The reason I think this is the worst food choice I've made is because of the deforestation that is being done in the Amazon to support an ever-growing demand for soy in the U.S. for things like tofu. The deforestation is horrible, particularly in the most biologically diverse place in the entire western hemisphere. The fact that soy isn't grown locally also means that more corn is being planted in the U.S. to support our processed food needs and to support our biofuels innovation, which is even more carbon-intensive than gasoline can be. This little order of tofu made me think greatly about the effects of my food choices, and how actions I take can help to make a difference. People don't often think that they can take a stance against things, but its empowering to be able to say that I'm a vegetarian because I am against the inhumane slaughter of animals in farm factories, or that supporting meat eating takes up 4-6 more times land than vegetables. I want to learn a lot more about food so that I can make more choices that can effect change in others and the food system.
food for nutrition.... not for environment
As you know, we'll be talking about food and agriculture during our next couple of sessions. Here are some questions to ponder (and respond to on your blogs) as we look to our next class:
1. What, exactly, do you think about when you make food choices? Do you have environmental considerations in mind? Or other stuff?
2. Take a few moments to consider everything you've eaten in the last day or two. Of the food or beverage items you've consumed, which, in your estimation, has had the greatest environmental impact? Why?
As of this past weekend, I have actually just started to really pay attention to the food that I was putting in my mouth, but in regards to nutritional benefits, not with environmental considerations in mind. I find myself--when I ever do decide to think about the food that I am putting into my mouth--always considering it in terms of how if affects me and my health, rather than environmental health. I think about the calories, the food groups, the high fructose corn syrup, and whether or not I really should eat that fifth double stuffed oreo. Of course I would prefer to eat food that is organically grown, but this typically isn't because I would prefer that farmers didn't use pesticides that harm the earth. It is because I would rather not put those nasty chemicals into my body.
Although I will likely never be able to become a vegetarian, I do try to limit my amount of meat intake. But again, this is not because I know that eating meat has large environmental implications in terms of the amount of feed that be fed to each cow, as well as the amount of energy wasted during execution and transport of the beef to the grocery store. This is the sad truth, but I also think that is it a step up from where I was about five years ago, when I would eat basically anything that my mom cooked for dinner. (Although always healthy, I have now been able to adopt her cooking menus in order to make myself healthier).
In the last couple of days, I would say that the Big Mac I ate at McDonald's (gross, I know) had the biggest impact on the environment. I eat mostly at TDR, at which they say they get their food locally grown. So I am trusting them on this, and will admit my failure at succumbing to McDonald's for lunch when TDR was closed. I do not know what went into the process of making this burger, but I am sure that its meat, lettuce, tomatoes, etc... traveled far to get to AU .
1. What, exactly, do you think about when you make food choices? Do you have environmental considerations in mind? Or other stuff?
2. Take a few moments to consider everything you've eaten in the last day or two. Of the food or beverage items you've consumed, which, in your estimation, has had the greatest environmental impact? Why?
As of this past weekend, I have actually just started to really pay attention to the food that I was putting in my mouth, but in regards to nutritional benefits, not with environmental considerations in mind. I find myself--when I ever do decide to think about the food that I am putting into my mouth--always considering it in terms of how if affects me and my health, rather than environmental health. I think about the calories, the food groups, the high fructose corn syrup, and whether or not I really should eat that fifth double stuffed oreo. Of course I would prefer to eat food that is organically grown, but this typically isn't because I would prefer that farmers didn't use pesticides that harm the earth. It is because I would rather not put those nasty chemicals into my body.
Although I will likely never be able to become a vegetarian, I do try to limit my amount of meat intake. But again, this is not because I know that eating meat has large environmental implications in terms of the amount of feed that be fed to each cow, as well as the amount of energy wasted during execution and transport of the beef to the grocery store. This is the sad truth, but I also think that is it a step up from where I was about five years ago, when I would eat basically anything that my mom cooked for dinner. (Although always healthy, I have now been able to adopt her cooking menus in order to make myself healthier).
