Reflection: Week 9 and 10

Week 9

During week 9 we discussed what advocacy was. We did a fun activity to understand it better. There were three groups, each had a topic relating to advocacy. My group did a short skit on what advocacy is/opposed to what is is not. I learned that helping people just out of the goodness of your heart is not advocacy but something such as standing in front of a bulldozer trying to stop it from destroying a house is advocacy.  After the activity we went over our healthy people/THOMAS  Advocacy project. I achieved my SMART goal for week 9 and was proud of myself for not giving in to drinking pop.

Week 10

This week I did pretty well with my SMART goal but I started to become more "sluggish". I decided I need to get back on track and eat healthy foods again. During class we watched the movie, "Unnatural Causes". I thought this was a very interesting movie. The movie talked about how health can be affected by your income. People living in nice neighborhoods have a higher life expectancy. The movie also talked about stress. I realized that an owner of a company may be stressed, but a janitor is more likely to be more stressed because there are other factors that go along with having a low budget.  People with low incomes may be stressed when it comes to their job,but even worse, they are stressed because they are not making enough money to support their families. An owner of a company can take a vacation to relax but for people with very low paying jobs that is the last thing they can afford to do. The stress of not being able to support your fanily and work all the time can cause high blood pressure. I thought this was a huge eye opener and would definitely recommend this video.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 7: Weekly Update

Smart Goal
My SMART goal for the semester is to drink out of a reusable water bottle and stop drinking pop. By doing this, I am saving the environment. Little things like using a reusable water bottle can make a difference. :)

Successes and Challenges
 I have been doing very well with my SMART goal. I have been bringing my water bottle to all my classes and have tried putting new liquids in it such as tea and apple cider. The only bad thing is I have not been eating as healthy as I have been the previous weeks so I have become more sluggish. I felt that drinking more water helped improve my work out and eating habbits so I would like to get back on that track.

Feelings
 I feel good about my goal and am proud of myself for keeping it up. It is a little more tempting to say yes to a pop because like I said, I have not been eating as healthy. At least I am still bringing my water bottle to class and achieving my goal.


What I learned
I learned I feel much better when I drink water and eat less junk food. Not drinking any pop makes me feel healthier overall. Plus, I am spending less money by not buying it. :)

Next Week....

Next week I plan to bring my water bottle to each class and I plan to work out more and eat healthier so I don't feel so sluggish.

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 7 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy.

Advocacy Project: Healthy People/THOMAS

Healthy People Goal:

The healthy people 2010 goal I chose is Arthritis conditions. The objective is to reduce the number of adults who have limitations due to arthritis that effects their daily routines. The Progress Quotient Chart shows the 18 and older adults that limitations from arthritis. This is 33%.


 Emerging Issues with Arthritis
Unfortunately, like other chronic diseases, Arthritis is due to aging. There are ways to help prevent this disease. Some strategries include physical activity and making sure you are at a healthy weight. Arthritis has some emerging issues which include an argument over non steroidal anti inflamatory drugs and heart diseases.


Opportunities and Challenges:  
Health care providers are doign everything they can to try and improve the risk of arthritis. It is very important that people are informed  with accurate information, and also that the word spreads so it can be prevented easier.


Progress 

 In the past objectieves had not been met. Now days, there has been progess. For my objective, couseling adults with arthritis for weight reduction helped them more toward their main objective. 


Health Disparities 
Disparities are common for many patients who have arthritis. Unemployment rates and lack of exercise are huge factors when it comes to arthritis. Studies show white patients with arthritis have the best rates for limitations.

H.R.1210 : 

Title: To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for arthritis research and public health, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Eshoo, Anna G. [CA-14] (introduced 2/26/2009)  Cosponsors (145)
Committees: House Energy and Commerce
Latest Major Action: 2/26/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Recommendation: Vote yes for H.R.1210 for Public Health Service Act for Arthritis.

My Political Representatives: Senator Al Franken and Senator Amy Klobuchar

Read 'n' Seed 4: Third quarter of "The Food Revolution"

Chapters and Pages Covered:
For the third quarter of the book, "The Food Revolution" by John Robbins, I read pages 168 to 252 which covered chapters 10 to 14. These chapters covered a lot of shocking information that I was glad to read about.

