first day!!

Classes started today; no more summer for this girl.  On the bright side- we have the arrival of the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks!  (Not quite as exciting as when they bring out the red cups at Christmas time, but it's close!)

I got my first assignment (yes, BEFORE classes even started) to write essays about the contributions of 4 industry leaders: Alice Waters, Mark Bittman, Dan Barber, and Howard Schultz.  It's pretty amazing how much each of these people have contributed to the food industry.  I will not go into details about each one, but what they all have in common is their interest in identifying and preserving the connection between food and environment.  In the United States, we rarely have to harvest our food, so we do not generally get a sense of where it comes from, what it takes to get it to the kitchen, or even what "fresh" tastes like.  Of course, there is a huge push for bringing local ingredients to your kitchen table (and you have Alice Waters and Dan Barber to thank for that!), but plenty of people opt for the convenience of prepackaged and processed foods. If I got anything from reading about these people, it is to really acknowledge where I am getting my food from.  That is the first step.



Another thing that I found in common is the push to reduce animal consumption in the American diet.  Mark Bittman, a well-known chef, TV personality and columnist in The New York Times, recently switched his eating habits in an effort to become healthier.  He says that he is now "a vegan-until-6pm," meaning he doesn't eat meat products until dinnertime.  I have included an excerpt form his article in Runner's World, which describes why he made the change he did and why everyone else should, too! 


The results were dazzling—and making similar changes in your diet would probably lead to similar results. First, I lost 35 pounds—about 15 percent of my body weight—in two months.  Increasingly, studies show plant-based diets lead to weight loss or help prevent obesity. Second, my cholesterol went back down to normal (from a high of 220 down to 180). This is something many people experience when cutting back on meat.

Third, my blood-sugar levels (which had risen to well above normal) came back down into the normal range. (Studies show that diets rich in plant foods, moderate in fat and protein, and low in processed foods can help protect against diabetes). Fourth, the apnea disappeared. That's probably a direct result of losing weight, but most people sleep better when their diet improves


Mark is a well-know chef and writes many "basic" recipes.  I have also included a link to his blog for some easy dinner ideas!


Yay for being done with my first day of classes!!!