If I could go back four years with everything I have learned from this unit, a lot would be different today. Fours years ago, I thought that everything I ate was safe and that everything on the labels were correct and that the FDA did a perfect job of monitoring processed foods. When we watched Food Inc. in class is when I started to really put what I ate into perspective. Four years ago, I ate whatever my parents would buy from the grocery store and I ate restaurant food when we would go out. If I would have known that certain animals are raised in harsh environments or how many chemicals are put into our food, I would have definitely rethought everything I was consuming. However, being so young I'm not sure I would have had a say in what foods my parents brought home, but I would have tried to encourage them to make a change. I wish I could have limited the amount of times we ate out or how many packaged cookies, frozen foods, or ice cream sandwiches we purchased. I would have encouraged my family to buy fruits and vegetables at places like farmers markets or in the organic sections.
My research paper is focused on labeling genetically modified foods, so if I would have known that limited research has been done on the effects of consuming genetically modified foods, I would have read labels more closely to limit my consumption of unnatural foods. The government does not have very much control over what is being put in our foods, and this can be scary because large powerful companies may be hiding things from us. Knowing this, I would have been more inclined to look up ingredients of foods and see how much was really healthy. Many companies claim that their foods are healthy, but after learning so much, I know this is no longer true. I am not sure I would have made a drastic change in my life four years ago, but I know now that change is possible, we just have to stay aware of what we are eating and where it comes from.
Yes, Jocelyne you brought up some very good points. I think that four years ago we were too young to understand such a big industry. Look at our parents; they have also been mislead. But, change is possible and maybe our generation is the key to change. Something needs to be done because these genetically modified foods are not natural and we probably won't see the effects of what we are consuming for many years. By then, it could be too late, so change does need to happen soon. I, too, wish that I didn't eat out as much as I did and consume so many unhealthy, processed foods. Even though we can't go back and change what we did in the past, we can change our future by changing what we eat foday.
ReplyDeleteAshley, I agree with you when you say "Look at our parents; they have also been mislead." I am in your parent's generation and I feel like I have been duped by the industry. I am a relatively healthy eater. I have some friends that I always thought were "over the top" about health food. Then I got cancer and I took a good look at what I was eating. I changed my eating habits and go for much more natural foods. I especially feel duped by the chicken industry. Coming from a family with many relatives with heart problems, I always chose chicken over red meat. Now I find out that those little chickies were loaded with hormones. Go figure. Thanks for your blog.
DeleteI completely understand you. If I had all the knowledge a few years ago about what I've been putting in my system, I probably would've tried to convince my parents into making changes in our diet. I'm blessed to have a mom who cooks for my family, but knowing that the meat and vegetables she uses could be poisonous scares me. I never thought in a million years that a "home-cooked meal" would be life threatening.
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