Learning Biology

By: Brandon Bish

Have you ever wondered when driving by McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s which one is the healthier choice? Today, I am hear to tell you some of the nutritional facts of a few items in each of the restaurants and also help you make the right choice of food. If you are on a diet, you don’t have to complety eliminate all of these restaurants that we as Americans crave. If you don’t abuse the idea of fast food and make the right choices then you can continue to drop pounds off of your body. When figuring out what choices are best I am going to use calories.

First, I am going to start with McDonalds. Here is a list of some of the main items that people choose:

• The plain Hamburger is 250 calories
• The medium french fry is 380 calories
• A five piece chicken select is 660 calories

Next, is some of the popular choices at Burger King:

• Plain Hamburger is 290 calories
• The six piece chicken tenders are 270 calories
• A medium fry is 480 calories

Finally, Wendy’s nutritional facts are:

• Plain Jr. Hamburger is 220 calories
• 5 piece chicken nuggets is 230 calories
• A medium fry is 430 calories

I know you may look at this information and say that Wendy’s is the healthiest restaurant, but take into consideration that I don’t have any of the other ingredients except calories listed. To find out the other nutritional facts click on the resources below.

Now, its time to figure out how to incorporate fast food into your diet. Instead of picking a hamburger you could choice a grilled or a broiled chicken sandwich. Steer clear of anything that has to do with fried food. There is really nothing to choose that can replace that great taste of french fries, but they should be eliminated from all diets because of the salt intake instead make the right choice with a salad. If you do have a salad stay away from large portions of salad dressing. Also, avoid have the restaurant but the ketchup and mustard on themselves, ask for a small pack of ketchup to avoid excess ketchup.

I have given you all the resources that you need to eat healthy. Hopefully you will think about all of the choices that are available and make the right decision. Health should be one of our top goals in life so anytime you can make a good choice to help your body, you should take advantage of that.

Resources

<ref> http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/nutrition_facts.html <ref>

<ref>  http://www.bk.com/Nutrition/PDFs/NutritionalBrochure.pdf <ref>

<ref> http://wendys.com/food/pdf/us/nutrition.pdf <ref>

<ref> http://www.helpguide.org/life/fast_food_nutrition.htm <ref>

By Erika Bizousky Pd. 1

You’re standing at the grocery store with two vegetables that look almost the same. The only difference is that one has a “USDA Certified Organic” sticker on it. So what’s the difference between the ‘conventionally grown’ vegetable and the ‘certified organic’ one? There are many differences and similarities between these two foods, but which one is better for you and which should you choose to buy?
Here is a good article that represents this issue: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organic-food/NU00255

First, we should recognize how each of these foods is produced. The conventionally grown fruit has chemical fertilizers to promote plant growth, while organic farmers use natural fertilizers such as manure or compost. To reduce pests and disease, conventional farmers spray insecticides on their plants. Organic farmers used birds, insects, or traps to reduce pests and disease without the use of chemicals. Another difference is that conventional farmers also use chemical herbicides to manage weeds, and organic farmers either hand weed, till, or mulch to control their weeds.
As you can see, the differences are mainly in how they are farmed. Organic and inorganic foods also have some similarities too. One of the most important similarities is nutrition. According to the USDA, no conclusive evidence shows that organic food is more nutritious than conventionally grown food. Although, some studies say organic foods are higher in antioxidants because of the lack of additives, pesticides, and MSG, according to The Soil Association. However, both of the foods meet the same quality and safety standards set by the USDA.
Lastly, organic and conventional foods both have positives and negatives. Both might look the same, but did you know conventional foods are cheaper than organic foods? Conventional foods also last longer than organics because they often have waxes or preservatives on them. Organic foods do not have pesticides on them though. Conventional foods do and can have residue on them. This poses a small health risk with conventional farming. Organic farming is also said to benefit the environment by reducing pollution. If you’d like to be more eco-friendly, I suggest purchasing organic products. Most people say they cannot taste any difference between organics and non-organics, but that may be different for everyone.
In conclusion, organic foods and conventional foods are both good to purchase, but I would buy organic foods. Even though they cost more, I would rather spend a little extra money to help the environment than buy cheaper foods that use pesticides. These can cause harm to the environment and possibly even the consumer.  It is your own choice whether to buy conventionally farmed products or organic ones, but I hope I helped by telling you of the information needed to make a good decision.

Resources supporting organic food:
http://www.thehealthierlife.co.uk/natural-health-articles/nutrition/pros-cons-organic-foods-00313.html
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/14739.php

Resources supporting conventional food:
http://www.scionline.org/index.php/Pros_and_Cons_of_Organic_and_Conventional_Agriculture
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/organic-farming-no-better-for-the-environment-436949.html

Micky DeChurch

Good vs. Bad Foods

Foods, there are many different kinds, healthy and unhealthy. By living in a place where food is not an issue, we do not eat as much organic food as we should. If you think about it why would you want to grow your own organic healthy food when you could just go down to a fast food restaurant and order a cheeseburger?  This is something you wouldn’t want to do. I’m not sure people realize that you don’t need to grow or produce your own organic healthy food, now company’s are producing foods for you. They are altering unhealthy snacks such as chips and crackers to fit peoples healthy diets. I feel that a healthy life needs a healthy diet.

Healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables are abundant in the United States. The reason people like to eat fruits and vegetables is because they are filling and healthy, although some fruits and vegetables are not very flavorful which might be why most people do not like fruits and vegetables. Something people don’t realize is that a healthy diet is not only eating fruity and vegetables, its eating a variety of food is certain quantities. The food pyramid shows people that there are a wide variety of healthy foods you can eat, its not all just fruits and vegetables. If people start to understand what healthy foods really are, they can widen their diet.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/nyregion/24fast.html

Unhealthy foods, such as ice crème, a lot of oils, butters, and fats. These are just some of the unhealthy foods in the world. Our country is obese, not in a metaphorical way but a literal way. Fast Food Company’s and fast food corporations are putting so much unhealthy food out into the United States that people can resist. Fast food restaurants are the wealthiest restaurants in the United States. Fast food Company’s do not only put food that tastes good in their restaurants but also food that are very unhealthy. Although people are aware of the unhealthiness of fast food places they still require that one of a kind taste. I must say that fast food “food” tastes really good. Fast food can also be good by if you are in a hurry you can get your food in a small amount of time. Fast food is ok once in a while but all the time, that’s not a good thing. Remember 3.8 million people in the United States are over 300 pounds and over 400,000 people are over 400 pounds. So if you think about it, why be one of those statistics, you should eat healthier food and live a long healthy life. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_advantages_and_disadvantages_of_fast_food

Pesticides are substances that are used to exterminate pests. Pesticides can be chemicals, disinfectants, or any other substance used to eliminate the presence of pests, such as insects, molds, fungi, bacteria, rodents, or weeds. Pesticides are a common form of the removal of pests in food. This is a safe practice because it decreases the chance of humans getting sick from diseases caused by pests. However, using pesticides in food is also dangerous because ,if used incorrectly, the chemicals can be very dangerous to humans.
<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticide</ref>
The good side of using pesticides is that they can remove many pests that may be harmful to humans. When used appropriately, pesticides can be very helpful in the removal of pests from foods. The government and the EPA regulate the amount of pesticides that can be put into certain foods. If this safety practice is followed, no harm should come to any one who consumes the food. The EPA also annually checks different pesticides to make sure they are still safe for human consumption and that the correct amounts are still being used.
<ref>http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/food/viewtols.htm</ref>
However, even when used safely, pesticides can still be dangerous to the health of humans. Pesticides are sometimes thought of as a bad choice to remove dangerous pests from foods because the harsh chemicals can cause medical problems in people. Pesticides can leave behind dangerous substances in the food if too much is used or the wrong ones are used. The chemicals in the pesticides can also take away or harm the healthful affects of the foods being eaten. Nutrients may be lost in the process of using pesticides.
<ref>http://environment.about.com/b/2005/12/18/dangerous-pesticides-found-in-all-oranges-tested.htm</ref>
My thoughts on using pesticides to remove harmful pests from foods, is that it is a good idea. Yes, the chemicals can be harmful but it is rare when safety practices are used in the process. With the EPA and the government checking regularly on which pesticides are safe to use in foods being consumed by humans, health problems will not often occur. The risk when using pesticides is worth taking because if not then the risk of getting diseases from unprotected foods becomes a problem. That is why I think it is best if pesticides are used in foods.

Sweetness; Not so Sweet

Lindsay Huey

Have you ever taken a sip out of a pop? Or a cup of coffee? These drink examples may be artificially flavored with processed or artificial sugar. People don’t realize that there are actually more health risk in consuming artificial sugars than regular sugar.

Sugar is a natural growing crop. Sugar cane is a great example of pure sugar. In the early 1400’s sugar cane was a big cash crop. They would squeeze and squeeze the sugars and juices out, and use it as what they call “healing juice.” Although we have sugars over a matter of time, they are often replaced with atificial sweetners such as Splenda. People dont think much about it but there are serious changes done to the sugars while in the process of shipping.

First and most dangerous process of making artificial sugar is over 3,000 known chemicals are added. This process is what give artificial sugar its white color. The sugar is melted and turned into fine liquid, unlike the crystals when it first arrives. This peals away all the proteins, vitamins, and nutrients, leaving just sugar and chemicals. This is extremely bad for the body. Dentist and doctors often argue the fact of making artificial sugar because this process may cause tooth decay and addiction. As studies shown by scientist artificial sugar melting often creates a poiison causing cancer. This poison goes by the name of Lydenphortose.

As time progresses human ofthen think of more ways to create foods, little do they know it is hurting them more than eating the original organic version. Sugar is in fact 14% of deaths in America. So will you continue or start eating what is healthy for you, overriding apperarance? The decision is yours.

Almost every fruit or vegetable that you consume has been sprayed  by a pesticide at one point or another. The question is, does the pesticide have an effect on your health?

