IDF: Eater's Manifesto

If you were to talk to Michael Pollan about food and its impact on modern day diets, he would tell you that “Nutritionism had become the official ideology of the Food and Drug Administration; for all practical purposes the government had redefined foods as nothing more than the sum of their recognized nutrients” (19). That sounds pretty harsh, right? Today’s foods that are sold in stores, supermarkets, vending machines, and farmers’ markets have to contain a nutrients table. How did that happen? That’s history, my dear Watson. In Pollan’s book, “In Defense of Food,” he states that food was what you eat in order to survive.

Over the years, food scientists began to tinker with the compounds of food. Discoveries of carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals within the food lead to the understanding that food can be altered and improved to fulfill our daily dose of required nutrients. This opened the door to other opportunities of food’s health benefits as well as the nutrition facts that every product must contain. Unfortunately, there was a downside to this discovery: The rise of chronic heart disease. Processed foods were suddenly dangerous to health, and “imitations” were required to be labeled. After more tinkering, failing, and tinkering again, scientists found that these fake foods can be improved with additives. Foods that were altered were now transfat free, low-carb, and low-in-fat also started a new diet trend called the Western Diet (59).

Unfortunately, this did more harm than good; People gained more weight than ever since saturated fats were being replaced with carbohydrates. Pollan’s answer? It is about the quality of the (more expensive) food, not the quantity. It is not about the processed foods that claim to be healthier with more fiber and less fat. It is about the fruits and vegetables that were neglected in the produce section of the supermarket, and it is about eating enough—Not eating supersized!—portions to sustain yourself in a healthy way.

Michael Pollan’s target audience was not only the health-conscious citizens of America, but also to the concerned citizens who were starting on their own health diets as well as the distraught citizens teetering on the edge of obesity. He intended to open the eyes of Western Dieters everywhere to be conscious of what they buy and be aware of what they put into their stomachs. He warned consumers to be wary of processed foods that were labeled “low-fat, no-cholesterol, and high-fiber, (21)” for they were dangerous to eat by itself all together (in large quantities), or suffer the consequences of obesity!

By allowing the public to know the fat-laden future that unhealthy foods can cause, Pollan made people aware of what they eat. He wanted them to know that the government was messing with their own nutrition. By allowing science to take over the food industry, many blunders—like the Lipid Hypothesis’s relationship between dietary fat and heart disease (22)—screwed up a lot of the public’s health. No one wanted to think for themselves, so it was easy for the FDA and other groups (along with the government) to take over and tell them what was good to eat and what was not good to eat.

“Pay more, eat less,” says Polland (62). The quality of the food (without health-claims and colorful boxes) is what matters more to one’s own diet, not the amount eaten. He doesn’t ask you to change your life, just change in little and gradual ways by investing your money in good food products by buying from local farmers instead of supermarkets, eat slower to eat less and feel full faster (don’t eat like a pig!), and encourages readers to start their own garden as a way to appreciate food (65), because food isn’t just nutrients; food is food.

Works Cited
Pollan, Michael. In Defense of Food: an Eater's Manifesto. New York: Penguin, 2008.

Writer's Tan Bock

Started writing the unknown novel, and I'm already stuck at a writer's block!

Even now, I'm having difficulty writing a few sentences for this blog. I guess I'm just extremely nervous since I know everyone will be reading this awesome book soon! I hope it's not too dull and boring... Dx

Funny though, writing in this blog helps me to concentrate more on my book. Calms me down, I suppose. My own type of stress relief... Speaking of which, I'm due for a back massage. :) My back's been killing me ever since I took that hiking trip at Mission Peak in Fremont. Painful, but worth it. Although, I don't suggest going during the middle of the day. I burnt red like a tomato on my arms and legs. I'm STILL peeling! Honestly, you think they would put up a bit more trees in the area to keep it cooler?! My hat didn't even help me either; my cheeks, chin, and nose were slightly burnt (now tanned) when we came down the mountain.

Next time, I'm bringing sun block.

English is Boring!

Just a little bit vexed right now. This homework that is supposed to be easy is slipping through my fingers! I'm reading only one chapter out of an English book and already into the third page when I lost my interest. Highly uninteresting! I'm not really happy about it.

Information always gets lost in these books because it comes in one ear and out the other. It's never eye catching nor is it using colorful attention grabbers. I'm totally disappointed! I secretly wish that someone like Christopher Moore or Anne Rice write these required text books and make it more interesting. I would definitely read it.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

Sitting and eating Subway's...

Not really the best to eat in regards to my new (and once again, repetative) diet. My 450 calorie brick of food doesn't really taste all that great, concerning that it was $5.00 for a single half sandwich.

Whatever happened to the $2.50 breakfast bagel at a mom and pop bakery? I miss those places... It was cheap and stacked with bacon-y goodness and eggs cooked to perfection. The melted cheese would dribble down your chin every time you took a bite, but you wouldn't care. It was delicious.

I don't even care if people say that Subway's is better than McDonald's which is better than cooking at home.

It's not about which restaurant can get the most money out of you; it's about the taste and the quality. No one should be eating fast food restaurants in abundance anyway. It's a waste of gas and money. Why go out for that squished, oily cheese burger and over-salted fries when you can just make your own sandwich at home. You have a good knowledge about your own body and what you can eat to be healthy. You can choose your own side dishes when you make your own food at home.

You don't have to be a culinary chef to cook. A basic cheese burger on whole wheat white bread and a side of steak fries seasoned with cracked pepper, sea salt, garlic, and cayenne pepper (baked instead of fried); It tastes so much better when you can make it yourself!

