Common Food Trends #10

Dieting can lead to frustration and irritation. It is a long process and can take way more time than we want it too.  Although, some diets can be short term if done correctly with a strong determination and passion. A lot of the time after participating in short term diets, it is much, much easier to gain your old weight back faster. For some people, they will just turn away from all diets and focus on eating all food and especially unhealthy food in moderation. Because, if you are cautious about moderation, all foods can be consumed and you will still be healthy. This is because you are only eating small amounts, at rare times. In America it has become a problem that we eat way too much and way too often. If we were all just left to deciding what is moderate food amounts for ourselves, we would slowly gain unwanted weight back due to the lack of knowledge about how much food we need and what would be a considerable amount to eat. There are so many sources available to help you understand what to eat and how to be healthy. For example, Choose My Plate has a great recommendation of the 4 different food groups and how much we need based on our age, height, weight, and physical activity. It expresses the importance of being aware of that goes on our plate, and what we eat every day.

Common Food Trends #9

After interviewing and talking with a friend who has been through an experience where it was hard to figure out what was wrong with her stomach after much pain and aches for many years, I am able to understand more fully how important it is to be aware of what we are eating every day. I asked Mairin to share with me how she felt before she didn’t care about her diet, and how she feels now that she does. Her response is as followed, “ When I ate whatever I wanted I never felt good. I couldn’t go to parties, and sometimes even school. I just accepted the fact that when I ate food my stomach would hurt. I didn’t think it was what I was eating until I heard about gluten. After many tests at the doctor’s office, we found that I was celiac. It is still hard to watch what I am eating 24/7, but I am much more grateful for the knowledge that I now have of what is good for me to eat and what isn’t.” I understand that not all of us have stomach problems or are celiac, but this example shows how important it is to watch what we are eating, and educate ourselves as much as we can to be healthy.

Common Food Trends #8

Not only are we seeing gluten free products all over in grocery stores, there is also a large amount of organic products hitting the shelves at every local store. I am guilty of purchasing organic food thinking that it is a healthier option due to the label that says organic. But, until after I researched the topic, I wasn’t even sure what organic meant. It was just a name to me and I felt like I was being healthier just from eating organic food. Organic food supposedly means that it is free of synthetic additives like pesticides, chemical fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, ionizing radiation, and dyes. But is it consumer trust worthy? Many people rely on trust when they are making decisions at the grocery store to buy new greens. In some places, such as Thailand, consumer trust is stopping them from selling organic food and is making a huge impact on the businesses there. When trying to get people to buy organic food, they need to be able to trust that the food is coming from the original organic supply chain. They want to be 100% sure that the product is actually organic. Some people believe that when companies label something organic it is just an excuse to charge more, basically just a fake advertisement. In a mall survey they had done they asked people how much trust goes into buying organic products, and if it is an important factor when purchasing food or not. Many people responded back with the answer that if they don’t trust the system the food comes from, they most likely won’t buy the food. They want factual proof that the food is organic which is an effort on their part as they will need to research what brands are trust worthy and what brands aren’t. This shows how important it is to understand what goes on in the process of what we think is healthier food. It all relates back to educating ourselves and putting forth the time and effort to keep our bodies healthy and clean. It is easy to assume that organic products are healthy just because the label says it is organic. But is organic food all that it says it is? Many people may not even be aware of this problem, but it is a big controversy and it is important to know and trust the food you are purchasing and where it is coming from.