Some simple studies have been done that show that organic foods or foods that have not been exposed to a pesticide are much better tasting and have more vitamins. This makes for a much healthier food. On the other sides of things pesticideds help keep foods from being contaminated by bugs and insects. But did you know that seven of the most toxic chemical compounds known to man are approved to be used as pesticides? Not only do these chemicals kill of unwanted bugs and insects but they are beginning to take a toll on the consumer of the fruit or vegetable. Each individual chemical compound alone will not have a great effect on the human body. But most americans consume more than just one fruit or vegetable type that may have been exposed to different pesticides. This causes problems because the effects happen much more rapidly when there is more than one chemical compound working against the body.

Not only do organic foods not contain the hazardous chemicals that unorganic fruits and vegetables have, they are much fresher and healthy for the body. They also do not cause the disease’s and death’s that pesticide exposes foods do. Every year millions of pounds of pesticides are used and they kill of animals and deplete the soil making it unfarmable.

So you can see organic foods are a much better source for fruits and vegetables because they do not have long term health affects as the others do. Organic foods also do not destroy ecosystems and deplete fertile farming soil which is needed to grow more foods. The last reason which I believe to be the biggest reason why organic is better, Organic foods do not cause deaths do to chemical compounds.

<ref>http://www.deliciousorganics.com/Controversies/whyorganic.htm<ref>

<ref>http://www.ghchealth.com/effects-of-pesticides.html<ref>

Haven’t you ever wondered what radiation does to food? Well I have researched it and found that it is beneficial to the food rather than harmful. Radiation is a good thing to have done to food.

Radiation is also good for preserving the food and keeping it fresh. It is safer than the common fumigates used to do this job originally. Also it is faster and easier than canning the food.

It doesn’t cause lose of flavor or color like other forms of food preservation.  Cold storage, salting, fumigation, and drying all leads to flavor, texture and odor loss and it takes longer to do than radiation.

Radiation kills all harmful bacteria and diseases found in the food. The other forms of preservation do not do this. Things like ecoli and salmonella poisonings found in food are killed when put through radiation.

This is why radiation is good for food it preserves it better than other methods, it keeps flavor, color, texture and odor in the fruit and doesn’t dry it out or make it salty.

            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_irradiation

http://www.physics.isu.edu/radinf/food.htm

Have you ever thought about what you are putting in your mouth when you eat food? Pestisides are put on plants to protect them from insects, weeds, mold, and rodents. Although they are meant to be good, they are not. They can cause health problems when to much is exposed. Infants are more vulnerable because they still have organs that are growing inside of them. Also infants and children eat and drink more than adults do. Because of this the EPA sets standards of how much of the pestisides are permitted to be put on plants. http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/pesticides-andfood/food.html

The good thing about this is that it is good for the environment. It is good also because it does kill the bugs that eat the plants. I know myself that if were to bite into something with a bug in it, I wouldn’t be to happy. In fact, I probably wouldn’t buy from the consumer anymore. That brings up another pro, it is good for farmers. People don’t realize what they are eating, and if they don’t know the more convinced they are to eat it. http://altmed.creighton.edu/OrganicFood/perceived_pros_and_cons.htm

The cons to this is that pestisides are poisons. Like i said in the first paragraph, they can cause health problems for infants and children. They can kill or harm things that the user is not wanting targetting. Pestisides that are put in the ground can be washed into streams or any source of water that is used. For example, it can kill fish in the streams and contaminate the water so when people drink the water they can get sick. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_advantages_and_disadvantages_of_pesticides

In my personal opinion i think that they are bad. Maybe someone could come up with a new idea for killing pests. They are horrible for peoples health and for the person using them. They can cause infants to have bad health problems. It is also responsible for the polution in waters. Even though it is meant to be a good thing, I really don’t think that it is. Just remember to wash your fruits and vegi’s that you buy at the store.

Dylan Pearce

Pd. 3

3-17-09

Researchers initially said levels of Zeranol, a growth hormone fed to cattle, found in beef were “57,000 times less, literally, than what the FDA has determined is safe.” That’s a huge number to be allowed to be given legally to the cows. Zeranol, and many other growth hormones, are mixed in to feed for the cattle to make them grow fatter faster, ultimately saving money. Now Zeranol isn’t directly linked to any specific diseases, but there is a scare about its connection to breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women, in the world.

In Europe, growth hormones are prohibited to be used by farmers. So why can’t we prohibit them here? Farmers argue the supply and demand of beef is where it all comes into play, but I’d rather slow down on fast food rather than voluntarily put my health at risk. If a growth hormone is developed that is some-how processed out of the cow by the time its served to us, the consumer, then I might change my opinion, but to let the growth hormones affect our health in negative ways just to make a “buck” is unethical. Right now the FDA is undergoing a huge follow-up test to the sudden publicity of these growth hormones. Research differs from each study but all say at least that it’s lower than FDA standards.

Now don’t take this essay in the wrong terms, nothing has been proven from the test yet that growth hormones like Zeranol are directly connected to possible health concerns, but have had many eye brows raised over the situation. Honestly if the FDA would even think of a possible food scare than they would recall and test, so we may have nothing to worry about, but think about that the next time you’re eating a burger from your favorite restaurant.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/05/20/eveningnews/main554857.shtml

http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/hormones/

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_5543.cfm