If you don't have the time to make these super simple and delicious (also thousands of calories healthier) meals for yourself. Why not go out and support your local mom and pop place? Not only is it cheaper, you also support your local community and help the economy rather than having big corporations and franchises pocket your money for themselves.

So go on, eat smarter.

Projects Ahoy!

As of now, I'm pretty psyched out how my life is going. I'm doing pretty good so far. Unfortunately, I'm only a part-time student at school... On the bright side though, I'm working on some of my side projects that I've been planning to finish.

Currently, my first project is to make a wrist rest for my boyfriend. I couldn't find my crochet needle so I ended up knitting it. Dx Utter failure!

It took me three tries to get it right. and now I'm halfway finished. I'm not entirely happy with how it's turning out since I haven't knitting in a long time (I put down the needles over five years ago and stuck to crocheting).The stitches are not even, and the ends are too wide and frayed... But, my boyfriend likes it and that's what counts! :)

Aside from my knitting disaster, I have to say that my amigurumi sackboy (that I've posted in my previous post) has grown in popularity. My friends are begging for customized sackboys, and I'm anxious to give in return.

Reason is that I don't have the funds to buy the things I need. I'm not really keen on recieving money before I make the plushie, but it seems to be the only option. If anything, a part-time job may support my "hobby." Maybe a weekend job? I'm not sure...

Other than that, I'm working on another project called OctiPlushie. Given the name, it is an octopus plushie... with awesome extras. My friend, Spike, is asking for an OctiDog. I wonder if I can make it?

Ah well, it'll be very interesting when it's finished.

Write Now...

I have to say that I've been very inclined with my life right now. Slowly everything is merging and falling apart. Slightly stressed out, but I'm very keen on the follow-through. I've been keeping up with people through online networks and such, and it inspires me to actually go through with what I've been wanting to do: Writing a novel.

Hopefully, this doesn't construe my studies. I'm almost done with my General Education at Mission, then Radiology, here I come!

EDIT: I realized I forgot a little something. I made a little sackboy for my boyfriend a while back and I wanted to share it here on my blog. Enjoy!

*Cough* *Wheeze* *Hack* I'm Sick! :(

I've been home for about three days now, with one night of feverish delusions and two nights of endless hacking of the lungs. Sitting down, watching a marathon of stand-ups on Comedy Central, while feeling as if my lungs would come up my throat, I'm somewhat glad I'm not outside.

Mother Nature seems moody lately considering it was sunny just the other day. With global warming breathing down our necks, I wouldn't be surprised if it snowed in March.

The longer I sit here though, the more I feel like my lungs are on fire. It also feels like my lungs might come up through to my throat and choke me if I cough too hard. It's ridiculous! This sickness that I've somehow contracted has evolved. Deslym doesn't even work anymore! And it's supposed to be a twelve hour thing! Ugh! This totally sucks! Luckily, the promethazine codeine works like a charm, but sucks since it's a bedtime medication. Within thirty minutes, I'm out like a light!

If the coughing fit wasn't bad enough, what makes it worse is that my boyfriend even caught it as well. The thing is that I don't know who got it from who! Doesn't really matter though, we're both sick anyways. The more better to stay in bed longer (I know he would agree :P)!

Ah, if only there was a non-drowsy version of promethazine codeine... That would be awesome! I don't know how much longer I can last with this ridiculous sickness! :(

I Love You

It's almost been two months.

Surprisingly, I haven't budged, and I'm glad of that. I have not run away or started any serious arguments. I haven't accused him of infidelity because of my own insecurities. I didn't do any of these things because of one thing: He makes me happy.

So there is no reason at all to blame the blameless for nothing.

I do admit that sometimes I feel insecure about myself in the relationship. I don't know if it is because I'm five years older or the fact that I've been in more relationships and had more experiences than that of my current boyfriend... But, I feel guilty nonetheless.

He had asked me about my past relations, and I had to pause to think. Lying would be the worst thing to do in a new relationship, and all I could hope for was a new chance in love. So I did the best thing I could do: tell the truth.

In all honesty, I was scared to mention the more personal details in my past experiences, and I sat there chewing the inside of my lips and he absorbed the information. I wanted to know what was going on in his head at the time (actually, I want to know what goes on in that head of his all the time). He's not one to express himself so easily at first. In the end, he accepted everything that I've told him, and I felt myself feel more at ease with him. I trusted him more.

But of course... My insecurities from my last relationship still lingers, and I try not to let that bring me down. Not all relationships are the same, after all. So every time, he asked a question, I answered, hoping beyond all hope that he didn't think of me any differently than the first time we got together.

A lot of times, I find myself asking him, "What are you thinking?" In moments, like these, I want to kick myself in the ass for blurting such a question. I didn't want to seem like I was prying too much, but I'm always curious. With him being so quiet at times, I always want to know what was going on in that head of his. The darker side of me had thought at one point, "Maybe he's thinking of leaving you," or "You might be boring him," or even "Maybe he's mad at you." I had to brush these thoughts aside and ignore the fear that was building up inside of me in order to think more clearly. I knew that none of these things that I thought of weren't true, but there was always that what if in the back of my mind...

But the more I hung around him, the more I slept in his arms, the more we held hands, and the more we kissed... I loved him more than I could ever imagine. After my last relationship, I didn't think it was possible to feel the same way again. It's that breathless feeling I get every time he kissed me, where my toes and fingers start feeling numb, and my head feels light and airy, and I forget everything around me. My chests starts to ache in a pleasurable way, and I know I've fallen hard. Every kiss and every touch reminds me of just that. It wipes away all my insecurities, and I forget that I've ever thought of anything negative.

I may be older and more "experienced," but in this relationship, everything will always seem new to me.

I love you, Alvin.