Intervention Piece

ATTENTION CONSUMER:

These images may affect you without your knowledge; side effects may occur

“Extensive research has demonstrated the negative results of female objectification in the media. Depression, appearance anxiety, body shame, sexual dysfunction, and eating disorders are only a few among the growing list of repercussions (Fredrickson & Noll, 1997). In addition to the objectification of women, the media commits another assault on the dignity of women. This assault is the dismemberment of women, and it has not received the attention it deserves…Dismemberment advertisements highlight one part of a woman’s body while ignoring all the other parts of her body. Dismemberment ads portray women with missing appendages or substitute appendages. Of course the ads are only symbolic of dismemberment, but the symbolic imagery creates nearly the same effect…self-objectification contributes to disordered eating directly.”

-The Objectification and Dismemberment of Women in the Media

Kacey D. Greening, Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Write to American Apparel and tell them that what they’re doing is NOT ok with you!

Go to: http://www.americanapparel.net/feedback/

Or, for snail mail options, write to:

United States

American Apparel Inc.

747 Warehouse St.

Los Angeles, CA 90021

United States

what are the drugs *really* doing?

"What [pharmaceutical companies] need to sell is social phobia. If an article, a journal supplement, a conference session -- or even better, a best-selling book -- gets the word out about social phobia, then social phobia is going to be much more widely diagnosed, and the drug that treats it is going to be more widely prescribed."
-- Elliott, Better Than Well p. 125

Popular social phobias: now brought to you by completely fabricated studies!
Big Pharma researcher admits to faking dozens of research studies for Pfizer, Merck

A Change for the Worse

For the past few years I have made a conscious effort to eat as healthily as possible (although I am a firm believer that a little chocolate everyday can't hurt). I have made the continued effort to spend extra money on food and stock up on fruits and veggies and avoid what is quick and easy (or microwavable). My diet has always consisted of a reasonable amount of all categories on the food pyramid and I make an effort to add those things that I probably don't get enough of. I always go out of my way to make a lunch at home rather than buy something while I'm out. Not only is this a much cheaper option, but is always healthier.

Lately, my habits have changed. My schedule doesn't allow me the time to go to the grocery store often enough or cook the food soon enough before it goes bad. This is typically because I simply don't have time to cook for myself and if I do, I am too tired at that point.

I can't pinpoint a specific meal because this has become a reoccurring event, but lately, my meal is cooked in the microwave or bought on-the-go. There are multiple reasons that this is an unfortunate change but I think the first on my list is the the quality of food in my diet is significantly lower. It is becoming apparent that there are more mysteries to our pre-packaged/prepared/on-the-go food than I'd probably like to know.

Three cheers for processed food!

My wife and I believe it is important to be better stewards of the resources given to us on this Earth. We have a finite amount, and regardless of whether or not we have reached a peak, conservation is ALWAYS important. Nearly every major lifestyle choice has had one thing or another to do with this conservational mindset: our living location, means of transportation, stores we frequent, etc.

One of the best things about where I live is that it is directly behind a Cub Foods grocery store, so when the need arises, we can simply make a short walk and pick up our groceries, buy in smaller quantities to prevent waste (we don't need any "family size" packs), and, where possible, go organic. When the local farmers' markets come to town during the non-winter months, we make every effort to attend them. The produce is fresher and it really does make our food taste better! We spend extra money to obtain the highest quality organic, cage-free, local, humanely raised, etc. etc. etc. products for our stomachs.

Unfortunately, using only the aforementioned buzzwords in one's shopping habits is not really the best way to make one's purchases. For example, last month I decided that I needed to increase my consumption of fresh fruits and veggies because I have a bad habit of dining out FAR too frequently (for proof, you need only take a look at my food journal blog post). With this goal in mind, I snatched up all the organic berries, citrus fruits, chiles, and veggies as I thought I could use for a few days. Here's the catch: last month was February...not exactly peak growing season. Every item I ate from this batch was a dry, leathery, tasteless piece of junk. I try to support our local farmers, but it led me to wonder: when our local farms are covered in snow and ice, where exactly is this organic, local stuff coming from anyway? And is this flavorless way the future for me in the ostensible interests of my future health?

Indeed, food processing technology is not itself inherently evil. Several food studies have shown that frozen and even canned green vegetables are quite close to fresh vegetables in terms of nutritional value. My great-grandparents had a long-standing tradition of canning their food, a skill I'm sure their parents and grandparents passed on to them in order to survive the Minnesota winters. Norman Borlaug grew hardy strains of grains in order to allow farmers to grow things on increasingly barren land. Monsanto famously markets genetically engineered corn labeled "RoundUp ready". In each of these instances, we efficiently gained viable food supplies whereas before, we only had the dry, leathery stuff I spoke of before...or perhaps would have had to do without. Without food processing, our Minnesotan ancestors would never have had an adequate supply of food to last through the winter until they could use the farmland again. Without Mr. Borlaug's ingenuity, millions more would have died of starvation worldwide for lack of nutrition. More recently, without "RoundUp ready" products, our farmers could lose entire years' worth of crops from a simple insect infestation.

Obviously, there's a lot of information to weigh at the supermarket besides the latest food buzzwords!

Frozen Foods vs. Trip to Rainbow

After I came back from spring break there was absolutely nothing in my refrigerator to make. There were a few apples, ketchup, and salad dressings galore. I am the type of person to cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner and I always try to have a balanced meal. I find that making a meal is my “break” from everything else that I am doing. It is not like me to eat strictly out of the freezer but I didn’t want to go to the grocery store. I hate going to Rainbow in the Quarry but it is by far the closest grocery store to my apartment. I especially don’t like Rainbow because I find their produce to be… well not up to par. When I was at home and went to the grocery store, I was shocked at how red and delicious their red peppers were as compared to what I see at Rainbow here in Minneapolis. (It reminded me of Ben talking about the lettuce in Brooklyn as compared to the Upper East side of NYC. My roommates were coming back towards the end of the week and I knew they would have to go so I decided to just wait so that I didn’t have to make 2 horrific trips to Rainbow.

I resorted to eating frozen foods for almost a week. I ate Lean Cuisines, frozen homemade pizza, frozen vegetables, and poppy seed bread that my mom made awhile back. As I was thinking about what I ate, I was also thinking about the money I had spent on it all. I find Lean Cuisines to be pretty expensive, ranging from about $3 to $4 per meal. With the whole popular “diets” these days, Lean Cuisines have come into being and have become quite expensive. As the demand goes up, the price goes up as the graph showed in class. Another thing, they have a ton of ingredients. The list is like a foreign language to me. Despite all this, I resorted to eating them all so I didn’t have to go to Rainbow.

decisions decisions

As the weekend came to an end, my kitchen shelves were looking bare. Typically Sundays are my lazy days and if I don't have anything that looks appetizing to my stomach to eat I resort to going to brunch with some friends or ordering delivery of some sort. Today was different though, after our class discussions and reading Pollen's book I decided to start my day off with a quick trip to the grocery store, giving me the freedom to choose exactly what I wanted to fill my stomach with. I intended on just a quick trip to grab a few things to make a new recipe I've been wanting to try out, but it ended up taking me a bit longer because there are so many different options of the same thing, it took a while to decide this brand over that, organic or conventional, and so on.

