Ethan Armstrong is absolutely correct when he claims there are healthier and more cost efficient options for dieters than the Nutrisystem diet plan. In case you didn’t know, Nutrisystem creates prepackaged meals based on what the dieter chooses to eat. Nutrisystem has programs for vegetarians, men and a low glycemic plan for diabetics. The program has a large variety of food choices and several celebrity endorsers who claim it helps those struggling with weight loss. In addition, Nutrisystem ensures each meal has a particular nutrient content containing 55% carbohydrates, 25% good fat and 20% protein. So what’s the problem?

Although having meals shipped to your door, the trademark of this program, is convenient and saves time, it is digging a massive hole in your pocket book. According to the website bestdietforme.com, Nutrisystem costs $310 dollars per month thus calculating to $3720 a year. This amount of money could buy you a seven day trip to Paris or even a used car! Do you really want to throw away the luxury of a vacation on food?

What’s worse is that all of this dietary food is pre-packaged and therefore has lost some of its nutritional content from being processed. This in turn leads to higher food consumption to make up for the whole foods the body craves. This is a major problem because most people will not seek out healthier foods and will fill up by eating more junk food, even though they are full. This cycle creates bad eating habits and leads to digestive diseases.

Additionally, a lot of people do not consider the after effects when they stop the Nutrisystem diet or can no longer afford it. The diet has not taught the dieter how to exercise or to make healthy food choices on there own. This often leads to a massive weight gain negating any progress made on the program. So while your physical appearance may be improving, the inside of your body is crying out for help.

Legalize Medical Marijuana

The legalization of medical marijuana would alleviate the suffering of many individuals and produce economic benefits to the United States tied directly to a decreasing crime rate for those convicted of non violent crimes. Medicinal marijuana is so powerful that one such user, Peter McWilliam's, who was diagnosed with AIDS and non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, describes his experiences in this way, “The smoked marijuana… worked faster than anything else. I would be trembling, sweating, on the verge of vomiting- fully resigned to vomiting, in fact – but within a minute of inhaling the marijuana, the symptoms eased. With a second puff, they disappeared completely. A third puff brought an unexpected sensation, one found with no other anti-nausea medication I tried: hunger. This was a most welcome side effect of marijuana and the sole reason I came out of chemotherapy and radiation therapy weighing more than when I went in.” The relief Peter experienced from medical marijuana is not unusual. Marijuana has been used as a medicinal supplement for thousands of years and was frequently prescribed in the United States in the early 1900s.

The legal issues with medical marijuana began when some considered marijuana a gateway drug, which could lead to the consumption of harder drugs, and banned medicinal marijuana in 1937. However, there is little evidence to support this opinion and medicinal marijuana should once again be legalized in order to stimulate the economy. To explain, medical marijuana has the potential to generate billions of dollars in both taxes and enforcement savings in areas such as crime prevention, imprisonment and police protection, which cost 185 billion dollars in 2003 (Hughes, 2006). What's more is the legalization of medical marijuana would create space in prisons for those who commit violent crimes. This in turn would prevent the incarceration of those prescribing and receiving medical marijuana, such as McWilliam's.

On June 18, 2000, Peter McWilliam's died. He was arrested on a marijuana charge and was denied usage of his medicine as he awaited trial. Unable to control his nausea, he died of asphyxiation. To deny someone of medication is torturous and must end immediately. To prevent more cases like Peter’s it is important to get involved and inform yourself of local laws in order to petition and advertise the legalization of medical marijuana. If you have any questions please call this number 1-888-364-4567.

