Peer Respones to Andrew's Cooked Meal

After reading Andrew’s blog about his delicious mash potatoes and biscuits, I decided to tell my mom about it so she could make them sometime. Even though he found the recipe on the internet I still give him credit for this great combination. Also now I will be able to just go straight to his blog to figure out the recipe, rather than going on the internet and trying to find it.
However, besides the great meal that he seemed to prepare, I disagree that he thinks that processed foods are not that bad for you. I disagree with him because as an athlete you constantly have to watch what you eat. Also I have had numerous nutritious talks about what is healthy for you and what is not. My trainer always stresses on eating real foods, which are non processed foods. Also she always mentions that if you want to have non processed foods you should only have them once in awhile because they do nothing but bad for the body. Therefore, in Andrew’s case he says that he can see why people do not like to cook a meal from scratch because it takes so long. I understand that processed foods are more convenient, but people need to understand what they are really fueling their body with.
The article that Andrew found a lot of facts that support why people should not be eating processed foods. The one thing that concerns me with college students is that I feel we are always in a rush. Therefore, it is just easier for us to eat the unhealthy processed foods. I think this would change if State Street and other locations had more organic restaurants.
The article that I found supports even further that people should be eating real food over processed foods.

Prepare a Meal

Three of my friends and I decided to have dinner one night at my place. Since I was the host I was the one who had to cook. I planned to make marinated grilled chicken breast on whole wheat buns with lettuce and tomato. Along with the chicken breast was a tossed Caesar salad. To drink I offered Pepsi, skim milk, and water. Therefore, before going to the store I made a list of things I needed; three chicken breast, Italian dressing (for marinating), whole wheat buns, a head of lettuce, one tomato, mayonnaise, a bag of tossed salad, Caesar dressing, a 2 liter of Pepsi, a gallon of skim milk, and water. I went to the store and went to the dairy section to get the milk and headed up and down each aisle to get what I needed. When I returned to my house I put the chicken breast in a plastic bag with the Italian dressing to marinate them over night because it gives them more flavor the next day.
When I returned to my house from class the next day I had to get down to business because my friends were going to be there by six o’clock and it was already five fifteen. Therefore, I put the marinated chicken breast on the grill and while they were cooking I cut up the tomato and peeled some lettuce. Since I am so cheap I just used paper plates to serve everything. Therefore, I put the whole wheat buns, a slice of tomato, and a piece of lettuce on each plate. Then I went back to the chicken breast and flipped them. The Caesar salad was the easiest thing out of the whole dinner. All I did was cut a little hole in the bag and squeezed the Caesar dressing in it. Then I shook the bag a little bit and put a small portion on each plate. The chicken breasts were done now and therefore it was time for my friends and I to eat. My friends enjoyed the dinner; especially the chicken breast. After dinner was finished I cleaned up by just simply taking each of the plates and throwing them away. I felt great about the dinner I made and knew that all the preparation was truly worth it.
I agree with the quote in Pollan’s book, “a flood of damaging innovation…such as low-fat processed food,” because processed food is so unhealthy for Americans. The reason Americans like processed food over non- processed food is because processed food tastes better and it requires less preparation than non- processed food. However, Americans look at the low-fat words on the processed food and think well it says low fat so it must not be that bad for you. The meal I made does not affect my opinion because I made a healthy and non-processed meal. For example, I grilled the chicken breast instead of buying pre-cooked frozen patties.
The link listed supports my opinion that processed food is bad for you compared to non-processed. Therefore, I agree with the websites contents.