Instead of having a large calorie heavy meal, like I normally would on a Sunday, I enjoyed many fresh veggies in a spring time pasta salad, with a few new ingredients I've never tried before but ended up loving. Also at the end of the meal i wasn't feeling draggy and full, more so just content. In addition it was an eye opening experience that helped me to realize that the choice of what I decide to eat is very important, and i dont have to settle for whatever as long as I set aside time to eat the way I want. While this isnt always an option and many times I do have to just settle, in the future when the time is free i will take advantage of it and learn to cook and try new things and get a healthier variety of foods. This sounds more appealing to me especially after learning that there really are a lot of mysteries to the things we eat at restaurants or on the go, and even in the things on the shelf at the grocery store.

Bread

This past week, after returning from spring break, I made a radical food decision. I switched from white bread to whole wheat bread. And not just any whole wheat  bread - the kind with grains and seeds still in it (as my roommate calls it, 'birdseed bread'). For some this may seem like a mundane switch, but for me, it was serious. Life and death serious. I was voluntarily leaving the realm of comfort and taste that my Country Hearth Cottage Bread provided me with for a bumpy, dull colored  and undoubtedly unsavory loaf.

But more importantly, I didn't make this switch on a whim. I'd been thinking about it. For some reason, white bread has become a food faux-pas as of late. I've seen countless ads on television that promote whole wheat and multi-grain breads over white because its 'healthier'. My friends have told me they eat whole wheat bread because its 'healthier'. And companies have created white bread with the same old color and texture that is 'healthier' because it contains the same vitamins found in whole wheat bread. So, when I was walking down that bread aisle I thought, why not be healthier? Even the packaging of the all the different kinds of breads were pushing the same line - eat me, and you'll be healthier! you'll be making a life change that will make you fitter and better! The front of the plastic bags in which the bread was wrapped had things like "12 Great Grains!" "Low in Fat!" 'Wholesome and Nutritious Ingredients!" on them. Even the white bread was amping up its game by adding calcium.

I didn't stop and think about whether or not there even was a benefit to switching my bread. What do all of those words and ads even mean? Is there really a bigger benefit of eating two pieces of whole wheat bread a day instead of two white pieces? I've realized that I didn't switch because I had a concrete idea of why I should. Instead, I had this vague notion that, somehow, it was better. Every food ad is marketing whole grain- those words are on cereal boxes and granola bar wrappers, chip bags too. Instead, consumers should be concentrating on bigger issues, like the fair trade price of the wheat and grains that went into the bread, or the chemicals that are in it, or even the plastic bag the bread is wrapped in.

Even though I continue to eat my new bread (which is pretty good) I realized that my choice in this simple matter isn't my own. In a country where obesity is an epidemic, every small change in a food product that can be labeled as 'healthier' is a comfort. And companies are jumping on this. It works. Just look at me.

The Right Choice?

I grew up eating many diverse foods; although they always seemed to be influenced by hispanic tendencies. I am Venezuelan, and my mom absolutely loves to cook. Since I can remember, she was always in the kitchen, creating wonderful, delicious smells. This behavior strongly influenced my interest in cooking. I absolutely love to cook any type of food, but I would have to say that my specialty would be either tacos or spanish chicken and rice.

My friends are always asking me to have them over for dinner. I am very busy during the week, so the only time that I have to cook is on the weekend. I finally agreed to cook for my friends and made pulled chicken tacos, spanish beans, and spanish chicken and rice. I didn't initially have all the specific ingredients for these dishes, so I had to go to the grocery store. At this point, I was torn between going to the all natural co-op or the Cub Foods down the street from my house. I knew that the Cub was more convienent as well as less expensive, but I also realized that the co-op was more nutricious and the fresher ingredients would really make a difference in the flavor of my entrees. And having more nutrition meant that these foods were healthier and less fattening. I finally decided that my friends as well as my satisfaction was more important so I went and spent the extra money at the co-op, plus it was right across the street from the Liquor store that sells my favorite German white wine. It made me feel better knowing I was killing two birds with one stone, which relieved some of the anxiety for spending extra money. The meal was delicious and my friends demanded that they take left overs home.

Culture obviously plays its part within all my decisions. I decided to cook these dishes due to my spanish ethnicity. I felt comfortable and confident cooking these dishes because I grew up with them since I can remember, and had much practice preparing them. Gender politics also showed its face here while I was deciding that the co-op would save me from becoming FAT. Every female wants to be thin and trim because that's what's idealized within our culture. This influence shows itself within our food decisions. Economics also lended its hand because I preferred to eat all natural food and without my economic resources, I wouldn't have been able to afford this type of taste; better yet, would I have even considered it if I hadn't the resources to have previously endured it? It's very interesting how we all are governed and almost defined by our own particular "cultures."

Little Tijuana

Today, I experienced the dilemma that begins Pollan's book, the "what should we eat?" dilemma. Driving around uptown and eat street and dinky town from about an hour produced few ideas, for a variety of reasons: too filling, not filling enough, not in the mood, too expensive, don't want red meat, don't want vegetarian, blah blah blah. Finally, my companion and I settled upon Little Tijuana off Nicollet, where I got three small guacamole tacos and he got two cheese and onion enchiladas. As an appetizer, we got fried chips and queso dip. Ishh, I can feel my insides beginning to congeal.

Anyway, I specifically chose the guacamole tacos because, ever since going to Colorado for spring break, a lot of Mexican food has entered my stomach, and none of it has seemed much "safer" than guacamole (and by safe, I mean to say that guacamole seems least likely to give me heartburn, stomach ache, weight gain, etc.), not to mention its based almost completely in the little alligator pear called Avocado, which is, like most "natural" things, healthy, energizing, whatever. Most people think of guac as a chip dip for parties, or just some sort of topping, but I see it as a tasty filling for most anything.

I wasn't too concerned about the economics behind my decision" the guac tacos were the same price as the chicken or steak or whatever else they had there. Anyway, I'd rather get the guacamole at a place like this, rather than some place like Chipotle, because it just feels better to support the underdog sometimes, doesn't it? I mean, we can at least assume that both places make their own guacamole, but who is more likely to have the more authenticity: BIG CORPORATION or the Little Guys around the Corner? I know where I'd rather go, how about you?

