Free Writes Olivia Knutson

1/27/14
I do read food labels but probably not as much as I should. Often I forget to. But when I do I read them I do it to find out about nutritional value as well as what was used in the making of the product that I am going to consume. I read them mainly to see if there were chemicals and preservatives used.
I think that there should be more information about the preservatives and how the product was produced on the food label.
I believe the FDA regulates what the food companies put on the food labels but I am not sure.

1/29/14
I think that things such as ammonia or anything that has been injected or instilled in food should be included on labels because people are in fact consuming it, even if it is not an ingredient. I think the FDA or some nonpartisan organization should decide what goes on food labels so that the consumers safety is the number one concern. This article did change my views on food labels. I never considered that the chemicals that were used in processing food would not be included on the label. It seems that if it was put into the product it should be listed. Since the chemical, or whatever was used in the processing, is being consumed.

1/31/14
I strongly believe that the beef should be labeled with all chemicals and ingredients used in the making and production of the beef. Whether it is used just in packaging of the meat or the producing of it it should be clearly labeled for every consumer to see because they will in fact be putting it in their bodies.
I found the article by the Atlantic the most compelling because it draws attention to the fact that the school lunches are where food costs have become the priority and corners are being cut to save money, regardless of the safety of that product.
My preconceived ideas on this issues strongly influenced my opinion because I have never been a strong advocate for the use of chemicals in food. And I especially believe that people have the right to know what they are buying and in turn eating.

2/19/14

  • What are the most direct causes of the exigence about which you are writing?
  • What economic or business conditions may play a role in this exigence?
  • What societal attitudes, fears, or values may have initiated it or indirectly supported it?

I am not certain about which topic I am going to write about but I am leaning towards the effects of diet on heart disease. SO the direct cause of the exigence that I am writing about would be an unhealthy diet or one filled with unhealthy fats and sugars.
The economic or business conditions that play a role in the realm of heart disease could be any number of things from junk food to high fructose corn syrup to the lack of exercise brought on by watching too much tv, playing video games, or using social media. All of these are highly marketed in today's economy and all of them lead to unhealthy lifestyles which could in turn increase your risk of heart disease.
The societal attitudes, fears, or values that may have caused this unhealthy lifestyle change in Americans and other developed countries could be the attitude that junk food is alright in moderation. However, how a person defines that moderation isn't always healthy. Or could be the recent development of digital entertainment leads Americans to feel as if everyone else is doing it so they should too.

3/21/14

  • What solution to your crisis can you propose? How will your solution address specific elements or causes of the crisis?

I am thinking I will suggest a solution of following a Mediterranean diet as a solution to heart disease. It will address specific elements because a Mediterranean diet only have small increments of trans fat if any. And trans fats causing heart disease is what I wrote about in my arguing cause paper.

  • How is your solution particularly practical, logical, manageable, ethical, humane, or economical?

My solution is logical because I have found in my research for the annotated bibliography that a Mediterranean diet is easier to stick to than many other heart healthy diets because people enjoy eating the foods in a Mediterranean diet. In that sense it is practical too. It is also ethical and ethical because the diet is largely plant based so it cuts down on animal products being consumed. It may not be the most economical solution at first as many of the foods on the diet are expensive. However, in the long run it could save lives as well as millions of dollars.

  • What else has been tried or proposed? Why is your solution the solution your audience should embrace?

Unfortunately, I do not think enough solutions have been tried. I do not think heart disease awareness is where it should be but I know the "Move" campaign has been promoted. My solution is the one that should be taken into account because exerciser alone is not enough to stave off heart disease. The foods you put into your body have a lot to do with heart disease.

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