Self Evaluation of Speech

After reviewing the video of my speech I was actually quite surprised because I did not realize how I sounded during a public speaking setting. I think that I started off well and it defiantly helped that no one had ever played hockey before. I could explain my topic quite easy because I get dressed for hockey practice every day. Therefore, I remember by heart how to get ready and I do not even need to look at a piece of paper. It was relevant because no one had ever played before and by watching my demonstration they then knew how to dress themselves or someone else. I thought that the organization of my steps was pretty well thought out because I started from the bottom of the body to the top. However, I told the class that I would tell them what each piece of gear protected and I forgot about the shin guards and gloves. As a result, I was a little unorganized with my thoughts at the time.
When looking at the physical part of my presentation. My volume, visibility, eye contact, body language, and energy were positive and upbeat. However, at some parts in my presentation I could have been a little more enthusiastic. I say this because I feel I was a little too comfortable up in front of everybody and I could have changed my voice tone more. The one thing that helped my energy was the effectiveness of my visual aids. Obviously if I did not have my hockey equipment the audience would have been lost from the very first step. When I made eye contact with the audience throughout the speech, they seemed pretty intrigued and interested about the hockey gear. Since they were so interested it made me feel more comfortable standing up in front of them.
If I had to choose a topic again, I would choose the same one because I was so familiar with it which made speaking in front of people that much easier. After watching my speech I think I would change my voice to be more enthusiastic because I feel I could have grabbed the audience better. Overall I thought I did a pretty good job for my first demonstration speech ever.

Response to Carrie Edmunds Post About "Fake" vs. "Real" Food

After reading Carrie’s post about margarine and butter, I would have to disagree with her only in one way. I disagree with her because she says she cannot notice the difference between margarine and butter. I can tell the difference between them because all I have ever eaten was butter. My mom cooks all her meals with butter and we only have butter in our refrigerator.
Beside the point in her post about the taste I agree with her in every other aspect. I agree that you cannot tell the difference in smell and looks. Also I agree with her when she mentions the fact about obesity in the U.S. and how it is a major problem. Since margarine is cheaper at stores I think that when I live in an apartment next year I will end up buying margarine. However, I like the taste of butter is way better then margarine and I think that I will have a hard time switching over. I think the reason that will make it easier for me to switch is that margarine has less saturated fat content and less cholesterol. Agreeing with Carrie again next year I will probably buy margarine, but still use butter for cooking purposes. The reason I will use butter for cooking is because for some reason I can really tell the difference between the two in a big proportioned meal.
The link I found supports Carrie’s post and agrees with my response. It talks about how margarine is better for you than butter.

"Real" food vs. "fake" food

If I were to choose a food that I love to eat, I would choose scrambled eggs. However, I can really tell the difference between McDonald’s scrambled eggs and the eggs that I eat from my neighbor’s farm. McDonald’s scrambles eggs, known as “fake” food, look and taste totally different. When I order McDonald’s scrambled eggs they look very fake and the color of them is quite different from the farm eggs. Also the eggs taste completely different. They taste as if they have many artificial flavors and chemicals added to them. However, McDonald’s does a phenomenal job at covering up the eggs because they smell exactly like home cooked scrambled eggs. Despite the fact that McDonald’s eggs look and taste different, they still have some similar essential vitamins/nutrients. They have vitamins C and protein. These “fake” eggs are pretty nutritionally equivalent to farms eggs. Farm eggs have vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, iron, and protein. The “fake” eggs from McDonald’s are definitely not better for you then the “real” eggs from the farm next door. This is because of all the chemicals and extra ingredients such as, liquid margarine that they put in them (Romer, 2009).
The reason people still eat McDonalds eggs is because it is convenient, cheap, and your still getting the similar protein and vitamin intake. Even though McDonald’s eggs are convenient and cheap I still think that people prefer non-processed eggs over processed. After discussing the “real” and “fake” eggs I think I will still eat the McDonald’s eggs. However, I will still prefer the farm eggs over the McDonald’s because I cannot stand the way I feel after eating McDonald’s breakfast. I feel as though I ate a whole plate of processed food.
The link posted talks about “real” food without a doubt is better for you than processed food. I agree with this article because of the way I feel after eating processed food. After I eat processed food I feel gross and I feel as though I need to get my body flushed out from all the chemicals.

Romer, L.V. (2009). Are You filling up on real food or fake food?. Retrieved from http://rawplus.com/fake.html