Sunday afternoon I decided to drive to St. Paul and sequester myself in my parents house to focus on some homework. This decision was of course influenced by the hopeful prospect of there being a something to eat in the kitchen that was a little more satisfying or merely different than the almonds, cereal and left over chicken at my apartment. There was some left over salmon and collard greens that my mom had cooked for dinner the night before, so I was in luck for some real food to eat. I also had some girl scout cookies and some crackers. I'm not sure where she bought the salmon, so who knows how or where it was fished, but I do know the greens (mustard, collard, chard) were purchased from Cub. I was curious because they are extremely nutritious but I wasn't exactly sure how to cook them/how much greens costed in general. Basically they were sub-par boiled for about twenty minutes and then sauteed in to a pan with garlic and onion and bacon fat. When she mentioned the bacon fat, I was a little grossed out because of my avoidance of extremely fatty foods such as grisly red meat and fried bacon, (not that this avoidance is consistent when looking at other foods I love such as grilled cheese, french fries, and ice cream!) as well as having previous experience of old roommates cumulating cans and cans of disgusting bacon fat for cooking. Maybe I'll get over it, but I just don't love the idea at this point. Anyway, my mom is obviously more concerned with the flavor of the greens than the bacon added. She grew up in the south and I definitely can notice this in her eating habits and her cooking strengths: pot roast, red meat, butter, crispy foods, no bread. Sort of the opposite of my own: nuts, bread, crackers, cheese, hummus, spinach. The foods I eat are relatively healthy, but more expensive. I can afford to buy healthier foods because I have a job and therefore some extra cash to prioritize eating well. I also have the luxury of parents living 15 minutes away that I can also take advantage of their food, but also be influenced by their eating habits, both good and bad. I should maybe be influenced by their decisions to actually cook means rather than snacking all day, but at this point my life just caters to snacking all day...

Shopping Spree

At the begining of spring break I went back to my parents house. They have more condiments than food, so we went to the grocery store to get food for me to eat through out the week. We went up and down the isles and I got to choose whatever i wanted, because this time I wasn't paying for it. I noticed that when I didn't have to pony up the funds for the grocery bill I chose foods according to things other than price.

I am unemployed and live in a dorm, so most of the time I don't get to choose what brand my food is, because I eat from the cafeteria. When I go over to my best friends house (3-4 nights a week) we have to make food for ourselves. Our most common choices are dollar menu foods, noodles with some kind of sauce, or if we splurge we will split a Hamburger Helper between him, his girl friend, and I. We eat these foods not because we especially like them, but they are cheap and you get the most bang for your buck. We also don't really like where our food comes from; the slave-driving corporations, the deep fat fryers, and the preservatives that let them be transported from across the nation.

When I went shopping over spring break I chose foods that I deemed healthy, not to processed, and of general higher quality. Part of my health evaluation of a food is, does it look like the food its made of. I saw this mentioned by Pollan, "When I asked Isaac if the new nuggets tasted more like chicken than the old ones, he seemed baffled by the question. 'No, they taste like what they are, which is nuggets.' In this consumer's mind at least, the link between a nugget and the chicken in it was never more than notional, and probably irrelevant." I also got snack foods which is a rarity back at school. Besides the food being "healthier" the food also came from sources that I thought of as less tyrannic; foods that came from sources that are not house hold names.

The part of this trip to the grocery store that was different than any other was that I saw what effect price has on my habits. Given the opportunity to get the food I wanted I fought "the man", lowered the number of "processes" before it reaches my plate, tried to help the hard working farmers that I will never meet in third world countries, and did as little damage to the earth as I could. It seems almost comical that when I have to pay the bill, these causes are instantly seconded to the value of a couple more bucks left in my pocket.

Are there eco-friendly co-ops in the ghetto? How many Aldi's are in Edina? Do the people with food stamps consider the shack dwelling farmers of who know where?

Ramen Noodles

My choice of food in college has been Ramen Noodles. If I don't eat in the dining center you can be sure I will be eating my Ramen Noodles. Not only do I love the taste of them but they are also very cheap. One packet of Ramen is about 29 cents. When I am at home my mom buys me a big box which contains many packets of chicken flavored Ramen at Sam's club. If I run out of Ramen before I am able to go home it is easy for me to afford because it is so inexpensive.
A bad thing about Ramen is it is very unhealthy for you. It contains 14 grams of fat, 1660 mg of sodium (which is about 70% of the amount of salt you should be consuming in one day), and 52 grams of carbohydrates. As you can see, this is not a good set of nutrition facts. So the fact that I eat this almost every day is definitely not good for my health. My arteries must hate me!
When I am at home I usually take a break from my consumption of Ramen Noodles. My parents take me out to eat or buy me foods that are more expensive. It is nice to eat good food that doesn't come in a plastic packet. I also eat healthier at home because more healthy food is available to me but when I come back to campus it's back to eating my ramen with hot sauce. I think that when I live in an apartment next year I will be eating more healthy foods again because I will have a kitchen available to me to make the food I want to eat vs. living here in the dorms with no kitchen only a microwave (and most food made in a microwave is not very good for you). I also will have a job so I will be able to afford food that is more then 29 cents per meal. It will be nice to be able eat good meals again but for now I will enjoy eating my unhealthy Ramen Noodles!

Italian Cuisine

I grew up in a very italian household. Our dinners always consisted of some type of really good pasta and meat. But since ive been in college, I havent had anyone make those wonderfully delicious dinners for me, and most of the time I dont have time to cook a meal like such. So, while grocery shopping on friday afternoon, I decided that i was going to make a delicious italian meal for my roommates and myself on saturday. I bought some ravioli and tortellini, along with ingredients to make my moms meatballs, and some garlic bread. I chose these items because they werent as expensive as buying ingredients for lasagna or something more tedious to make. Ravioli are simple to make, and i have made meatballs many times before so that was easy. I normally make garlic bread from scratch but it was on sale for very cheap so i chose to buy it.

As i can see from my selection of this meal, my culture growing up had a lot to do with it. Also that amount of money that i could spend was limited becuase of the limited amount of funds that i have. I probably would have chose something mmore expensive to make like manicotti, or lasagna, but i couldnt afford them. I also would have bought the best ingredients but i couldnt afford them either.

Steak

Every monday i go to the grocery store and find the best deals i possibly can for steak to last me throughout the week. I usually find the steak thats on sale and that has the most marbling in it because i love my fat! This week instead of going for the cheapest steak possible which has alot of fat i decided to help my body out a little bit. I eat alot of unhealthy foods throughout the week so i decided that just this once i will spend more money on the better cuts which has less fat and in return is healthier for you. I felt good knowing i was eating something better for my body than i usually do. However the guilt i felt from spending more money on it was not worth is for me. And the steak just wasnt the same without the large ammounts of fat that im used to. So tomorrow i will not be stepping it up again with the more expensive steak but instead ill be going back to clogging my arteries and enjoying it greatly!

"fast food with a conscience"

On Tuesday evening around 5:30 PM I was coming back from the St. Paul campus via the connector. I hadn't eaten since 11:00 and my stomach was growling, so I decided to buy dinner on campus instead of going all the way home first, cuz that'd take ~fifty minutes. Money is always a concern (I'm trying to save, Keynes' theories be damned) and I am uncomfortable spending more than six or seven bucks on my dinner, whatever it is.

