Spinach SE5

Kerry dePenaloza

Prof. Leake

Writ 1133

14 May 2013

Spinach

            Over the past few days, I have been keeping a food log.  This is the first time I have ever kept a food log, and it is quite interesting to see what I eat on a regular basis.  I ate things from Asian noodles, to chicken wings, and even a chicken caesar flatbread sandwich.  Even though I was eating so many different things, there was one item that I had more often than not, and this became more evident after writing a food log.  I noticed I was eating spinach salads more than I normally do.

            My like for spinach came from my background in food.  My parents have always kept healthy food in the house and always made healthy food part of every meal.  Spinach is a plant that is that to have originated in ancient Persia.  Spinach has been around for years and a part of my different cultures thanks to the Arabs.  In the article “Pakistan & Gulf Economist” by S. M. Alam, the author writes, “Arab traders carried spinach into India, and then the plant was introduced into ancient China.”  It is very cool to eat something that has ties to different centuries and different cultures.  I really enjoy eating spinach, not just because of its unique history but also mostly for its health benefits.

            From an early age, I would watch Popeye and see him eat his spinach when he was in a sticky situation.  When I eat spinach, I feel energized and ready to go, just like Popeye.  In the article Pakistan & Gulf Economist by S.M. Alam, the author talks about the health benefits of Spanish by saying, “spinach is an excellent source of beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, potassium, iron, sulphur, sodium, folic acid, and oxalic acid.”  Along with all the beneficial things one can get from eating spinach, it also contains more protein than any other vegetable on the market.  In the article “The World’s Healthiest Foods,” author George Mateljan talks about the unknown benefits of spinach, saying, “you may be surprised to learn that spinach helps to protect against inflammatory problems, oxidative stress-related problems, cardiovascular problems, bone problems, and cancers.”  The reason spinach has such an effect on our bodies is due to all the phytonutrients it contains.  Almost every vegetable contains phytonutrients, however, spinach is among a few that contain some of the most beneficial phytonutrients.  Every part of spinach has something beneficial to us as humans.  Spinach is something that should be a part of every diet.  In one cup of cooked spinach, you get 24 nutrients that are all good for you.  The real question is why would someone not eat spinach if it does nothing but benefit you and your body.

            I have never really gone in depth with spinach.  I have just known my whole life that it is healthy for you.  After doing a food log and seeing the times I ate spinach, I will certainly be increasing my spinach intake.  The article by George Mateljan really puts things into perspective.  I was never aware of everything that spinach does for the body.  If you are not the biggest fan of spinach, I would highly suggest reading the article by George Mateljan; it makes me like spinach even more.  I have always wondered why I feel so energized after a bowl of spinach, and it is extremely evident at this point.  I guess Popeye was right when he said “I’m strong to the finish because I eats my spinach!”

Works Cited

Alam, S. M. "Spinach." Pakistan & Gulf Economist 30.11 (2011): 60-1. ProQuest. Web. 14 May 2013.

Mateljan, George. "Spinach." The World's Healthiest Foods. N.p.. Web. 13 May 2013. <http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=43

Food Log

Kerry dePenaloza

Food Log:

Wed May 8^th:

-Dinner: creamy mashed potatoes, green beans, three strips of steak, and Asian noodles  and a glass of water @ 5:30 PM

-Late night meal: chicken Caesar flatbread with ancho chipotle sauce and lettuce and a bag of jalapeño chips with water @ 10 pm

May 9^th:

-Breakfast: egg, ham, bacon bagel sandwich. Peach yogurt with granola and a cranapple drink @ 9:30 am

-Lunch: chicken, bacon, lettuce, cheese, spicy wrap, and tater tots with water @3:30 pm

-Dinner: 8 chicken wings celery and carrots and water@ 7pm

May 10^th

-Breakfast: 2 bowls of Reese’s puffs with orange juice@ 9:30 am

-Lunch: Udon noodles ,spinach salad, and a grilled cheese with a Gatorade @ 12:30 pm

-Dinner: Cheeseburger with avocado. Spinach salad and carrots with a water @7 pm

May 11^th

-Breakfast: Two fried eggs, toast, and yogurt with orange juice @10:30 am

-Lunch: Two hotdogs with ketchup and mustard with coke @2 pm

SE 4 Butter

Kerry dePenaloza

Prof. Leake

Writ 1133

6 May 2013

Butter

Butter is something that is used in everyday life.  Butter is mot often used in the kitchen to assist with cooking.  Butter even has many uses that do not relate to cooking at all.  Butter is something that I use in my everyday life whether I know it or not.  Butter is something that many people take for granted and some do not even know the story behind butter. 

Butter is a dairy product that is made from fermented cream or milk.  This fermented creak or milk is churned and eventually it turns into butter.  It is used as a spread, in cooking, baking, sauce making, and pan-frying.  Now a days butter is made primarily from cows’ milk.  However, it has been made from goat’s milk or sheep’s milk.  Butter is a mass produced product and is in every grocery store around the country.  In the United States alone, “butter made annually in somewhat exceeds 1,500,000,000 pounds and requires the mile from about 10,000,000 cows.” (WLM 25).  It is clear that butter has a very large demand in the United States.  With so many different uses for butter in everyday life, there is no surprise that butter is so popular. 

