Joel Lewinsohn
Instructor: Brenda McKinney
Course #:ED549G
Course name: Happiness Diet
Date: 6/5/2014
Level: 500
Assignment #4
Assignment #4: In a 1-2 page paper, explain the toxins in our MAD food supply Read 33-55 and be able to explain the common culprits that are tanking our moods and ruining our health. The common culprits in the American diet that are impacting health and mood are sugar and man made chemicals used to treat or make the foods we eat. Between these two substances, our bodies are not processing them effectively which is leading to obesity, depression, and toxins that are slowly destroying our bodies. What did you learn about “carbage,” sugar, and lack of nutrients? How are we addicted to thiscycle? Carbage refers to substances that are essentially empty carbohydrates. These refined over processed foods have very little nutritional value, yet comprise a large portion of the American diet. The danger with these foods is that our body does not really know what to do with these substances, so there is no trigger or message sent to the brain indicating that we are full and should stop eating. An example shared by the author was around asparagus. Asparagus is a complex carbohydrate, the body recognizes it, so when we are full a signal is sent to the brain indicating to stop eating. No one has ever been able to say, “I just can’t stop eating asparagus!” This seems simple enough, yet it also makes sense why “junk food” is so hard to stop eating. Watch the You Tube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBukIySx3Mg to learn about the rats and sugar at Princeton University. The video makes an interesting point about how we become more and more reliant on sugar, especially if we start out with it as part of our breakfast. Sugar definitely makes us feel instantly more energized, but the price is that we’ll be craving more and more, similar to an addition.
What is your opinion of the fact that “carbage” is kicking up weight in America and causing less happy people? Do you believe this link is possible? Explain? I agree with the author that “carbage” is causing American’s to gain more weight and causing more depression. I have seen an increase of both with my students over the year. I was most surprised and interested, however, in the author’s explanation about carbohydrates and the signal that is sent to the brain. I’ve heard over and over, low carb diets, but I think carbs have been given a bad rap because of the cheap unnatural alternatives (pasta, breads, etc) out on the market today. I believe that paying more attention to the type of carbs I am choosing is more important than just cutting them out. What is the paradox of the quick sugar fix? The paradox of a quick sugar fix is that we respond to sugar the same way as someone addicted to a drug or alcohol. The more we eat, the more we crave, and the more we need. This of course alters our moods and health as we consume more sugar and eat less healthy food in order to fuel our addiction. Go to You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgH6C1itI08&feature=related What happens to French fries as they are stored for several months? Okay, so that was gross. However, watching nothing happening to the fries was disconcerting. The preservatives on those items must be something else! Now, relate the information about how French fries can actually shrink your brain? Eating high amounts of sugar and refined carbs leads to high blood sugar. Too much sugar in the blood begins to shrink the hippocampus in the brain and also can cause diabetes, which actually rots the body from the inside out if left untreated. Why are Omega-3ʼs and Omega 6ʼs so critical to a healthy diet? Omega 3’s reduce inflammation and Omega 6’s increase inflammation. These two fats must be balanced to achieve a healthy brain. A diet high in Omega 6’s leads to heart disease and alzheimers. Eating foods high in Omega 3’s promotes healthy blood leading to smooth skin and protects against brain disorders and heart disease. After reading how meat is made, what is the take on eating a cheeseburger? Defend its nutritional value. A cheeseburger made from grass fed beef will be high in numerous healthy omega 3’s. However, a cheeseburger that is made in a fast food restaurant comes from beef that is raised in pens and
these animals receive very little nutritious food, thus the meat lacks key nutritional value. The moral of the story is to eat grass fed beef in order to achieve maximum nutritional value. Discuss the difficulty of getting proper nutrition from vegetables? The problem with grocery store vegetables is that, in order to stock the store with a variety of choices, vegetables are picked green, refrigerated, shipped, and then artificially ripened using ethelyn gas. So, we have a full variety of out-of-season vegetables that are bland and lack full nutritional value. To really get the most out of the vegetables, they need to be picked ripe and bought in season. Check out food synergy. What do you think of this idea of combining foods for maximum effect? I actually found the concept fascinating. Some of the combinations I’ve eaten before, and some I never really thought about. The point, though, is that selecting food combinations for meals can actually be planned out for specific purposes. This is a concept that has not been a way that I have cooked before. I’m generally more of an intuitive chef and just cook what I think will taste good together. I like to experiment, but with this new information, I will implement more of these combinations strategically to improve my health. The Top 100 reasons to avoid processed foods scattered throughout each chapter. Of the 8 listed in this section, which ones will have the most profound effect on your personal idea of healthy eating? #28 buying nitrate free locally produced bacon and salami is the way to go. Nitrate filled products have been linked to cancer. In the short term, these products are more expensive, however, my wife’s dad passed away from stomach cancer and we believe that part of the reason for this was all the bacon, etc he ate throughout the years. Send to instructor: bbbrain@comcast.net. Subject line to read ʻHappinessʼ #4.