Main Topics

The main topics covered in chapters 10-14 are: how animals are being raised and the terrible conditions they are put through. Robbin talks about the slaughter houses and how some animals dont even see day light until they are taken to them. These chapters also cover how many animals are slaughtered each day/minute which is very shocking.

Significant Things I learned

Farmers have been economically advantagous to raise their animals in conditions that are completely unnatural and unhealthy. With the antibiotics mixed into each meal, the use of hormones, drugs, and biocides the animals can be kept a live so that the overcrowding becomes cost effective. The crazy thing is that the extreme crowding of animals incrases the rates of animal illnesses but their profits increase.

Many farm animals are chained in individual cages so small they cannot take a signle step ih their entire lifetime. There are non profit organizatinos such as PETA and HFA that educate the public of the realistics of factory farming.  McDonalds was nominated for the prestigious Business Ethics award but the business Ethics magagzine decided not to give the award to McDonalds becacut they were concerned about the cruelty of McDonalds slaughter houses. PETA tried helping them out and offerered them other alternatives such as putting vegie burgers and more healthy choices on their menue. To date McDonalds has not attempted to require slaughterhouses to meet humane standards. 

When most people think about chicken and hens they think of them as "stupid birds". Typically 7 or 8 are crammed into 18 inch by 20 inch cages. They cannot simply lie down or spread their wings. For pigs,million are raised for meat in the U.S. and 65 million are raised in total confinement factories where they never see the light until they are being brought to the slaughter houses. An eye opener is British pigs are not raised in total confinement factories. Also, 70% of U.S. pigs have pneumonia at the time of slaughter, which, to me does not sound healthy for humans one bit. Some very interesting information I read was every 24 hours in the U.S. 90,000 cows and calves are slaughtered and 14,000 of chickens are slaughtered every minute. 

 Implications of What I Read

 John Robbins brought up some great points and had a lot of eye opening information. I now see why some people become vegetarians. It was very sad to read about animal cruelty and how they are confined to such little spaces. It broke my heart to read that some animals have never been able to take a step in their lifetime and some don't see light until they are being taken to the slaughterhouse. I was shocked at the numbers of how many animals were killed each day and each minute. I almost feel guilty for eating meat because those animals go through so much. I am glad I now know the facts about animal cruelty and it makes me re evaluate how much I should eat, if any at all.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 6: Weekly Update

My SMART Goal

My SMART goal is to stop drinking pop and start using a re-usable water bottle.

Strategies to Being Successful

Last week I gave in and drank two diet cokes. Doing that made me realize I do not need to drink pop and there are other healthier alternatives I can lean on instead. There were not many challenges for me this week because I was determined to stick to my SMART goal. I am very proud of myself that I didn't give in to any temptations this week!

My Feelings

I felt great not only for denying pop, but I felt a lot healthier in general. I have been working out a lot instead of sitting on the couch and watching TV and I have felt a lot more motivated and better all around.

What Did I learn

My roommate and I have been working out a lot and trying to stay healthy. Giving up pop has been a huge factor in helping us stay healthy. Staying healthy to us means giving up things we used to drink/eat that have not always been the best for us such as chips and pop. Giving these things up has made us more determined to stay healthy and work out. After working out the last thing I think about is wanting a pop, which feel amazing!!

Plans for Next Week

I plan to keep up my good work and stay motivated. I have learned that if I come home after class and sit on the couch I become extremely lazy and unmotivated. Lately, I have gone on more adventures and walks in order to avoid the couch and I feel great!

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 6 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy.

Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives

City of Mound Mayor:Mark Hanus 

4446 Denbigh Road 

952-472-5480 

mahanus@frontiernet.net

President of the United States: Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

Comments? Call: 202-456-1111

Switchboard: 202-456-1414

 Contact the White House

Minnesota Governor: Tim Pawlenty 

130 State Capitol

75 Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

St. Paul, MN 55155

Telephone: (651) 296-3391
E-mail:  tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us

Tim Pawlenty Site

 U.S. Senator Al Franken

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Democrat

320 Hart Senate office building

Washington DC 20510

DC Phone: 202-224-5641

MN Phone: 651-221-1016

Al Franken Site

 U.S. Representative

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Erik Paulsen
District 3
Republican Party 
250 Prairie Center Drive, Suite 230
Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55344
Phone: (952) 405-8510
Fax: (952) 405-8514

