Over this semester we’ve covered many topics that have challenged my thinking and perspective on food. I’ve learned about topics that I wasn’t familiar with before and broadened my understanding of topics I was already familiar with. I wasn’t previously familiar with gut health but coming away for this class I have a newfound appreciation, some may say obsession, with gut health and fiber. I’ve always been interested in plant-based products and getting to further my understanding only helped increase my interest.
My friends and I call topics that we’re passionate about and can always talk about our “big chicken” referring to my love and passion for talking about how corrupt the chicken industry (“big chicken”) is overall. After learning about fiber and the functionality of fiber I now refer to it as my new “big chicken”. Prior to our discussions on functional food and fiber my limited knowledge of fiber was just that it generally was good for you and helped with your bowel movements. Learning about fiber and the benefits to the gut microbiome really interested me and helped me realize that going into a field that works on products that have nutritional benefits is something that I’m interested in. Tying into that I also didn’t know much about ultra-processed junk foods and learning about the processing behind those and the classifications. I was always aware of how bad for you junk foods are, but I don’t think I ever understood the extent to which it is bad. After that lesson I believe that I have severely cut down on my consumption of UPFs.
As someone who is lactose intolerant and has always had a deep fascination with plant-based meats as long as I can remember I still had major takeaways from our discussions on plant-based products. I never knew the specifics of precision fermentation and how it worked to create the meat-like substances besides the odd YouTube video but learning about how they use precision fermentation to recreate hemoglobin and myoglobin to make the meat taste meaty I found fascinating. The comparison between the nutritional’s of plant based meats and actual meat was interesting and made me rethink my consumption of products such as Beyond Burgers in addition to all the additives. After discussing alternative milks however, I still think I will choose to consume milks such as almond and oat. While they may not necessarily be better for the environment, they are missing lactose so for those who are lactose intolerant, they’re an amazing alternative and they’re often high in fiber, which as I mentioned is my new obsession.
Yes, food is a means for enjoyment, and I definitely see the beauty and joy that people derive from food like chips, ice cream etc. however there is still a way to do this that focuses on a more whole foods and less processed approach. Food has such an immense impact on your physical health that spreads far beyond what most people think, having impacts on your mental health, gut health, heart health, risk for disease and so much more. Because of this, finding a way to balance foods for enjoyment and foods for health is crucial. Going away from this class I will absolutely be more mindful of what I put in my body choosing to pick foods high in fiber and low in preservatives.