Global Warming: A Controversial Issue

Global warming has become a very controversial issue over the past twenty years are so. While there is significant evidence suggesting a temperature increase will impose serious threats to our world, some still believe global warming is due to natural causes and should not be taken seriously. I believe the article from the Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center titled Global Warming Is a Serious Threat is more convincing than the article Global Warming Is Not a Serious Threat for two main reasons.First, the article that warns of the dangers of global warming uses more fear tactics and shocking statistics. For instance, it quotes journalist Ross Gelbspan when he states
"For all but a small, noisy claque of doubters, the global-warming debate
has long been settled. The consensus: It’s happening; the consequences
will be stark; the world better start moving quickly to prevent the loss of
species and land, an increase in severe and dangerous weather, damage to
the food supply and the spread of disease." Not only did this grab my attention but it acted as a call to action for me to get involved and do something about global warming.Secondly, I felt this article did a better job explaining the scientific terms associated with global warming, such as the greenhouse effect, and gave me a better understanding of why the burning of fossil fuels and the deforestation of trees and rain forests impacted the climate to such a high degree. To explain, the greenhouse effect is the earth’s ability to absorb the sun’s energy and reflect some of it back to space so the planet can sustain life. However, the human production of additional gases and removal of carbon absorbing trees is throwing off the atmosphere’s equilibrium and keeping all of that energy in.
The Global Warming Is a Serious Threat article’s ability to evoke an emotional response while providing a vast amount of data was more persuasive than the article Global Warming Is Not a Serious Threat which repeated that the Earth has always gone through warming and cooling phases as its only source of evidence. Therefore, after reading both articles, my opinions of global warming have not changed and all arguments I had on the topic were discussed. I still believe global warming is happening and is induced by humans. In fact, these opinions have only gotten stronger due to the data the article in favor of global warming provided.

Celebrity Endorsements

Nike is a renowned name in all sporting apparel and equipment. When it comes to golf, the Nike Company claims to be the “industry-leading golf manufacturer.” Therefore, they have chosen the biggest name in golf, Tiger Woods, to be the celebrity endorser of Nike Golf. Since 1996, over a decade ago, Nike has continued to renew Tiger Woods’ multi-million dollar endorsement contract and have given him a cut from the sales profit. The company believes Tiger “has helped take Nike Golf from a ‘start-up’ golf company earlier this decade to the leading golf apparel company in the world” (Sports Business Radio) and generously show their appreciation. Tiger can be seen wearing Nike products from head to toe and playing with Nike golf equipment. Tiger Woods is an appropriate choice to market this product because he knows everything about golf and can effectively use the different products including clubs, range shooters, and balls in commercials and ads. This deal is very profitable for Nike because Tiger is able to wear their clothing line when he does ads for other businesses and can be seen with the Nike swoosh in the millions of photos taken of him. Nike’s choice to use Tiger Wood’s as an endorser may have been the smartest decision they ever made. Since his amateur years, Tiger Wood’s has had an impeccable golf record, lived a scandal free lifestyle and has been very appealing to the public; this makes him the perfect candidate to advertise Nike golf products. In addition, the Nike Company faces little to no risk using Tiger Wood’s as an endorser because it is unlikely Tiger’s actions will damage the Nike Company’s reputation. Especially, since Nike products are sold to children and adults alike. In general, it is more likely parents will buy products advertised by someone considered a role model, like Tiger, versus someone considered a felon, like Michael Vick, providing the endorsement deal with a desirable outcome.

National Parks and Commerce

In The New York Times article, Debate Flares on Limits of Nature and Commerce in Parks, by Heidi Schumann, a national park is forcefully asking an oyster farm to shut down its operations completely. The national park believes “the oyster operations [are] thrashing the eel grass... [And] spooking the mother seals off the sandbars and disrupting birthing season” (Schumann). I found this statement surprising because the article stated the farm was there before the park for seventy years and has impacted the land for quite sometime. I also found it shocking how accusatory this statement was. Especially because it is contradictory to a report produced by the National Academy of Sciences which said there is little evidence to support the disruption of seals and eel grass.
With this lack of evidence to support the removal of the oyster farm, the oyster farm has taken action and produced an array of valid arguments explaining why it should maintain residence in the park. First, the oyster farm believes it is beneficial to the surrounding economy because it prevents the importation of oysters. Next, the oyster farm predates the national park and says the national park only has control over areas of untouched land. This can be proven true since “half the parks have farms or working orchards” according to Gary Paul Nabhan. Lastly, the oyster farm suggests it “is part of the historical working landscape of the area- and every bit as in need of protection as the harbor seals and eel grass that share the bay” (Schumann).
The arguments made by the oyster farm are all valid since commerce has been a part of national parks since their beginning. The parks have been providing food, shelter and riches to settlers for at least a hundred years. According to NVS.gov, the National Park Service states “historic sites to be preserved for all people.”