MEMBER PAGE

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U.S. Senator

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Amy Klobuchar
U.S. Senator
Democrat 

302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Northwest and Central
Main Fax: 202-228-2186
MEMBER PAGE

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State Representative

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Steve Smith
District 33A
Republican Party 
* 271 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
651-296-9188

MEMBER PAGE
 

State Senator

---

Gen Olson
District 33
Republican Party 
Capitol Office: 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
State Office Building, Room 119
St. Paul, MN 55155-1206
651.296.1282

MEMBER PAGE
 

Share and Voice#7: Say No to Water Bottles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pi96KmeMZ8

 I chose this video to share because giving up plastic water bottles is my SMART Goal. I was really interested in the statistics and it really opened my eyes to how plastic bottles have a huge effect on our environment. The video shows pictures of where water bottles are placed and it was unreal to see the landfills. This video makes me realize how important it is to get water out of the faucet and use a re-usable water bottle.

Reflections Week 7 and 8

                               Week 7

The Environmental Working Group was a huge eye opener to me. I thought it was crazy how products we use on a daily basis can be so toxic. It is scary to me that we are putting those products on our face, it does not seem safe at all. We watched the movie "Green" which was an excellent film. I thought it was really cool how a grad student made the documentary. It was really sad to watch because showed how pollutants in the United States are causing diseases and are harmful to some places in the United States. It is so unreal to me that this is happening and the chemical plants seem to have a huge part in this problem. 

Week 8

We started the week with an eye opener called Junk on the Brain. I was really facinated with what I found out. We defined terms such as upcycling, which I thought was really cool because it showed different objects that have been re-used and made into fun objects. I also looked up where shops such as thrift shops, flea markets, and antique shops are located in Duluth. This was a huge eye opener for me because I have thrown out a lot of "junk" that someone could have used. 

We watched the movie "Thirst" which was about privatizing water in certain towns and people having to pay to use it. I thought this was crazy because water is a neccessity and you need it to live. You can't just not take that away from people.  After the movie we talked about our blogs and what we can do to make them look better which was very helpful :).

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5: Weekly Update

                         
                 SMART GOAL

My SMART goal is to stop drinking pop and start drinking healthier fluids out of a re-usable water bottle. 

      Successes and Challenges

The good news is I used my water bottle all week long and brought it to every class. The bad news is that I splurged this weekend and had two pops. It had not been too difficult for me the following weeks, but my friends all had a pop and so I gave in. :(

                           How I feel
I will admit, I am a little disappointed in myself. I had been doing very well and felt very healthy. When I think about it though, I used to drink pop all the time and me having 2 pops in about 4 weeks is actually very good for me.

                             What I Learned

After drinking two cokes it made me realize I am just fine without drinking pop, and I love how I feel drinking water. I have felt a lot healthier these past 4 weeks. I have been working out a lot and drinking lots of healthy fluids. I used to think I needed a pop every time I felt a little sluggish to wake me up. I have learned that is definitely not the case and there are other healthier drinks that will have the same affect.

              Plans for Next Week 
Next week I plan to not "give in" to any temptations and stay committed with my SMART goal. Overall I am proud of myself. I love how I feel when I do not drink pop and I want to stick with the original plan :). 

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy.

Eye Opender: Junk on the Brain

Part 1: Definitions


Antiques: a work of art, piece of furniture, or decorative object made at an earlier period, and according to many customs laws, at least 100 years ago. According to http://antiques.about.com/od/resourcesforbeginners/g/bldefantique.htm


According to http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/junk, Junk/Junking is any old or discarded material, as metal, paper, or rags.

A Flea Market according to http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-flea-market.htm , A flea market is a large, traditionally open-air market where people sell a wide range of goods, typically used.

Thrift Shop: A shop that sells used articles, especially clothing, as to benefit a charitable organization.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/thrift+shop

Wikipedia defines Upcycling as: Upcycling involves processing used materials into new products, or the re-use of a product with crippled functionality for alternative purposes, to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production, with the intent of creating a product of higher quality design and artistic value.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upcycle


Resale: the act of selling a second time.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/resale

Part 2: The words defined above all relate to environmental health. All of these places above make it so that articles of clothing, and other materials can be re-used instead of throwing them away. Some people throw clothes away because they do not fit, or throw away some sort of decoration they are not longer interested in. The environmentally friendly thing to do would be to bring those belongings to a shop that will take them and sell them for you so someone else can use them.

