My essay is going to be centered around the obesity in America. When this assignment was assigned I knew right away what I wanted to write about. We have had many great discussions based upon our readings and videos we have seen. With that being said I feel as though every discussion has involved pointing the finger at someone else. Some topics including the slaughterhouse issues and greed of large food corporations rightfully lead to finger pointing. These are issues that need immediate attention. Another question that I have yet to hear a lot about is why are Americans viewed as lazy and fat? The answer is simple, we are! There are plenty of statistics out there that back this claim up in full. I will try to cover topics such as the lack of exercise in Americans today as well as the issues with fast food restaurants. I know that my essay may bring about some people who disagree with me as well as those who agree. I look forward to hopefully holding some discussions about these topics!

The facts about our food

I decided to watch Food Inc. and I actually found most parts of it to be quite interesting. The portion that talked about the impact that corn has on our food system caught my attention the most. The development of high fructose corn syrup has allowed for corn to become an ingredient in a large amount of the food we consume on a daily basis. Corn can be found in some form in foods such as Twinkies, soda, peanut butter and meat. Cattle were originally raised as grazers of grass but the cheap cost of corn has turned the tide on the meat market. A large percentage of cattle farms in America now raise their cattle on corn which in turn means that the meat we consume contains it as well. The section of the film covering the chicken industry was also an eye opener. I have heard about the move towards genetically modified chickens in the past but seeing it first hand was a little odd. I felt bad seeing thousands of chickens not being able to move due to their enlarged bodies. But at the end of the day the only thing that matters to these huge corporations is the money. It was a breathe of fresh air to see farmers running grass fed beef operations and naturally raised pork farms. I feel as though that is how food production should be done but is a rarity to see in todays world. Hearing from a farmer that truly appreciates the value of cattle and pigs reminds me that there is still some hope for the food industry. Based upon the film I think these types of operations will continue to push themselves upon the food industry to better improve the quality of our food. With all of this being said I still think it will be hard for me to turn away from eating meat or fast food but it for sure has me thinking about how often I choose to eat these types of things.

The further I dive into this book, the more eye opening it becomes. Throughout the first chunk of the book I was caught up in the inhumane treatment of the animals being sent through the slaughterhouses, I am now more awestruck about the conditions the workers are in. Not often should you have to fear for your life when you head into work,but that is exactly what these workers have to do. The managers of these places literally pay zero attention to the safety of the employees. When it comes down to it, money is all that matters to these people. Turning a profit ends up being more important than the life of a human being. Yes, slaughterhouses are not the safest places in the world regardless of whether safety regulations are followed. But the lives of the employees will be much better protected if these regulations and guidelines are followed! Cattle should not be falling from the sky like rain, pigs should not be kicking and screaming as they are dipped into boiling water; the list could go on and on. The lack of action by people in power has created houses of horror. Like I said in an earlier blog, this books has not and will not changed my opinion as a meat lover. I am curious as to whether it may affect other people in this way. Those people that are on the fence as far as eating meat may jump to the veggie only side following some light reading of books such as this one. Reading about places like this really makes you think about whether the meat you are eating has been properly cared for.

Slaughterhouse

I decided to take on the book describing what conditions could be like inside of a slaughterhouse. I've had previous exposure to the infamous book, The Jungle; so I thought reading more about the topic could be interesting. I love a good steak as much as the next person, this book has not and will not make me rethink that at all. I would like to say that some of the things that were described in the book were terrible. The one thing that rubbed me the wrong way was the USDA's lack of immediate action on the Kaplan Slaughterhouse. I learned that many times, incidents of mistreatment of cattle went right under the rug so to speak. Workers that had been interviewed described many instances in which they were moved to tougher jobs for complaining about the poor conditions in the slaughterhouse. It really rubbed me the wrong way to read about people in power taking no action on a facility doing horrible things to the cattle. As I read further into the book, I came across a portion in which parents described situations in which their children were affected by places like the Kaplan factory. It was humbling to learn that places like the Kaplan factory can severely affect families across the country. One mother described an experience in which her child passed away due to an illness brought down by bad meat. This made me think; how many more children have to die before permanent action is taken in places like this? There are plenty of guidelines that slaughterhouses must abide by, but some are just simply ignored. They are being ignored to produce more meat, they are being ignored to turn more of a profit. That fact makes places like Kaplan, a joke!

See food, eat food!

If someone asked me to describe my own diet I would respond with, "I am on the See-Food diet." I am not referring to a fish only diet but rather, one that consists of any and every food a person can eat. Being apart of the baseball team here at Western allows me the opportunity to constantly workout, lift, and exercise. My strength coach is constantly telling us to eat as much as we can as often as we can. Knowing I will not go a day without some type of physical activity, I tend to not pay attention to what I eat. I am a huge fan of sweets such as Oreos, Reese's Peanut Butter cups, etc. This sweet tooth of mine could come back to bite me in the rear one day but I tend to not worry about it. I rarely feel guilty about eating poorly knowing that I will end up burning off all of the calories in practice or in the weight room. I would say that my meal schedule is a little out of sync to the eyes of the average person. Breakfast is a rarity for me as I like to catch up on my sleep during the days that I don't have a morning workout. A regular lunch usually consists of a sub from Jimmy Johns or Subway on my way to practice. My class schedule usually runs right up until my practices so I rarely have time to get a full lunch in. I usually try to make up for my lack of eating during dinner. Most of my dinners will consist of some type of meat and vegetable. Rarely will my freezer not have some type of chicken breast or chicken tenders in it. Broccoli is my favorite vegetable, so that usually accompanies my dinner. Knowing that I haven't had a whole lot to eat during the day, I like to make large portions for dinner. The downfall to all of this is what I have to drink. Mountain Dew usually accompanies my dinner. I have heard so many things about how bad this soda is for you but I tend to brush that information to the side. I would like to cut back on the amount of Mountain Dew I have during the week because of how bad it is for me, but that is easier said than done!