Demonstration Speech - Manicure

Several components make a good speech. From the content to the visual aids, the quality of the speech is highly contributed to how it is presented . In my demonstration speech which demonstrated to the class how to give a manicure, I provided the content and visual aids but could use improvement in the oral presentation category.
To start off positively, I had a solid introduction discussing the history of the manicure. I feel this was a strong way to start the speech because I did not jump right into the demonstration but provided information to set the stage for the rest of the presentation.
In addition, I feel I did very well organizing my steps sequentially. I began by introducing the materials, proceded through the preliminary steps of washing the hands and priming the nails and finished with painting the nails and adding a top coat. What made this information useful to the class was I explained what all the materials were used for and guided them through the progression of a manicure, explaining the importance of each step, so the class would be able to repeat the process on their own if they wanted to. The only content I would change from my speech is the conclusion. While I feel it wrapped up the speech nicely, I could have done a better job of relating it to the introduction.
The visual aids I provided were both relevant and effective because without them I would not have been unable to demonstrate a manicure. All the visual aids were relevant because each related to a different step in the manicure process. From the polish for painting the nails to the file and buffer for priming the nails, the aids were all effective and allowed me to give my roomate Brie a manicure.
On the other hand, I would like to improve the delivery of my speech. While I talked at a good pace and had an appropriate volume, I feel I could have improved my eyecontact when I was explaining the materials and could have stood straighter to show more confidence and enthusiasm.
It appeared the audience was engaged in my speech and laughed along with me when I couldn't open the nail polish. I think I had the right amount of information but filler words could have been eliminated to give a more exact time.
Overall, I think my topic was conducive to the assignment because hygiene should be a part of every persons life. Also, it is not uncommon for boys to get manicures. Therefore, I think the the girls benefitted because I explained the proper techniques and the boys benefitted because now they can maintain good nail hygiene and not feel like manicures are associated with pretty polish colors.

Choose Fuze?

The fruit drink Fuze, a product of the Coca-Cola Company, has a vast amount of health claims depending on which flavor you choose. For example, the strawberry melon flavor advertises its ability to prevent weight gain and “slenderize” while peach mango boasts it is “refreshingly smart” and can provide the same health benefits as the vitamins it is fortified with. Unfortunately, these nutritional claims don’t end on the product label. The Fuze website, www.drinkfuze.com, states the products range from “low calorie to calcium enriched to antioxidant fortified” but show no supporting scientific evidence. For this reason, it can be concluded that the product’s claims are false and the product is unhealthy overall due to its lack of natural ingredients.
In my opinion, I believe the product’s claims have more drawbacks than benefits. First, when a product claims it can help you lose weight, consumers expect to see results quickly. Since Fuze does not have the backing of any nutritional agencies supporting this ability to” slenderize”, the product simply cannot help induce weight loss alone. It needs to be coupled with proper diet and exercise. Therefore, its claim as a weight loss supplement is falsely advertised. Secondly, just because a product contains vitamins and minerals does not mean the product will induce the affects of those nutrients, especially because the product contains them in such small dosages. Therefore, even if the makers of Fuze are fortifying the drinks with vitamins, Fuze will remain nothing more than fortified chemicals.
The truth about this product is “Fuze drinks won’t do anything for your kidneys, your lungs, or your heart; nor will they lower your cholesterol or prevent you from catching a cold,” according to CSPI senior nutritionist David Schardt. The drink contains unnatural ingredients and the “CSPI litigation director Steve Gardner urged the FDA to take Fuze off the market until the company complies with federal food labeling law” according to commondreams.org.
All in all, I would not recommend this product because there is no evidence backing its claims. I would say the only way to stay healthy and receive proper nutrition is to eat natural or organic foods.