Local Resources:

Antique store: Canal Park Antique Mall
Address: Located in Canal Park. 310 Lake Ave. S.
Phone: 218-525-2596


Junk/Junking:There is a Junk Yard called Jadco Special Haulers
Located: 4011 Rehbein Rd, Duluth, MN
Phone: (218) 724-5538‎
E-mail: N/A, better to call

Flea Market:
I couldn't find one in Duluth but I found this website that showed a few locations in Minnesota that had them. The closest one I found is in Blaine MN

Address: 10980 Central Avenue NE, Highway 65, downtown
Phone: (612) 757-9906


Resale Shop: Plato's Closet
www.platoscloset.com
5115 Burning Tree Rd
Duluth, MN 55811-1876
(218) 733-9455

Thrift Shop: Goodwill
www.goodwill.org
Address:700 Garfield Ave
Duluth, MN 55802-2695
Phone:(218) 722-6351

Upcycling: I couldnt find anything about upcyling in Duluth, but here is an example and a fun idea :) http://www.moonbattery.com/upcycled-garbage.jpg



I have donated some of my clothes to the Salvation Army and Goodwill. I have also gone to rag stock to find things such as halloween costumes. I really like the idea of upcyling, it allows you to be creative. All of these stores help out the environment and I feel that it is important to use these stores more often :).

Part 3: http://www.junkmarketstyle.com/item/16914/button-necklace I thought this picture of the necklace was really cool. They used old buttons to make it, which was a smart idea and it looked pretty sweet! This is a great example of finding a certain object and putting it to use!

http://www.junkmarketstyle.com/item/16524/gas-lamp-to-candlestick-quick-easy-and-pretty-too

This was a pretty sweet idea. They used an old gas lamp and used buttons and an old necklace to decorate it. I thought it was a really fun idea. It's fun to see what you can put together :).

http://www.junkmarketstyle.com/item/16559/time-to-hit-the-sack

I thought this was an awesome idea! They used burlap sacks as door mats, signs, and poseters. Great for the environment, and different/creative thing!

Read 'n' Seed 3: First quarter of "The Food Revolution"

I read pages 84 to 168 of, "The Food Revolution by John Robbin's and learned a lot of interesting information.

Main Topics
The main topics I learned about was: children eating unhealthy and contracts in schools with fast food companies/vending machines, the dairy industry making false advertises and making people believe milk cuts down the risk of osteoporosis. The book also talked about what is being most advertised in our economy is not necessarily healthy food choices, and lastly I learned about E coli.

Significant Things I learned/New Terminology

The average U.S. kid sees 1,000 ads each week that promotes eating unhealthy such as restaurants such as McDonald's and Taco Bell. Most kids that start eating unhealthy at an early age will eat unhealthy for the rest of their lives. More than 5,000 schools in the U.S. have contracts with fast food companies and supply vending machines. This only helps support bad habits and is not sending the right message about health to children. An interesting fact I read was that the amount spent annually by the dairy industry on milk ads is $190 million where as the amount spent on McDonald's advertising its products is $800 million. The amount spend annually by the National Cancer Institute promoting fruits and vegetables is $1 million. If the U.S. shifted more toward a plant based diet the majority of people would lead healthier lives, feel more energetic, and live longer.

I learned that the milk mustache commercials that promote milk to put the risk of osteoporosis is creating false information. There is no evidence according to the FDA that increased calcium intake from milk will lower the risk of osteoporosis. The Media called John Robbins, "the dairy industries public enemy number one" which is ironic because his father owned the largest ice cream company. John criticizes the dairy industry because they put ads out that are untrue and trick people into believing dairy products are necessary for a healthy diet. There was a study of more than 75,000 American nurses that found that women with the highest calcium consumption from dairy products actually had substantially more fractures than women who drank less milk.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 200 people in the United States officially become sick every day from E coli and several die. Ironically, undercooked meat is more likely to result in cancer. Ecol i bacteria can be found in up to 50% of the US cattle carcasses.

Implications of What I Read

What I read has a huge impact on Americans. People are not getting properly educated on certain foods such as dairy products and E coli. Also, there are way too many ads on T.V. promoting unhealthy eating. People need to get educated on foods and realize what is actually healthy for them opposed to what is not.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4: Weekly Update

SMART Goal- How I Achieved My Goal.