Thought about getting a burrito from Chipotle (both because it was two blocks away, inexpensive, and their veggie burrito is delicious) but then remembered a picture I'd seen a few days earlier of a vandalized ad for Chipotle. Despite their reputation as the fast-food restaurant with a conscience, I decided not to go there, thinking instead that it would be a good idea to walk to the Hard Times café on the West bank. Advantages to going to Hard Times:

The food would probably be healthier for me, as it's made using vegan ingredients that I doubt have ever been tainted by HFCS. Even though Chipotle buys 100% of its pork from non-CAFO sources, the animals are raised on vegetarian diets without antibiotics and hormones, and have room to move around (stats from AlterNet which I generally trust) . The standard includes animals raised without antibiotics or growth hormones, given room to move around, and fed vegetarian diets.; about half the price, meaning the relative value of my dollars increased there in comparison to what they were worth at Chipotle, in terms of the quality* of the food I would receive; and I would be keeping money in our community of Minneapolis by spending money locally at a place of whose business practices I approve. If someone had to have a monopoly on my dinner that night, I'd be damned if it wasn't Hard Times: even though Chipotle is no longer virtually owned by McDonald's, Inc., it's a huge chain that really doesn't need one more consumer's business. Hard Times as a local restaurant is much more accountable to its customers.

*Of course I would have received a lot MORE food if I'd chosen Chipotle -- their burritos are all but impossible to finish. But as we've seen from Ch. 1 of Omnivore's dilemma, quantity is not as valuable nor does it substitute for quality, and pounds of white rice, frozen corn and fried onions wrapped in a corn tortilla do not supersede in healthiness a smaller (i.e. appropriately sized) portion of barley, lentils, and long-grained rice.

So I walked over to the West Bank and had some soup and whole-wheat bread (wild rice and barley sounded better to me at the time than the other soup of the day). I was satisfied then both in terms of hunger and the purchase I'd made, and I still am; a local vegan community-run restaurant is in my mind much better than any corporation, no matter how sustainable... companies just really don't need to be that large. But today to write this blog I did some research as to what that sign was referring, to see whether my perception against Chipotle was still justified. I found my answer through AlterNet!

Chipotle for a while refused to patronize the Fair Food program, which has been calling for an increase in migrant workers' wage rates by $0.01/lb (the article claims this amounts to a 64% increase in wages for tomato pickers). This refusal is ostensibly what inspired the vandalism of the Chipotle ad, especially in light of the letter sent by CIW (Coalition of Immokalee Workers) to Chipotle founder Steve Ells: "Chipotle cannot claim the same integrity for the tomatoes it serves as it does for its meat, much less guarantee its customers that the tomatoes in its burritos were not picked by slaves."

Since then Chipotle has agreed to buy their tomatoes from East Coast Growers, which has everyone pleased. It's not much, and the migrant workers are still going to be exploited to an extent (and on the same website there is an article detailing exactly why migrant workers now lead lives not much different from those of slaves) but... it may be a start.

Here's an exchange between Chipotle and an activist with Change.org, who are understandably ^^ about the decision.

Blog Posting #6 (due Sunday 3/28, 11:59 P.M.): 'Freely' 'Choosing' 'Food'

We've been talking all week about the many 'invisible hands' (economics, science, politics...) that determine food production and consumption. We'll soon take our work into more personal, more 'pleasure-able' more 'body' aspects of cooking and eating.

Let's look at the degree to which we really are 'free to choose' what we eat. Let's analyze a specific eating act.

• select a moment when you made a choice about what to eat (or purchase, or cook, or whatever eating dimensions turn out to be important). 'Food logs' are an obvious place to look, but any recent, interesting food choice is fine.

• explain it in terms of its ethics, politics and economics.

No-BS guideline: it's really easy to say 'I ate the chocolate raised doughnut because I always do, and I was hungry and they were on a plate in the kitchen.' Right. But that doesn't say much. Our models here—and the ideas / concepts / ways of explaining, even the terms—come from Friedman, Keynes, Posner, Pollan and our discussions and Background Reports. Use 'em.

Just Like the Flintstones, but Better

While checking my email tonight, I came across this article about a human powered car. I thought it was interesting.

This car can apparently do-it-all. And by do-it-all i mean get up to speeds of 60 mph and power your home...

Anyway, just a cool thing I thought might intrigue a few. Just copy and paste the link

http://autos.aol.com/article/human-car/

Declaring Your Independence From the Factory Food System

This Tuesday evening at 7:30 PM there will be a lecture at Club Jager in Minneapolis about living outside of the industrial food chain. It is hosted by the Twin Cities Agora Cadre -- agora is Greek for "open-air assembly and market" in ancient city-states, and cadre refers to a small group of specially trained people.

Facebook event link

Event description:
"If being free requires living freely, then there is no greater opportunity for liberty than in how and where we get our food. The Corporate / Government Food system in the United States penalizes small farms at the expense of giant government subsidized corporate farms. By using alternate methods of sustaining ourselves we can withdraw our support and participation from this unsustainable system AND live healthier and higher quality lives.

"Corey Sax and Britt Lundberg-Sax will talk about how they've almost completely withdrawn from the Corporate Food System and how they did it. They will talk about their experiences with buying meat from local farmers, raising your own garden, preserving food, Farmer's Markets and working with your neighbors to develop a neighborhood market.

"Even if you live in an apartment, you can do this!"

the "science" of sexing the brain

Find the sex of your brain! Just take this short quiz -- it's from the BBC's "Science and Nature" website, so it must be legit, right?

Food Humor

Per the request of Jenny, I'll put up this rather amusing picture I found ages ago on the famous (or perhaps infamous) somethingawful forums, which I sometimes read through for witty news commentary and funny pictures/photoshops, like this.

Enjoy your food, guys!

On the topic of sexing the body...

I'd like to make mention of something I saw last week.

I was sitting at a friends house, watching TV, having some pizza, just relaxing, you know? As I flipped through the channels I came across the Maury show. Now, I know that nobody can really take shows like Maury seriously, but! I found this episode to be strangely fascinating, if not horrifying, but it was hard to change the channel.

In this episode, they were showcasing a set of eight "women", or rather, a few women and a few men dressed as women. Maury had these people, these women and undercover men, flaunt themselves in bikinis, dresses and nightclub wear, all while the audience sat (and stood) screaming, laughing, and yelling to the camera about who they thought were the real women, and who they thought were the undercover men. Maury even focused on a few audience members, holding the microphone to their mouths as they sat trying to decide whether "Carmen" was a boy or a girl. Their rationale was amazing: they all seemed so confident in their assertions that, when the time to unveil the truth came, these people were SO surprised and some of them looked SO disappointed (especially the men in the crowd) that their ideas about men and women (and what makes a woman a woman and a man a man) were deceived and pulled out from underneath them like a dirty old rug.

I will admit: I, too, was surprised at how flawlessly some men can appear as women on the outside. Shows like these, once you start watching, are difficult to stop watching sometimes, no matter how obscene or stupid they may seem. And I think the fact that a whole show was dedicated to this idea of fucking with our ideas of gender and gender roles is a really strong commentary on the mentality of our society. We're still learning to cope with having our preconceptions destroyed, and the result of our coming to understanding is more of a freakshow than a true, educated approach.

But alas: this is the beauty of the talk show. We allow the most simplistic minds expose and exploit themselves so we don't have to.

But, come on... we all know what's really going on here.

How Long Can You Live Without Food?