The cows that are used to mass-produce butter in the United States live in over 4,000,000 different farms across the country.  In Williamson’s article, he says, “the total value of the annual output of butter is nearly $300,000,000, which is a litter more than 5 per cent of all the agricultural products of the United States.”  The production of butter has grown immensely over the years, and clearly seems to be a very profitable industry.  Compared to other forms of agricultural industries, which are in at least every state in the United States, butter is only produced in seven states across the nation. 

Of all the butter that is produced, some may think that there is only one type.  The USDA has created three different classes for the types of butter.  The three classes from best to worst are U.S. Grade AA, U.S. Grade A, and U.S. Grade B.  The grades that are given are based off topics such as the flavor, the texture, what kind of cream or milk it is made from, and whether or not it contains any unwanted or undesirable flavors.  The grades are given on a point scale where AA is a 93 out of 100, A is a 92 out of 100, and B is less than a 90 out of 100. (USDA)

Butter has been around for years.  Butter has been traced back to before the Middle Ages.  The creation of butter has certainly changed over time.  An anonymous writer for the Columbia Daily Tribune wrote about the earliest production of butter saying, “butter was made as far back as 2,000 years before Christ.  It is mentioned in the Bible and was used as a valuable item for barter in ancient times.”  The back-story behind butter is something more people should read about.  Clearly butter had a more significant value in the past, more so than it does today.  Today it is merely an aspect of everyday life.

The process of making butter has changed significantly over the years.  The earliest form of production was by the use of a churn from the skin of a goat.  The author of “Lets Talk Antiques” writes about the early production of butter, stating, “the hide was swen shut, leaving only an opening at the narrowest part of the skin where the ankle would have been.  These skins were then tied onto a pole a and swung back and forth until the butter formed.”  This process is obviously out of date, but it just goes to show how long butter has been a part of life.  Butter is mass-produced by factories across the United States. 

            Through my research I have learned a lot more about butter.  The history behind butter is very interesting as well as the mass production of the product.  I came into this topic knowing only the cooking aspect of butter, but now I know that story behind it and the work that goes into mass-producing this product.  The knowledge that I have gained from researching butter will certainly make me think about butter differently.  I will not look upon it negatively, I will, however, look upon it with pride saying I know the work that was needed to make it.  Also, knowing the history behind it will make eating butter seem all the better.  It will almost be like a connection with the past knowing that so many people have eaten butter over the past thousands of years. 

Works Cited

Anonymous. "Let's Talk Antiques." Columbia Daily Tribune. Jan 15 2009. ProQuest. Web. 7 May 2013.

< http://0-search.proquest.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/docview/379344124>

USDA, United States Standards for Grades of Butter. United States Department of Agriculture. Web. 7 May 2013. <http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV30asdf04470>.

W, L. M. "Butter Production." Southern Cultivator (1843-1906) Jun 15 1906: 25-. ProQuest. Web. 7 May 2013.

<http://0-search.proquest.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/docview/138017159>

P7

Kerry dePenaloza

Prof. Leake

Writ 1133

1 May 2013

P7

            In each piece that was read for this post, all three authors give specific examples that trace the history and the production of our food.  In Barry Estabrook’s Introduction to “Tomatoland,” he talks about his experience with tomatoes.  He talks about how the production of tomatoes has changed from home grown to mass production.  With this change towards mass production, the tomato has lost its original value.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that Americans spent over $5 billion dollars in 2009 on these mass produced attempts of delicious tomatoes.  The mass produced tomatoes have lost so much nutritional value that tomatoes in the 60s had.  However, tomatoes now a days have 14 times more sodium.  Clearly the way tomatoes are produced has changed significantly over the past 50 years. 

            In Michael Pollan’s piece, “An Animal’s Place,” he writes about how the treatment of animals has changed over time.  In the beginning of his essay, Pollan writes about how pigs and dogs used to get Christmas gifts.  This is when he seriously questions the attitude we have with animals.  Another argument that Pollan makes about our history with animals is that some animals are sentenced to a life of suffering.  He makes an argument about whether or not it is acceptable to breed animals for a life of suffering.  The life of some animals has changed immensely over the past years.  In Christopher Cook’s infographic, “Fowl Trouble,” he talks about how the production of chicken.  The workers in poultry-processing plants go under a lot of pain and stress to get the chickens through the entire process.  Angry chickens can be a handful, literally. 

            In comparison, both Estabrook and Cook talk about the worker quality in mass-producing factories.  Granted one is about tomatoes and the other chicken, but both places have workers that go through a lot in order to mass produce these things.  They both mention the low wages, as well as the mental and physical harm that comes with working in a modern day food factory.  Pollan and Cook compare in their methodologies and findings because they both talk about the mistreatment of animals.  Cook talks about how chickens are mistreated and bred to be slaughtered.  Pollan does the same when talking about breeding animals for a life of suffering.  There are similarities in both pieces when they talk about the negative effects that can be passed to the consumer due to the modern day food factories and their practices.  If not caught, disease can get taint the product and eventually lead to a sick customer.  

Butter

Kerry dePenaloza

Prof. Leake

Writ 1133

1 May 2013

Butter

            Butter is something that is used in everyday life.  Personally I use it in a lot of dishes when I cook.  It is something that I haven’t really looked into before and I know there will be some very interesting things about it.  I found one source so far that talks about the amount of butter made during a year in the United States.  It talks about the use of milk from 10,000,000 cows to produce 1,500,000,000 pounds of butter in one year in America.

http://0-search.proquest.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/docview/138017159