Response to "In Defense of Food" Section 7

In order to fully appreciate a meal for more than just its nutritional components, I decided to make a home made pizza for my friend and I at his apartment. Contrary to having a pizza conveniently delivered to the door, there were several steps I needed to take in order to plan and prepare the meal successfully.
The planning stage was completed in three simple steps. The first thing I did was choose what kind of pizza I wanted to make. Since I wanted the meal to be balanced, I decided upon Hawaiian pizza because it has both fruit and meat as toppings. This step contributed to the overall experience since it made me feel like I had control over what I was going to eat. Next I thought about possible side dishes. Since I wanted the meal to be colorful and satisfy many of the food groups, I made a garden salad. Being able to choose things to eat based on other aspects than nutrition added to the enjoyment of cooking. Finally, I checked to see what ingredients I had in stock. Realizing I needed a pineapple and lettuce, I made a quick trip to the grocery store. After organizing all my tools and ingredients, it was time to start cooking.
The preparation stage took slightly longer but was the part I enjoyed most. This phase was also broken into a few steps as well. First, I preheated the oven and made the dough. This took the most time but good crust is essential to making a good pizza. Next I added the sauce, cheese, Canadian bacon and pineapple to the pizza and put it in the oven. This gave me time to make the salad and set the table which I surprisingly enjoyed doing both. Finally, when the pizza was ready, we were able to eat, socialize and clean up which prevented the typical eat and run situation.
After taking the time and energy to cook a full meal, I agree with Pollan when he describes the willingness of American’s to eat pre-made processed food. While the taste and overall satisfaction of eating real food left me feeling good, I think that eating to survive is a lot easier than eating for enjoyment with so many stressors in everyday life. Therefore when people see processed food products “[they] indulge a lot more in low-fat versions of processed foods than in their regular counterparts, and overweight people seem especially vulnerable” according to an article by Nanci Hellmich in USA Today since it is so convenient.

The Truth About SpaghettiOs

The majority of pasta dishes prepared for me as a child were home made and thus “real”. However, the transition from living at home to living in a dorm room has made it difficult to eat real pasta on a regular basis. For this reason, the only pasta I have eaten in the last month is Campbell’s SpaghettiOs. SpaghettiOs are both affordable and easy to find in many grocery stores. Furthermore, I do not have access to an oven and it is easy for me to create a quick, easy meal of SpaghettiOs by simply heating them in the microwave.
Unfortunately, Campbell’s SpaghettiOs are not my favorite food and therefore I only eat them every once in a while. To me, it is very evident this pasta product is “fake” and has substantial differences from the “real” form of the food. Especially when analyzing its look, taste and smell. To begin with, SpaghettiOs simply do not look real. When I open the can, I see rubbery looking rings floating in a pasty marina sauce. Soon after, I am overwhelmed with a tomato like odor which has been bottled up for an unknown amount of time. Luckily, it tastes better than it looks or smells since its ingredients have been enriched and modified with enough enzymes to create a flavor equivalent to the real food.
On the contrary to real pasta, I believe SpaghettiOs fall into the junk food category. The product does not provide a significant source of vitamins or essential nutrients. In fact, “Spaghetti-O's lack any real nutritional value [therefore] food manufacturers attempt to add artificial nutritional value by fortifying processed junk foods with synthetic nutrients” according to The Weston A. Price Foundation. Furthermore, SpaghettiOs are higher in both sodium and calories and appear to be scientifically engineered to contain less cholesterol and more protein than home made spaghettios.
For this reason, I believe I will be returning to the real version of the food when I am able to afford it or when I live at home again. I feel the product is good as a temporary substitute but is unhealthy to consume regularly since the majority of its ingredients have been altered.