You can train yourself to live on less in case our glorious world of consumables should ever decline... but it might be best to stockpile your belly with calories while you can, in preparation for those hard times.

"Your Online Survival Kit!"

cheese curds.

For some reason my blog did not post, maybe I hit save rather than publish, however it was simple and here is a recap. It started on last Tuesday after having class from 7:30-2:30 and going directly to work at 3:30 without having a chance to eat. Needless to say I was starving. Normally it doesn't hit me until I'm finished with class, but last Tuesday I had no time to get food, just bike home, change, and go to work. Luckily I work at a restaurant so I wasn't too worried. All of this went out the window when I walk in and its busier than ever for being in-between normal rush hours on top of the Travel Channel arriving right as I clock in because they are special on our cheese curds, voted best in the city. Long story short, we were making a lot of cheese curds. We have a diner/bar that was full of people, and we wanted everyone to have cheese curds in front of them. Therefore, I always had cheese curds in front of me. I think I had about 75 cheese curds. That is enough cheese curds for ones entire life. I left work feeling so crappy that I decided to give up deep fried food for the foreseeable future, and cleanse my body. Wednesday, I only drank water. Thursday, I only drank water and then about half way through the day I had a fruit cup. Later on 2 oranges. So, For three days, my diet was extremely different and hopefully progressing towards foods that have nutrients and have not been deep fried. The idea I am going with is green tea and strictly fruits and veggies. That worked until I was at a bar on Saturday and had nachos. Basically, in a vacuum I could eat zero cheese curds and only raw food, but in a social reality that is much more difficult.

food journal

Friday. 1:20 pm. Sanford Hall. Hot dog, wild rice soup, salami provolone sandwich. White bread. I woke up pretty late and i know Sanford's got tasty food. I had to be somewhere at 3 and most dining halls close by 2. I drank Grape juice. It was delicious.

At 6:15pm I had some Panda Express at coffman--fried rice and orange chicken, of course. Didn't finish it, though. I was surprised. I needed to get something quick before 7 and Panda has a pretty good reputation with me. No liquids.

Sometime between 7 and 10pm I had an orange. I wasn't really hungry but i wanted an orange in my body, you know?

Saturday. 11:10am. A ham and cheese breakfast burrito that my roommate had in the fridge. I needed something i could travel across campus with. Again, no liquids.

Around 3:30 i went to Jimmy John's and got a BLT. I love BLT's, it's hard to have another reason. I guess it was close to my rehearsal and we did only have a 30 minute break--but really BLT's trump all. That's why I ate there. I got avocado sauce on it too. Yet, again no liquids.

I had an orange sometime before 6 pm. Like i said before, i wasn't really hungry. But i do enjoy me a good orange.

Then at around 12:30 am I really pigged out and had half a bag of Pizza Combos, two bowls of Cocoa Krispies, 1 chocolate graham cracker, and two peanut butter sandwiches. I think I probably had more than that. I was at one of my friend's parent's house and they sorta gave me the green light to do so. I felt no guilt. I still don't.

Sunday at noon. I had a delicious brunch BLT at Bailey Hall. Had a mixture of Orange Juice and Cranberry juice. The BLT never needs a why. It's always the answer. no exceptions.

To end this post on a high note I made sure i got a satisfying dinner. 5:10 pm, bailey hall. Spaghetti, patty melt (grilled cheese with caramelized onions and a burger patty), a pile of tator tots. And for desert i had chocolate silk pie and coconut pie and a brownie. It all just looked so good.

Then at midnight i had a slice of philly cheese-stake pizza from my roommates and some apple/raspberry juice. I get hungry when i do homework.

Food Journal

A recurring theme I see in my diet is a distinct ‘always pressed for time’ flavor coupled with ‘damn, I didn’t bother cooking last night so now I don’t have lunch’. On a related note, either there are a lot of liars here or college life and its diet has changed significantly in the last few years! Unfortunately for me, I haven’t paid much attention to what I am taking in because I knew I wouldn’t have to see it in print…until now.

Day 1: Friday, 5 Mar

Breakfast

8:15 am—Life cereal with skim milk. I like to have a nice big bowl, because it usually doesn’t last me until lunch without a soda or some kind of snack.

Snacks

10:30 am—20 oz. bottle of Mountain Dew. I brought it with me and I can’t take the temptation! Oh, and it went well with beer nuts.

Lunch

1:15 pm—I work near campus and I need to eat before my shift starts, so I grab some Panda Express from Coffman union…white rice, steamed veggies and firecracker chicken washed down with water as quickly as I can scoop it in!

Dinner

8:00 pm—I have a half an hour for dinner before I need to get back to it, so…hmm… haven’t had a Toscano from Punch Pizza in a while…

Snacks

10:30 pm—I had some beer nuts in my backpack, and they went well with the mountain dew earlier today, so I repeated the act while I got a page or two of homework done.

Day 2: Saturday, 6 Mar

Breakfast

Dammit, it’s 6:15 already? I gotta go in 15 minutes and I just finished showering! Okay, uh, Life cereal and milk. I’ll just have to buy lunch out today.

Snack

10:15 am—two hard boiled eggs from the cafeteria and an energy drink. Hey, I was up late last night.

Lunch

1:30 pm—Chipotle chicken fajita burrito with some hot salsa! Cheap, fast, AND filling!

Dinner

8:45 pm—Well, I better eat soon or I’ll never get to sleep at a decent hour. What’s in the fridge…leftover spaghetti and meatballs, some bell peppers to mix in…yep. That’ll do.

Day 3: Sunday, 7 Mar

Breakfast

6:20 am—Cereal, meet milk. Milk, cereal. Aw, you two look great together!

Snack

10:45 am—well, those eggs sure hit the spot yesterday, and they keep me full until lunch, so what the heck. I'll have a 20 oz bottle of Vault while I'm at it.

Lunch

1:00 pm—Jasmine orchid’s spicy beef Thai salad and chicken satay. My day’s looking MUCH better now!

Dinner

8:00 pm—Cub is right behind my apartment, so I acquired some groceries and a pre-made sub sandwich with pepperoni, ham, turkey, bell peppers and lettuce on a white roll. Pretty massive, but bland. Gotta remember to avoid those from now on.

Yes, unfortunately, these things were the only food to go in my body, as I usually look for whatever fulfills the need to eat so I can get to more pressing matters. Plenty of water with each meal, though I seem to be going through about 24 oz of soda a day as well. Soon, though, (after graduation!) I’ll have a lot more time to focus on those pesky things like diet and fitness again. How will I ever manage?

Food Journal....

March 4^th

Breakfast:

What: yogurt and granola, granny smith apple, milk

Where: dinning room (my house)

When: 7:00 a.m.

Why: I eat the same thing before my 8:00 a.m. class on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. It’s a small meal but I’m only half awake this early and don’t feel like eating a lot. I’ve been told that apple’s make you feel more awake then coffee so I try to eat one every morning.

