Monday, May 31, 2010

I learned quite a bit about research this year. Earlier in the year during my critical thinking course I learned that Wikipedia is never a good website to get useful, truthful, or credible information. But I learned even more in my English 101 class. in the very beginning of the class i discovered that while looking for reputable website there are a couple of key factors to keep in mind for example when looking at websites html look if it says .net or .org or .com. the majority of the time the most credible websites code it the .net or the .org. i now know that google books is a great way to find books that i might like or need for resaerch, and it also gives me little previews and excerps from books so i can figure out if the book contains the research that i need. also a great resource is the school library and the lexusnexus program on the school website

Monday, May 3, 2010

Super size me

I thought Super Size Me was a very well done film in the respect that it was well thought out, had a point to get across and did just that. i have a tremendous amount of respect for this man Morgan Spurlock for making a film that he had felt adamant enough to put his health at risk for. that being said I also think that Spurlock is a complete idiot for doing so, and his health would have been better off had he not made the film in the first place, But like i said i honor the fact that he went to such great lengths to prove his point, because it does make for a better picture.
At the start of the film Morgan Spurlock is in better than average shape weighing one hundred eighty five pounds and 6 foot two inches. by the end of his thirty day "mcdiet" he weighs in at two hundred and ten punds and, is on the verge of serious liver problems as a result of fat accumulating around his liver, and has been suffering from heart palpitations. The thing that i Could not understand about the film is his motive for making the film, it almost seemed masochistic in a way. he was perfectly aware of the damage he was doing to himself, and started seeing drastic changes to his health after only five days, not to mention that his doctors, his family, and his girlfriend (now his wife) all pleaded with him to stop what he was doing, which was literally eating his life, his health, and his sex drive away. anybody else would've thrown in the towel long before any of that, and the scariest part about it is that he is so content with eating McDonalds with every meal, even though he that he is deteriorating, mentally, and physically with every bite, and it is not hard for the viewer to see. over all i thought it was a great movie, but i just don't understand what drove Morgan spurlock to the lengths he went to in order to prove his point risking everyone he loved, and his own life at the same time.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

letter to someone about how to eat better

Dear whomever this may concern, eating healthy is not as difficult as you might imagine. Although i must admit that it is much easier to eat unhealthy. The first step i would take towards a better eating pattern would be trying to took a little more. For example even your local deli carries the necessary ingredients to begginning a healthier eating venture. Pick up a fresh head of lettuce a couple of tomatoes and, then pick up a can of chili or vegetables make yourself a salad. the trick is not to use any salad dressing, because that's very high in fat. On that note you can even go to Mcdonalds and attempt to eat healthy but the selection would be far more bland, and limited. You can buy the salad but the cheese and the dressing and whatever other condiments they ussually throw on there are no good, so order a grilled chicken salad. Or maybe you should try ordering the grilled chicken sandwich, no mayo or sauce or anything like that, and I think they have some kind of multi-grain bread now too. So order it on the multi grain bread. Do the same in the deli and order a turkey samdwhich on whole wheat bread, lettuce tomato and no mayo.
Now, i understand when you take a trip to the supermarket the halls, the lights and the colors all look very enticing, but it's important to look beyond that and go straight to the fruits and vegetables aisle. Get some bananas some apples, some celery, and some broccolli, and Remember that you can steam brocolli with herbs, spices, and garlic or however you like, and it will taste like a restaurant dish (if you cook it right). Then check out the meat aisle, and stay away from the red meat, because that stuff is very high in fat. Also try to purchase leaner cuts of meat such as ground turkey and not ground beef. Personally, I would much rather eat a turkeybuger as opposed to a hambuger any day. And the same thing goes for bacon, get turkey bacon instead of pork. Your supermarket should also carry turkey sausages too. That way for breakfast you can eat turkey bacon, trukey sausage and eggwhites with whole wheat toast, and maybe a little jelly. If your weakness is beef than i suggest that chicken is always a good alternative, and keep in mind that with many foods the health factor relies alot upon how it is cooked. In that case don't fry anything. Another big issue with supermarket shopping is the soda pricing. It's so cheap, so try to avoid it compleley. Don't drink soda at all not even diet soda because the carbonation is not good for you either. it's always good to drnk water because it speeds up your metabolism, and cleanses your system. But if you need something with flavor then get natural iced teas, lemonades, and orange juice is always a good option but always check the sugar content, and buy fat free milk. In all honesty I'm not a nutritionist nor am i liscensed to give advice about nutrition but, I do know how to stay relativley healthy.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

The film we watched in class Food Inc was a rather haunting look at the truth behind the food industy. After all who really knows where their food is coming from. And the fact that on everything you buy in the super market there is the illusion that what ever your purchasing was made on the same one farm in a rural town in Kentucky or something, and the farmer is just one guy with a moustache who's the average american farm worker. but really it's a bunch illegal alien workers who end up owing the company they work for, for housing, and food, thus turning them almost litterally into slaves for the company they work for, and the most disgusting part of all of this is that when the immigration services crack down on these companies who gets stick? it's not the employers it's the workers, and the worst these manufacturers get is maybe a warnng.
After watching the film these things started to make sense and as i made my own assesment it all dawned on me that the movie was absolutely right. the food industry was lying to our faces for all of these years. my roommate brought some steaks from the super market and i looked at the label on the package to see where it was "made". the stcker said ridgewood queens, and i thought to myself that i could not remember the last time i saw a cow in queens. so where did this steak actually come from. I would just become a vegetarian, but i have know way of telling where these friuts or vegetables are coming from either. Maybe i'll just start harvesting them myself.