In the last couple of days, I would say that the Big Mac I ate at McDonald's (gross, I know) had the biggest impact on the environment. I eat mostly at TDR, at which they say they get their food locally grown. So I am trusting them on this, and will admit my failure at succumbing to McDonald's for lunch when TDR was closed. I do not know what went into the process of making this burger, but I am sure that its meat, lettuce, tomatoes, etc... traveled far to get to AU .
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Power Shift[ing] the Focus to Technological Based Solutions
Will technology save us? Why, or why not? What does that even MEAN, in environmental terms?
In light of the two recent events in Washington this weekend, Power Shift '09 and the "first mass civil disobedience against global warming in this country," I think that many would agree that technology can be used to save us, but it has also been the major vehicle for destroying us.
In terms of Power Shift '09, swarms of young people, ages 18 to 26 have gathered in Washington, DC for a four day convention on climate change and developing solutions to make our nation have a green economy. The pressure younger generations put on politicians will ultimately be reflected in the amount of green jobs, decreases in emissions, and removal of coal as a source of fuel from our society. These college-age students realize that technology is what may save us. For example, civil engineering students are putting pressure on colleges and Congresspeople to introduce "environmentally friendly building techniques " and "science-based reductions in carbon emissions" to their college curriculum. At Power Shift '09, participants were able to attend a workshop "about integrating the topic of energy efficiency into educational lesson plans." Seems like we're already on our way... we just need to get politicians on board.
Additionally, the protest yesterday, not on the national mall, in front of the Capitol, or at the White House, but in front of the Capitol Hill Power Plant, represented our need to find clean technology solutions to our use of coal for energy. After passing the "Green the Capitol program" in June 2007, the Capitol has taken many steps forward. Hybrid Zipcars, 100% post-consumer recycled paper, biodegradable plates in the cafeterias, and locally grown food-- these all represent successes in technological changes. And these changes will help to save us. Even if the Capitol still needs to work on its largest issue, continuing to use energy from coal burning in the local Power Plant.
What this means in environmental terms? We can use technology to correct our problems. However, we have many of the solutions, but it is going to take massive amounts of pressure on our government to pass legislation and get them to understand that the monetary cost of converting power plants from coal to electric energy, (or even better... to solar and wind power) will be over weighed to the cost placed on our physical health, environmental health, and the monetary cost of both in the future.
If technology doesn't save us, what will?
Monday, March 2, 2009
Possibility in response to the "Tigers"
I am a man of faith and one of reason. I, like John, view technology as a tool to assist man, not one to govern.
Douglas has eloquently outlined a path for our future, as eloquently as any could imagine the extinction of homo sapiens to be that is, but, I do not agree with such a one-way street.
As I stated I am a man of faith, which for me signifies that I have to believe in possibilities. Thus I shall search for reason behind such an assertion of optimism. My analysis of Doug's flowchart is that the "stratification of society" should be at the top of the chart then "innovation" stemming from the rich side and "resource depletion" appearing twice branching from innovation, as well as from the poor column.
In my version of the chart I would also see other streams flowing from innovation such as "intended consequences" which would imply we, as human, would develop technology that would help solve the problems we design them for. Furthermore, what about the beneficial "unintended consequences," many great inventions have been stumbled upon by mistake.
Even as a self declared water conservationist I see hope in our abilities to already create more from less, who's to say this trend won't continue?
Douglas has eloquently outlined a path for our future, as eloquently as any could imagine the extinction of homo sapiens to be that is, but, I do not agree with such a one-way street.
As I stated I am a man of faith, which for me signifies that I have to believe in possibilities. Thus I shall search for reason behind such an assertion of optimism. My analysis of Doug's flowchart is that the "stratification of society" should be at the top of the chart then "innovation" stemming from the rich side and "resource depletion" appearing twice branching from innovation, as well as from the poor column.
In my version of the chart I would also see other streams flowing from innovation such as "intended consequences" which would imply we, as human, would develop technology that would help solve the problems we design them for. Furthermore, what about the beneficial "unintended consequences," many great inventions have been stumbled upon by mistake.
Even as a self declared water conservationist I see hope in our abilities to already create more from less, who's to say this trend won't continue?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)