Lunch:

What: Mac and cheese, green grapes, Red Bull sugar free

Where: dinning room (my house)

When: 11:00 am lunch is always set out from 11a-1p

Why: I live in a sorority and we have a chief that makes us lunch and dinner. On Tuesday’s and Thursdays I usually eat whatever is put out for us. Also, I drank a Red Bull because I was feeling tired.

Dinner: Chop salad, roll with butter, milk

Where: dinning room (my house)

When: 5:00 p.m. dinner is always set out from 5p-6p

Why: That is what was on the menu for dinner and I was rushing from class to class so even though salad isn’t my favorite I wouldn’t have had time to make anything else.

March 5^th

Breakfast:

Skipped because I was running late. I grabbed a large skim latte on my when into work because I was exhausted

Lunch:

What: Roast beef and cheddar cheese sandwich, a pickle, and a chi tea latte

Where: my office

When: 12:00 pm

Why: The office voted on where we wanted to get lunch and everyone choose Corner Coffee. I always get the same thing there; the roast beef sandwich is my favorite!

Dinner:

What: Chips and queso dip, a few too many vodka tonics

Where: Burrito Loco

When: 7:00 p.m.

Why: It was my boss’ birthday and she wanted to go out for drinks after work. She chose the location and we were all starving so we got an appetizer to split.

March 6^th

Breakfast:

What: Raisin Bran Crunch, green apple, toast with butter, milk

Where: dinning room

When: 9:00 a.m.

Why: I had to work at 10:00 a.m. so I ate right before I left. I choose cereal because it was easy and I could eat it quickly.

Lunch:

Skipped because I was working and we didn’t have time to stop to pick something up

Dinner:

What: grilled cheese and tomato soup, milk

Where: dining room (my house)

When: 7:00 p.m. (we don’t have food made for us on the weekends so we can eat whenever)

Why: I was craving a grilled cheese sandwich all day and luckily my house just bought a pannini grill so it was easy to make myself one after work. My roommate suggested the tomato soup.

Food Journal

Wednesday 3/3

Breakfast 9:00am
I usually don't eat until after my 8:00am class, but during class I have water mixed with Energy Crystal Light. After class I had a bowl of Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal with skim milk, a blueberry bagel with cream cheese, and a glass of cranberry juice at Pioneer Hall. I eat breakfast here three times a week because I am usually pretty hungry after my first class and my friends and I always go together to catch up, it is also already paid for because of my meal plan.

Lunch 1:00pm
I decided to go back to my room and eat Easy Mac and drink water (my friend and I were supposed to have lunch together, but she bailed on my at the last second). I have just enough time in between my classes to go back to my room if I want, so I usually just make something fast, and I get sick of eating in the dining halls so I try to mix it up every once in awhile.

Snack 4:00
I had pistachios in my room and water, because I was little hungry and that was pretty much the only small snack food that I had in my room (I'm running low on food and don't really want to go to the store to buy more since spring break is coming up).

Dinner 6:00pm
I had two slices of ham, green beans, mashed potatoes, a glass of skim milk, and decided to splurge and have an ice cream cone with vanilla ice cream. I ate in Centennial's Dining Hall because it is convenient and I have a meal plan there so the meals are all already paid for.

After dinner "snack" 9:30pm
My friend wanted to go to late night at Centennial Hall, so I decided to go with her so I could get a caffeinated drink so I could stay up and do my homework. I got a small bowl of chili because I was a little hungry and didn't want to just sit there while she ate, and I got a Diet Coke so I could get a little caffeine.

Throughout the day I am always drinking water because I carry around my water bottle with me in my backpack.

Thursday 3/4

Breakfast 7:45am
I had a Chewy chocolate chip granola bar in my room before I left for class so I wouldn't get too hungry during lecture. I also had a water with energy Crystal Light in it during my 8am class in hopes of staying awake during lecture.

Lunch 11:30am
I had a Panda Bowl of fried rice and orange chicken from Panda Express and pomegranate limeade Odwalla juice. My friend and I always have lunch together on Thursdays, we decided to meet at Coffman and get lunch since it is right by both of our classes and we get done around the same time, and we can use our FlexDine so lunch was technically already paid for. We ate the Chinese food in her room so we could hang out and watch tv.

Snack 3:00pm
I had a mini bag of low fat popcorn and water because I was getting a little hungry and I smelled popcorn coming from someone else's room so I was craving it. I ate it in my room because I was doing homework there.

Dinner 7:30pm
I had a plate of spaghetti and a glass of skim milk at Centennial's dining hall. My friends and I always go to Centen's pasta late night every Thursday. I go there to eat with my friends and because I have a meal plan so it is already paid for.

Again, I had water throughout the day.

Food Journal, 3/4-3/6

My food choices for the past few days have been a bit out of character, since I haven't been able to go grocery shopping, and thought it would be kind of silly to with Spring Break fast approaching. I was amazed with how much food I consumed that I didn't make myself!

Thursday, March 4th:
8:45am: two pieces of white toast, with unsalted butter
               vanilla almond granola, plain
I had this for breakfast with about a cup and a half of coffee. I almost always eat toast because its delicious and simple, and I need coffee to stay awake! I usually drink more, but I was nervous for the debate so didn't.
12:00pm: about 1/2 cup mashed potatoes
                 5 chicken nuggets from Coffman Marketplace
Usually I bring my own lunch, but because I had an appointment, I thought I'd just eat somewhere close. In retrospect, it was disgusting, I hate buying anything from the food places at Coffman.
3:00pm: 1 piece homemade pecan pie, Sweethearts candy
9:30pm: about 1/2 cup of beef lo-mein with onions and spinach from Hong Kong Noodles
After eating so much sugar in the afternoon, I was pretty full and didn't get hungry until late, so being lazy, I got Chinese.
All day long I'd been drinking copious amounts of water.

Friday, March 5th
12:00pm: 2 cups spaghetti with garlic tomato sauce
                1 banana
                1 cup milk
On Fridays I don't have to work until 1pm, so I usually skip breakfast and eat a sizable lunch before heading to work.
3:45pm: 1 Odowalla bar (sic?)
              16oz Diet Coke
For some reason I was super hungry during my break at work, and grabbed one of those granola-ish bars from the Dunn Brothers at Wilson
6:00pm: Punch pizza, with pepperoni and garlic
My boyfriend bought me dinner since I payed for his ticket to see a play. I couldn't turn down that offer, so I ate pizza, which I rarely do.
9:20pm: Black coffee
Usually I never drink coffee at this time of night, but I got some during the intermission of Love Labor's Lost to keep my energy up.
1:30am: One corn dog, brownies
Sometimes, early on a Saturday morning downtown, you just need some pure junk food. Thus my friend and I cooked up some frozen food at his apartment.
This day I drank about 40oz of water I'd mixed with drink powder that contains caffeine. Its delicious.

Saturday, March 6th
5:30pm: about 10 pita chips and 3.5 tablespoons garlic hummus
               3 strips facon (thats fake - or vegetarian - bacon)
               2 pieces wheat bread
               2 slices cheese
After an adventurous Friday night, I slept in after going to bed at 5am. I didn't eat anything for a few hours upon waking, since I didn't feel so great. Later in the day I enjoyed some facon, which I eat because occasionally because I like the taste of bacon, just not the calories.
10:00pm: left over beef lo-mein, about 1 cup
I decided to stay in and watch a movie at my apartment, so heating up my two day old lo-mien seemed like an appropriate and easy choice.