Michael Pollan's Book Talk:

On Thursday, September 24, 2009 I attended the Michael Pollan public talk on his book In Defense of Food with roughly 7,000 other fans and critics. While I found the whole lecture very engaging and well formatted, the two most interesting points were both the four premises that reflect American’s assumptions of what food actually is as well as the history of what has become the ideology of nutritionism.
According to Michael Pollan, the four premises that reflect the assumptions American’s have of food are as follows: First, the key to understanding food is nutrients and food is merely a sum of its nutrient parts. Second, the population as a whole is dependent on experts to tell us how to eat since “[our] dietary salvation depends on unseen nutrients” (Pollan 28). Third, food is divided into good and evil. Last, the secret to health is navigating between those good and bad nutrients since “for every good nutrient, there must be a bad nutrient to serve as its foil” (Pollan 30). While I agree with these statements, I had previously never thought about the extreme to which people have become more attracted to ingredient labels versus the product itself. As a result, I find it disheartening that the focus of eating has gone from socialization and enjoyment to a game of risk where people have to decode product labels. With that being the case, nutritionism may be good for the market since science can altar products to fit the current ingredient fad, but it maintains a negative impact on the human mentality towards food.
Providing that most people follow this concept of nutritionism, it was shocking to learn how industry can negatively affect the government’s role in food labeling regulations. For instance, the American Heart Association’s determination to get American’s onto vegetable oil versus other fats caused the removal of labeling foods as imitation. Therefore, consumers no longer knew when they were buying the product they wanted or its nutritional equivalent. Furthermore, the rewriting of the United States dietary goals during the 1970’s Low Fat Campaign was a direct impact from the struggling food industry. The industry realized it could not sell products that were being suggested against but could sell products that did not contain nutrients which were being suggested against. While at first I disagreed with the government taking part in this development of nutritionalism, these two evident examples blatantly show the government’s role in the national focus shifting from foods to nutrients.
As has been noted, the lecture attracted many people and was overall very informative of the main points of his book In Defense of Food. The audience never lost interest and anticipation grew as everyone eagerly waited for Pollan to start speaking. Therefore, the format was well though out beginning with a series of introductions from the chancellor, project manager, University of Wisconsin-Madison professor and finally Michael Pollan and concluded with a question and answer session. Michael Pollan was a very intellectual speaker and his clever attention getter of mocking the labels of America’s favorite and “ healthy” snack foods kept the audience entertained from the start.

Response to "In Defense of Food" Section One

In Michael Pollan’s book In Defense of Food, I defend him and all his accusations towards the food industry replacing real food with fake, unhealthy food substitutes in supermarkets. I too believe that “nutrient rich” food is taking the place of whole foods on pantry shelves and in turn is making it unclear to consumers what product, or in this case product substitute, they are actually purchasing. And so, it is due to this lack of knowledge and scientific hype of buying ingredients versus buying food that people are poisoning their bodies with the chemicals that fortified these “nutritious” foods. What’s worse is the consumption of these products are harming, more than helping individuals struggling with everyday food choices. To clarify, every time a consumer chooses processed foods claiming to be healthy, that person is increasing their chance of developing a chronic disease such as cancer or diabetes. A classic example of this is the butter substitute, margarine. This food boasts it is better than butter but in reality its main ingredient is responsible for heart attacks and cancer. Therefore, following this nutrient based diet claiming to be good for our well-being is actually creating an adverse affect. As further evidence, http://cajunchiro.net/nonfood.aspx provides numerical data on the unhealthy ways people satisfy all the different food groups each day. From toddlers eating french fries to the general public consuming most of their calories from refined and over processed junk food, people have forgotten the right way to eat. The article reinforces this fact when it states “[people] eat MORE of what they DON'T need (nonfood) in an attempt to obtain what they DO need (nutrients as real food).” In other words, the body is trying to make up for all the nutrients lost in these processed foods by consuming more of them.