My SMART goal is to stop drinking pop and start drinking out of a reusable water bottle.

Successes and Challenges

Week 4 went by really fast for me, yet very well. I am impressed with how well my SMART goal is working out for me! I went home last weekend. Home is usually where I drink the most pop because I like pop with home cooked meals (for some odd reason). My mom offered me one multiple times and I was very happy with myself when I turned it down.

Feelings I Experienced
I felt great when I turned down pop and choice a more healthy choice. It made me feel more determined to achieve my goal. Also, when I tell people I have given up pop for this semester people really respect it and think it is really cool.

What I learned This Week

I feel each week I have wanted pop less and less. I also got a new pink water bottle which I am pretty excited about. I have been filling that up multiple times a day to keep hydrated.

Next week I plan to put orange juice in my water bottle and bring it to my morning classes, then drink water the rest of the day :)


Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy

Share and Voice: Being Eco Friendly Can Pay Economically

I found an article http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/adtrack/2005-08-14-ge_x.htm about companies being eco-friendly. Many Retailers are going green and consumers have been responding to it. Companies such as automakers have made hybrid vehicles mainstream which has had a great outcome. Even products such as cleaning supplies have had natural ingredients which has been a hit with consumers. The sales went up 250% since doing so. Going green has been a huge hit and companies are starting to realize this may boost sales. GO GREEN :)

Share and Voice: Fast Food and America

I thought this  YouTube Video was very inspirational. It shows a lot of obese kids and adults with  many eye opening statistics. I am very interested in obesity in children so it was a good video for me to watch. It makes you realize, if children are taught to eat unhealthy/fast food they will more than likely be unhealthy in their future. The lyrics to the song say, "what have you done today to make you feel good?". I thought this was a great song choice because when you think about it, in the U.S. their is vast majority of people who sit on their couch, watch tv, go on the computer, or play video games instead of being productive. If we can get people to go outside, be more adventurous, and work out and eat healthier (starting at an early age) our obesity rates would go down.

Eye Opener: Environmental Working Group

The cosmetic item I chose to evaluate is Victoria Secret's Dream Angels "Heavenly" perfume. I chose this product because it is something I use every day . I was a little shocked when I saw the results because I never really thought of perfume as being hazardous to the environment. I found out that the ingredients in this product are linked to developmental/reproductive toxicity, allergies/immunotoxicity, and other concerns for ingredients used in the product such as neurotoxicity, enhance skin absorption, and occupational hazards. On a scale from 1 to 10 my perfume was ranked at a 5 which is considered to be a moderate hazard. It is crazy to think that our every day objects are hazardous to the environment.

Reflection: Weeks 5 & 6

Week 5:

Our eye opener on CPSI that was due this week was a great learning experience. I toured the Food Supply and found out a lot interesting information. About 1,000 Americans die each year from food bourne illnesses linked to meat. Also, livestock manuer pollutes water ways with numerous pathogens that are harmful to human health. It is scary to me that simple things such as eating meat or drinking water could be harmful. I don't think humans should have to worry about whether the water we are drinking is safe. During class we watched a video called "The Future of Food" . This was a documentary that showed how a large corporation was trying to sue family famers. It was very upsetting to see innocent family famers go through so much. They did not know what they were doing was wrong and what they worked for their whole entire life was being taken away from them.

Week 6

This week we watched "Diet for a New America". I was very excited when I found out we were watching this movie that featured John Robbins because I am reading "The Food Revolution" by him. It was great to see the documentary because I got to see his story, as well as read it :). The video was very interesting to me. I thought it was crazy seeing a mans fat come out of his clogged artery. THAT made me realize I should start eating more fruits and vegetables. This video showed real life situations and I really admire John Robbins for sticking up for his beliefs and writing such an inspirational book.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 3: Weekly Update

My SMART goal is to stop drinking pop and start drinking more water in a re-usable water bottle. I must say week two was extremely successful and a piece of cake! I am very proud of myself!

Unfortunately, I, like everyone else, was sick last week so i was not in the mood for pop one bit. I brought my water bottle to each class and filled up an average of 5 times each day. My roommates were all sick as well so I brought them to the store to get re-usable water bottles.... gotta keep hydrated!