Overall, I'd say that this was rather uncharacteristic of my eating habits. This was because I tailored my eating to reflect what I was doing. Had my schedule been more normal, I would have  taken the time to eat a meal that I prepared and thought about. I also realized how much I love garlic, based on the fact I had three distinct meals involving something with garlic in it .

Food Journal!

THURSDAY:

Breakfast-10:00am- one Sara Lee cinnamon bagel with 4 teaspoons of Philadephia cream cheese, vitamins, and 1 cup of a sugar free strawberry drink. I ate it while standing up in my kitchen. I don't really like eating breakfast because I'm usually never hungry and/or I don't have the time, but I have to eat when I take my vitamins or my stomach will get upset. I usually eat bagels in the morning because they are light, fast, and, of course, fulfilling.

Lunch-1:00pm-one oats n honey granola bar with a couple sips of bottled water that I brought from home. I ate this while I was in my public health class because it's cheap, fast, light, and easy. As you can tell, I like to eat 'light' food because I absolutely HATE the uncomfortable feeling of being full! I usually eat lunch around this time during class, or I'll wait until class ends at 1:25pm and stop and grab something before I head to work. When I work, which is almost everday, it seems as though I eat out a lot more.

Dinner-6:00pm-one 6 inch seafood sensation sandwich from Subway with lettuce, mayo, and mustard on italian herbs and cheese bread. I really like eating subway because it's sooo delicious and fast, but it's more healthy than other normal fast food. I ate this at work during my break because I don't normally take off work lunches just in case one of my clients come in or my help is needed; although I felt very satisfied and developed the -itis (the tired feeling one gets after eating a delicious meal), I carried on with my important work.

FRIDAY:

Breakfast-9:00am-one apple cinnamon Nutrigrain bar with, as always, my vitamins. I ate this because it's fast and easy and so that my stomach won't get upset from my vitamins. I ate it in my car on the way to class. I wish I wouldn't have forgotten my water though! So thirsty!

Lunch-3:30pm-one Chicken Bacon Salad from Wendy's with extra croutons and ranch dressing. I also drank a grape soda. I chose this because I absolutely LOVE Wendy's salads, not to mention that salad is my favorite food to eat. It's also fast and easy, and requires no cooking effort; although I did eat it at work because of the same reason listed above. I love salads because they taste so good, and I don't feel the slight bit guilty about eating them! They're healthy; well maybe not Wendy's salads so much, but its better than a triple baconator large sized, which sounds very appetizing as well!

Dinner-NONE- I was still too full from my salad and just went home to bed, but I probably should've ate something because I woke up STARVING!

SATURDAY:

Breakfast-NONE-Didn't wake up until 1:30 pm.

Lunch-2:00pm- Like I said, I was starving, so I decided to treat myself to DENNY'S! Table for 1, which was pretty sad and lonely, but the food was worth it! I ordered loaded cheese fries for an appetizer, which came with fries smothered in creamy cheese sauce, and little delectable morsels of bacon sprinkled all over. I dipped these fried in their delicious home-made ranch sauce. Then, I ordered a crispy chicken salad, with ranch again. As you can see, I love salads. Chicken salad and french fries are my two favorite foods. I unfortunately became really full and uncomfortable, but it was sooo worth it! MMM, I LOVE FOOD. I went to Denny's because I love their food, it's inexpensive, and it's also in close proximity to my apartment. I do go out to eat a lot, but not usually to Denny's or by myself.

Dinner-NONE- I was too full from Denny's and, besides, I was ready to party. I basically drank my dinner away. I went to a sports bar/restaurant by my apartment because it's close and they have 2 for 1's all day every day! woot woot! I drank a good amount of tequila sunrises, and then was off to bed!

Food Diary

Thursday, March 4th

Breakfast
Peanut Butter Granola Bar and a glass of water
When-9:00 a.m
Where-Dorm Room
Why-I woke up too late and didn't have time for a bigger breakfast. I usually am not very hungry in the mornings and eating a lot gives me a stomach ache

Lunch
Potbellys "A wreck" sandwich and an oreo shake
When-Noon
Where-Potbellys in Dinkytown
Why-I don't have time to go the dining halls between by French class which ends at 12:05 and my Contemporary American Literature Class which starts at 12:45 so I always have to go out to eat in dinkytown on tuesdays and thursdays. I usually spend between 5 and 8 dollars on lunch.

Dinner
Penne Rosa and some Cookies and Cream Ice cream
When-5:00 p.m
Where-Noodles and Company
Why- My friend from St. Thomas came to visit my friend Samantha and I and wanted to go out to dinner with us. Afterwards Sam and I went to C3 which is the convenient store in Centennial Hall and bought some ice cream for dessert and we went and ate it in her dorm room.

Friday, March 5th

Breakfast
A bowl of Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal
When-9:45 a.m
Where-My Dorm Room
Why-I woke up late again (tends to happen often) and didn't have time to go down to the dining room to eat

Lunch
Salad and a cup of Vegetable Cheese Soup. Fruit punch to drink
When- 12:15 p.m
Where-Centennial Dining Hall
Why- I get done with class at 12:05 and my roommate and I eat lunch together every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Also, I can't eat meat on Fridays during the lent season because I am Roman Catholic

Dinner
A baked potato, Vegetable Soup, and a piece of cheese pizza with Fruit punch to drink
When: 6:30 p.m
Where: Centennial Dining Hall
Why: Went and ate dinner in the dining hall with my roommate and other friends from my hometown that live in Centennial Hall. We all like to eat together when we can.

Other
A cheese Quesadilla
When: 9:30 p.m
Where: Coffman Memorial Union
Why: My friends and I went bowling and ordered snacks


Sunday, March 7th

Breakfast
Nothing
Why: I slept through breakfast. I didn't wake up until 1:00 p.m ( I really enjoy sleeping in)

Lunch
A girf Sandwich from Erbert and Gerberts and a glass of water
When: 3:00 p.m
Where: In my dorm room
Why: The dining room was closed so I had to go buy something to eat. It cost about $5

Dinner
Nothing
Why: I had a really busy day. I went to the boys basketball game to watch my old gymnastics team perform at halftime, then went right to church, then went to a friends house to study. I also had a late lunch so I wasn't very hungry

Food Log

This food log was kind of an eye opener for me; I actually kept a food log for 5 days but will post only the last three, up until now. I guess it never really occurred to me how often I eat out (or how often I drink diet coke! holy cow), and how erratic my food schedule is; with a school schedule that changes from day to day, and a work schedule that changes even more, it's difficult for me to really be able to sit down and make my own meals. Not to mention that whenever I do eat out, it's with my boyfriend and we usually share food. But, here it is, my food log from Friday 3/5 to today, Sunday 3/7.

