5D'Amico

Project 1 &2:

10/20 Leukemia:

The New York Times, The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food, was extremely interesting in how much energy, time and money not only goes into the product, but into the trials of food, advertising, packaging, and the conscious effort of companies to get their customers hooked onto their products. With little to no regard for the health of the customer, these companies are giving the consumers what they are now accustomed to having, too much salt, sugar, fat, and horrible options. One quote that caught my attention was James Behnke, who said, “ Sanger was trying to say, ‘Look, we’re not going to screw around with the company jewels here and change the formulations because a bunch of guys in white coats are worried about obesity.’ ” These companies have no interest in changing their ways, or ingredients to stop obesity because their income depends on it. I loved sugary, salty and fatty foods growing up; I still do, because my body has become accustomed to consuming more than I should. I could eat salty foods for days, but after reading this article and tracking my food, I am starting to realize the damage it is causing to my health. One study that caught my attention was done by Frito Lay in 1986, “Around that time, the marketing team was joined by Dwight Riskey, an expert on cravings who had been a fellow at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, where he was part of a team of scientists that found that people could beat their salt habits simply by refraining from salty foods long enough for their taste buds to return to a normal level of sensitivity.” I am now more aware of my habits and am ready to start changing. More people in America need to be informed of the dangers of their eating habits and what exactly is in their food. With a simple and bold label, people would more than likely to eat some more healthful food; this was proved in Finland. “In the late 1970s, the Finns were consuming huge amounts of sodium, eating on average more than two teaspoons of salt a day. As a result, the country had developed significant issues with high blood pressure, and men in the eastern part of Finland had the highest rate of fatal cardiovascular disease in the world. Research showed that this plague was not just a quirk of genetics or a result of a sedentary lifestyle — it was also owing to processed foods. So when Finnish authorities moved to address the problem, they went right after the manufacturers. (The Finnish response worked. Every grocery item that was heavy in salt would come to be marked prominently with the warning “High Salt Content.” By 2007, Finland’s per capita consumption of salt had dropped by a third, and this shift — along with improved medical care — was accompanied by a 75 percent to 80 percent decline in the number of deaths from strokes and heart disease.) ” If people were more aware, more people would make the right decision to change what they eat and be more healthy.
 * 13. You Are What You Eat **

__** 6/11/13: **__ Daily Food Group Targets Daily Calorie Limit
 * || ** Grains ** || ** Vegetables ** || ** Fruits ** || ** Dairy ** || ** Protein Foods ** ||
 * ** Target ** || 6 oz. || 2½ cup(s) || 2 cup(s) || 3 cup(s) || 5½ oz. ||
 * ** Eaten ** || 6½ oz. || 1¾ cup(s) || 0 cup(s) || 3½ cup(s) || 2 oz. ||
 * ** Status ** || OK || Under || - || Over || Under ||
 * ** Allowance ** || ** 2000 ** ||
 * ** Eaten ** || ** 1603 ** ||
 * ** Remaining ** || ** 397 ** ||

__** 6/12/13: **__ Daily Food Group Targets Daily Calorie Limit
 * || ** Grains ** || ** Vegetables ** || ** Fruits ** || ** Dairy ** || ** Protein Foods ** ||
 * ** Target ** || 6 oz. || 2½ cup(s) || 2 cup(s) || 3 cup(s) || 5½ oz. ||
 * ** Eaten ** || 1 oz. || ½ cup(s) || ½ cup(s) || ½ cup(s) || 0 oz. ||
 * ** Status ** || Under || Under || Under || Under || - ||
 * ** Allowance ** || ** 2000 ** ||
 * ** Eaten ** || ** 438 ** ||
 * ** Remaining ** || ** 1562 ** ||

Daily Food Group Targets Daily Calorie Limit
 * __ 6/13/13: __**
 * || ** Grains ** || ** Vegetables ** || ** Fruits ** || ** Dairy ** || ** Protein Foods ** ||
 * ** Target ** || 6 oz. || 2½ cup(s) || 2 cup(s) || 3 cup(s) || 5½ oz. ||
 * ** Eaten ** || 5½ oz. || 1 cup(s) || ½ cup(s) || 2½ cup(s) || 3½ oz. ||
 * ** Status ** || OK || Under || Under || Under || Under ||
 * ** Allowance ** || ** 2000 ** ||
 * ** Eaten ** || ** 1529 ** ||
 * ** Remaining ** || ** 471 ** ||

__** 6/14/13 **__ Daily Food Group Targets Daily Calorie Limit
 * || ** Grains ** || ** Vegetables ** || ** Fruits ** || ** Dairy ** || ** Protein Foods ** ||
 * ** Target ** || 6 oz. || 2½ cup(s) || 2 cup(s) || 3 cup(s) || 5½ oz. ||
 * ** Eaten ** || 3½ oz. || ½ cup(s) || 0 cup(s) || ½ cup(s) || 5½ oz. ||
 * ** Status ** || Under || Under || - || Under || OK ||
 * ** Allowance ** || ** 2000 ** ||
 * ** Eaten ** || ** 807 ** ||
 * ** Remaining ** || ** 1193 ** ||

__** 6/15/13 **__ Daily Food Group Targets Daily Calorie Limit
 * || ** Grains ** || ** Vegetables ** || ** Fruits ** || ** Dairy ** || ** Protein Foods ** ||
 * ** Target ** || 6 oz. || 2½ cup(s) || 2 cup(s) || 3 cup(s) || 5½ oz. ||
 * ** Eaten ** || ½ oz. || 5¼ cup(s) || ½ cup(s) || ¼ cup(s) || 11 oz. ||
 * ** Status ** || Under || Over || Under || Under || Over ||
 * ** Allowance ** || ** 2000 ** ||
 * ** Eaten ** || ** 1360 ** ||
 * ** Remaining ** || ** 640 ** ||



According to the Super Tracker, I have a very unbalanced and incomplete diet. My calories were under, but my empty calories were over almost each day. I ate far too few vegetables and fruit, and barely enough whole grains. Not only am I missing parts of a complete and healthy diet, I am going over in parts of the diet I should not be. My total fat and sodium intake was not only high, but over the recommended amount for a woman my height and weight. Overall, my diet is not healthy and I need to take more time and carefully examine what I am eating, and how much of it I am eating.