Besides the fact that I was sick, I felt really good since I have gone 2 weeks without drinking pop. It feels sooo good to finally be dehydrated!

This week I learned how important it is for your body to drink a lot of water and juice (which I filled up my re-usable water bottle with one day). My plans for next week will be to hopefully recover from my cold and keep staying dehydrated with a lot of healthy liquids. I will also try to make sure my roommates do this as well. :)

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 3 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy

Share and Voice: Life Saving Health Food Tips

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRJ71HLcKmI&feature=related I found this youtube video to be very relaxing, and informational. There are many foods that can help combat caner, control blood pressure, soothe your skin, and lower cholesterol. I checked out their actual website  http://healthfitnesssite.com/ and found it to be very helpful as well. It shows the latest health and fitness news. It tells in detail why these fruits and vegetables are healthy for you. I learned a lot from this website, make sure to check it out :)

Share and Voice: Healthy Eating Tips

I found this website http://helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_diet.htm and found it to be very helpful. The thing I liked most about this website is that it is realistic in that fact that it explains that eating healthy does not have to be about a strict diet or setting unrealistic goals such as being extremely thin. It is more about feeling great, keeping yourself healthy, and having more energy. 

Everyone's body works differently so they show the basic tips to eating healthy. You can learn about all the different food groups on this site and what is healthy opposed to what is not. There are tips on how to choose foods that improve your health and how to avoid foods that raise your risk for illnesses. Check it out :)

Read 'n' Seed 2: First quarter of "The Food Revolution"

         

 Chapters Covered and Main Topics
 I am reading "The Food Revolution" by John Robbins. For the first quarter I read 80 pages of this book, which covered chapters 1-4.

   I found these chapters to be very inspirational. So far "The Food Revolution" has brought up some great points that I was unaware of. John Robbins, son of Irv Robbins from the world’s largest ice cream company, Baskin Robbins had a lot of wealth in his family and could have easily taken over his father’s successful company. Instead, he chose his own path which was to move to a small island off the coast of British Columbia with his wife and live financially poor and grow most of their own food.  Robbins wrote this book to provide solid information about our food choices and to get people aware of greater health choices in order to live a lifestyle you value. These chapters talked about how to lower your blood pressure, how to treat heart disease and which diets to look out for. For an example he brings up the Atkins Diet and talks about how we are told that is an amazing weight-loss plan and how you can enjoy a cheeseburger when you are hungry and you will be on your path to weight loss seeing amazing results in "14 days".  Robbin's does a great job of explaining why these diets do not work. He calls them a "classic profile of a fad diet scam". Robbin's quotes, " leaving behind the standard American Meat is like breaking free from chains, to become, perhaps for the first time, truly free".

   Significant Things I learned
 "The Food Revolution" has made me learn many significant things thus far. Statistics show that blood cholesterol levels of vegetarians compared to non-vegetarians are 14% lower. Many people grew up believing animal protein is superior to plant protein and believe that we are risking our health if we do not eat animal protein. Soy proteins have actually been found to lower cholesterol levels. Although you cannot guarantee you will not become ill, eating healthy reduces your risk of many diseases and it opens the door to experiencing new levels of passion in your life. I learned about ketosis. The primary mechanisms by which the Atkins diet causes weight loss are caloric restriction and ketosis. According to Robbins "Ketosis occurs when there is an imbalance in fat metabolism which occurs in starvation.  People eat fewer carbohydrates because that’s what diets such as the Atkins diet tell them to do. In reality, when people eat fewer carbohydrates, their bodies turn to fat for energy. 

      Implications of What I Read 
 This book has already taught me a lot of great information I was unaware of. I really liked how the author, John Robbins, displayed his information and I really respect him for doing what he loves instead of taking over his family’s business. I learned there are other ways to get protein instead of meat. Meat can cause health problems and raise blood pressure. I liked how Robbin's stated a lot of facts and never said people have to give up meat. Ending with a quote from John Robbins I found to be very inspirational, "This life we lead may be hard, may be downright agonizing at times, but it’s not about finding fault. It's about finding a way of life that honors your living spirit. It's not about blame. It's about coming to a deeper understanding of who you are, and of the love and power that lie within you. It's not about pointing fingers. It's about pointing the way, whenever possible, to a thriving, healthy, and compassionate life.”