Friday:

Breakfast: 11 am. Ate out at the Good Day Cafe in Golden Valley; had the 49ers (three extremely thin, but extremely large Finnish-style pancakes) and a glass of milk.

Lunch: No lunch. No time. No hunger either, really.

Dinner: 6:30 p.m. Had Papa Murphy's. I was at work (and I work as a personal care assistant, so I work within other people's houses rather than at a main building) and the mother of the child I was working for sent the two of us out to grab an easy dinner. I had 2 slices of a pepperoni/italian sausage pizza, and 4 small pieces of their cinnamon dessert pizza. Drink: diet coke.

Saturday:

"Breakfast": (I put quotations around breakfast because I actually ate it at around 12pm) Raisin Bran cereal with yogurt. Bottled water.

Lunch: I was working again, and wasn't really hungry, and they didn't make any meals so I had nothing.

Dinner: 7:00 p.m. My mother and step-father treated me and my boyfriend to Khan's Mongolian Grill. I had their appetizer (one chicken wing, miso soup and a cracker with sweet&sour sauce), 1/4 cup of cooked white rice, 2 pieces of their sweet bread with a sugary filling, and for my main dish, I put together a combination of chicken, crab, calamari, bean sprouts, carrots, potatoes, noodles, house sauce, garlic sauce and cooking wine, which they threw on their "mongolian grill" and cooked in about 2 minutes. Drink: diet coke. Boy, was I hurting after this meal, but it was delicious.

Sunday:

Breakfast: woke up too late for breakfast.

Lunch: 1:00 p.m. I finally had the chance to make a home cooked meal, one that I'm especially fond of: real Finnish pancakes, which are made up of four eggs, 1/2 c. flour, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, and 2 c. milk. They come out thin and almost like a sweet omlette with no extra fillings. I had maybe two or three 3''x3'' square servings. Drink: milk.

Dinner: 8:00 p.m. Boyfriend and I shared a little Caesar's pepperoni pizza and some crazy bread because we had just finished walking around lake Calhoun and were both pretty hungry. I had 3 slices of pizza and 2 crazy bread. Drink: diet coke.

Food Log

Thursday March 4th
Breakfast- I tend not to each breakfast, because i would rather get the extra sleep. However, I do eat breakfast on the weekends

Lunch- Chick-Fil-a Chicken sandwhich, medium waffle fry, and dasani water. Every Thursday I go to Coffman and eat lunch with my roommate. We both have an hour and a half between classes, so our schedules work out. Its also fast, and we can put it on our flex dine accounts. We eat at about 11:30 on Thursdays

Dinner- Went to Stub and Herbs with 4 friends. I got a cheese burger and french fries. Also drank water. We just decided to go out to eat, and have a good time. I ate around 6:30 or 7

Friday March 5th
Breakfast- Again I dont eat breakfast because i have 8 am class every morning and would rather sleep.

Lunch- Java City Blueberry Muffin, and 3 shots of espresso in my coffee. I was exhausted from the night before and needed a pick me up. Also i only had an hour to grab something to eat, so i decided to get a muffin. Its also pretty cheap. This was at about 11 in the morning after class but before i started my volunteer work.

Dinner- I went to the gopher hockey game at the target center and was not able to get dinner. I did get a diet coke at the game. But after the game I had two grilled cheese sandwiches, that i cooked on my george foreman grill with some butter. I also had some reduced fat wheat thins with the sandwiches. I didnt feel like spending any money so i didnt get any food at the game, so i just cooked when i got back to my apartment. By the time i got back to my apartment it was about 10 o'clock.

Saturday March 6th
Breakfast- Since it was the weekend my roommate actually made breakfast. He made eggs with cheese, and sausage, with a side of hash browns. I also had two pieces of toast with butter and jelly. My roommate offered to make breakfast, I couldnt turn down his offer.... that would have been rude. LOL

Lunch- Did not eat lunch because breakfast took place at around noon... But i did have a snack around 4. I had a handful of tortilla chips to hold me over until dinner.

Dinner- I made Cincinnati chili. This is chili put on top of spaghetti. The chili was made from scratch, using a pound of ground beef, tomato paste, and a variety of herbs and spices, and topped with cheddar cheese. I made this because i was in the mood for some chili, and its one of the few dishes that i make regularly. Dinner is always around 6 or 7. I try to keep the times that i eat the same so my body gets used to eating at those times and doesnt feel hungry at other times during the day.

As you can see from my food log, i try not to eat snacks. I think they just ruin your appetite, and i enjoy eating actual meals then just snacking through out the day. Also I pretty much only drink water through out the day. I occasionally have ice teas, or some type of drink mix with dinner.

3-Day Food Extravaganza

I don't count calories or watch what I eat to the extent of what the pyramid wants of me. I just care about the ingredients that make my food. Water is drank throughout the day when I'm thirsty.

DAY ONE, Friday March 5th

Breakfast: 1 Apple
1/4 C Vanilla Yogurt, 1/4 C Hemp Seed Granola
2 Whole Dates

Lunch: 3 C of Homemade Stew (pork lard roux, onions, garlic, jalapeno. water, carrots, parsnips potatoes, canned tomatoes [not the season for fresh ones]. Fresh and dried herbs and spices). As the stew was maturing, I tossed in two fillets (1/3 lbs.) of Tilapia.
1 Slice of Bacon
1 Avocado
1 Can of Mountain Dew

(No need for another big meal. The rest of the day's food will be snack sized and insignificant).

3pm: 2 (2x1x1) Caramels, cup of Coffee
1 Brown Sugarcube

9pm: 3 Slices of Homemade bread, 1 1/2 Tbl Butter
1 Glass of White wine

12am: 2 Glasses Red wine, 3 squares chocolate, cigarette

Day Two, Saturday March 6th

Breakfast: 1 Apple, 1 Banana

Lunch: 3 C Homemade Stew (reheated from the day before) This time, during reheating, I tossed in 1/2 C almonds (unsalted, roasted), then fried four slices of bacon and added to finished stew
1 Can of Mountain Dew

2pm: 1 1/2 Mugs of Coffee, Chocolate Chip Cookie

7pm: At work I grabbed a 3x1x1 boiled piece of Yuca

10pm: Finishing up work (at Brasa) I had 1/4 Chicken, 1/4 C Collard Greens with smoked Turkey, 1/4 cup Black Eyed Peas with Bacon, 1/4 cup Guacamole.
1 pint of Ale

11:30 pm- 3:30 am: 1 pint Ale, 1 Chalice Beer, 2 Whiskey, 2 Glasses Red Wine, Cigarette

Day Three, Sunday March 7th

Breakfast: 1 Apple, 1/2 C Hemp Seed Granola, 1/2 C Vanilla Yogurt

2 pm: 1/2 Mug of Coffee

Lunch: 3 1/2 Fillets Cod (battered, fried in Beef lard), 25 french fries, 1 pint Ale

6 pm: 1 Mug Rooibos Tea, 1 Mug Coffee, 1 Peanut Butter Cookie

9pm: 1 Apple, 1/4 C Hemp Seed Granola, 1/4 C Vanilla Yogurt, 3 squares Chocolate

That was a blast!