Author: Samantha Gleich (Page 2 of 2)

After talking about the flawed American food pyramid in class today, I did a little more research regarding what specific differences exist between the “healthy” Asian diet and the “unhealthy” American diet. Dr. McDougall does an excellent job of highlighting a few key difference between the two diets and the effects such diets have on human health in the video linked below. Regardless of what food pyramid continues to dominate in America, if more human beings were aware of how such a diet is affecting their health and how other diets have proven to be more beneficial, a change in American food consumption may begin to make itself apparent. Eating more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables should not be challenging. In fact, there are a wide variety of plant and grain-based dishes that can be extremely delicious if prepared correctly. With this in mind, we as Americans can hopefully head towards a brighter, more healthy future regarding food and the American diet.

Link to Dr. McDougall’s Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXMsYj4RRJ0

Everyone must watch this TED talk! A little 11 year old boys explains and comments on all of the detailed aspects of the current agricultural world that we have been discussing thus far. It is incredible to hear someone so young speak about such an important topic. This boy is extremely bright for his young age and truly provides a beacon of hope for future generations!

As an important side note, this video truly got me thinking about how human beings can initiate change in the world. In my personal opinion, the most powerful mechanism for change is through education–specifically in the younger generations of children. If students begin to learn about issues in the agricultural world from a young age, many principals and opinions will be ingrained with these young children as they age. The children of today are the politicians, scientists, farmers, USDA/ FDA/EPA/corporation workers of the future. Therefore, one of the main movements regarding the issues with the modern-day agribusiness should be education and awareness, as comprehension and understanding are necessary to initiate change.

TED TALK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvVZwJbs54c

Professor Megan Rothenberger is the conservation biologist we have on campus here at Lafayette College. After reading the articles we were assigned for the “Environmental Impacts of Plant Cultivation” section, I immidiately thought of Professor Rothenberger’s primary research focus and how it relates directly to some of what we will be discussing in class. Professor Rothenberger studies the fluctuations of algal blooms within the Raritan Bay. To write this scientific study, Professor Rothenberger and her team have been monitoring water quality and comparing the abundances of different species of microorganisms. The paper is very interesting to read as it shows how some of the same problems that have happened in Ohio and other various areas around the country could ultimately occur in New York–affecting hundreds of thousands of New York City inhabitants. Professor Rothenberger also explains how these fluctuations in microorganisms affect ecosystems as a whole. The article is very scientific, so reading the experimental methods may be a bit confusing; however, if you read the abstract, introduction, and conclusion sections, you will undoubtedly understand Professor Rothenberger’s work and its modern-day significance!

Rothenberger et al. JPR September 2014

My all time FAVORITE food documentary is a documentary titled “Forks Over Knives”. This documentary was create in support of a vegan lifestyle. The documentary is extremely interesting (especially to those of you interested in health/science) as it shows human beings who have beaten sicknesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer through a strict, vegan diet. In addition to including these real-life stories, “Forks Over Knives” also dives deep into some modern scientific studies. Caldwell Esselstyn, a doctor of nutritional biochemistry, presented his research findings in “Forks Over Knives”. His results truly stood out to me and have made me very aware of the foods I am eating on a daily basis ever since. Esselstyn has spent many years monitoring how casein protein (the main type of protein found in dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt) promotes tumor growth in rats. He injected tumors into two groups of rats, one group that consumed food with casein and one group that consumed “normal” grainy foods. After weeks and months monitoring the rats, Essylstyn noticed that the rats that had not been consuming casein had no tumor progression whatsoever while the rats that had been consuming casein had been experiencing extreme tumor growth. What was also interesting about this study was that when Essylstyn stopped feeding the rats with growing tumors casein and began feeding them grains instead, their tumors began to shrink.

“Forks Over Knives” is definitely a very one-sided documentary in that throughout the whole film, the main speakers try to convert the viewer to veganism. The main players in “Forks Over Knives” would argue that the only acceptable diet for human beings to follow is that of a purely vegan lifestyle. I am not sure if I agree with this statement 100%, though I do agree with the majority of opinions presented in the documentary. If you have 1.5 hours of free time, I strongly suggest you watch “Forks Over Knives”! The documentary is available on Netflix.

Here is the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7ijukNzlUg

One of my favorite authors of all time is a writer who goes by the name of Jared Diamond. Diamond has written many nonfiction books that cover a wide variety of topics. My absolute favorite book of Diamond’s is a book he titles “Guns, Germs, and Steel”. This book analyzes human development, culture, geography, and biology to determine why European nations were able to conquer African, Native American, and Australian tribes and not vise vera. In this book, Diamond constantly refers back to the concept of agriculture. Diamond prompts his reader to think as he explains that “agriculture is both the best and the worst invention of the human race”.

Today in class Professor Hejny briefly mentioned that the term “progress” is very subjective. As human beings we see our industrial agricultural system as progress, however, such a system has many flaws and repercussions developed countries are beginning to notice. If the idea of agriculture had never been “invented” the environmental problems that exist in our world today would have never appeared. Also, without agriculture it is likely that many human health issues such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease would not exist (or at least not be as common). Finally, if agriculture had never existed, human populations and cultures that have been exterminated (or are closely approaching extinction) would have never disappeared to begin with.

The thesis of Diamond’s book states that the invention of agriculture is what allowed Europeans to conquer other colonies worldwide. Though I would recommend that you all read “Guns, Germs, and Steel”, the book is very long and we all have a lot of school work to do! So, this article, which is written by Diamond himself, truly explains the effects of agriculture in the ancient and modern world.

READ IT: http://www.ditext.com/diamond/mistake.html

Do you think that agriculture is the worst mistake in human history?

Is agriculture the best or the worst invention of all time?

What is progress and where do we draw the line between thriving and failing?