Since starting this unit, it has opened my mind to how much our country really doesn't know about our foods. Like many people, I am drawn to eating fast foods or going to restaurants instead of eating organic or healthy foods. It wasn't until watching Food Inc. and reading articles about the politics of food, that I have become somewhat more aware of the process of getting food on our plates. In the back of my mind, I have these random thoughts of things like this food has been exposed to so many pesticides or this has been genetically modified or anything along those lines. I also look more at the labels on the back of packaging.Yet, I still scarf down that burger from In-n-Out even though I'm aware of some of the things that the ingredients have gone through. I feel slightly guilty knowing that I'm fully capable of choosing what foods go into my body, but that is always overshadowed by the taste of the junk foods that I eat.
It has also made me more realize how little the government actually interferes with any of the food practices and how much the food industry only cares about business. Just by watching the movie we can see how little the government has done to help people who have gone through difficult times because of irresponsible food companies. These food companies also have more care for their profits rather than for their workers or their products. I feel that if there was a major change in how the government regulates the food industry then the country would be better aware of where our food comes from and make healthier choices.
I know how you feel when you're talking about your guilt in choosing the wrong foods. I don't necessarily eat a lot of junk food, but I do feel guilty when I eat factory meat (or any animal product like dairy) from restaurants or at home, because I know or can assume the back story of that piece of meat. Even though I try not to eat it often, it's kind of hard to let go of meat in my family, because that's basically what my culture's food consists of.
ReplyDeleteBusinesses always put profit before anything or anyone else, like you also said. Its always been like this. But the consumer has the power to change what businesses see as profitable, which I hope everyone realizes soon.
Unfortunately fast food and junk food is meant to be addictive in order for producers to make a profit. They want you to keep coming back for more; therefore, we must slowly resist the urge to buy their products. Every once in a while it's ok to go out to eat. The problem is that we've made it a habit and habits are hard to break but they can be broken.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on many notes. Ever since we started this unit, my eyes have opened more to the reality of where our food is coming from. However no matter how shocking the reality is, I also end up choosing to eat the wrong foods. The guilt is there but it's not enough for me to completely stop eating the wrong kinds of food. It's difficult to eat healthy when all the food around me is not good for me. I believe our environment plays a huge factor in our diets.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to change these bad habits when we are so accustomed by them. However, I think it will be easier to make better decisions when we get older and we are the ones who buy the groceries because it'll be up to us to buy organic and nobody else's decision. This in turn would help the families we'll have get used to eating healthier and making better food choices. Therefore, as of right now I can't say I'll change my habits that easily because I don't have total control on what I eat. I'm looking towards a brighter and healthier future instead where we won't feel as guilty eating food like In-n-Out because of a healthier lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more. The other day I actually made a very conscious choice that hurt me a little but I'm glad I made it. I had just gotten back from the beach with my friends and they all wanted to eat IN N OUT. It was around dinner time and quickly called my mom and asked if she had made anything. Sure enough she was finishing up dinner and I made the choice not to have that juicy IN N OUT burger. Not only did I save money, I chose to eat my moms cooking which was much healthier. We are able to make these choices, we just have to have the will power to do it.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy that you say this because even though I know that eating that IN N OUT wasn't the best choice, I most likely would've made it. I love my pare ts cooking; they both make amazing meals. I just like the food. Yes, its unhealthy and yes I will be spending more money. But, sometimes, its just too good to pass up.
DeleteBut, maybe that's just me.
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DeleteI agree with you 100% because you are right about the government not playing a major role in the food industry. Fast food has been a part of the American dream now because at every corner or whenever you turn around there is a fast food restaurant right there. I have stopped eating Carl's Jr. because they had served me a chicken strip that was not cooked all the way through. I immediately threw away my food and threw up the chicken that I had ate because I didn't want to get any kind of food poisoning from it.
ReplyDeleteI am also someone that is drawn to non organic and unhealthy foods as well. After reading articles and watching Food Inc. it also made me realize that we should be more aware about the foods that we are putting in our bodies. It seems that all the government and companies care about is money. This is why we need to be more aware about the foods we eat. The foods we eat will affect our bodies and like how it’s shown in the Food Inc. video; the companies don’t really care about our health. The reason why I think this is true is because they torture the animals. This causes the foods we eat to have some type of abnormality in their body. For example, when farmers feed the chickens chemicals to make them fatter more quickly. It doesn’t really surprise me as well to notice how many people don’t have knowledge about the foods they are consuming. I feel like if we were more informed about the foods that we are eating then many of us would change the diet that they are following right now. For example many young adults love eating bags of hot cheetos as a snack. But in my opinion, I think that if we knew more about the type of ingredients that are in those chips, most of us would stop eating them. Not only because we have more knowledge about them, but because people would realize how bad it is for you.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this unit has opened my eyes to how food comes about, I am still going to eat junk food. I just love food. I am, however, more conscious and will base my decisions of where I get my junk food from differently. Because of this unit, I am more interested in where food comes from.
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